WR Santonio Holmes (Super Bowl XLIII MVP)

[Buckskin86]

Steelers' Holmes poised for leap year
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

He walked toward Rooney Hall with a camcorder aimed at the knot of media that awaited his arrival Sunday.

Hines Ward, the one Steelers player who is anything but camera shy, is working with the NFL Network on an inside look at training camps. When asked what question Hines Ward, intrepid reporter, would pose to Hines Ward, intrepid wide receiver, the 11-year veteran played along.

"Do you still think you are the go-to guy, Hines?" Ward said after turning the camcorder on himself. "Uh, I like to think so. It's my job to get Santonio (Holmes) and (Limas) Sweed and those other guys developed, so I can get the double teams off me. So look for a big year out of Santonio and Hines this year."

A big year out of Santonio Holmes may translate into a Pro Bowl season for the 5-foot-11, 192-pound speedster. A couple of nagging injuries that cost Holmes three games last season were all that prevented the former first-round draft pick from eclipsing the 1,000-yard receiving mark. And he is still, as Ward alluded to, a work in progress.

Holmes may be poised to establish himself as a premier playmaker since it is not uncommon for wide receivers to make significant, if not dramatic, progress in their third NFL season.
Cleveland's Braylon Edwards and Atlanta's Roddy White offer proof of that.

The two finished in the top 10 in receiving yards last year, their third seasons in the NFL.

What's up, Holmes?
If Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes makes significant improvement in his third NFL season he should put up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers. Here is a look at his first two seasons in the NFL.
Year GP Rec. Yds Avg. TD
2006 16 49 824 16.8 2
2007 13 52 945 18.2 8

Holmes would like to see the expanded role the Steelers envision for him to include returning punts. He returned punts the first day of preseason practice, but he doesn't sound optimistic that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will let him do more than focus on playing wide receiver this season.

"If he wants me back there, I'll definitely be ready for it, but I doubt the opportunity will be there," Holmes said. "He wants me to be the leader of the receiving group, so that's my focal point this year."

Steelers' Holmes poised for leap year - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Training Camp Notebook: Returning punts would suit Holmes, but it's not likely
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Santonio Holmes, banned from returning punts last season, wants a shot at it this season and lined up there for the first time in practice yesterday.

"If he wants me back there, I definitely will be ready for it," Holmes announced.

Yet he does not think coach Mike Tomlin wants him to return punts, even though he was among the AFC leaders in his rookie season (2006).

"I doubt if the opportunity will be there," Holmes said. "He still wants me to be the leader of the receiving group, so that's my focal point this year."

Even though Holmes averaged 10.2 yards per punt return in 2006, including one touchdown, he returned none last season. Tomlin explained that he wanted his young receiver to concentrate on playing his position.

The Steelers instead traded a seventh-round draft choice in 2008 to acquire over-the-hill Allen Rossum from the Atlanta Falcons. Rossum did little and had trouble fielding punts near the end of the season. He was released early this year.

Tomlin said he might take a "peak" at Holmes as a punt-returner, which is what he did yesterday morning at Saint Vincent College.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08212/900418-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

Holmes growing into leadership role

Santonio Holmes seems to be growing faster than his yards per catch, which led the NFL last season. He talked about how he and his teammates cannot be selfish, about how his goals do not matter as much as those of his team. He acknowledged the many talents on offense but said it won't matter if players don't buckle down and produce.

The next question for Holmes came with a lit fuse: Are you going to be Ben Roethlisberger's No. 1 option in 2008? As an aside, Holmes led the Steelers with 942 yards receiving and nine touchdowns last season, and his 18.1 yards per catch topped the NFL. His 52 receptions were second to Ward's 71 as Ward led the team in catches for the ninth consecutive season.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Scout.com$

Holmes -- Steelers' Mr. Excitement.............Holmes talks about the preseason and feels he is in great shape for the upcoming season.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Holmes adapting to his role with Roethlisberger
By JIM WEXELL
For The Tribune-Democrat

LATROBE ? Santonio Holmes refuses to get excited.

