the Talking Can
08-28-2005, 05:58 AM
This was written prior to last nights game.
--------------------------------------
from the kcstar:
Posted on Sun, Aug. 28, 2005
Priest not getting any props
But doubters only help drive the best player in the NFL
JOE POSNANSKI
People sometimes ask why I’m so fascinated by Priest Holmes. There are a lot of reasons. There’s the chess thing. There’s the audacity in the way he comes back from injuries. There’s his remarkable patience as a runner — I’ve never seen a running back set up his blocks better than Priest Holmes.
But in the end, I think it comes down to one thing.
I’m fascinated that a man can be the best player in the NFL and still get no respect.
This struck me again while reading a football magazine called “Andy Benoit’s Touchdown 2005.” I read the magazine because on the front there’s a blurb from ESPN’s Chris Berman saying it is “one of the most comprehensive NFL previews that I have EVER seen,” and also because they sent it to me for free. Apparently, Andy is 19 years old and was an honor student at Boise (Idaho) High, and I can’t think of a better qualification for writing an NFL magazine.
Andy has a little section called “Write it down.” This is where he makes one of those bold statements you can make when you are an honor student in Boise, such as “Randy Moss is a great talent but a poor football player.” Anyway, here’s his “Write It Down” thought for the Chiefs: “Running back Larry Johnson will replace Priest Holmes by the start of next season if not sooner.”
Andy’s opinion is pretty popular these days. You’ve heard it: Priest Holmes’ time is almost up. Larry Johnson is ready. Anyone could run behind that line. Etc. Many around the country seem to think that Larry Johnson is the superior back RIGHT NOW based on his three consecutive 100-yard games last year.
And it’s just another chapter in the “People will never appreciate how good Priest Holmes is” book. You know the story. Holmes came out of college undrafted — people said he was too small and too slow to play in the NFL.
He ran for 1,000 yards for Baltimore. People said it was meaningless. He got benched.
He came to Kansas City and led the NFL in rushing. People said it was a fluke. He came back and put together the most spectacular 13 1/2 games a running back has ever had — almost 2,300 total yards, 24 touchdowns, he was going to smash all the records — and then he hurt his hip at the end of a long run. People said he couldn’t stay healthy.
He came back, played a full year, set the NFL record by scoring 27 touchdowns.
People said that was because of the Chiefs’ great offensive line (nobody liked to mention that in the nine years before Priest Holmes arrived, the Chiefs didn’t manage to have even a 900-yard runner).
Anyway, now many of these same people say that Holmes is done. He will be 32 in October. He’s coming off a knee injury that was serious enough that he missed half of last season (he was on pace to rush for 1,800 yards and score 30 touchdowns). Running backs don’t last long. Larry Johnson is fresh and a former first-round pick.
And so on. And so on.
“I don’t know what I would do if people didn’t doubt me,” Holmes says. “I’m serious. I think that’s what drives me. If people didn’t doubt me, I’d probably get fat and happy.”
Holmes spent the off-season working out day after day on a Texas military base with retired military personnel. He says there were days that he thought about cutting out early, and one of those guys yelled, “Oh, man, I’m 50 and I’m outworking you,” or “I guess you’re going to retire soon, too.” Holmes would get back to work.
“Those guys will tell you when you’re not giving your all,” he says. “They helped me keep it real.”
Holmes says he’s pretty close to 100 percent. He always says “pretty close to 100 percent.” He doesn’t like giving anything away.
Then, that’s Holmes. He doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t make fancy moves. He doesn’t break 70-yard runs. Maybe that’s why people overlook him.
Maybe that’s why everyone goes crazy for San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson. Hey, Tomlinson’s a great player. He’s fun to watch. But, his numbers are not even close to Holmes’ over the last four years.
Maybe that’s why the national media swarm around Miami’s Ricky Williams, who is a flake but isn’t half the player Holmes has been.
Maybe that’s why people want to talk about Larry Johnson replacing Holmes. Johnson was impressive at times last year, there’s no doubt. He has a breakaway gear that Holmes probably does not have anymore. He showed an ability to hit the hole. Holmes likes his game a lot. “It will be great to team up with Larry,” he says.
But being a great running back, an all-time great, isn’t about the long runs. It isn’t about hitting the hole hard. It’s about being there Sunday after Sunday, gaining first downs, scoring touchdowns, softening the middle of the defense, opening up the passing game, blocking blitzers, making plays on short passes. In these ways, Priest Holmes is one of the best who ever lived. He is — I truly believe this — the best player in the NFL, just as Emmitt Smith was the best player in the NFL in his prime, and Walter Payton was the best in his prime.
But no one else seems to see Holmes that way. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Andy is right. Hey, Chris Berman has never said this column was comprehensive.
