Drawing the line in the sand. LJ or Priest?

[Hammock Parties]

This poll could tear Chiefsplanet apart at the seams. Old friends could become enemies. The server may implode.

YOU TRY MY PATIENCE! MAKE YOUR CHOICE!

[NewChief]

Next year? LJ.

This year? Aww..****it..who am I kidding. I have no loyalty. LJ this year too.

[Katipan]

During the pregame show, Priest said he's going to make Larry a better player because he knows that if he (Larry) doesn't make the big play, Priest will.

welp...

[Hammock Parties]

97 friggin yards. Priest couldn't rip off a 97-yard run if there were 9 defenders on the field.

[Reaper16]

Both. Whatever that means.

[jiveturkey]

PH the best 3rd down back in the NFL. :hmmm:

[PastorMikH]

If I have to choose just one, it would be Priest. Priest is too well rounded - he can run, catch, and block with the best.

However, I'd rather see Priest used more like Bettis in Pitts or Allen here. Let LJ run in the open field and bring a fresh Priest in for short yardage and goal line.

[ROYC75]

Not to take anything away from it, but the hole was the size of a pickup. Plus the fact the safety was nowhere to be found....... probally out of place.

LJ had enough legs to win the foot race....... Nice.


Inside the 10 yard line...... I want Priest Holmes.

[tk13]

I don't know why this has to be an either/or. We've got two deadly backs. We'd be stupid to let either one rot on the bench.

Priest is my starter though. Sorry. But as I always say, just because you start doesn't mean you have to play the entire game. LJ will get his carries. So will Priest. We will be unstoppable on the ground. That's all I care about.

[Hammock Parties]

We need to use Larry Johnson like the Rams used Stephen Jackson last year. He NEEDS 150 touches this year.

[NewChief]

If I have to choose just one, it would be Priest. Priest is too well rounded - he can run, catch, and block with the best.

However, I'd rather see Priest used more like Bettis in Pitts or Allen here. Let LJ run in the open field and bring a fresh Priest in for short yardage and goal line.


I understand where you're coming from, but this is counterintuitive to me. LJ should be the short yardage man. He's the freaking muscle machine that can make a pile move. I know that Priest has the ability to thread the needle and spread the D so thin that he just magically appears in the endzone at that goal line, but it seems that LJ is more of the bruiser while Priest is more of the finesse guy.

[Hammock Parties]

Inside the 10 yard line...... I want Priest Holmes.

I agree.

[Terribilis]

where is the Greg 'Real Deal' option?

[PastorMikH]

I understand where you're coming from, but this is counterintuitive to me. LJ should be the short yardage man. He's the freaking muscle machine that can make a pile move. I know that Priest has the ability to thread the needle and spread the D so thin that he just magically appears in the endzone at that goal line, but it seems that LJ is more of the bruiser while Priest is more of the finesse guy.


Where I'm coming from is first, Priest is the best short yardage back going right now. He's PROVEN when the chips are down. LJ isn't. Also, LJ's speed is the reason he should be used as the open field back.

[Reaper16]

We also need Priest and his patience for our screen pass game.

[Davechief]

This is a great "problem" to have right now.

[Hammock Parties]

This is a great "problem" to have right now.

Yup! ROFL

[bringbackmarty]

lj is the rillio dillio.

[jcroft]

We also need Priest and his patience for our screen pass game.

True...but LJ did show well in the screen game last year.

I'm with gochiefs -- LJ needs a ton of touches this year.

By the way, this is the first time in history (and probably the last) that I've ever uttered the word "I'm with gochiefs."

[B_Ambuehl]

The good thing about it is they really are 2 different backs that really should give Saunders and co. plenty of flexibility when calling plays so you can use them both. On your outside running game use Priest more...on your inside running game use LJ more. I don't think it has to be either/or although I wouldn't be surprised to see LJ getting the majority of carries 5 weeks into the season simply because the types of things he really excels at don't require as much precision from the o-line. LJ has that side step move where he lowers the shoulder and fakes a cutback that I've never seen a tailback use and that's something he's patented for himself in my book. Priest is the best "get your hand on the pulling guards butt on the sweep" type runner I've ever seen.

