KCL
11-22-2007, 02:27 PM
Oh Boy! Well hopefully they can make a go of it.
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
Kolby Smith said playing against Indy last week has him feeling confident.
Gilbert Harris excited to be Chiefs backup running back
Chiefs coach Herm Edwards walked up to rookie running backs Kolby Smith and Gilbert Harris on Wednesday, peered into their eyes and had one comment for them.
“OK, it’s your guys’ turn,” Edwards said. “Let’s go.”
Smith, a fifth-round draft choice with 10 carries for 19 yards this season, and Harris, freshly promoted from the practice squad upon the retirement of Priest Holmes, will be the featured backs in Sunday’s game against Oakland and probably for the rest of the season.
All they have to do is step in the shoes of Larry Johnson and Holmes, who have combined for 14,430 yards from scrimmage, 135 touchdowns and five Pro Bowls since 2001.
“I’m ready for it,” Smith said. “It’s a division game, a rivalry game against the Oakland Raiders, and you know the history behind that game with this organization and that organization.
“There is no better situation to come in and put the team on your back and take them where we need to go.”
Smith has been through this experience before. A year ago, as a senior at Louisville, he was a backup to preseason All-American and Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Bush.
In the season opener, Bush suffered a broken leg against Kentucky, and Smith, who had made two career starts, was thrust into the Cardinals’ starting lineup.
Smith, a 5-foot-11, 219-pounder, started 10 games and rushed for 862 yards and seven touchdowns, including an 82-yard performance in an Orange Bowl victory for the fifth-ranked Cardinals, who went 12-1. Now Bush, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Raiders, will watch his understudy start again this week.
“You always have to think of yourself as a starter,” Smith said. “You never look at yourself as a backup. You go in and practice with the mind-set that you’re a starter.
“This is a great opportunity for me. Everybody dreams as a little kid to be a starter in the NFL one day. Mine has come a little sooner than what I expected.”
Smith received his most extended playing time of the season in last week’s 13-10 loss at Indianapolis when he carried eight times for 17 yards and caught three passes for 34. He carried three times for 10 yards and caught a pass from Brodie Croyle for 7 yards on the Chiefs’ only touchdown drive against the Colts.
“Playing that much slowed the game down a lot for me,” Smith said. “Being out there for a long series, I got more comfortable with the game, and I was out there having fun. That’s the main thing.”
Croyle spent the first half of the season working with Smith on the scout team, and he believes they’ve developed a rapport.
“I have a great feel for him, knowing what he’s thinking on (pass) routes,” Croyle said. “He’s bringing a lot of the same things Larry brings; he’s a very straight-ahead runner, he’s bigger than what a lot of people give him credit for. He’s going to do fine.”
While the Chiefs aren’t expecting Smith to make anyone forget about Holmes and Johnson, they’re confident he can help a running attack that ranks 31st in the NFL.
“There’s a reason we drafted Kolby Smith,” Edwards said. “We had healthy running backs when we drafted him. We were going into the season with three running backs because things can happen. I didn’t want to be a prophet. But they happened.
“He can do what we’re asking. He knows our runs. I feel very comfortable with him, especially blocking as a pass protector. He picks up protections, he catches the ball. He doesn’t have to be Priest Holmes or Larry Johnson. Be Kolby Smith. That’s good enough.”
Harris, 6-2, 235, played collegiately at Arizona and signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. After spending training camp with the Chiefs, he was placed on the practice squad. The Chiefs replaced him on the practice squad with Jackie Battle, who signed with Dallas as a rookie free agent from the University of Houston but was released prior to the start of the season.
“Gilbert Harris is going to have to carry the ball some, too,” Edwards said. “He’s a big, strong running back, kind of a tweener … a little bit of a tailback-fullback type, with good hands. We’ll mix it up with both of them. You have to be able to run the football.”
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
Kolby Smith said playing against Indy last week has him feeling confident.
Gilbert Harris excited to be Chiefs backup running back
Chiefs coach Herm Edwards walked up to rookie running backs Kolby Smith and Gilbert Harris on Wednesday, peered into their eyes and had one comment for them.
“OK, it’s your guys’ turn,” Edwards said. “Let’s go.”
Smith, a fifth-round draft choice with 10 carries for 19 yards this season, and Harris, freshly promoted from the practice squad upon the retirement of Priest Holmes, will be the featured backs in Sunday’s game against Oakland and probably for the rest of the season.
All they have to do is step in the shoes of Larry Johnson and Holmes, who have combined for 14,430 yards from scrimmage, 135 touchdowns and five Pro Bowls since 2001.
“I’m ready for it,” Smith said. “It’s a division game, a rivalry game against the Oakland Raiders, and you know the history behind that game with this organization and that organization.
“There is no better situation to come in and put the team on your back and take them where we need to go.”
Smith has been through this experience before. A year ago, as a senior at Louisville, he was a backup to preseason All-American and Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Bush.
In the season opener, Bush suffered a broken leg against Kentucky, and Smith, who had made two career starts, was thrust into the Cardinals’ starting lineup.
Smith, a 5-foot-11, 219-pounder, started 10 games and rushed for 862 yards and seven touchdowns, including an 82-yard performance in an Orange Bowl victory for the fifth-ranked Cardinals, who went 12-1. Now Bush, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Raiders, will watch his understudy start again this week.
“You always have to think of yourself as a starter,” Smith said. “You never look at yourself as a backup. You go in and practice with the mind-set that you’re a starter.
“This is a great opportunity for me. Everybody dreams as a little kid to be a starter in the NFL one day. Mine has come a little sooner than what I expected.”
Smith received his most extended playing time of the season in last week’s 13-10 loss at Indianapolis when he carried eight times for 17 yards and caught three passes for 34. He carried three times for 10 yards and caught a pass from Brodie Croyle for 7 yards on the Chiefs’ only touchdown drive against the Colts.
“Playing that much slowed the game down a lot for me,” Smith said. “Being out there for a long series, I got more comfortable with the game, and I was out there having fun. That’s the main thing.”
Croyle spent the first half of the season working with Smith on the scout team, and he believes they’ve developed a rapport.
“I have a great feel for him, knowing what he’s thinking on (pass) routes,” Croyle said. “He’s bringing a lot of the same things Larry brings; he’s a very straight-ahead runner, he’s bigger than what a lot of people give him credit for. He’s going to do fine.”
While the Chiefs aren’t expecting Smith to make anyone forget about Holmes and Johnson, they’re confident he can help a running attack that ranks 31st in the NFL.
“There’s a reason we drafted Kolby Smith,” Edwards said. “We had healthy running backs when we drafted him. We were going into the season with three running backs because things can happen. I didn’t want to be a prophet. But they happened.
“He can do what we’re asking. He knows our runs. I feel very comfortable with him, especially blocking as a pass protector. He picks up protections, he catches the ball. He doesn’t have to be Priest Holmes or Larry Johnson. Be Kolby Smith. That’s good enough.”
Harris, 6-2, 235, played collegiately at Arizona and signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. After spending training camp with the Chiefs, he was placed on the practice squad. The Chiefs replaced him on the practice squad with Jackie Battle, who signed with Dallas as a rookie free agent from the University of Houston but was released prior to the start of the season.
“Gilbert Harris is going to have to carry the ball some, too,” Edwards said. “He’s a big, strong running back, kind of a tweener … a little bit of a tailback-fullback type, with good hands. We’ll mix it up with both of them. You have to be able to run the football.”