Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
12 former #Chiefs among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 | from: @EdEastonJr
The NFL announced the 173 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
There are 12 former Kansas City Chiefs in the running, including return specialist Dante Hall, fullback Tony Richardson, quarterback Rich Gannon, guard Brian Waters, and first-time nominee running back Jamaal Charles.
The list will be cut to 25 semifinalists in November and 15 finalists in early January.
Here’s a look at the former Chiefs up for the Hall of Fame in 2024:
#TBT to when the #Chiefs were a much different team and set an NFL record for team rushing touchdowns in a single game:
The NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs have changed quite a bit since 2004. Most offenses in the league were predicated on a strong running game, including Kansas City’s offense under former head coach Dick Vermeil.
During Week 7 of that season, the Chiefs stamped their names in the NFL history books when it comes to rushing offense. After the team got wind of some bulletin board material because of its 1-4 start to the season, it changed up the game plan against the Atlanta Falcons.
K.C. would run the ball 49 times for 271 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. Teammates Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock each rushed for four touchdowns to set an NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a team in a single game.
“We were getting ready to play the Falcons and they were talking like mad junk,” former Chiefs FB Tony Richardson said, via KC Sports Network’s One-on-One. “And so Vermeil was like, ‘We’re going to run the ball every single down.'”
They had the ability to pound the rock because they had a world-class offensive line featuring Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann, Will Shields and John Welbourn.
The Chiefs took a 35-3 halftime lead and cruised to a 56-10 win. No passing touchdowns were thrown by either team. After the game, Waters became the first offensive lineman to ever be named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Unless the NFL has a vast change in offensive philosophy, the record of eight rushing touchdowns may stand the test of time.
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Former #Chiefs RB Priest Holmes is set to be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on April 15th alongside Michael Strahan and Adrian Peterson. | from @TheJohnDillon
Kansas City Chiefs legend Priest Holmes is set to be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on April 15th after illustrious collegiate and NFL careers.
A native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Holmes originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent by way of the Baltimore Ravens in 1997 after playing at the University of Texas. He found a long-term home in Kansas City in 200 and managed to put together one of the most impressive three-year runs in NFL history between his signing with the Chiefs through 2003.
Holmes recently spoke to reporter Brice Cherry of the Waco Tribune-Herald this week about his inspiration to play football in Austin and cited two all-time greats as motivating factors in his decision to commit to Texas after graduating from high school.
“For me, I looked at Earl Campbell,” He explained to Cherry. “One thing stood out to me — I didn’t look anything like Earl. So when I’m playing tackle football in the street, I’d see Tony Dorsett and the more I’d watch him and the more believable it would become when I’d see him. I thought, ‘I kind of look like him. I think I can run like him, I think I can pretend to be him.’ It was much easier to pretend to be him than pretend to be Earl Campbell, not having that type of size and stature.”
His ability to out-run, out-maneuver, and even bulldoze defenders cemented his place as one of the Chiefs’ most beloved running backs. Even years later, fans still recount his gritty running style that defined Kansas City’s brand of football in the early 2000s.
“All I wanted to do, I wanted to see Tony Dorsett’s locker,” Holmes told Cherry. “I’d heard he had a locker that was enshrined and still there, and you get a chance to walk the halls of where Tony Dorsett went.”
Though Chiefs legends like Christian Okoye and Marcus Allen weren’t part of the discussion relative to his college commitment, Holmes is sure to be forgiven by the Kansas City faithful who remain enamored by what he was able to accomplish on the field at Arrowhead Stadium.
For Chiefs fans in the Lone Star State who may want to attend the ceremony, a banquet is to be held in Waco, Texas on April 15th where Holmes will be in attendance with other inductees including Adrian Peterson and Michael Strahan.
Hopes in Kansas City are still high that Holmes may be considered for selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though this most recent honor will have to suffice for now. As fans of the new era of NFL football start to yearn for the return of hard-nosed rushing attacks, Holmes’ effort and tenacity on the ground are sure to be appreciated even more as time goes on.
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Bijan “El Rayo” Robinson tells you why Texas is RBU.
The reigning king of Austin, Texas has spoken. Texas is Running Back University. Continue reading “Texas RB Bijan Robinson gives the best pitch for Texas as RBU”
On Sunday, Raiders RB Josh Jacobs had the ninth-most yards from scrimmage in pro football history. Who are the eight players with more?
