Wile_E_Coyote
12-09-2004, 05:47 PM
Q&A with Dick Vermeil
Dec 09, 2004, 5:32:22 PM
Q: Talk about the decision to put Priest Holmes on injured reserve ending his season.
DICK VERMEIL: “We all know what his problem is, but the rehab is taking longer and with the season only four weeks to go and Priest feeling the pressure to get ready to play and wanting to play – and he might not have been able to start practicing until maybe the last week – it just made sense to take the pressure off and get it defined in him what he has to do and that’s get ready to play next year.”
Q: When did you realize when he was going to have to go on IR?
VERMEIL: “I started thinking about it really at the end of last week, when at the end of four weeks of rehab he still was a long ways away from practicing. Usually when you’ve been out for four weeks as a running back with a knee injury it takes a while to develop the confidence you need. By that time the season would be over and I just felt that would be the best, as the organization did, thing to do. It would be the best thing to do for Priest Holmes and his future.”
Q: Do you expect him to be 100% for next season?
VERMEIL: “Oh yeah, I think he’ll be 100% within a month, or two months at the most. Just like Billy Baber who injured his knee in the same way at training camp. It took him 10-12 weeks and his knee we thought was a little more serious than Priest, but he’s 100% now. I think Priest will be a 100% within a month.”
Q: Did you talk to Priest and does he realize this is best, to go on IR I mean?
VERMEIL: “Priest knows his body and what’s going on better than any athlete that I’ve been around. Every time he’s been banged up he’s given me an accurate time schedule as to when he’d be ready to go and he was always right. He was concerned and felt he was behind the rehab schedule. It wasn’t coming around as fast as he had hoped or as we thought it would. We had a good meeting this week.”
Q: He was on pace to have a really monster year. How disappointed was he?
VERMEIL: “Well, I think he knew or has known for the last couple of weeks that it wasn’t going to happen. But he was on pace to have a great year. I think there were a couple of times there that he could have had the 200 yard rushing game. We had some opportunities. But he’ll look forward to that next year.”
Q: Is Derrick Blaylock your starter for the rest of the season?
VERMEIL: “Right now, Derrick Blaylock is our starter and we’ll remain using the same approach as to Larry (Johnson) and let ‘em both play.”
Q: You like to go with a single running back.
VERMEIL: “I would prefer, but it’s easier to go with two guys as you find out how good both of them are, rather than you already know how good somebody is like Priest Holmes. Now we have a chance to watch both of these players grow.”
Q: Will Priest need any kind of surgery?
VERMEIL: “No, he will not need any kind of surgery.”
Q: Losing Priest Holmes is never a positive but is it a positive to clarify your backup running back situation going into the off-season?
VERMEIL: “I think it just took pressure off Priest. Priest was really depressed for the first eight or ten days after the injury. He was really down. In bothered him and then he started getting a little hope that he could make it back and we were all hoping he would be able to do it.
Then it became pretty obvious over the last week or so that it didn’t look like he was going to make it back. Then there was some idea that he could practice in two weeks with a brace on his knee and all that, but we weren’t going to do that with Priest Holmes. So, this was the best approach, the sound approach for his future and the Kansas City Chiefs future.”
Q: Would this have played out any differently if you guys were 8-4 and fighting for a playoff spot?
VERMEIL: “Well, if we were going to the playoffs that gives you a couple more weeks of rehab and chances he’d still remain on the active roster.”
Q: A column on the Chiefs web site about radio talk that….
VERMEIL: “I’ve never seen a web site in my life.”
Q: It talks about people having soft beds, no work and women with voluptuous figures.
VERMEIL: “Sounds like they have good taste.”
Q: It was on your web site under Rufus Dawes.
VERMEIL: “I have no clue. He has a sense of humor. You can’t over-react to everything.”
Q: Was Trent Green just taking a day off today?
VERMEIL: “His back was a little sore and it carried over. Remember, he missed Wednesday and Thursday of last week. He took the day off. I’m not sure how we’ll do it tomorrow.”
Q: Priest has talked about retirement before, I don’t know how seriously or not. Are you 100% confident that he will come back?
VERMEIL: “Well, he’s never mentioned it to me. I know how depressed he was when he couldn’t play. I know he’s said that now that he couldn’t play he realized how much he really wanted to play. Those are terms that don’t relate to retirement.”
Q: Will he remain in Kansas City or go back to Texas?
VERMEIL: “We’ll take care of the rehab right here.”
Q: Did Will Shields practice today?
VERMEIL: “Will Shields has the ankle but I think he’ll be OK. Greg Wesley did not practice and Jerome Woods did not practice. Monty Beisel practiced.”
Q: How did he look?
VERMEIL: “He looked good. He got tired; he hadn’t worked in a long time. I expect him to play. Junior Siavii had a very good practice today. He’s healthy and looked good.”
Q: What about Kris Wilson? Will he play Monday?
VERMEIL: “We were talking about it but halfway through the practice he had to slow down and stop because his ankle started bothering him, so there’s some carry-over to the second injury he had a couple of weeks ago.”
Q: How does Jordan Black look?
VERMEIL: “He’s a young player with a lot of athletic talent and is going to get thrown to the wolves. He did a pretty good job in the game the other day considering he was working at left tackle and guard and not right tackle. But there’s still a chance that (Chris) Bober will play.”