He didn?t get excited when Troy Polamalu handed him a dysfunctional water bottle that burst all over his face in front of a TV camera. Nor did the Steelers? split end become excited when he saw the cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles cheat up to blitz Ben Roethlisberger. The two Steelers read each other for an easy touchdown.

The ?hot read? was pretty exciting stuff.

?You?re asking for excitement,? said an increasingly irritated Holmes, ?but at the same time that?s just routine football that we do. It?s not exciting to us, it?s just football.?

But it?s exciting to everyone who watches the Steelers and cares about Roethlisberger?s health.

The quarterback was sacked 99 times the past two seasons, but after two weeks of ?pass-under-pressure? drills this training camp, and classroom work focused on ?unit protection?, Roethlisberger easily threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Holmes on the first blitz he saw.

It worked because ? well, as Holmes tells it: ?Ben and I were on the same page, but I made the wrong read,? Holmes confessed. ?The play was supposed to develop differently, but at the same time, reading the position of the safety, knowing I couldn?t run that play and get anywhere, I figured I?d run something we normally don?t do. The safety didn?t close in on me at all, so I just took off.?

Continued......

 

[Buckskin86]

8/16/2008
Holmes has the look of an NFL star

It's beginning to look as if the torch is being passed from Hines Ward to Santonio Holmes as the Steelers' No. 1 receiver.
Actually, you could probably say that it's more like 1 and 1-A.

In two preseason games, Holmes has caught three passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns in limited action.

Thursday night's touchdown catch in the Steelers' 24-21 loss to Buffalo in Toronto was pure beauty.

Holmes lined up wide left and took off from the line of scrimmage like he was shot from a gun. Cornerback Ashton Youboty never had a chance.

Ben Roethlisberger lofted the pass perfectly into the back of the end zone and Holmes ran under it, making the catch before the safety could come over and knock it away.

It's the kind of play that Holmes makes on a regular basis and a reason why he's seen as a top breakout candidate, not just for the Steelers, but in the entire NFL.

For wide receivers, their third season is a critical one. It's the season when everything finally comes together. They understand the offense. They understand what the defense is doing. And they finally have a nice rapport with the quarterback.

Terrell Owens, Rod Smith, Santana Moss, Braylon Edwards and Steve Smith are just a few of the receivers who have seen their production jump dramatically in their third NFL season.

"Hines is still our go-to guy," said Holmes, the first receiver taken in the 2006 draft. "We need those first downs. We need those small catches across the middle. We need a big-game play from Hines. He's still going to be there for us. I'm used more so as a deep threat. But, at the same time, I think my opportunity will come to become the leader of the team."

It could come as early as this season - not that Holmes hasn't been good in his first two years.

After catching 49 passes for 824 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie despite making just four starts, he had 52 receptions for 942 yards and eight scores in 2007. His 18.2 yards per catch led all NFL receivers who had 25 or more catches.

O-R Online

Steelers develop potent touchdown tandem
By Mike Prisuta
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, August 16, 2008

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Santonio Holmes are two for two this preseason in terms of finding the end zone and are suddenly looking like a duo capable of producing touchdowns on a weekly basis.

The way Patriots' Tom Brady and Randy Moss seem to find each other every game.

The way the Colts' Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne manage to connect with regularity.

The way the Bengals' Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson are often heard from.

"It'd be nice," Roethlisberger said. "We'd love that."

Steelers develop TD tandem - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

 

[Buckskin86]

Steelers Notebook: Holmes will return some punts against Minnesota
Sunday, August 17, 2008
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Expect to see Santonio Holmes return one or two punts Saturday night against the Vikings.Mike Tomlin would not allow Santonio Holmes to return punts last season. Yesterday, the coach not only said he will get a renewed shot to do so but compared him to a Hall of Famer who returned punts.

"I grew up in a generation in Virginia when Darrell Green was a situational return man of the [Washington] Redskins," Tomlin said. "When he went back there, it kind of electrified the crowd. Hopefully, we have a vision of maybe having that with Santonio."

