Chiefs Holmes

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Oct 28, 2005 by Rick Dean Capital-Journal

Healthier Holmes carries on for Chiefs

Chiefs RB on collision course with Chargers' Tomlinson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- His days of leading the NFL in rushing are probably over for Priest Holmes.

At age 32, the rotation Holmes now plays with youngster Larry Johnson takes both carries and numbers away from the man who once was the Chiefs workhorse. That is essentially what the Chiefs wanted to do when they devised a plan to keep Holmes healthier (after two major injuries in the past three seasons) and Johnson more involved during a transition period between two runners.

The NFL rushing leader in 2001 (when he ran for 1,555 yards), Holmes now ranks only 20th. The 2002 league leader in yards from scrimmage (2,287) now is only 20th in that category. The player who set a league record for single-season touchdowns (27) in 2003 today ranks only fifth in scoring among non-kickers with 42 points in six games.

All of which seems just fine with Priest Holmes in the late stages of his NFL career.

"I feel great. I like the rotation," Holmes said Wednesday in one of his rare interview sessions with the Kansas City media. "It allows more good players to get on the field, which we sometimes didn't have in the past. With LJ playing in a rotation with me, I think it serves a great purpose for what we're trying to do."

Indeed, the two-man committee has not been a detriment to the Chiefs' running game, which ranks No. 6 league-wide while averaging 137 yards per game. That attack will be thoroughly tested this week in San Diego when the Chiefs run into the Chargers' second-ranked run defense in a key division game at Qualcomm Stadium.

The rotation has, however, reduced Holmes' impact as an individual star --- a status he never actively sought. For while he feels he's still running as effectively as he did earlier in his Chiefs career, Holmes also knows his performance will no longer be reflected by numbers alone.

"When you run the ball, (evaluations) are based on carries," he noted. "When you average over 20 carries, people will say that, statistically, he's running the ball well. But in terms of production, I believe I'm still (productive).

His numbers, though, don't bear that out. Holmes is averaging 3.9 yards on his 105 carries in six games. His per-carry averages in four previous years in Kansas City were 4.8 yards, 5.2, 4.4 and 4.6 last year.

In terms of big plays, however, Holmes hardly appears to be slowing down late in his career.

Already this year Holmes has two runs of 35 yards, bettering his long gainers of the past two seasons. His 60-yard run with a short screen pass provided a game-breaking touchdown against Washington and was the third-longest reception of his Chiefs career. He has 13 runs of 10 yards or more, and is sixth in the NFL in red zone carries and touchdowns (5).

If Priest Holmes is having a down year, as the numbers alone would suggest, it's gone unnoticed by his peers.

"He looks like he's always looked to me," said San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson. "He still shows great speed and makes people miss. His cuts and reads are still there. He's still a great back, and you've got to give that to him."

Tomlinson understands better than anyone what Holmes went through in the past four years when he personally accounted for almost 40 percent of Kansas City's total offense. Tomlinson, the only NFL runner to total more yards from scrimmage (8,775) than Holmes (8,240) during that time, believes running in a rotation with Johnson may work to Holmes' advantage at this time of his life.

"The advantage is that you keep two guys fresh," Tomlinson said Wednesday. "The disadvantage is that it's hard for a running back to get into a real rhythm when he's in for two series and out for the next. But Priest is still running hard and looking good, so I don't think this is affecting him at all."

There may even come a time, Tomlinson added, when he, too, would welcome a breather from his workhorse duties with the Chargers.

Sunday against the Chiefs, however, is not that time.

"I'm not at the point in my career where I feel I need the break, but I'm still fairly young and want to continue to carry the ball," said the 26-year-old fifth-year player. "But Priest's situation is a little different."

Browning still out, may not play Sunday

Silent John Browning, the defensive tackle who has uttered maybe three sentences in public since joining the Chiefs in 1996, missed a third straight day of practice Thursday and might not be available when Kansas City faces LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

The Chiefs, unlike Browning, aren't as reluctant to express their concern. Especially given the role Browning has played in their eighth-ranked rushing defense this year.

"He's consistently been our most valuable defensive lineman since I've been here," coach Dick Vermeil said Thursday. "When he's healthy he plays his position extremely well, and he can play all four positions.

"I don't think he's ever received the kind of credit he deserves for being the kind of player he is because he hasn't been on an outstanding defense."