Dec 09, 2004, 5:32:22 PM
Q: Talk about the decision to put Priest Holmes on injured reserve ending his season.
DICK VERMEIL: “We all know what his problem is, but the rehab is taking longer and with the season only four weeks to go and Priest feeling the pressure to get ready to play and wanting to play – and he might not have been able to start practicing until maybe the last week – it just made sense to take the pressure off and get it defined in him what he has to do and that’s get ready to play next year.”
Q: When did you realize when he was going to have to go on IR?
VERMEIL: “I started thinking about it really at the end of last week, when at the end of four weeks of rehab he still was a long ways away from practicing. Usually when you’ve been out for four weeks as a running back with a knee injury it takes a while to develop the confidence you need. By that time the season would be over and I just felt that would be the best, as the organization did, thing to do. It would be the best thing to do for Priest Holmes and his future.”
Q: Do you expect him to be 100% for next season?
VERMEIL: “Oh yeah, I think he’ll be 100% within a month, or two months at the most. Just like Billy Baber who injured his knee in the same way at training camp. It took him 10-12 weeks and his knee we thought was a little more serious than Priest, but he’s 100% now. I think Priest will be a 100% within a month.”
Q: Did you talk to Priest and does he realize this is best, to go on IR I mean?
VERMEIL: “Priest knows his body and what’s going on better than any athlete that I’ve been around. Every time he’s been banged up he’s given me an accurate time schedule as to when he’d be ready to go and he was always right. He was concerned and felt he was behind the rehab schedule. It wasn’t coming around as fast as he had hoped or as we thought it would. We had a good meeting this week.”
Q: He was on pace to have a really monster year. How disappointed was he?
VERMEIL: “Well, I think he knew or has known for the last couple of weeks that it wasn’t going to happen. But he was on pace to have a great year. I think there were a couple of times there that he could have had the 200 yard rushing game. We had some opportunities. But he’ll look forward to that next year.”
Q: Is Derrick Blaylock your starter for the rest of the season?
VERMEIL: “Right now, Derrick Blaylock is our starter and we’ll remain using the same approach as to Larry (Johnson) and let ‘em both play.”
Q: You like to go with a single running back.
VERMEIL: “I would prefer, but it’s easier to go with two guys as you find out how good both of them are, rather than you already know how good somebody is like Priest Holmes. Now we have a chance to watch both of these players grow.”
Q: Will Priest need any kind of surgery?
VERMEIL: “No, he will not need any kind of surgery.”
Q: Losing Priest Holmes is never a positive but is it a positive to clarify your backup running back situation going into the off-season?
VERMEIL: “I think it just took pressure off Priest. Priest was really depressed for the first eight or ten days after the injury. He was really down. In bothered him and then he started getting a little hope that he could make it back and we were all hoping he would be able to do it.
Then it became pretty obvious over the last week or so that it didn’t look like he was going to make it back. Then there was some idea that he could practice in two weeks with a brace on his knee and all that, but we weren’t going to do that with Priest Holmes. So, this was the best approach, the sound approach for his future and the Kansas City Chiefs future.”
Q: Would this have played out any differently if you guys were 8-4 and fighting for a playoff spot?
VERMEIL: “Well, if we were going to the playoffs that gives you a couple more weeks of rehab and chances he’d still remain on the active roster.”
Q: A column on the Chiefs web site about radio talk that….
VERMEIL: “I’ve never seen a web site in my life.”
Q: It talks about people having soft beds, no work and women with voluptuous figures.
VERMEIL: “Sounds like they have good taste.”
Q: It was on your web site under Rufus Dawes.
VERMEIL: “I have no clue. He has a sense of humor. You can’t over-react to everything.”
Q: Was Trent Green just taking a day off today?
VERMEIL: “His back was a little sore and it carried over. Remember, he missed Wednesday and Thursday of last week. He took the day off. I’m not sure how we’ll do it tomorrow.”
Q: Priest has talked about retirement before, I don’t know how seriously or not. Are you 100% confident that he will come back?
VERMEIL: “Well, he’s never mentioned it to me. I know how depressed he was when he couldn’t play. I know he’s said that now that he couldn’t play he realized how much he really wanted to play. Those are terms that don’t relate to retirement.”
Q: Will he remain in Kansas City or go back to Texas?
VERMEIL: “We’ll take care of the rehab right here.”
Q: Did Will Shields practice today?
VERMEIL: “Will Shields has the ankle but I think he’ll be OK. Greg Wesley did not practice and Jerome Woods did not practice. Monty Beisel practiced.”
Q: How did he look?
VERMEIL: “He looked good. He got tired; he hadn’t worked in a long time. I expect him to play. Junior Siavii had a very good practice today. He’s healthy and looked good.”
Q: What about Kris Wilson? Will he play Monday?
VERMEIL: “We were talking about it but halfway through the practice he had to slow down and stop because his ankle started bothering him, so there’s some carry-over to the second injury he had a couple of weeks ago.”
Q: How does Jordan Black look?
VERMEIL: “He’s a young player with a lot of athletic talent and is going to get thrown to the wolves. He did a pretty good job in the game the other day considering he was working at left tackle and guard and not right tackle. But there’s still a chance that (Chris) Bober will play.”