He Has bickered with teammates in Mark Sanchez’s huddle, been stripped of his captaincy, railed at former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, been forced to take a $3.5 million paycut … and lo and behold, Santonio Holmes emerges now from his bunker as a sympathetic savior riding on his Lisfranc fractured horse to help save Sanchez and catch a touchdown pass on Opening Day against none other than Tampa Bay cornerback Darrelle Revis.
“It’ll be a great matchup, it’ll be a lot of fun to get out there and go against an old nemesis, and a guy who’s coming off of injury himself,” Holmes said. “Wish him more success this season, and hopefully he’s prepared and ready, just like I will be.”
Holmes’ 2012 season was shattered Sept. 30 against the 49ers at MetLife Stadium, one week after Revis crumpled in a heap in Miami with a torn ACL and one week after Holmes caught an overtime pass from Sanchez to beat the Dolphins. Little could he know he would never play with Revis again.
Asked if it was strange not to see Revis at minicamp, Holmes said: “It was a little disheartening being in Columbus [Ohio] to hear all the negative talk about having him being traded and things like that. But in this place, it’s a business, and you move forward with life, and everything else.”
Holmes remains on the outside looking in, continuing his rehab, watching Stephen Hill lead the dropsies parade (“Stephen, Stephen, Stephen,” Holmes said), waiting for the green light to begin jogging. The toughest part? Easy.
“Learning how to walk again,” Holmes said yesterday in his first remarks to the New York media since the season ended. “It’s been that hard to just get the feeling of your body to moving in an everyday motion that you’ve been accustomed to for so many years. And to have something like this happen, it puts a damper in your whole physical ability to do anything, so … just learning how to walk again has been the biggest issue with me.”
But when you ask him if he has any concerns about whether he can be the receiver he was, he quickly turns the clock back to Tone Time: “No.”
When he returns, he will return as The Straw That Stirs The Tasteless Jet Drink, because there is no one else on Rex Ryan’s offense who can be a difference-maker. And he loves Marty Mornhinweg’s West Coast system every bit as much as Sanchez does.
“It’s been exciting,” Holmes said. “I’ve been known as a route-runner, and that’s something I pride myself on, and to get an opportunity to learn from a different coordinator who’s been doing it for 20-plus years, he’s excited about bringing this offense here because he knows he has a bunch of young guys that he can continue to work with, and myself being the veteran can also teach the guys the things that he’d want to reiterate to us as a team.”
Holmes watched the unraveling of the 2012 season on television, and believes that Sanchez can get back off his butt at a time when most Jets fans would prefer Geno Smith running the read option, or any option.
“I don’t think he needs to win any fans back,” Holmes said of Sanchez. “He’s going to be our guy. The coaches brought him back, and they kept him on this team for a reason.”
Pardon the interruption, Tone — $8.25 million reasons.
“He’s a great leader,” Holmes said. “He’s a guy that has much potential, and he’s excited about this season upcoming, and so am I.”
Does this team still believe in him?
“I think everybody believes in him. He wouldn’t be here if anybody didn’t believe in him,” Holmes said. “He’s still wearing the same 6 jersey that he wore since the day he got drafted here, and I think the organization and even the team love him and we’re going to continue supporting him.”
Holmes, a candidate to start the season on the physically unable to perform list, wouldn’t say whether he would be ready for training camp. “It’s going great, man. Rehab has been awesome,” Holmes said.
He may have been in his hyperbaric chamber at home when he received word he would now be making $7.5 million.
“It’s what we all do in our profession,” Holmes said. “In order to sustain a long-term career in one place, you have to be willing to sacrifice for the team and for the better, not just for yourself.”
What’s this? A grown-up Santonio Holmes headed for Revis Island?