--------------------------------------
from the kcstar:
Posted on Sun, Aug. 28, 2005
Priest not getting any props
But doubters only help drive the best player in the NFL
JOE POSNANSKI
People sometimes ask why I’m so fascinated by Priest Holmes. There are a lot of reasons. There’s the chess thing. There’s the audacity in the way he comes back from injuries. There’s his remarkable patience as a runner — I’ve never seen a running back set up his blocks better than Priest Holmes.
But in the end, I think it comes down to one thing.
I’m fascinated that a man can be the best player in the NFL and still get no respect.
This struck me again while reading a football magazine called “Andy Benoit’s Touchdown 2005.” I read the magazine because on the front there’s a blurb from ESPN’s Chris Berman saying it is “one of the most comprehensive NFL previews that I have EVER seen,” and also because they sent it to me for free. Apparently, Andy is 19 years old and was an honor student at Boise (Idaho) High, and I can’t think of a better qualification for writing an NFL magazine.
Andy has a little section called “Write it down.” This is where he makes one of those bold statements you can make when you are an honor student in Boise, such as “Randy Moss is a great talent but a poor football player.” Anyway, here’s his “Write It Down” thought for the Chiefs: “Running back Larry Johnson will replace Priest Holmes by the start of next season if not sooner.”
Andy’s opinion is pretty popular these days. You’ve heard it: Priest Holmes’ time is almost up. Larry Johnson is ready. Anyone could run behind that line. Etc. Many around the country seem to think that Larry Johnson is the superior back RIGHT NOW based on his three consecutive 100-yard games last year.
And it’s just another chapter in the “People will never appreciate how good Priest Holmes is” book. You know the story. Holmes came out of college undrafted — people said he was too small and too slow to play in the NFL.
He ran for 1,000 yards for Baltimore. People said it was meaningless. He got benched.
He came to Kansas City and led the NFL in rushing. People said it was a fluke. He came back and put together the most spectacular 13 1/2 games a running back has ever had — almost 2,300 total yards, 24 touchdowns, he was going to smash all the records — and then he hurt his hip at the end of a long run. People said he couldn’t stay healthy.
He came back, played a full year, set the NFL record by scoring 27 touchdowns.
People said that was because of the Chiefs’ great offensive line (nobody liked to mention that in the nine years before Priest Holmes arrived, the Chiefs didn’t manage to have even a 900-yard runner).
Anyway, now many of these same people say that Holmes is done. He will be 32 in October. He’s coming off a knee injury that was serious enough that he missed half of last season (he was on pace to rush for 1,800 yards and score 30 touchdowns). Running backs don’t last long. Larry Johnson is fresh and a former first-round pick.
And so on. And so on.
“I don’t know what I would do if people didn’t doubt me,” Holmes says. “I’m serious. I think that’s what drives me. If people didn’t doubt me, I’d probably get fat and happy.”
Holmes spent the off-season working out day after day on a Texas military base with retired military personnel. He says there were days that he thought about cutting out early, and one of those guys yelled, “Oh, man, I’m 50 and I’m outworking you,” or “I guess you’re going to retire soon, too.” Holmes would get back to work.
“Those guys will tell you when you’re not giving your all,” he says. “They helped me keep it real.”
Holmes says he’s pretty close to 100 percent. He always says “pretty close to 100 percent.” He doesn’t like giving anything away.
Then, that’s Holmes. He doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t make fancy moves. He doesn’t break 70-yard runs. Maybe that’s why people overlook him.
Maybe that’s why everyone goes crazy for San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson. Hey, Tomlinson’s a great player. He’s fun to watch. But, his numbers are not even close to Holmes’ over the last four years.
Maybe that’s why the national media swarm around Miami’s Ricky Williams, who is a flake but isn’t half the player Holmes has been.
Maybe that’s why people want to talk about Larry Johnson replacing Holmes. Johnson was impressive at times last year, there’s no doubt. He has a breakaway gear that Holmes probably does not have anymore. He showed an ability to hit the hole. Holmes likes his game a lot. “It will be great to team up with Larry,” he says.
But being a great running back, an all-time great, isn’t about the long runs. It isn’t about hitting the hole hard. It’s about being there Sunday after Sunday, gaining first downs, scoring touchdowns, softening the middle of the defense, opening up the passing game, blocking blitzers, making plays on short passes. In these ways, Priest Holmes is one of the best who ever lived. He is — I truly believe this — the best player in the NFL, just as Emmitt Smith was the best player in the NFL in his prime, and Walter Payton was the best in his prime.
But no one else seems to see Holmes that way. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Andy is right. Hey, Chris Berman has never said this column was comprehensive.