With all that going on, you’d think sixth-year veteran Santonio Holmes might want to keep things calm. Instead, he’s just adding fuel to the fire.
Holmes, 27, said the Jets’ offensive struggles are the fault of the offensive line.
“I may be criticized again for saying it, but I think it starts up front,” Holmes said, according to the New York Post. “The big guys know it. [If] they give Mark [Sanchez] enough time to sit in the pocket and complete passes, I think everything changes. … If you can’t protect the quarterback for four or five seconds, then there’s no point in dropping back 7 yards to throw a football when he doesn’t have enough time. So, we pretty much have to roll with the way our offense is rolling right now.”
The Jets’ offense ranks 21st in passing yards and 31st in rushing yards. Sanchez ranks 19th in quarterback rating and has been sacked 13 times in five games. The team could muster just 255 yards against the Patriots while going 3-and-out seven times.
The team clearly has some problems as a group, but Holmes was asked specifically if he’d like to see more deep passes.
“If you were in my shoes, what would you think?” he said.
Though Rex Ryan, Holmes, Mason and Plaxico Burress all vehemently denied complaining to Schottenheimer, Mason’s lack of playing time in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots and ensuing trade lended some credence to the report. Holmes on Thursday appeared to not be in favor of the trade.
“I think it kind of shook up a lot of guys just from the whole standpoint of it happening,” Holmes said, according to NJ.com. “No, he’s been a great teammate, been a good guy around the locker room to a lot of guys. But I guess that’s the way the organization felt but as a player you just feel totally different about another player.”
With so much working against the Jets at the moment, the Post reported that Holmes was asked if there is desperation within the locker room.
“I can honestly say yes,” he said.
Holmes may be feeling that desperation, but he’s clearly only making it worse.