In the history of professional football, only eight players have gained more yards from scrimmage than Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs did against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Jacobs capped his historic day with a game-winning 89-yard overtime run, and that allowed him to finish with 303 yards from scrimmage. A rather impressive total, which Jacobs split between his 229 rushing yards on 33 carries, and his 74 receiving yards on six catches.
If you guessed that Jacobs tied for ninth all-time in single-game scrimmage yards with Jim Benton of the 1945 Cleveland Rams, you are the superior football historian. Benton caught 10 passes for all of his yards from quarterback Bob Waterfield, and his yardage total annihilated the single-game record of the time, previously held by Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer Don Hutson with 237 yards in 1943.
If you’re interested to know which eight players in pro football history are the only ones to eclipse the marks of Jacobs and Benton, look below.
Ahead of Priest Holmes’ record-setting 2001 season, #Chiefs FB Tony Richardson lobbied for him to become the starter. | from @EdEastonJr
The Kansas City Chiefs have been fortunate to have great talent at the running back position that has paced the league through different eras.
A vital part in the success of every high-caliber halfback has been great blocking and leadership on the offensive line or a star fullback. Tony Richardson played ten of his seventeen seasons in the NFL with the Chiefs from 1995-to-2005, serving as a halfback and Pro Bowler at fullback.
The Chiefs Hall of Fame fullback was the featured guest on Tuesday night’s Twitter Spaces hosted by The Jets Lounge fielding fan questions spanning several moments in his career. The three-time Pro Bowler spoke candidly about the 2001 season in Kansas City and his impact on the emergence of Priest Holmes as an NFL star with the Chiefs.
“So I was the feature guy and then they brought in Priest (Holmes),” Richardson began. “And all of a sudden, I actually went to Coach (Dick) Vermeil. So, I went to Coach Vermeil, and I said, ‘You know what, we got to get Priest Holmes on the field. I want to go back to fullback. They just paid me like a tailback and I was like the feature running back. But I saw in Priest who came from Baltimore and was like lighting it up. . . I told Priest, ‘Hey, man, let’s talk to Coach Vermeil.’ He’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ So I take them upstairs and say, ‘Hey, Coach, Priest needs to be the feature back,’ and Coach Vermeil was looking at me like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘Listen, Priest needs to be the feature back. I’ll go back to fullback. And Coach Vermeil was looking like, ‘I’ve never had a player ever who was that unselfish? Who would do the best thing for the team?’ So for me, it was like, me, I’m getting 20 carries a game, you know, have my biggest game against the Broncos 120 yards.”
In his first year with the Chiefs, Holmes became the first undrafted player to lead the NFL in rushing with 1,555 yards for the 2001 NFL season. At the time, that number was good for the most in a single season in franchise history, but he’d go on to break that record again (as would Larry Johnson). The Chiefs finished the 2001 season 6-10, but Holmes earned All-Pro honors in Dick Vermeil’s first season as head coach in Kansas City.
“I knew it was gonna be better for the team,” Richardson said. “I went back to fullback, and then all of a sudden, like, we started figuring out ways. Like even if I play tough, as a fullback, we found ways that just you could throw the ball to me, you could run the screen, draw, whatever. But I also knew I was like, ‘We’ve got something special with Priest Holmes.’ We had so much talent on our team from an offensive standpoint, it was insane. But my thing is like, I was able to like reduce myself, which is for the betterment of the team. To this day Priest and I are super close. I told him I said, ‘Priest, you need to be the starting tailback.’ There’s not too many people who know. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but I also knew was gonna be better for the team. Coach Vermeil was like, ‘T-Rich. Are you sure about this?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, and please mention that in my Hall of Fame induction.'”
Richardson’s influence on young running backs carried throughout his career, and his unselfishness sets him apart as one of the greatest fullbacks to ever play.
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Former #Chiefs players flocked to social media to congratulate Dick Vermeil on being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the rest of the class of 2022.
After the news broke that Vermeil had made the Hall of Fame, the team released a statement from Clark Hunt, who was elated for the former Chiefs head coach. Vermeil was always known for connecting with his players, so the best messages of congratulations naturally came from his former players. Several flocked to social media to praise and congratulate their former head coach.
