Holmes sweet Holmes: Jets excited to get WR back
While at Ohio State, Holmes became the first offensive player to win the Jack Tatum Award for best hit. Jim Tressel created the award in 2001, giving it to the player that made the best defensive hit each week.
Credit: AP
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The Jets have cleared the early hurdles with surprising ease, taking hold of the top spot in the AFC East.
Each passing week has presented its own set of challenges, from Kris Jenkins' season-ending knee injury to Darrelle Revis' nagging hamstring injury to Calvin Pace's foot surgery.
But the silver lining in all this is clear: The Jets, off to a 3-1 start with three straight division victories, will have arguably their best receiver, Santonio Holmes, on the field Monday night against the Vikings, and there's a good chance Revis and Pace also will suit up at New Meadowlands Stadium.
"It's much easier to play well when you have everyone on your team," coach Rex Ryan said Monday. "So having Santonio back, Darrelle and Calvin, this is the team we envisioned trotting out there every week. Obviously, minus Kris. We've also been without Wayne Hunter for two weeks. So hopefully, we can get all our guys back. And again, we don't make excuses. We just go out and try to get the job done.
"I was proud of the guys that had to step in and fill in. I thought the guys did a good job of getting some good wins - and divisional wins. That's critical. It speaks of the kind of depth we have on this football team. We mention it all the time: Everybody we have on our roster is going to have to contribute to our success. And guys just continue to step up, and that's what's been impressive about this football team."
Ryan said he expects Holmes - who attended meetings and worked out all during training camp with the team before serving a four-game suspension at the start of the season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy - to make an immediate impact.
"We shouldn't miss a beat with him," Ryan said of the former Super Bowl MVP. "And to add a terrific player like Santonio to what we already have - our offense has been really rolling - it's good. You go into the game, play what's called and you throw it to the open guy. It should be a lot of fun to watch.
"He can't wait to play. That much I know for a fact. Everybody knows that about Santonio. He's a great competitor, and competitors want to play. So he's going to do whatever it takes to get on that field and contribute to this team."
The addition of Holmes, Revis and Pace, who Ryan said worked out Monday, is an encouraging sign for the Jets. They began the 2009 season 3-1 but lost five of the next six games before they went on their improbable run to the AFC Championship Game. But they insist that type of midseason collapse won't happen this year.
"I felt last year was just kind of a shock," Brad Smith said. "We were just riding momentum. This year, it's more determined - we plan on winning. We plan on playing our best game every week. That's the difference."
"We didn't take advantage of that opportunity," left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson said of last season. "Now we've been successful. This will really allow us to be in the position we want to be in, which is No. 1."
