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**RoyWilliams** · 08-01-2007, 09:51 AM

www.kansascity.com | 07/29/2007 | Fans crowd to get first look at Holmes since 2005

Quote:

First he touched his toes. Then came a few sets of lunges and a series of sprints.

By the time practice ended, Priest Holmes’ return to football proved to be as climactic as a Tupperware convention. No pads, no fancy cuts, no contact. Instead about 150 onlookers watched Holmes go through conditioning drills while the rest of the Chiefs worked out on an adjacent field.

“All these people — just to see a guy stretch,” chuckled Bob Green, a fan who drove in from Pittsburgh. “Kind of strange, isn’t it?”

Perhaps, but not nearly as bizarre as the ensuing news conference during which Holmes tried explaining his decision to rejoin the Chiefs after a nearly two-year layoff. Holmes did a lot of talking Sunday — but he really didn’t say much.

Instead the enigmatic Holmes kept referencing his own “greatness.” He spewed clichés about “the sum of all parts being greater than a whole” and talked about finding success through the use of other people’s arms and legs and brains.

Huh?

Asked what prompted his return, Holmes said: “I had a dream. I saw myself playing football, and I went to my children and asked them if they could see me playing football again. The word that came out of their mouths was ‘Yes.’ That’s why I’m here.”

Holmes said his dream occurred about six days ago. He hasn’t played since suffering a neck injury against San Diego in 2005.

“After the dream comes the self-doubt,” said Holmes, who will be 34 in October. “You think, ‘You’re too old. You can’t do this. You’ve been off 22 months. The athletes keep getting bigger, stronger and faster out of college, so why would you want to return?’

“But I will tell you that when you have a vision and a purpose in mind, anything can be accomplished.”

Holmes said he expects to begin working out in pads in about three weeks. In the meantime he’ll try getting in the same kind of shape that helped him become the Chiefs’ all-time leading rusher.

Still, even if Holmes’ comeback attempt is successful enough to get him on the field, he knows he may play a lesser role. Coach Herm Edwards has already told Holmes that Larry Johnson has a lock on the Chiefs’ running-back position — if, of course, Johnson and the Chiefs can reach an agreement on a new contract. Instead of practicing with his teammates in River Falls, Johnson is training in Arizona while the two sides try to work out a deal.

“If my role was limited to eight plays, I could handle it (right now),” Holmes said. “I could do eight plays with my eyes closed. Could I be a running back that totes the ball 22 times? That would (require) me to really build a base.”

A three-time Pro Bowler, Holmes said he’s interested as much in becoming a team leader as he is a featured back.

“I witnessed and saw the playoff game last year,” he said. “You could see that, in terms of leadership, there is so much more that could be added in order to take this team deeper into the playoffs.”

Holmes made multiple references to leadership Sunday, which seemed strange considering his aloof personality and that he hasn’t seen his teammates in 22 months despite being under contract. It was also peculiar that, shortly after preaching about his desire to be a locker-room presence, Holmes expressed interest in playing for the Dallas Cowboys if things don’t work out in Kansas City.