With Holmes on the Decline, Johnson Has Arrived as Kansas City’s Primary Weapon

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil has always valued loyalty, a trait that has won him almost universal admiration from his players. But this season, it could end up costing Kansas City a playoff spot.Vermeil exercises his loyalty by giving the bulk of the team’s rushing attempts to a trusty veteran, Priest Holmes, instead of a superior player, young backup Larry Johnson. Last week’s loss to the division rival San Diego Chargers was the latest demonstration of how Johnson runs more effectively but Vermeil sticks with Holmes. Johnson gained 55 yards on six carries, but Vermeil’s game plan called for Holmes, who ended up with 38 yards on 14 carries, to get the lion’s share of the playing time.Vermeil became Kansas City’s head coach in 2001, and signing Holmes as a free agent from Baltimore was one of his first personnel moves. He planned to use Holmes the same way he used Marshall Faulk in St. Louis: as the focal point of the offense as both a runner and a receiver.For three years, it worked. Holmes averaged more than 1,500 yards rushing from 2001-03, added more than 600 receiving yards each year, and scored a league-record 27 touchdowns in 2003. But two things happened in 2004. First, Holmes hurt his knee and missed half the season. Second, Johnson, Kansas City’s first-round draft pick in 2003, emerged as one of football’s most promising backs. Now Holmes is 32 and on the downside of his career, while Johnson is 25 and in his prime. The only thing separating Holmes from the bench is Vermeil’s loyalty.Vermeil plays Holmes for the first two offensive series of each game, Johnson for the third, and they alternate using that two-to-one ratio for the rest of the game. Not surprisingly, Holmes loves this game plan because it keeps him in the starting role and while giving his worn-down body some rest. But Johnson has made no secret that he thinks he deserves to be the team’s top option.Johnson might get a chance to prove the point when 4-3 Kansas City takes on the Oakland Raiders Sunday, as Holmes is questionable with a concussion. Johnson runs faster than Holmes, and when he gets into space, only the speediest defensive backs can catch him from behind. Holmes, meanwhile, has lost his speed the way so many running backs do when age and injuries catch up with them. He can still find creases in opposing defenses, but he’s no longer the explosive back of a few years ago.This season, Johnson has 75 carries for 399 yards, for 5.3 yards a carry. Holmes has 119 carries for 451 yards, for 3.8 yards a carry. Holmes has a reputation for more consistently getting into the end zone and gaining first downs, but this season Johnson and Holmes have identical numbers in that regard: both have scored on 5% of their carries and gained first downs on 24%.Before his injury last season, Holmes was especially valuable because of his skill as a receiver. But he has seemingly lost the speed to turn screen passes into long gains. Last Sunday, both backs caught three passes, but Holmes had only 15 receiving yards to Johnson’s 28.Kansas City chose Johnson after a senior season at Penn State in which he gained more than 2,000 yards. Many questioned why the Chiefs, who had glaring needs on defense and a stud at running back, would take another runner in the first round. In keeping with the theme, an unhappy Johnson ran only 20 times in his rookie season. Early in his second season, Vermeil criticized Johnson publicly, saying it was time for him to “take the diapers off.” But since getting his first extended playing time shortly after that, Johnson has excelled. He’s the only young blood on the Chiefs’ aging offense, and he’ll play a significant role in the future of the franchise.But he ought to play a bigger role in the franchise’s present. Instead, Vermeil, who is expected to retire at the end of the season, will go out as a coach who shows fierce loyalty to his older players. That makes it less likely he’ll go out a winner.Mr. Smith writes for FootballOutsiders.com.

With Holmes on the Decline, Johnson Has Arrived as Kansas City’s Primary Weapon

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