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HOT TOPIC
Priest Holmes wants to play again.
In a series of interviews last week during his first visit to Kansas City this year, Holmes even discussed ways in which he could still get 1,000 yards rushing while backing up new starter Larry Johnson.
The Chiefs ran the ball 520 times last year, he reasoned. They plan to run it even more in 2006 behind Johnson, a 1,750-yard runner as Holmes' mid-season replacement. Let's say they'll run it 550 times. Holmes figures if he can just get a mere 225 of those, he'll get his fifth 1,000-yard season in the ninth year of his NFL career.
"Just give me a draw play and a stretch play. That's all I need to make magic and score touchdowns," he said.
Of course, the entire discussion seems silly considering Holmes doesn't know for sure yet whether he will even play in 2006 following the head and spinal injuries he sustained in a helmet-to-helmet collision that ended his season last Oct. 30 in San Diego.
It illustrates, however, the mysterious nature Holmes has shown throughout his five Kansas City seasons, the last two of which have gone only eight games.
On one hand, Holmes says his playing status in '06 will depend on the advice of Dr. Robert Watkins, a spinal specialist who will tell Holmes whether it's safe to play with the stenosis -- a narrowing of the spine -- doctors diagnosed after examining his neck injuries last year.
Then, just as quickly, Holmes says the final decision is up to him to make after consulting with his medical advisors.
"I'm taking the advice of Dr. Watkins," Holmes said. "I'm putting it on him so that he can make the decision. But the final decision comes to me."
Any questions?
Holmes understands that Johnson is now The Man in the Kansas City backfield. He also knows the Chiefs will need an accomplished backup. It's why they've had preliminary discussions with New Orleans about the availability of Michael Bennett, suddenly expendable after Reggie Bush was added to a stable that already featured Deuce McAlister.
In Holmes mind, he might as well be the guy.
"There's always room for two," he said. "I'll tell you this: you don't want to take on the NFL by yourself."
PLAYER NOTES
--The Chiefs have set their training camp schedule, which will include resumption of a joint training session with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Chiefs and Vikings routinely worked together in a series of two-day sessions until 2005 when coach Dick Vermeil chose not to continue the practices after several Chiefs were injured during workouts in 2003 and '04.
But the bad blood that was starting to flow between the two teams -- Vermeil once suggested that a Viking reserve should be shot in the head after he was involved in a hit that broke the leg of a Kansas City special teams player - may have cooled under new coaches Herm Edwards and Minnesota's Brad Childress.
"It's not going to be a problem," Edwards insisted. "I've talked to (Childress). He understands how we handle it and I know how he's going to handle it. It's going to be fine. I don't foresee anything going astray."
The Chiefs will leave for their River Falls, Wis., training camp -- a suburb of the Twin Cities -- on July 27 with a first workout the next day. They will go to Mankato, Minn., to work with the Vikings on Aug. 4. The annual Family Fun Night is scheduled for the next day, Saturday, Aug. 5. The team will break camp on Aug. 18.
--Jarrad Page, a safety out of UCLA who was the Chiefs' seventh-round draft choice, now has the option to play either football or baseball after he was selected in the seventh round of the June free agent draft by the Los Angeles Angels.
Page, noting that he had not yet talked to the Angels about a contract or a signing bonus, said he was unsure which team he ultimately would sign with.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Chiefs added to depth on their interior line this week by coming to terms with former Jets defensive tackle James Reed, who played five seasons in New York under current Chiefs coach Herm Edwards.
Reed, who didn't attract the attention he thought he would as a free agent, will contend for a spot in the interior defensive line rotation with returning starters Ryan Sims and Lional Dalton and reserve candidates John Browning, Junior Siavii and free agent addition Ron Edwards.
"He knows the system, for sure," Edwards said of Reed. "He's a pretty good player, and good on special teams."
--The Chiefs are still trying to finalize a deal with former New Orleans and St. Louis tackle Kyle Turley, who was believed to be close to signing with Kansas City.
Turley, should he choose to join the Chiefs, could contend for a starting position at right tackle or back up 35-year-old Willie Roaf at left tackle.
--The Chiefs have signed three players who performed in NFL Europe this spring. The club agreed to terms of two-year contracts with free agent G Tyler Lenda of Amsterdam and WR Scott McCready, who played five years with the Scottish Claymores and Hamburg. They reached a one-year deal with FB J.R. Niklos of Frankfort.
TRANSITION PLAUER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--TE/LS Ed Perry (not tendered June 1).
--CB Dewayne Washington (not tendered June 1).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--OT Jordan Black: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--DT Lional Dalton: UFA; 4 yrs, terms unknown.
--LS Kendall Gammon: UFA; terms unknown.
--DE Carlos Hall: UFA; terms unknown.
--QB Damon Huard: UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--CB Benny Sapp: ERFA; terms unknown.
--PK Lawrence Tynes: ERFA; terms unknown.
--DE Jimmy Wilkerson: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--OT Ian Allen: UFA Cardinals; terms unknown.
--DT Ron Edwards: UFA Bills; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--RB Quentin Griffin: FA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--CB Chris Johnson: Not tendered as RFA by Rams; $940,000/2 yrs, $5,000 SB.
--DT James Reed: Not tendered as UFA by Jet; terms unknown.
--CB Lenny Walls: FA; $1.75M/1 yr, SB unknown.
PLAYERS LOST
--LB Shawn Barber (released).
--WR Marc Boerigter: UFA Packers; $782,700/1 yr, $90,000 SB.
--QB Todd Collins: UFA Redskins; $2.5M/2 yrs, $450,000 SB.
--WR Chris Horn: Not tendered as RFA/Saints; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--CB Dexter McCleon (released).
--FB Tony Richardson: UFA Vikings; $2.5M/2 yrs, $500,000 SB.
--LB Gary Stills (released).
--CB Eric Warfield (released).
--S Jerome Woods (released).
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
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