Green, inducted this month into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a great cornerback and return man. He averaged more than 12 yards a punt return over his career on 51 tries.

Holmes averaged 10.2 yards a punt return and ranked among the AFC leaders as a rookie, scoring one touchdown. But Tomlin wanted him to concentrate on his position as a wide receiver last season and had been reluctant to use him on returns this year, even though Holmes fervently wanted to do so and said it helped him as a receiver, not hurt him.

"I think he craves that kind of pressure," Tomlin said. "I think that's what kind of makes him who he is."

Tomlin said Holmes will return one or two punts against the Vikings in Minnesota Saturday night.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08230/904975-66.stm

Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times :: Sunday, August 17, 2008
HHesitant Holmes to return punts
By Mike Bires
Times Sports Staff
Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008

LATROBE ? From the moment he arrived in camp, Santonio Holmes said that he prefers not to return punts. But next Saturday, he?ll be pressed into double duty.

He?ll start again at wide receiver when the Steelers play the Minnesota Vikings, and he?ll also drop back as a punt returner.

Holmes, the Steelers? No. 1 draft pick in 2006, got the word Saturday afternoon during a period of practice devoted to kickoff returns.

As he watched Eddie Drummond, Mewelde Moore and a few others vying for kickoff return duties, coach Mike Tomlin spotted Holmes watching from the sidelines.

?Santonio, come here,? Tomlin said.

As Holmes conferred with his coach about punt returns, Tomlin said, ?Target for two.?

Depending on the flow of Saturday night?s game in the Metrodome, Holmes is scheduled to return at least the first two Viking punts.

Holmes, though, didn?t sound very enthused about it.

Now a third-year pro, he?s developing into the No. 1 pass receiving target for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

As a rookie, he caught 49 passes for 824 yards and two touchdowns.

Last year, he caught 52 passes and led the team with 942 receiving yards and eight TDs. His 18.2 yards per catch average was tops in the NFL among starting wide receivers.

Hines Ward likes to call himself ?the leader of the wideouts.? But it may be Holmes who assumes that role this year ? at least when it comes to production.

So far in two preseason games, Holmes has three catches for 72 yards and two TDs. No one else has yet to catch a touchdown pass.

So, when asked about returning punts on Saturday, Holmes didn?t sound like a happy camper.

?I really don?t care if I do or I don?t,? he said. ?I?m doing my job right now as the leading receiver. But if that?s what the coaches want me to do, I?ll do it.?

Special teams coach Bob Ligashesky just laughed when told of Holmes? perceived reluctance to return punts.

?Don?t let him fool you,? Ligashesky said. ?Anytime Santonio gets his hands on the ball, he?s excited about it.?

Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times Online - Steelers

 

[Buckskin86]

Holmes to take shot on returns
By John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes hasn't returned a punt in a regular-season game since his rookie campaign in 2006. It's why he's looking forward to having an opportunity to return punts in Saturday's preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings.

"I'm a little bit excited. I'm a little nervous at the same time because I haven't done it in over a year," Holmes said Tuesday. "But I think once the first punt comes back, I'll be alright."

Coach Mike Tomlin said Holmes is developing so well as a receiver that he felt comfortable allowing Holmes to return punts. Holmes averaged 10.2 yards per return and had a 65-yard touchdown two years ago.

"It's not about you catching the ball, because I treat every punt like it's a deep ball so I can catch it pretty much with one hand," Holmes said. "I try to put a lot of trust in the guys up front that they can block the guys like they're supposed to and they can leave the rest up to me."

Holmes to take shot on returns - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

 

[Buckskin86]

Steelers Notebook: Holmes forges bond with Roethlisberger
Saturday, August 23, 2008
By Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Santonio Holmes has played four series, or less than half a game in the preseason, yet has done more damage than anyone else.

He has three catches, two touchdowns and an average of 24 yards a reception. The bond between him and his quarterback grows stronger.