[Hammock Parties]

LJ is running away with it. :D

[Rain Man]

I must say, LJ is making a good argument. The long run aside, he was still running people over.

[dirk digler]

IMO this shouldn't even be close. LJ has clearly outperformed Priest in the preseason and has looked like a man possessed so far.

I like Priest alot and I am very appreciative of what he has done but LJ is the one that needs to carry the load from here on out.

Priest should become the "new" Marcus Allen and just score touchdowns. IMO Priest doesn't look near as quick as he did last year.

[Mr. Laz]

i prefer to wait and see what happens in the real games.

until then Priest holmes gets the benefit of the doubt.

[Darkwolfe]

Keep em both and rotate them for the plays they are best at. It's not like the NFL has a substitution limit after all.

There's another real good side to it. If both split the field time, they'll still have some good energy when it comes down to the 4th quarter. That could be the difference between a win and a loss in a close game.

[Logical]

i prefer to wait and see what happens in the real games.

until then Priest holmes gets the benefit of the doubt.Pretty much where I am coming from. I won't mind if LJ gets more carries from the 50 back though, he is definately a greater threat for the long gain TD.

[milkman]

True...but LJ did show well in the screen game last year.

I'm with gochiefs -- LJ needs a ton of touches this year.

By the way, this is the first time in history (and probably the last) that I've ever uttered the word "I'm with gochiefs."

NTTAWT.

[Mr. Kotter]

Keep em both and rotate them for the plays they are best at. It's not like the NFL has a substitution limit after all.

There's another real good side to it. If both split the field time, they'll still have some good energy when it comes down to the 4th quarter. That could be the difference between a win and a loss in a close game.

Maybe. I admit, I'm torn. I love what I've seen from LJ, to this point....but Priest deserves the benefit of the doubt. Running back by committee brings back bad memories from Marty's days though. :shake:

I KNOW LJ and Priest are better than anyone we had back then, but there is somethin' to the notion of a player needing to get "into the flow" or into the "rhythym" of the game. If we commit to 30 carries a game, and try gettin' each of them 15 or so....I'm on board. While the game will dictate that to a degree, it's the only way I see it being a successful long term strategy. JMHO

[patteeu]

I understand where you're coming from, but this is counterintuitive to me. LJ should be the short yardage man. He's the freaking muscle machine that can make a pile move. I know that Priest has the ability to thread the needle and spread the D so thin that he just magically appears in the endzone at that goal line, but it seems that LJ is more of the bruiser while Priest is more of the finesse guy.

Marcus Allen was one of the best short yardage backs ever (or at least one of the best Chiefs short yardage backs ever) and IMO he did it with finesse rather than muscle (for the most part).

Priest has proved to me that he has a nose for the endzone and that he can generally get the short yard. LJ has yet to prove he can do it on a regular basis (to me at least). My impression of LJ last season was that he was more likely than Priest to lose a yard or two and that he was also more likely than Priest to break one for a bunch of yards.

[keg in kc]

I'd use them both exactly the way they have in the preseason.

Two backs, each with a chip on his shoulder...

The way RBs get beat up, we'll need them both, anyway. And probably someone else.

However, LJ has, in my opinion, taken another big step forward this season. I don't think his time is too far off.

[CoMoChief]

Priest looked like shit tonite IMO.

[keg in kc]

Priest looked fine. The first carry he gained 5 yards. The second carry Chris Bober whiffed on a block and Priest got cut down short of the end zone on a play where he probably would have scored with that block. The third carry he gained 8 yards. Then Green got picked and left the game. First carry with Quinn was a short gain. Then on his last carry, the seattle d-line pushed our whole o-line backwards about 5 yards and he had no lane in any direction. Big loss. But not his fault.

All-in-all, nothing spectacular, certainly not 97-yard TD spectacular, but not really "shit" either.

[jcroft]

NTTAWT.

