ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The Chiefs placed running back Jamaal Charles on the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, though coach Andy Reid said it should not be considered a setback in his return from a knee injury.Charles tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 5 last season. He had surgery soon afterward and was far enough along in his recovery that he participated in some drills during mandatory minicamp.Hes on track and hes played a lot of downs, so he knows what he needs to do to be ready, and I think well be fine there, Reid said. The important thing is that we are patient with him in bringing him back. He knows what to do to be ready and when hes ready, well bring him back.This is the second time that Charles has undergone surgery to repair an ACL. He missed most of the 2011 season after hurting his other knee but ran for 1,509 yards the following season.Still, Charles is older now -- he turns 30 in December -- and has many more hits on his body.The Chiefs can afford to take their time with him, though. They re-signed Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware in the offseason, bringing back the speed-and-power combination that filled in well for Charles when he was hurt while making a cut in a game against the Bears.Were just going to take our time, Reid said. Were just going to make sure hes good.The Chiefs can take Charles off the PUP list whenever he is medically cleared, but that likely will not happen anytime soon. Veterans do not report for the start of training camp until Friday.Chiefs cornerback Phillip Gaines also tore an ACL early last season, but he is already close to full speed. He is expected to compete for one of the starting jobs opposite Marcus Peters.I thought he moved around great, Reid said after the first practice involving rookies, select veterans and quarterbacks. He took a lot of reps and it looks like hes put on some weight and some strength. I was happy with what I saw today. He competed.Gaines said he still has some rust to knock off, but he is close to 100 percent.Im definitely climbing toward that way, he said. Its the first time playing football since the Green Bay game (on Sept. 28), so just feels good to be able to have the opportunity to play.Gaines said there is no pain in his surgically repaired knee, just a bit of stiffness from time to time. He praised the work of Dr. James Andrews, who also operated on Charles and repaired linebacker Justin Houstons torn ACL in February, and said that he trusts his knee to hold up.I mean, Dr. Andrews is one of the best surgeons in the world, hes world-renowned, Gaines said, and everybody knows him. So if he says my knees good, then I have all the confidence in the world.Wide receiver Mike Williams, who was signed to provide some depth, also made it onto the practice field Wednesday after dealing with a hamstring injury during the offseason program.Williams starred for Tampa Bay before injuries and a suspension derailed his career.It feels real good. Thats what Ive been training for to get back out there, so its kind of good that I got an early start, he said. It feels really good to be back out here again.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap New Balance .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. New Balance Outlet Store . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.cheapnewbalance.net/ . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Cheap New Balance Shoes Online .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Cheap New Balance Shoes From China . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Justin Fuentes new offense is getting a lot of attention during a three-game winning streak that has lifted Virginia Tech back into the national rankings, but the No. 17 Hokies defense cannot be overlooked at all.The Hokies (4-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) have scored 132 points in the streak, including 49 against a Boston College team that was among the nations defense leaders. But Virginia Tech has also allowed just 20 points in the games, and 17 of them came in mop-up time during a 54-17 victory against East Carolina.The Hokies, who limited high-powered North Carolina to just 131 yards in a 34-3 victory Saturday , have the nations No. 2 pass defense (allowing 132 yards per game) and the No. 3 overall defense (allowing just 238 yards per game).Its what longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster was hoping to see after a subpar performance in 2015.Im not really surprised, redshirt junior linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka said Monday. Coach Foster is a genius and were just always confident in his game plan and stuff like that, and execute whatever he wants.The first 17 of the opponents points came after Virginia Tech led East Carolina 38-0 at halftime on its way to a 54-17 victory . The last three came Saturday as the Hokies limited a high-powered Tar Heels team to 131 yards.In Fosters constant drive for perfection, his players know better than to think they have it figured out, even though they have risen from an afterthought to No. 17 in the country and looking like Coastal Division contenders.The Hokies (4-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) will try to bolster their credentials further on Saturday at Syracuse (2-4, 0-2), where the Orange are running a new, fast-paced and potent offense, but struggle on defense.First-year Hokies coach Justin Fuente said he learned long ago, while serving as the offensive coordinator under Gary Patterson at TCU, that a wise head coach lets his coordinators master their expertise without meddling.ddddddddddddThats the way were doing it here with Bud, Fuente said. I want those guys to feel like they can go game plan and really hone in on their area of expertise within the frameworks of what were trying to set forth as a team. How nice is it to have good coaches on your staff? Its fantastic, whether its Bud, or (sepcial teams coordinator) James Shibest or (offensive coordinator) Brad Cornelsen or any of the guys that weve got.Foster, in his 30th season at Virginia Tech and 21st as defensive coordinator, has created a defensive culture in which his players are well aware of a decorated past, and their duty to make sure they join the ranks.It keeps them from getting comfortable when things seem to be going well.We always want to keep getting better each and every game, cornerback Brandon Facyson said. Theres always something we can work on to make our defense better than what it was the week before. Each week we just go into it (and see) what are the little things that we can fix to make our defense go to a step up from last weeks game.In the new world of Fuente and Foster, its the way both insist their players think.It truly is 12 one-game seasons. All those things can disappear if we dont take care of our business, Fuente said, adding that its the way the team has approached each game to date that has made their success happen. ... If we stop doing things, then well no longer find ourselves in this situation.---Online: The APs college football page: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '