WR Santonio Holmes (Super Bowl XLIII MVP)

[cincibuck]

1. Just imagine if Holmes had SEC speed...
2. McGahee has sure paid his dues...

 

[schwab]

Jason Taylor went to Akron. Antonio Gates went to Kent too.. as a basketball player.

There are a couple solid players from Ohio schools.. Dave Zastudil from OU and Trent Cole from Cinci.

My intent was aimed at the Steelers, and their ability to find these Ohio players to win 4 games a year vs. Ohio teams. And torment me in the process.

I won't call it jealousy, although it very well may be just that. Envy is another possible description. I am just tired of the Steelers touching these guys and, voila, they turn to gold.

Cribbs is the only player I can think of that fits this mold for the Browns.

 

[3074326]

My intent was aimed at the Steelers, and their ability to find these Ohio players to win 4 games a year vs. Ohio teams. And torment me in the process.

I won't call it jealousy, although it very well may be just that. Envy is another possible description. I am just tired of the Steelers touching these guys and, voila, they turn to gold.

Cribbs is the only player I can think of that fits this mold for the Browns.

How did I not notice that you were mentioning only Steelers?

 

[schwab]

How did I not notice that you were mentioning only Steelers?

Because of the players you went on to mention... i.e., the list is disgusting if you branch out to other teams.. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCF19cBWb0I"]Sad But True[/ame]

But we are looking mostly at late round picks/free agents from this list, and if the Browns relied on that to win games, I guess I would be pissed in that situation also.

Color me angry :tongue2:

 

[jwinslow]

[FONT=arial,helvetica] Pittsburgh Steelers' Santonio Holmes (10) evades Baltimore Ravens' Edgar Jones (84) during a punt return during the second quarter of the NFL AFC championship football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. At rear is Pittsburgh Steelers' Patrick Bailey (55) and Lawrence Timmons (94). (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes, left, holds the trophy with coach Mike Tomlin after the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 in the NFL AFC championship football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes holds the trophy after the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 in the NFL AFC championship football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. The Steelers advance to the Super Bowl to face the Arizona Cardinals. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Santonio Holmes #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers can't make the reception in the endzone as he is defended by Frank Walker #41 of the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Santonio Holmes #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball on a punt return against Tom Zbikowski #28 and Edgar Jones #84 the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Santonio Holmes #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers holds up the Lamar Hunt AFC Championship trophy after their 23-14 win against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica] Wide receiver Santonio Holmes #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers holds up the Lamar Hunt AFC championship trophy after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 during the AFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) [/FONT]

 

[schwab]

This is for you, Steeler fan.... from a Browns fan, how can you not love Santonio Holmes?



I hate Pittsburgh, so I hate that Holmes is doing it for them... BUT, I love that he is doing it. Doing it, and doing it, and doing it well.

 

[Buckskin86]

In Holmes, Steelers have receiving weapon to compare with Swann-Stallworth days
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Jan 20, 2009
By MATT PAWLIKOWSKI, Correspondent

Santonio Holmes may be a little man on the field, but he made a big play for the Steelers in Sunday's

Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes eludes Baltimore cornerback Frank Walker on a 65-yard touchdown

Football is a game of inches, but it's also a game that, when it comes to championships, boils down to the big play.

While All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu's interception with minutes left in Sunday's AFC Championship game helped propel the Steelers to a seventh trip to the Super Bowl, another big play that punched the Steelers' ticket to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa came via the hands of Santonio Holmes.

Early in the second quarter, with the Steelers holding a 6-0 lead, on third-and-nine, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came under pressure. He was ready to throw the ball away but saw Holmes.

The 5-feet-11, 189-pound Holmes caught the ball, moved to the left, juking Ravens corner Frank Walker, then refocused to the right and went 65 yards to the end zone.

"He was throwing the ball away," Holmes said of Roethlisberger. "When he threw the ball, I kind of played possum. And when the DB relaxed, I attacked the football and made a big play. I knew I had two or three guys in front of me blocking and knew we needed a big play to get us started. But I honestly think he was throwing the ball away."

Roethlisberger, with Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis coming at him hard, said he thought about throwing it away, but then saw Holmes.

"I saw the defender's back was turned, and 'Tone' was looking at me. I figured I could get it in there." Roethlisberger said. "When you give him the ball, he'll do the rest."

LancasterOnline.com:Local Sports:In Holmes, Steelers have receiving weapon to compare with Swann-Stallworth days

 

[Buckskin86]

Bires: Holmes finally making splash
Published: Friday, January 23, 2009
Mike Bires can be reached online at [email protected]

PITTSBURGH ? It?s taken him awhile, but Santonio Holmes has finally emerged as the Steelers? go-to guy.

Several months ago in the heat of training camp, he predicted that he?d be Ben Roethlisberger?s No. 1 target.

Now, in the midst of a cold winter, Holmes may not always be Roethlisberger?s primary target. But he has definitely developed into the Steelers? most lethal weapon.

In their last seven games, two playoff wins included, no Steeler has scored more touchdowns than Holmes. He?s caught four TD passes and returned a punt for a score.

In a mid-season report back in early November, I wrote that Holmes was the Steelers? most disappointing player after eight games. But since then, he?s been on fire. He?s a major reason why the Steelers will play in Super Bowl XLIII.

His touchdown catch with 43 seconds left in Baltimore on Dec. 14 was the game-winner as the Steelers clinched the AFC North Division title.

His 67-yard first-quarter punt return for a score jumpstarted the Steelers in a playoff win over San Diego.

His 65-yard TD catch in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game was the Steelers? only offensive TD.

?(Holmes) has a personality that he always wants to deliver a splash play,? coach Mike Tomlin said. ?He loves that. He?s a guy who wants to be the reason why we win not through drudgery. He wants to kill you with a bullet.?

Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times Online - Sports

 

[Buckskin86]

Jan 23, 2009 11:11 pm US/Eastern
Big Plays From Holmes Helped Steelers Reach Tampa
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―

Santonio Holmes No. 10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers returns a punt 67-yards for a touchdown in the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers during their AFC Divisional Playoff Game on Jan. 11, 2009, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Chris Graythen/Getty Images

When Santonio Holmes was drafted in the first round from Ohio State University, big things were expected.

And this year, he put up big plays to help the team reach the playoffs.

In the AFC Championship game, the only offensive touchdown was from Ben Roethlisberger to Holmes.

It happened on a broken play.

"I saw him scramble and when we know he scrambles, one of us got to go deep, somebody got to come short," Holmes said. "It just so happened that the defenders were behind me, they were too deep so I had to stay short and he kind of lobbed the ball up.

"My first time seeing it was when we got back in here on Monday, so I thought that he was throwing the ball away. [?]

"The defender turned to look for me and when he looked up again the ball was already there so he end up falling on the ground and it was the help of Heath Miller you know not giving up on that play and Nate Washington blocking down field for me."

Santonio Holmes Has Been A 'Long Time' Steelers Fan - kdka.com

 

[Buckskin86]

NFL: Steelers' Holmes shines on playoff stage
Big plays have fueled Super Bowl run
Sunday, January 25, 2009
By Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

PITTSBURGH -- Santonio Holmes has no official nickname, but Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin planted a seed for one the other day. Time will tell if "Sniper" sticks, but then, next Sunday's Super Bowl might take care of that.

Holmes is a major reason the Steelers will play the Arizona Cardinals for the NFL's grand prize. The former Ohio State player has made huge plays in the postseason as a receiver and a punt returner. They not only helped fill the void for injured receiver Hines Ward but tagged Holmes, a third-year pro, as a rising star. Certainly, Tomlin said, Holmes has shown a flair for the dramatic.

"(Holmes) has that personality, he always wants to deliver a splash play," Tomlin said last week. "He loves that. He's a guy that wants to be a reason we win, and not through drudgery. He wants to kill you with a bullet."

Holmes shot down the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game with a 65-yard touchdown reception on a short pass. And he helped eliminate San Diego the week before with a 67-yard punt return for a score. Neither opponent probably expected such big plays out of Holmes, but Ward did.

"It's just a matter of him getting opportunities," Ward said. "He's a phenomenal wideout, an up-and-coming kid. He has all the tools to be very special.

"I've always told him, 'The playoffs are where you make a name for yourself,' and he has totally done that. He has made big plays when they've presented themselves in the passing game, and he has made big plays on special teams."

Holmes caught 55 passes for 821 yards (14.9 average) in the regular season. He has grabbed four in two playoff games.

"I don't think this has been my breakout year; it's been more about showing up at the right time for this team," Holmes said. "We've been fortunate enough to make it to the playoffs, and when it really counted I was there to make the plays that we needed."

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : NFL: Steelers' Holmes shines on playoff stage

Rising up from the Muck: Boldin, Holmes latest super successes from shores of Lake Okeechobee
By STACY HICKLIN | SENTINEL STAFF WRITER
January 25, 2009

Take one look at the area and you'll see it come alive behind the pride, passion and kindness of its people. Yet another glance will reveal poverty, violence and pain.

Everyday life is a combination of the two for the people living in the South Florida communities of Belle Glade, Pahokee and Clewiston, located on the southeastern and southern shores of Lake Okeechobee, 45 miles west of West Palm Beach.

Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin and cornerback Eric Green and Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes know the area's split personality well. They grew up in these tight-knit communities dubbed "the Muck" because of the mucky, fertile soil in the area.

Ten miles south of Pahokee is Belle Glade, home to Holmes. Nearly 83 percent of the 14,906 residents of the town live in homes valued at under $99,000 and 54.6 percent never finished high school. Green grew up in the 6,460-resident town of Clewiston, 20 miles west of Belle Glade.

Sugar cane factories, schools and the Glades Correctional Institution are the top three employers in the area. "I love my city, but there's a lot of violence and the resources are limited," said Belle Glade resident Henry Orelus, a football standout for Glades Central High School. "After you graduate then you work at the jailhouse or drive trucks."

The one thing, however, that distracts the communities from their hardships and struggles is football. The four Muck high schools ? Pahokee, Glades Central, Clewiston and Glades Day ? have played in 35 state championship games, winning 18 titles.

Rising up from the Muck: Boldin, Holmes latest super successes from shores of Lake Okeechobee -- OrlandoSentinel.com

 

[elliemae]

I think Holmes is amazing! He was my favorite Buckeye & now my favorite Steeler!
Alot of my friends had doubts in this dude! Now look! He basically is the backbone of why we are at where we are!
So for all of the doubters eat it!
Thank Santonio for getting us to the Super Bowl!

 

[Redhawk]

Holmes says he sold drugs as youth

Steelers' Santonio Holmes reveals he sold drugs as youth - SI.com - 2008 NFL Super Bowl

Don't know if this has been posted....

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes' childhood was much like that of any other youngster in rural south Florida. He played backyard football. Chased squirrels. Ran around with his friends.

This was different: Despite being a promising athlete, Holmes also spent a year selling drugs on a street corner in his small hometown.
He chose to make his surprising admission at the Super Bowl, knowing millions of impressionable youngsters will be closely following the game and its players. By revealing his secret, Holmes hopes he may persuade other at-risk youth to choose a path that leads to the athletic field and a classroom, not to a detention center or a jail cell.

"I've only told three or four people about it," Holmes said Wednesday. "I feel it's time to share things. I'm on the biggest stage, everybody's going to be watching. I'm pretty sure some kids can get a feel for changing their lives and not doing those type of things, and can get an opportunity to get out of the ghetto, the 'hood, to be successful."

Holmes, who initially made the admission in an interview with the Miami Herald, became exposed to the lifestyle while growing up in Belle Glade, Fla. Some family members and friends made money selling drugs, he said, and he found it an easy way to make money, too, though he didn't specify exactly what he sold.

Holmes avoided detection by his mother by going to school, then leaving and going to the street corner. He and his family didn't need the money for food or essentials, and he used it mostly on gifts for himself, like shoes.

"My friends were always doing it and I felt comfortable doing it at the time," Holmes said. "As the years grew older, I just felt like that wasn't what I wanted to do. I wanted to play football. I don't want to end up like a lot of my friends, in jail, standing on the corner, not going to school."

Several pivotal events turned Holmes away from selling and pushed him to football, where he starred as Glades Central High won Florida state titles during his sophomore and junior seasons and went 12-1 during his senior season.

Holmes and his mother became worried as they repeatedly returned home to find bullet holes or broken locks in their apartment. Another time, Holmes' mother found cocaine in the youngster's dump truck. That seemed to be what prompted her to relocate to another area.
The move, Holmes said, was pivotal in turning his life around.

"It made me who I am today. If I had continued down that path, I wouldn't be here," he said. "At times, going back home during the offseason or my free time, that's the main time I think about it. But I saw how much of a struggle I had to go through, my mother had to go through and I don't want to wish that on anybody," Holmes said.

After high school ball, he starred at Ohio State for three seasons before being the Steelers' first-round draft pick in 2006. Holmes has been one of their key offensive players this season, making 55 catches for 821 yards and five touchdowns. He has two touchdowns in two postseason games.

On Super Bowl media day, Holmes told a different story about his childhood.

"Belle Glade, it's probably one of the smallest towns here in Florida, and we didn't have much to do there. There's a high school, a couple of elementary schools and a middle school," he said. "We chase rabbits for a living. We did it for fun, but for the majority of the people we know, we did it for survival. I can remember it clearly that up until my sophomore year of high school, that's what I did. Every Saturday and every Sunday after church, that's what we would do: We would go rabbit hunting."

Earlier this season, Holmes was benched for an important game against the Giants for being involved in a drug-related case. He was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana after police found marijuana-filled cigars in his car after a traffic stop.
Holmes said that incident doesn't signal a return to his past.

"It happens, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, not being responsible, being around people that aren't responsible enough to respect what I do," Holmes said. "I knew what my path was like before, and I didn't want to go down that path again."

