River Falls, Wis. ? While the rest of his teammates were scrimmaging in pads last week, Priest Holmes was on an adjoining field going through conditioning drills with members of the Kansas City Chiefs’ strength-and-conditioning staff.

For the time being, until he gets himself into shape and convinces the Chiefs that he’s ready to be pummeled again, that will be how the 33-year-old running back will spend the dog days of training camp.

Holmes hasn’t carried a football since Oct. 30, 2005, when a hard hit by San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman resulted in a season-ending head and neck injury. It also kept him out of the ’06 season.

But just before the start of training camp, he informed the Chiefs that he wanted to try to play again. Holmes, a religious man, said he had a dream in which he was playing football again.

“I went to my church and asked them if they could see me playing football again,” he said. “The words that came out of their mouths were, ‘Yes.’ And that’s why I’m here.”

It’s still a longshot that Holmes will play this season.

While he has been cleared by the doctors, he has a lot of rust on him and needs to prove he deserves a roster spot.

“It’s a mistake to ever count Priest out,” Kansas City Chiefs president Carl Peterson said.

“He’s a unique young man. When he had the hip surgery (after the 2002 season), everybody said, ‘That’s it. It’s (like) Bo Jackson. He’s finished.’ But he came back the next year and scored 27 touchdowns.”

In his first three seasons with the Chiefs (2001 to ’03), Holmes rushed for 4,590 yards.

He rushed for 892 yards in the first eight games in 2004 before a knee injury ended his season prematurely.

Now, the Chiefs have a new workhorse back – outspoken training-camp holdout Larry Johnson.

Holmes, meanwhile, hasn’t taken a hit in 21 months.

“He understands that if he is able to come back, it will be in a different role,” Peterson indicated.

“He won’t be the workhorse. It would be 12 to 14 snaps a game. A third-down back. Goal-line (situations). We did that with Marcus Allen. He was 33 years old when we signed him.

“Marcus played five years with us. Now, he didn’t have the injury history Priest has. But don’t count the guy out.”

Holmes, who will earn the veteran minimum of $870,000 if he makes the team, said he just wants to play again.

Like he did in the dream.

At least he is a viable option, unlike Johnson who has yet to report.

“In order for me to come back, it’s going to require discipline, hard work and determination,” he said. “Without struggle there is no purpose. I definitely will struggle in the next four weeks to come back to the level you need to to get back into pads.

“Will I be the same runner? That’s to be anticipated. You have no idea what I will become. But I’ll tell you one thing: The hard work will be there.”