Tony Richardson on his favorite running backs to block for
By Matt Conner
Tony Richardson dishes on his favorite running backs to block for in an interview with Arrowhead Addict.
If you’re an old enough member of Chiefs Kingdom to recall the teams of the 1990s, then you likely have exciting memories of watching Kansas City Chiefs fullback Tony Richardson paving a path for some of the greatest running backs of the era. Richardson was a hammer, essentially an extra lineman who could help an offense find a way forward even against a well-stacked box.
Richardson entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn with the Dallas Cowboys but he’s land a free agent deal with K.C. the following year and wouldn’t leave for another 11 years. From there, he would go on to last another five years with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.
Richardson finished his career with three Pro Bowl nods and two second-team All-Pro honors and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the ’00s. Those achievements secured his induction into the Chiefs Hall of Honor during the 2016 season.
All that said, Richardson knows a thing or two about what it means to block at the highest level in the NFL, which is why it was so interesting to see him answer about his favorite running backs to block for during his long and distinguished NFL career. Richardson recently stopped in with Arrowhead Addict from this year’s Super Bowl media row to talk about a number of subjects, including those running backs.
“I would probably say there are two guys,” said Richardson. “Number one: Priest Holmes. When Priest came, I was actually the starting tailback and Coach [Dick] Vermeil said, ‘We’ve gotta find a way to put both of you guys on the field.’ So I moved back to fullback. Priest was the tailback.
“We spent so much time together, obviously on the field but off the field. He’d come over to my house every Thursday. I would have running back night and we’d just study film. He really taught me what he was thinking from a tailback perspective—what the offensive lineman, what the fullback, what everyone was doing. So when we were in a game, it was poetry in motion because he knew what I was thinking and I knew what he was thinking. We just had a bond.”
As for the second name on his list, it wasn’t a member of the Chiefs but it’s hard to fault him for picking who he did.
“Adrian Peterson, he’s just cut a little different. I shared this story on NFL Network the other day, but we went out and rushed for, like, 396 yards and he was like, ‘Hey T, what do you want to do after the game?’ I was like, ‘I’m going to bed. Where do you get this energy from?’ But having someone that gifted and that talented was really special.”
Check out the full interview with Tony below and scroll back to see a lot more great Chiefs commentary and NFL interviews from our guys on the ground at Super Bowl LVII. You can also subscribe to the Arrowhead Addict channel on YouTube here!