Santonio Holmes on playing Week 1: 'I can't count that far ahead'
Santonio Holmes speaks to the media about his injury and subsequent rehabilitation following Day 2 of team minicamp. (June 12, 2013) Credit: James Escher
CORTLAND, N.Y. – As the year anniversary of Santonio Holmes’ Lisfranc injury quickly approaches, the Jets' veteran receiver still is uncertain when he’ll return to practice – let alone play in an actual game.
“I can’t really count that far ahead right now,” Holmes said Monday when asked if playing against the Bucs in the Week 1 opener was a realistic goal. “I got to go with the steps that are in front of me, which is getting better today, look forward to tomorrow, working better than.”
Holmes suffered a Lisfranc injury last Sept. 30 and was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter. Now the Jets are less than four weeks removed from their season opener on Sept. 8. But the timetable on Holmes’ is still very much cloudy.
“I’m getting better, man. Getting better,” he said. “That’s all I can say at this point.”
Holmes – who noted he’s not the most senior member of the receiving corps (“Braylon’s a little bit older,” he said of Braylon Edwards) – jogged toward the interview tent Monday. But he told reporters he still can’t run at full speed.
Though he “definitely, definitely” sees himself making progress in his recovery, Holmes cautioned he’s still taking it “day by day.”
He didn’t say when he hopes or expects to be back at practice, nor did he elaborate on his next rehab benchmark. “It’s still week to week right now,” Holmes said. "I’ll say day to day, but the trainers are saying week to week and continued progress per week. Just be ready when the time comes.”
Asked how many practices he’ll need before he feels comfortable to play, he simply said: “Can’t answer that question.”
Holmes also said “no comment” when asked about a recent report claiming “people close to the organization” aren’t sure if he’s taking his rehab seriously. But his head coach, Rex Ryan, backed him up, saying the truth is just the opposite.
“He is doing a phenomenal job with his rehab," said Ryan, who couldn't venture to guess when he'll have Holmes at his disposal. "I think it's too early to tell."