Here’s a quick look at several of those messages of congratulations:
Former Pro Bowl quarterback talked about which running back Austin Ekeler resembles.
The Chargers beat the Browns to improve their record to 4-1 on Sunday, 47-42.
A vital player in Los Angeles’ win over Cleveland was running back Austin Ekeler, who had three total touchdowns, all of which came in the wild, high-scoring fourth quarter.
This season, the undrafted running back has been a key piece in offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s system. He is responsible for seven of the team’s touchdowns, which is tied with Titans RB Derrick Henry for the most.
“Austin’s one of those guys that’s the ultimate competitor,” head coach Brandon Staley said. “What you can do is activate him in the passing game and in the running game to give you an advantage depending on how people are playing you. I feel like he showcased both of those things.”
Ekeler’s latest performances highlighted his versatility, something that former Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green has also noted.
Green, currently a color analyst for CBS Sports, competed with various versatile running backs throughout his professional career, including Brian Mitchell, Marshall Faulk, and Priest Holmes.
When asked which running back Ekeler most closely resembles, Green elaborated.
“I would probably compare him more to Priest,” Green said. “It is amazing how strong [Ekeler] is. His strength is incredible. Even though he is small in stature, he is a between-the-tackle kind of runner.
He is an excellent receiver out in space. I would compare him more to Priest, because Priest was similar in stature, did not have a problem going in between the tackles, was good out in space in the screen game and out wide.”
Holmes spent much of his career in Kansas City and earned three consecutive first-team All-Pro Selections. He is considered the engine of the Chiefs’ original high-power offense.
Green and Holmes led the Chiefs to a 13-3 record during the 2003 season. Holmes also won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2000 and was a 1,000-yard rusher for Baltimore in 1998.
The sky is the limit for the Chargers’ offense. Not only does the unit have a star quarterback in Justin Herbert, but it also possesses a slew of skill players, which includes the do-it-all playmaker with Ekeler.
There are a lot of similarities between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans heading into their Week 11 tilt.
The Baltimore Ravens take on the Tennessee Titans in a battle of ailing teams sitting at 6-3. Both teams lost last week and are looking to not only get back to their winning ways but pick up a critical win that will propel them in the AFC playoff picture.
It’s an old-school rivalry that harkens back to the early days of both the Ravens and Titans franchises coming into the league. With revenge on Baltimore’s mind after getting booted from the playoffs by Tennessee last year, there’s a little something extra this week.
Before the teams kick off this weekend, here are seven interesting little facts about this rivalry that you can entertain your friends and family with.
The New Orleans Saints have a fantasy football Hall of Fame-caliber RB in Alvin Kamara, who trails only Marshall Faulk through three weeks.
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Most Fantasy Points by Any RB Through Weeks 1-3 [All-Time]
1. Marshall Faulk, 2000 (109.0)
2. ALVIN KAMARA, 2020 (106.8)
3. Priest Holmes, 2003 (101.7)
4. Priest Holmes, 2002 (101.5)
5. Thurman Thomas, 1991 (101.4)
6. Jim Brown, 1963 (98.9)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) September 28, 2020
Alvin Kamara has been a fantasy football mainstay ever since he stepped on the field, but he’s outdone himself in 2020. Through the first three weeks, only one other player in NFL history has produced more fantasy football points than the New Orleans Saints featured back: Marshall Faulk, who racked up 109.0 points back in 2000 (when he won the NFL’s award for Most Valuable Player).
After three games, Kamara trails Faulk with 106.8 fantasy points. They are the only two players to score more than 102 points in the first three weeks, though Kansas City Chiefs legend Priest Holmes came close in 2002 and 2003. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Thurman Thomas and Jim Brown round out the top-five all-time scorers through three weeks.
What’s been impressive about Kamara this year is his excellence on the ground and through the air. He’s averaging 4.9 yards per carry with as many touchdown runs as catches (3 each), while outproducing many wide receivers around the league in the passing game with 27 catches (on 31 targets) for 285 yards. No player in the league has more yards from scrimmage than him right now (438).
So pat yourself on the back if you lucked into Kamara in your fantasy draft. If he can keep up the pace after all-star wide receiver Michael Thomas gets back in the mix, he just might take your fantasy team all the way — and start to build his own Hall of Fame candidacy. Here’s hoping his bust in Canton includes the nose ring.
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