Santonio Holmes’ hamstring is balky, but his tongue was as sharp as always Thursday. Asked to explain a seeming lack of production Sunday with Geno Smith, he paraphrased another star receiver — the Giants’ Hakeem Nicks.
“I played 49 plays and all I know is that I had one catch. That’s all I can attest for,’’ said Holmes, who added what could be viewed as a thinly veiled shot at Smith. “It’s the offense’s job. I can’t throw it to myself and catch it, otherwise I would.’’
It doesn’t seem Holmes will be throwing, catching or even running anytime soon. He is all but assured of missing Monday night’s game in Atlanta. He spoke with the media for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury during Sunday’s loss to Tennessee, a game in which he caught one pass for 25 yards.
“I just have to do my part which is the position that I’m in, which is playing the primary ‘X’ receiver and a lot of times you get double-covered [and] get taken out of the play,’’ Holmes said. “The progression and the reads from the quarterback have to go elsewhere.’’
While the Jets wouldn’t rule Holmes or Stephen Hill out yet, even Rex Ryan said: “You guys figure it out. [It] looks like they never practiced today.’’
Holmes wouldn’t acknowledge the overwhelming likelihood he’ll miss the Falcons game, and wouldn’t directly assess the play of Smith, who has targeted him a team-high 23 times but completed just 10 of those.
Against Tennessee, he was targeted five times, the same as Jeremy Kerley and running back Bilal Powell, and four fewer than tight end Kellen Winslow.
“I honestly think my perspective to you guys wouldn’t matter, so we’ll allow the coaches to take care of those responsibilities and make the corrections, the changes and the things they need to get corrected. My job is to go out and catch footballs and make plays,’’ Holmes said. “Whatever I say doesn’t matter. It’s what we do in meeting rooms and on the practice field.’’
And for now the training room, after Holmes pulled up lame Sunday.
“I was just running down the field and my hamstring felt really tight, so I just decided I couldn’t run anymore, stopped, and walked off the field,’’ said Holmes, who added he didn’t feel his hamstring pop or tear, simply tighten up.
Asked how his hamstring felt Thursday, he answered in his own inimitable style.
“My hamstring feels like it hurts,” Holmes said. “If it makes sense, that’s exactly how it feels right now.”
Holmes wouldn’t rule himself out for Monday and insisted he was taking things “one day at a time.” But the wide receiver may have made a slip later when he admitted this will be the first hamstring injury “to the extent I’ve had to miss a ballgame, yes.’’
The training room is becoming all-too familiar to Holmes, who suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 4 last year. It was the first time in his career he hadn’t played at least a dozen games, and Holmes said not having a full offseason adversely affected his body.
He also said he came into the season 100-percent healthy, which contradicted his claims of the past month that he wasn’t fully fit.
“It’s not frustrating at all. It’s something I have to deal with. Coach told me to look at it as part of my rehab. I came back 100-percent ready to play in first game and there became some give and take throughout the process making the return,” Holmes said. “Not having an offseason really affected the condition of the body, which I never thought about until now, that that’s something that happened.’’