The communication between Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger never has been better. In the first game against Philadelphia, Roethlisberger sensed a blitz, and Holmes knew what his quarterback wanted to do, even though it wasn't in the playbook. Instead of running a slant, Holmes stayed put near the sideline on the left. Roethlisberger wheeled quickly that way, threw him a strike, and Holmes left a safety flat-footed on way to a 19-yard touchdown.

Against Buffalo, Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward on a 24-yard slant over the middle in which Holmes also flashed open.

"I told him the first time we ran that play that I had an opportunity to run past the guy," Holmes said. "He came back into the huddle and told me, 'go deep.'"

Roethlisberger hit him in the end zone with a 40-yard strike.

"He trusts me," Holmes said. "I trust him to put the ball where it's supposed to be."

Roethlisberger said it's a natural progression.

"It's just working together. I understand where he's going to be; he understands what I'm looking for. We put a lot of work in this offseason, just him and me on the field. The smallest questions you can ask him: If you're wide open, where do you want the ball? Up around your shoulders? In your stomach? Just little things like that, and I think it's paid off so far."

Holmes led all NFL receivers with an average of 18.2 yards per catch on 52 receptions, and he caught eight touchdown passes. He missed three games with injuries.

"I want to play 16 games this year,'' Holmes said. "That's my biggest goal this year, and the numbers and the yards will speak for themselves."

Steelers Notebook: Holmes forges bond with Roethlisberger

 

[Bestbuck36]

He's a freakin Free Agent in my keeper league this season and the draft is next Sunday. I have the #2 pick and I can almost guarantee you that McFadden is going first. I have Boldin, Bowe and Ginn as my recievers. What do you guys think? I'm thinking about making him #2.

My running backs are Ryan Grant and Adrian Peterson (Vikes), Schaub is my QB so I'm thinking WR is the way to go.

Holmes is going to have a great season for the Steelers.

 

[Buckskin86]

Steelers returning to Holmes
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, August 24, 2008

Mike Tomlin has been reluctant to use Santonio Holmes as a punt returner because the Steelers coach said he wants the third-year pro to concentrate on playing wide receiver.

Holmes, however, said returning punts would actually enhance his play at wide receiver and not compromise what he can do as one of the top deep threats in the NFL.

"It's just a football player's thing that you can't really describe," Holmes said, "but it's one of those things that the more times you touch the ball, the earlier you get involved, the more focused you are throughout the whole game."

Holmes, who got a turn returning punts Saturday night against the Vikings, can make a strong case can as to why he should be involved in an area of special teams where the Steelers struggled last season.

Holmes averaged 10.2 yards per return his rookie season -- the 6.1 yards the Steelers averaged on punt returns in 2007 ranked near the bottom of the NFL -- and he is a threat to break a big play any time he touches the football.

Perhaps the most compelling argument that can be made for Holmes returning punts is this: he is hardly struggling at wide receiver.

The former first-round pick led the NFL in yards per catch (18.1) last season, and in the Steelers' first two preseason games Holmes made the most of the limited time he spent on the field.

Steelers returning to Holmes - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

 

[Buckeye Nut]

He's a freakin Free Agent in my keeper league this season and the draft is next Sunday. I have the #2 pick and I can almost guarantee you that McFadden is going first. I have Boldin, Bowe and Ginn as my recievers. What do you guys think? I'm thinking about making him #2.

My running backs are Ryan Grant and Adrian Peterson (Vikes), Schaub is my QB so I'm thinking WR is the way to go.

Holmes is going to have a great season for the Steelers.

Holmes would easily be at least your #2 best receiver if you draft him. I think he's going to put up better stats than all three of those guys this year, Boldin's the only one who can compete stats wise and he wants to be traded right now.

 

[Buckskin86]

Elusive 1,000-yard season in Holmes' grasp
By James Walker
ESPN.com
Updated: September 1, 2008

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Santonio Holmes has a penchant for the big play, but he longs for more. "I don't like to jinx myself and I don't want to sound too over the edge. But everything that I've gotten my hands on, if I have a pen around, I've written '1,200-plus yards' on it."

LATROBE, Pa.--The NFL leader in yards per catch last season was not New England Patriots receiver Randy Moss.

