Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes does not believe a two-quarterback system can work, but he sounds like a big fan of his new teammate, Tim Tebow.
Holmes, appearing on “NFL Total Access” on NFL Network, was asked point blank whether he believes a team can win using a two-quarterback attack.
“No. I don’t think so,” Holmes said. “You have to allow one quarterback to get into the rhythm of the game. It starts from the preparation in practice, knowing the first couple of plays that he’s going to take these reps. It’s getting a feel for coming onto the field with the crowd awaiting you. It’s the making the mistakes early in the game to finishing the game at the end. You don’t just change a guy out because he has a few mistakes early in a game. I think coming into this season we have a lot to expect from [Mark] Sanchez.”
Holmes said he is confident Sanchez will be “the guy” for the Jets this season. He believes Tebow’s role will be defined enough not to disrupt the Jets’ offensive flow.
“Tebow’s going to have plays where he comes in and plays,” Holmes said. “Whether he plays at quarterback, Sanchez is on the field or off the field, those are the plays that Coach [offensive coordinator Tony Sparano] has designed for Tebow to run that week. I’m pretty sure he’s going to get them done and he’s going to do his job just as well as any other quarterback would when he gets the opportunity to get on the field.”
Holmes spent last week in Southern California, participating in Sanchez’s “Jets West” camp. He said it went “wonderful” and praised the chance to bond with his teammates, particularly the young receivers. He also said the quarterbacks looked impressive.
“Tebow looked pretty good,” Holmes said. “He was on target. Sanchez has done everything that he can do to keep his starting spot. I’m thinking that he’s going to be our guy this season. I’m not saying that with any bit of less confidence than the way I feel about him coming into the season. He’s going to be our guy that we depended on for the past couple of years and he’s going to get the job done.”
Holmes also was asked about former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson’s recent comments that Holmes could be a problem again this year if he does not get enough catches in the run-heavy offense. Tomlinson wondered if Holmes would complain publicly.
“I didn’t say anything about last season until Week 17,” Holmes said. “It hurt to play seven games and only have [22] catches, but you do live and you learn. Honestly, LT, I wouldn’t say he’s wrong but I don’t think it would be right if I had anything to say come Week 7 if I only have 20 catches. Just play it out like the way it played it out last year.”