KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Perhaps because he was once one himself, Priest Holmes has an affinity for undersized, undrafted Chiefs running backs who previously played for a Big 12 school.
That could explain why Holmes, who retired from the Chiefs and professional football two years ago, will mentor Dantrell Savage before the Chiefs head off to training camp late next month.
“That would be one of the best things for me between now and training camp,” said Savage, a 5-foot-8, 182-pound running back who joined the Chiefs last year from Oklahoma State. “We have a lot of the same features, our size and height and also being a free agent (out of college) trying to make it. Basically, I can’t lose. He’s basically going to show me the ropes.
“He knows how hard it is for a free-agent running back to make it in the NFL. It’s also hard on me because I’m small and a lot of times small guys in the league don’t last long.”
Like Savage, Holmes was an afterthought entering the NFL. At 5-9 and 210 pounds coming out of Texas, Holmes wasn’t drafted in 1997 and signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
He played mainly on special teams as a rookie but rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his second season. Still, only the Chiefs were interested when he became a free agent in 2001 — and even they believed at the time of his signing he was too small to be a featured back.
Holmes proved that to be wrong his first year in Kansas City, leading the league in rushing. He had an even better season in 2002, and then set an NFL record for touchdowns with 27 in 2003.
Accident leaves woman dead.
Richard Baldinger, a former Chiefs lineman, was involved in a traffic accident that left a woman dead.
Police said Marilyn Walters, 61, of Grain Valley, Mo., was killed when the car she was in collided with a car driven by the 49-year- old Baldinger on Saturday.
Baldinger was not listed as injured and the accident is under investigation.
Wilson will play waiting game.
Bills owner Ralph Wilson is in no hurry to have his team play more than one annual regular- season game in Toronto.
Wilson said he’d prefer waiting “two or three years” to determine whether the northern experiment is a success before he’d consider reworking the contract reached last year with Toronto-based Rogers Communications. The Bills are locked into playing five regular- season — one a year — and three preseason games in Toronto under the agreement that runs through 2012.
Rogers officials have expressed interest in adding at least one additional regular- season game a year, particularly if the NFL goes forward with a proposal to expand its regular-season schedule to 17 or 18 games.
Wilson said an expanded schedule wouldn’t make a difference at this point.
“I don’t know whether they’ll get another game or not,” he said. “We’ll have to see how it works out up there.”
Denver Post wire services
Calendar
July 22: Signing period ends at 2 p.m. MDT for unrestricted free agents who received June 1 tender.
Aug. 9: Pro Football Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio.
Aug. 13-17: First preseason weekend.
Sept. 1: Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players.
Sept. 5: Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players.
Sept. 10: Season opener.
Oct. 12-13: Fall owners meeting, Boston.
Oct. 20: Trading deadline.
Jan. 9-10, 2010: Wild-card playoffs.
Jan. 16-17: Divisional playoffs.
Jan. 24: Conference championships.
Jan. 31: Pro Bowl, Miami.
Feb. 7: Super Bowl, Miami.
Feb. 24-March 2: NFL combine, Indianapolis.
March 5: Free agency begins.
March 21-24: Annual owners meeting, Orlando, Fla.
