http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_captain_hasn_learned_thing_kZAz9h62iAMakllrOk1BGP Jets captain Holmes hasn’t learned a thing By MARK CANNIZZARO Santonio Holmes spoke publicly yesterday for the first time since he was sent — like a misbehaving child to his room for a “timeout’’ by his parents — to the bench by his teammates and coaches in the 2011 season finale in Miami. The often disgruntled Jets receiver spent 13 minutes and 34 seconds on conference call with reporters and here’s what I learned from it: Holmes has learned nothing from his embarrassing conduct in 2011 and the fallout from it, and he remains a threat to repeat the same bad behavior in 2012. If the Jets’ 2012 season starts going the wrong way like it did in 2011, and Holmes isn’t getting the ball, watch out, let the sulking and complaining begin. Holmes, who simply doesn’t get it and seemingly never has, had the perfect opportunity yesterday to show himself as a changed man from the guy who threw his quarterback and offensive line under the bus last year. And you know what he did with it? He dropped it like a potential game-winning touchdown pass. Instead of owning up to his mistakes and (gasp) conceding to have learned from them, Holmes grew more defiant as the conference call went on, showing no contrition whatsoever for the damage he had a big part in causing inside the Jets’ locker room. This exchange tells you all you need to know about Holmes: When he was asked if he has any “regrets’’ about how he handled himself late last season, he spat back, “Why should I?’’ That question begged for a more contrite answer such as: “Like everyone, I was frustrated when things weren’t going well for us. I didn’t handle it professionally, but I’ve learned from the experience. I’m better because of it and ready to move on.’’ When asked if he’s “a better teammate’’ now than he was last season after what transpired, Holmes said: “I’ve been a better teammate to be a part of the NFL for seven years. Regardless of the things that you guys report and the way you portray it, it doesn’t matter.’’ If he were such a great teammate in Pittsburgh, why did the Steelers, not far removed from Holmes’ Super Bowl MVP performance, give him to the Jets for what amounted to a box of cheap golf balls and a bag of tees? When Holmes was asked specifically about his Miami meltdown on New Year’s Day, he went all Las Vegas on everyone, saying: “It happened down in Miami and that’s where it’s going to stay, down in Miami.’’ When asked if he reached out to any of the offensive linemen with whom he clashed last season, he said: “No, I haven’t reached out to anybody this offseason.’’ Pressed specifically on right tackle Wayne Hunter, who was the player who got into a shouting match with him in that huddle he was kicked out of late in the loss to the Dolphins, Holmes said: “Who reported that?’’ Um, everyone. After some palpable silence over the phone line, Holmes said: “I have nothing to say about that.’’ Holmes, whose relationship with Mark Sanchez was in question last season, could barely muster any positive words when asked how he would characterize his relationship with Sanchez at the end of last season and how it has evolved since after they worked out together last week in Florida. “That was too long ago,” Holmes said. “He’s still here as our starting quarterback. I’m still here as our starting wide receiver. I think our relationship will evolve around that.” Warm stuff, indeed. Time for a group hug, perhaps. Holmes grew testy when pressed about the end-of-the-season blowup, saying, “That happened in the 2011-2012 season. We don’t have anything to say on that subject. We’re worried about the 2012 New York Jets football season, and if you’re not concerned with that, we don’t have anything else to talk about.” Do those sound like the words of a rehabilitated brat? Didn’t think so.
The funny part about this is that when I was reading Holmes quotes yesterday, I liked his approach. He said we aren't talking about last season, its 2012. Something all the players and Rex have been repeating yesterday.
Wow...that was about as bad an interview as anyone could ever imagine..thanks Tanny for that contract.
He is and will always be a fucking asshole. He doesn't give a shit about the team, just himself and he WILL create problems in the locker room again. Its just a matter of time.
He's rotten. There's no other way to put it. He doesn't care about even creating a facade that he's a good teammate. Honestly, if the little jabs keep happening, wait til shit hits the fan this year. Won't be Sanchez but I won't be surprised if a pissed off O-lineman hauls off and takes a swing. I hate players like this. Don't know how any Jet fan can wear his jersey
I don't get what's wrong with his answers. I think the media is just mad he didn't pull a Dwight Howard. Holmes knew to STFU about the situation. That's the problem. We want our players to be completely transparent and answer every question and then when they say something stupid, we all look puzzled. The issue is over with. He said it's in the past. The media was trying to bait him into bad mouthing his QB and he didn't bite.
I've seen you post this a few times but I've never read or heard anything to substantiate it. Do you have any source to support it, or is it just something you made up?
Not only does he not apologize or even hint that he was in the wrong... but, the "We" references to himself bothers me... What's up with that?
So your mad because he's speaking in terms of the team? If he said "me, me, me" the whole interview you'd be calling him a narcissist.
I thought I read it when he first signed it. I don't make things up. It would be insane if they don't as he is one strike from a 1 year ban..of course it is Tannenbaum doing the negotiating.
The truly inexplicable thing is that the Jets chose to make Holmes one of the two players available for the media.
Your interpretation of how "we" is being used, not mine. "Me" would not have been grammatically correct, "I" would have been. Especially since the interview was with him, not the team!
Winning will cure everything. STFU is a policy more Jets players and coaches need to embrace. 2012's motto should be " Do your talking on the field"
He sounds like a man who has leverage. He is due 18.75 million over the next two years and the Jets can't do anything to get out of paying him, so he can say and do whatever he wants. With that said, I think if the team is winning he isn't gonna be a problem.
I am not defending him, as I think he is a pre-madonna WR, but it was a 13.5 minute interview, and only about a 1/2 dozen quotes. This is just a reporter following the hot story of Holmes, and nothing more.
I didn't literally mean "me me me". I meant if he was speaking about himself the whole time, people would have ripped him for that too. Let's just be frank about it. He should not be allowed to talk to the media anymore. There are just some ppl that are still butt hurt because of the Miami game.They will continue to find fault in everything he says. When you really examine what happened, it wasn't that serious. He got frustrated and blew up because he's our best receiver and he'd only been targeted twice. Furthermore, we'd been running an inept offense all year, that was making all of the receivers look bad, and the ENTIRE starting receiving core complained about it since the beginning of the season. The guy got frustrated, admitted he handled it unprofessionally, and wants to move on. WTF else is there to talk about? Why is this such a big deal?