???

[StcChief]

Both for now, near goal line Priest.

[yoswif]

Saunders doesn't use a lot of I formation and it would be nice to save TRich for short yardage and goal line. Priest is outstanding at receiving a toss pitch and picking up his blocks quickly. LJ is a devastating between the tackles power back. Lining both up in a split back formation so Priest can attack the edge with a quick pitch and LJ can attack between the tackles with a quick handoff will make counter runs and play action passes off those threats big play opportunities.

[penguinz]

Priest has looked very slow this pre-season. Even when he has had open filed he looks like he is running in slow motion. There is no way in hell Priest would have scored on the 97 yard TD. The safety would have caught him.

[Simplex3]

Priest has been great for years, but he's caught 30 year old RB syndrome. It just isn't there anymore like it used to be. Do you stick with him out of loyalty or turn the reigns over to the new guy who's proven he's as good and is far younger. Think "Ty Law".

If I knew before last year all the things I know now:

1. We would have a bad season and miss the playoffs in '04.
2. Larry Johnson would look this good
3. We were going to get the players we did on D

I would have traded Priest for a proven DE. In this day and age of salary caps you can't carry two serious players at one position without giving up too much at another.

[trndobrd]

Priest will start and will get more TDs, LJ will get more yards, Al Saunders will be giddy, fans will be happy.

[Mr. Kotter]

Priest will start and will get more TDs, LJ will get more yards, Al Saunders will be giddy, fans will be happy.

Very nice.

I like the split back idea too, although losing TRich from our blocking scheme isn't a good thing IMHO.... :hmmm:

[Thig Lyfe]

I don't know why this has to be an either/or. We've got two deadly backs. We'd be stupid to let either one rot on the bench.

Priest is my starter though. Sorry. But as I always say, just because you start doesn't mean you have to play the entire game. LJ will get his carries. So will Priest. We will be unstoppable on the ground. That's all I care about.


I agree 100.3%

[eazyb81]

As selfish as it is, I wish we would pick one of these guys to be the primary starter, and one to be the backup. I have Priest and LJ on my fantasy team, I don't want to get screwed out of points because Vermeil and Saunders don't want to have to pick between the two.

[TRR]

What a nice problem to have....

We as fans get the best of both worlds, at least for this season, and people are arguing. The fact is, Priest and LJ can co-exist, and both will get their carries. Any other team would kill for 2 quality RB's like this.

The answer isn't Priest Holmes? Or LJ? It's BOTH, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

[Hammock Parties]

Larry Johnson needs 160 touches.

8 runs and 2 catches per game.

[Lbedrock1]

I don't know why this has to be an either/or. We've got two deadly backs. We'd be stupid to let either one rot on the bench.

Priest is my starter though. Sorry. But as I always say, just because you start doesn't mean you have to play the entire game. LJ will get his carries. So will Priest. We will be unstoppable on the ground. That's all I care about.
Ditto

[eazyb81]

Larry Johnson needs 160 touches.

8 runs and 2 catches per game.

I thought that was always the plan for this year.

LJ will gets his touches, but the real question is how many touches. Will he split touches with Priest? Will he get 25% of the touches? Will he have more touches than Priest in certain games?

[Gaz]

It is not an either/or situation.

xoxo~
Gaz
Very pleased with the RB situation.

[ChiefsFire]

sweet

my vote just tied it up

voted LJ bite me said last season

TRADE HOLMES

[Hammock Parties]

I thought that was always the plan for this year.

LJ will gets his touches, but the real question is how many touches. Will he split touches with Priest? Will he get 25% of the touches? Will he have more touches than Priest in certain games?

I honestly don't trust Saunders to give LJ the work he deserves when Priest is healthy.

[Bowser]

I honestly don't trust Saunders to give LJ the work he deserves when Priest is healthy.

Even after the show LJ has put on this preseason?

[Pants]

sweet

my vote just tied it up

voted LJ bite me said last season

TRADE HOLMES

WTF did you just say?

[milkman]

???

Just another bad GoChiefs gh3y joke.

[Hammock Parties]

Even after the show LJ has put on this preseason?

Nope. Remember, this is the guy that was starting Blaylock over Johnson for 4 or 5 games last year.

I'll be shocked if Johnson gets more than 100 touches this year. They might give him the ball 3 or 4 times a game.

[Pants]

Priest.

EDIT: I swear there's some multiple identity voodoo going on in this thread.

[milkman]

I honestly don't trust Saunders to give LJ the work he deserves when Priest is healthy.

Are you kidding.

Saunders has proven that he has the ability to adapt to the talent that this team has on offense.

I wouldn't trust a lot of other OCs to give LJ the work he needs, and deserves, but I have every confidence that Al will.

[Hammock Parties]

Are you kidding.


No.

Saunders has proven that he has the ability to adapt to the talent that this team has on offense.

Sure. But while Priest is healthy, he won't see a reason to give LJ the ball.

I wouldn't trust a lot of other OCs to give LJ the work he needs, and deserves, but I have every confidence that Al will.

Not while Priest is healthy. Al is going to overload Priest again when the team would be better served by giving Johnson his due.

[stevieray]

can you say fickle?

[Mr. Laz]

can you say fickle?
nope
i prefer to wait and see what happens in the real games.

until then Priest holmes gets the benefit of the doubt.

[stevieray]

nope

:clap:

[milkman]

No.

That was actually a rhetorical question.

Sure. But while Priest is healthy, he won't see a reason to give LJ the ball.

Unless, of course, Al suddenly realizes :rolleyes: that by getting LJ some touches, he has a better chance of keeping Priest healthy and fresh.

Not while Priest is healthy. Al is going to overload Priest again when the team would be better served by giving Johnson his due.

I really believe that you are underestimating Al's creativity and vision as the OC.
I can't speak to why Al didn't use LJ more early in the season, 'cause I wasn't at practices.

But I can say that LJ didn't show this kind of hard running and explosiveness in last preseason.

But I tend to believe that sometime during the year, something clicked on for LJ, and he's matured and grown, which is probably what Dick and Al were waiting for.

[chief mohawk]

i think you will see LJ get more reps in the offense this year. this will happen by throwing more balls to priest and letting LJ run the ball more.this does not mean that priest will be a third down back, they will be used in certain situations that fit there style of play. :)

[Hammock Parties]

I really believe that you are underestimating Al's creativity and vision as the OC.

It's not his creativity I'm worried about. It's committment.

I hope he proves me wrong.

[milkman]

It's not his creativity I'm worried about. It's committment.

Al is committed to creating mismatches, and scoring points, and he will use every weapon at his disposal to achieve that.

I hope he proves me wrong.

I have very little doubt that he will.

[Hammock Parties]

It seems that Chiefsplanet is divided on this issue, nearly 50-50.

To those of you in LJ's court, what does Priest need to do to regain the upper hand?

[Brock]

It seems that Chiefsplanet is divided on this issue, nearly 50-50.

To those of you in LJ's court, what does Priest need to do to regain the upper hand?

Build a time machine.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

I say Priest Holmes, until he gets injured or shows obvious signs of slowing down. That's this year.

Next year? LJ. He isn't getting any younger, and I want to see what it's like to have a young stud at RB for about 10 years...

[Skip Towne]

As much as anyone might hate it, Gochiefs has good football takes. I almost always agree with him and I especially do with regard to the LJ issue. So anybody that disagrees with Gochiefs and me can go f*ck themselves. That is all.

[stevieray]

As much as anyone might hate it, Gochiefs has good football takes. I almost always agree with him and I especially do with regard to the LJ issue. So anybody that disagrees with Gochiefs and me can go f*ck themselves. That is all.

Like we couldn't see through your man crush.

[Skip Towne]

Like we couldn't see through your man crush.
Uh, you didn't read the instructions did you? Now go f*ck yourself. :p

[mike5591]

If it came down to just keeping one, you would have to say LJ, PH is injury prone.