Holmes to see extensive action in preseason finale before starting four-game ban

PHILADELPHIA - Santonio Holmes is usually in the same boat as most starters, barely breaking a sweat during his team's preseason finale.

The wide receiver's night is typically a short one, consisting of a few plays at most before getting the hook and parking it on the sideline for the rest of the game. So that's why Thursday night will be a little different for him.

Holmes is going to see extensive time. And he's loving it.

"Being it's my first time playing in a preseason game for this long, and for what I'm about to be out for, I'm up for the challenge," Holmes said. "I think I need it more than what anybody would expect a fifth-year guy going into a fourth preseason game."

Tonight's matchup with the Eagles represents Holmes' last true tuneup for a month. He'll begin serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy and isn't allowed to practice with the team during that span, making the Jets' final preseason game an important one.

"It's going to be fun," he said. "I hope I can get about 20 catches out there and just have some fun, knowing that I'm about to exit and be gone for four games."

Holmes' suspension is one of the reasons the Jets were able to pry him away from the Steelers relatively cheaply - for a fifth-round pick in April's draft. That's unheard of for someone who was barely a year removed from being the Super Bowl XLIII MVP.

However, the Steelers grew weary of Holmes' off-field incidents, which included getting charged with disorderly conduct as well as domestic violence in 2006. He wasn't convicted on either count. Holmes was also arrested in 2008 for marijuana possession.

So far with the Jets, though, he's steered clear of trouble or controversy. Since his arrival - save for an iPod incident aboard a Pittsburgh-bound plane that appeared to be blown out of proportion - Holmes has been nothing but a positive influence and is fitting into the locker room seamlessly.

"He's cool," Mark Sanchez said. "He's great, good guy, always has questions about practice, about the script. [We] talk through routes and [we're] really getting to know each other. He's a sharp guy, and he does a great job on the field, a really good communicator.

"So I'm definitely pleased with the way our relationship has grown and it's only going to get better."

During his absence Holmes plans on using Skype daily to connect with Sanchez, hoping to pick his brain and stay in tune with the offense's happenings. But that won't completely make up for precious lost time.

"From a receiver's perspective, learning a new offense, it's very difficult coming in and having everything changed," Holmes said. "Routes might be the same, but terminology, coaches, quarterback, the way the words are being presented to you, everything sounds different. If I could be here for the next month to continue picking up on stuff, I think that would be the biggest aspect that I'm going to miss."

In the meantime, Holmes will work on his conditioning and hit the weights hard.

"With him, here's his thing: 'I'm going to be in the best shape of my life,' " coach Rex Ryan said. "He already has that mentality of, 'I'm going to get better. I want to help my team this way because when I come back, I'm going to be in ridiculous shape.' "

A shape that won't be on display again after Thursday night until the Brett Favre Express rolls into town with the Vikings on Oct. 11, adding to what could be a carnival-like atmosphere when Holmes does return.

"You're probably going to have to put me in a cold tub to cool me off a little bit," he said. "I think I'll stay down and keep myself calm, but I'll definitely be excited about the game and playing that Monday night."