Run, Priest, run: Priest Holmes—the reigning NFL rushing king—has come a long way from his humble start as an undrafted free agent

Football Digest, April, 2002 by Rick Dean

ONE HESITATES TO SUGGEST that Priest Holmes lost his mind upon learning of his selection to his first Pro Bowl. He did, however, come very close to losing his checkbook.

"I think he put his foot in his mouth when he said he'd take the whole team to Hawaii," says a chuckling Tony Gonzalez, Holmes' Kansas City Chiefs teammate who seemed happier about Holmes' selection than his own. "Really, when Coach [Dick] Vermeil announced it before practice, he got so excited he went into the middle of the group and said, `You know what? I'm taking all of you!' That's gotta hit him in the pocket."

Realizing the running back was caught up in the euphoria of the moment, linebacker Donnie Edwards tried to offer him a way out of the situation. "We said, `Hey, Priest, do you realize you said you'd take the whole team? Are you sure you didn't mean just the offensive line?'" Edwards says. "But he said he meant the whole team."

It's easy to understand why Holmes, in only his first year in Kansas City, was given the 2001 Derrick Thomas Award as the Chiefs' most valuable player in voting by his teammates. Sure, rushing for an NFL-best and team-record 1,555 yards didn't hurt. Neither did the fact that he amassed a club-record 2,169 yards from scrimmage, 22 more than the great Marshall Faulk. (For the record, the team MVP voting was done before the Pro Bowl announcement and the ensuing Hawaiian vacation promises.)

When you consider that only a season before Holmes was a mere backup on the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl team, his numbers look even more impressive. Throw in the fact that he wasn't even selected in the 1997 draft after rushing for 1,276 yards his senior year at Texas, and you really have to tip your hat to the hard-working running back. "A lot of geniuses in this league," cracks Vermeil, who was among those who whiffed on Holmes the first time around, when he was coach of the St. Louis Rams.

But Holmes endeared himself to his new Kansas City teammates and the fans around the league through more than just his rushing numbers. Quiet, unassuming, and humble almost to a fault, Holmes represents the rags-to-riches story that athletes and fans alike truly appreciate.

"I'm so happy for him, especially with the way he came in as an [undrafted] free agent," Gonzalez says. "He's far exceeded any expectations anyone had on him." Adds Chiefs guard Brian Waters: "It couldn't happen to a better person. He's very modest, very humble. We all got a good feeling when he got the [rushing title]."

Holmes was feeling good, too, as evidenced by his earnest, budget-breaking promises to his teammates. His public pronouncement, however, was much more restrained. This guy is so modest that he ought to be carrying a union card in the running backs local. Here is what he had to say to the media upon being named to the Pro Bowl: "Being recognized by your peers is the most important. To get their acknowledgement as a Pro Bowl player is something I hold in high regard."

Well, perhaps he gets more worked up about proving the NFL experts wrong who ignored him in the '97 draft ... or maybe not. "I hope this serves as a light for other players who came into the league as an undrafted player," he says. "I hope it's a story that encourages other people. I'm happy about that."

Well, then, what about his late-season race with the New York Jets' Curtis Martin for the rushing title? "The rushing title is something every running back dreams about when he's young," says Holmes, finally warming up to a subject. "I've seen some great running backs come out of Texas, people like Tony Dorsett. Knowing I've got the ability and opportunity to do something he did, I'm definitely going to move toward it." Besides, he adds reasonably, "When you have the opportunity to carry the ball 300 times, you put yourself in position to contend for the rushing title."

Priest Holmes is, quite simply, the Anti-Randy Moss. Like Moss, he plays when he wants to. Unlike Moss, it's on every down.

There was a time when Holmes thought he'd never get 389 touches (327 rushes, 62 receptions), as he did with the Chiefs in 2001. It certainly would have been hard to imagine back in 1995, when he tore an ACL in spring practice at Texas yet came back to average 5.1 yards a carry on 252 tries as a senior. It would have been hard to imagine after being left out in the cold in the next spring's draft. Yet he managed to run for 1,008 yards in 1998, his second season with the Ravens.

It would have been hard to imagine in 1999 when a sprained MCL limited him to nine games. Or in 2000 when Baltimore, looking for a bigger back, replaced him with Jamal Lewis. Even after getting new life when he was signed as a free agent by the Chiefs, who pursued him over Tiki Barber and Charlie Garner, Holmes had to wonder if he'd ever be a featured back again.

Vermeil's first season in Kansas City was full of change. Many of the power-game components acquired in the Marty Schottenheimer/Gunther Cunningham years remained in place, but Vermeil and offensive coordinator Al Saunders dreamed of installing the Rams-style offense that won them a Super Bowl ring in 1999.