History repeats itself: Chiefs’ Ware the new sheriff in town

The time has come again for a changing of the guard (or running back, as it were).

Change is inevitable in the National Football League. Eventually, the day comes when a prohibitive starter’s succeeded by a younger player. It rarely gives advance notice. You’re on top of the world one moment and a role player the next. That time has come for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles.

I’m sure that’s a jagged pill to swallow, but it always is in the NFL. It’s tough to imagine Charles assuming a lesser role on this football team. Seems downright blasphemous to suggest, but here we are.

If I’m being honest, you’ve been insulated from a tough backfield transition in years past. Jamaal Charles was a welcome change for the oft-maligned Larry Johnson. When 2009 rolled around, Johnson had been arrested thrice for incidences of violence against women. He had a long, painful break up with the Chiefs that spanned two NFL seasons. There were scandals. There were suspensions.

Today, professional athletes commonly get themselves into hot water over social media. Johnson may have been the first to run afoul of his team with comments he made on Twitter. In fact, the team instructed Johnson to refrain from practicing and other team activities behind it. When the torch was passed (summarily snatched away from “LJ”) there was nary a soul in Chiefs Kingdom shedding tears for him.

It was more difficult to move on from Priest Holmes – formally inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2014. Holmes was a truly elite running back in the NFL and a class act. He may have had the best three-year stretch of any player at any position in league history from 2001-2003. Here’s a factoid you may not know:

At the time, Holmes and Emmitt Smith were the only running backs in league history to record back-to-back seasons with 20 or more rushing touchdowns. It would’ve happened again in 2004 had it not been for an injury (he had 14 went he went down). His best three seasons were recently compared to Adrian Peterson’s top trifecta and the numbers were staggeringly in Holmes’ favor. Unlike Johnson, Holmes’ exit in Kansas City wasn’t any fault of his own. He suffered injuries in 2004, 2005 and finally 2007 before announcing his retirement from the league.