Post by lazarus on Jun 16, 2003 15:43:12 GMT -5
Posted on Mon, Jun. 16, 2003
RB Julien trying to do best Holmes impression
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
It's a long way from Jesse Haynes to Priest Holmes.
Another undrafted running back now with the club, Jarmar Julien, fits somewhere in between. The Chiefs are eager to find exactly where.
They are comfortable he's not another Haynes, who after being ordained as the next great Chiefs back by Marty Schottenheimer in the late '90s, flamed out, never having played in a regular-season game.
He won't be another Holmes, possibly the best running back in Chiefs history, either. But the Chiefs are hoping Julien will show enough at summer camp that he can stick around and help.
If Holmes' injured hip doesn't allow him by then to resume his role, Julien could possibly do more than that. Julien would be in the middle of the battle to be the featured halfback.
Without Holmes, the Chiefs would use plenty of one-back formations with fullback Tony Richardson as the featured runner. But they would need a halfback for two-back situations, and the opening could be there for Julien, who impressed the Chiefs in camp last year as an undrafted rookie before he sprained an ankle.
"Before he got hurt, we saw a guy who ran big but is also faster than you would think," running-backs coach James Saxon said. "He's got all the tools. All he needs is the experience. He hasn't had the chance to do it a lot for us, but he's going to get that chance."
Other possibilities for halfback include Richardson, Derrick Blaylock and first-round draft pick Larry Johnson. It may be a while before the Chiefs are comfortable with Johnson in a featured role.
"He's a rookie, and I don't know that much about him other than what I've seen out here," coach thingy Vermeil said. "I'm impressed, but we haven't seen him in pads. We haven't seen him in preseason games."
Julien's college career didn't exactly give him a lot of exposure. In three years at San Jose State, Julien was a defensive back and a kick returner before becoming the team's top running back for his senior season when he gained 820 yards.
After signing with the Chiefs before last season, Julien was on his way to earning a roster spot before injuring the ankle in the first preseason game.
He was released two weeks later and then added to the practice squad in September. He did eventually get a spot on the 53-man roster for the final two games of the season, but it was on special teams.
"I practiced hard, and I knew I left an impression on the coaches," Julien said. "They knew I could play. And it wasn't like I hurt my knee or something. It was just my ankle. I knew I would come back from that, and it wouldn't be a problem."
The coaches aren't the only ones who noticed.
"When he came in at first, we called him `Baby Bettis' because he was a big back," guard Brian Waters said. "Now he's slimmed down. I saw him do something (in a recent practice) I haven't seen in a long time. He took it 70 yards on a third-and-1 play. He was going full speed like it was a real game. That shows he's not just happy to be here. He wants to show he deserves to be on this team."
Waters recalled a nine-on-seven running drill at camp last year when the Chiefs practiced against the Minnesota Vikings. Such a drill is usually stacked against the offense because it has no player available to block the safeties.
"He kept on taking shot after shot, and you could just see from looking at him that he was wondering if the NFL was really that tough," Waters said. "But he always ran it hard. No matter how many times they hit him, he kept on jumping off the ground, trying to finish the play. That's what you want to see from a rookie."
The Chiefs also see a little bit of Holmes in Julien. He may have better running-back instincts than any of the club's other backs, Holmes excepted.
"I've learned a lot from watching Priest and being around him," Julien said. "He's the most patient runner I've ever seen. We've got offensive linemen that are paid to make these blocks. You've got to let them do that. I've learned that from him."
It was in his second NFL season that Holmes began to make his impact. He went from no carries as a rookie for Baltimore in 1998 to more than 1,000 yards.
It's too much to expect Julien to produce like Holmes, but he has to give the Chiefs some reason to believe he's more than Haynes.
RB Julien trying to do best Holmes impression
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
It's a long way from Jesse Haynes to Priest Holmes.
Another undrafted running back now with the club, Jarmar Julien, fits somewhere in between. The Chiefs are eager to find exactly where.
They are comfortable he's not another Haynes, who after being ordained as the next great Chiefs back by Marty Schottenheimer in the late '90s, flamed out, never having played in a regular-season game.
He won't be another Holmes, possibly the best running back in Chiefs history, either. But the Chiefs are hoping Julien will show enough at summer camp that he can stick around and help.
If Holmes' injured hip doesn't allow him by then to resume his role, Julien could possibly do more than that. Julien would be in the middle of the battle to be the featured halfback.
Without Holmes, the Chiefs would use plenty of one-back formations with fullback Tony Richardson as the featured runner. But they would need a halfback for two-back situations, and the opening could be there for Julien, who impressed the Chiefs in camp last year as an undrafted rookie before he sprained an ankle.
"Before he got hurt, we saw a guy who ran big but is also faster than you would think," running-backs coach James Saxon said. "He's got all the tools. All he needs is the experience. He hasn't had the chance to do it a lot for us, but he's going to get that chance."
Other possibilities for halfback include Richardson, Derrick Blaylock and first-round draft pick Larry Johnson. It may be a while before the Chiefs are comfortable with Johnson in a featured role.
"He's a rookie, and I don't know that much about him other than what I've seen out here," coach thingy Vermeil said. "I'm impressed, but we haven't seen him in pads. We haven't seen him in preseason games."
Julien's college career didn't exactly give him a lot of exposure. In three years at San Jose State, Julien was a defensive back and a kick returner before becoming the team's top running back for his senior season when he gained 820 yards.
After signing with the Chiefs before last season, Julien was on his way to earning a roster spot before injuring the ankle in the first preseason game.
He was released two weeks later and then added to the practice squad in September. He did eventually get a spot on the 53-man roster for the final two games of the season, but it was on special teams.
"I practiced hard, and I knew I left an impression on the coaches," Julien said. "They knew I could play. And it wasn't like I hurt my knee or something. It was just my ankle. I knew I would come back from that, and it wouldn't be a problem."
The coaches aren't the only ones who noticed.
"When he came in at first, we called him `Baby Bettis' because he was a big back," guard Brian Waters said. "Now he's slimmed down. I saw him do something (in a recent practice) I haven't seen in a long time. He took it 70 yards on a third-and-1 play. He was going full speed like it was a real game. That shows he's not just happy to be here. He wants to show he deserves to be on this team."
Waters recalled a nine-on-seven running drill at camp last year when the Chiefs practiced against the Minnesota Vikings. Such a drill is usually stacked against the offense because it has no player available to block the safeties.
"He kept on taking shot after shot, and you could just see from looking at him that he was wondering if the NFL was really that tough," Waters said. "But he always ran it hard. No matter how many times they hit him, he kept on jumping off the ground, trying to finish the play. That's what you want to see from a rookie."
The Chiefs also see a little bit of Holmes in Julien. He may have better running-back instincts than any of the club's other backs, Holmes excepted.
"I've learned a lot from watching Priest and being around him," Julien said. "He's the most patient runner I've ever seen. We've got offensive linemen that are paid to make these blocks. You've got to let them do that. I've learned that from him."
It was in his second NFL season that Holmes began to make his impact. He went from no carries as a rookie for Baltimore in 1998 to more than 1,000 yards.
It's too much to expect Julien to produce like Holmes, but he has to give the Chiefs some reason to believe he's more than Haynes.
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