The Pittsburgh Steelers reception yards and touchdown leader wasn't Hines Ward.

To the surprise of many, the owner of these three accolades is Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, who quietly has developed into one of the most feared deep threats and respected young receivers in the NFL.

Coming off a 52-catch, 942-yard season in 2007, Holmes is just scratching the surface of his potential. That is why Holmes is ESPN.com's pick as the breakout player in the AFC North for the 2008 season.

"I don't like to jinx myself and I don't want to sound too over the edge,'' Holmes told ESPN.com. "But everything that I've gotten my hands on, if I have a pen around, I've written '1,200-plus yards' on it. "That's just something that I'm setting myself up for, because I've never had a 1,000-yard season before."

Indeed, the elusive 1,000-yard season has escaped Holmes for his entire football career. He's never reached that milestone in four years at Glades Central High School (Fla.), three seasons at Ohio State University, or his first two years in the pros.

But twice Holmes has gained more than 900 yards -- once with the Steelers last season and also during his junior year with the Buckeyes. He was only 23 yards shy of the landmark with Ohio State in 2005, which was his final collegiate season before entering the NFL draft.

"We threw enough (at Ohio State) where I should have had 1,000 yards," Holmes said disappointingly. "I know I left a lot of plays on the field. In high school we always had two or three great running backs."

But Holmes appears primed to get what he's been aiming in 2008. The Steelers are favorites to win the AFC North, have one of the NFL's top quarterbacks in Ben Roethlisberger, and at age 24, Holmes is starting to learn the mental side of the NFL as he begins to enter the prime of his career.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/preview08/columns/story?columnist=yasinskas_pat&id=3550300

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Remember before the draft when all the chuckleheads at ESPN were saying Chad Jackson was clearly the best receiver in the draft? Some of them were even saying Sinorice Moss was better than Holmes. How does that crow taste, fellas?

 

[osugrad21]

USAToday

Ready for a breakout? Steelers' Holmes still long on potential

By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
LATROBE, Pa. ? Big plans fuel the lifeblood of training camps, which somewhat explains the buzz humming about the Pittsburgh Steelers' dreadlock-wearing No. 10.
"Santonio! Santonio!" the kids screamed after a recent practice, relentless in a quest for autographs. "Santonio, please!"
Santonio Holmes, the third-year receiver and former first-round pick, has used big plays as his signature in becoming a summer star. That he's poised for a bigger role ? not only on offense, but as a situational punt returner ? is no secret.
No wonder the autograph-seekers are so passionate.
Also apparent is that Holmes' designs for a breakout year start from the ground up.
"Sixteen games, that's all I'm worried about," Holmes said. "That will contribute to how successful my season is going to be. If I play all 16 games as the starter. It's not about yards, catches, touchdowns or averages. Just 16 games. If I don't play 16 games, who cares?"
Holmes started four games as a rookie, then won the job last year and missed three games with injuries. The Steelers view his determination to stay healthy as a testament to professional growth. A year ago, coach Mike Tomlin lit into Holmes for being out of shape.
Cont....

 

[holybuckeye33]

Why We Love Santonio


Pittsburgh Steelers? wide receiver Santonio Holmes rates in our book. Keep your eye on this talented player with an avian wingspan for arms who is ready to take flight into the stratosphere of renowned NFL athletes.

By Nicole Barley
Photography by David Bachman | Art Directed by Mackenzie L. Hoops

Soft spoken and a bit shy. Unassuming, even. These are not terms one might expect to apply to a star athlete, a starting player for a wildly successful NFL team.

Well, then, try these, too: Up-and-coming, deep threat, speed demon.

In fact, all of the adjectives fit Santonio Holmes, the Pittsburgh Steelers? 24-year-old wide receiver, a quiet guy who last year showed signs of his true potential for super-Steeler status. Plucked from the ranks of The Ohio State University?s football team as a junior for a 2005 first-round draft pick, Holmes embarks on his third season wearing the black and gold this fall.

cont.

WHIRL Magazine