 

[Buckskin86]

THE X's & O's: Santonio Holmes vs. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Thursday, January 29, 2009
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In a playful moment during Super Bowl media day at Raymond James Stadium, Cardinals rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, came up behind teammate Ralph Brown, put his hands on Brown's shoulders and leapfrogged over the 5-foot-10 cornerback. He landed like a gymnast executing a perfect 10.

Rodgers-Cromartie, the Cardinals' No. 1 draft pick, will attempt another difficult task in Super Bowl XLIII: Keep Santonio Holmes from making big plays.

That might be harder than leapfrogging a teammate.

"A born playmaker," Rodgers-Cromartie said of Holmes, who has been just that in the postseason.

Holmes, pictured above left, has helped ignite his team in each of the playoff victories against San Diego and Baltimore, returning a punt 67 yards for a touchdown after the Chargers had taken a 7-0 lead on the opening possession and scoring on a 65-yard catch-and-run against the Ravens that gave the Steelers a 13-0 lead.

The big play is Holmes' signature, and his ability to deliver that in the postseason was not lost on coach Mike Tomlin, who said of his third-year wide receiver, "He likes to kill you with bullets."

Holmes not only feeds off those types of plays; he gets disappointed when he doesn't make them, sometimes to his own detriment.

"I've always had that mind-set," Holmes said. "I don't think I would be at this level if I didn't. I play with a lot of big guys, but I don't think many of them have the same mind-set I have.

"If I'm on the field, I want the game in my hands. I know every quarterback wants to be that quarterback to deliver the big one. But I want to be that guy on the other end, always making the big play. It's not to be in the spotlight or be selfish or anything like that. I just always had that desire to be that guy."

THE X's & O's: Santonio Holmes vs. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

Holmes' admission will start 'good-bad' debate anew
When I first read about Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Santonio Holmes' admission that he sold drugs as a youth in Belle Glade, Florida, my first thought was of a column I did after an Ohio State-Michigan State football game in 2005.

Holmes had fumbled two kickoffs by the middle of the second quarter, and Ohio Stadium rained boos. He later fumbled a third time -- out of bounds in the fourth quarter -- but the story had a happy ending. That unfocused bum everybody was booing ended up being the hero, catching touchdown passes of 51 and 46 yards to give the Buckeyes a critical 35-24 win. The second touchdown, with 4:56 remaining, gave OSU a four-point lead just about the time, as I wrote then, the season seemed "ready for the scrap heap."

Holmes' admission will start 'good-bad' debate anew (The Daily Hunter)

Speedy Holmes still slowed by missteps
By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports

Editor?s note: Yahoo! Sports NFL writer Jason Cole co-authored ?Giant: Road to the Super Bowl? with New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

TAMPA, Fla. ? Is Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes ready to be considered, dare we say, dependable?


Certainly, he can be considered consistent. Through three seasons, Holmes has between 49 and 55 catches and between 821 and 942 yards each year. He has 15 touchdowns, including five this year that match his average for each season.

While that?s not exactly Pro Bowl stuff, what Holmes does is acceptable and productive. That?s particularly so in an offensive system that doesn?t give receivers a lot of chances. As the No. 2 receiver for the Steelers, getting much more than six passes thrown your way is a big game.

That?s why Plaxico Burress left the team after the 2004 season, paving the way for the Steelers to select Holmes in the 2006 NFL draft. Interestingly, there have been moments when Holmes, despite his consistent overall numbers, has seemed to be on the road toward Burress? sometimes erratic personal behavior.

Like Burress, Holmes admitted this week that he sold drugs as a youth growing up in impoverished Belle Galde, a small, football-rich town approximately three hours away.

?I?ve only told three or four people about it,? Holmes said Wednesday after admitting it in an interview with the Miami Herald earlier. ?I feel it?s time to share things. I?m on the biggest stage, everybody?s going to be watching. I?m pretty sure some kids can get a feel for changing their lives and not doing those type of things, and can get an opportunity to get out of the ghetto, the ?hood, to be successful.?

Speedy Holmes still slowed by missteps - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

 

[Buckskin86]

PITTSBURGH'S SANTONIO HOLMES
Steeler Star Rises From the Muck
Chasing rabbits and selling drugs part of growing up for Holmes.
By Tom Zebold
THE LEDGER
Thursday, January 29, 2009

TAMPA | Santonio Holmes won't forget about his fertile, sugarcane-growing hometown of Belle Glade. All he has to do is look down at his hands for a permanent reminder.

PITTSBURGH'S SANTONIO HOLMES has scored two touchdowns of 65 yards or more so far this postseason. He gives the Steelers a big-play threat that could break Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII wide open.
Gene j. puskar | the associated press

Holmes reveals a childhood secret: He spent a year selling drugs on a small-town Florida street corner. He intentionally chose to use the biggest of stages, the Super Bowl, to make public the mistakes of his youth in hopes of persuading at-risk children to take a better course with their lives. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) The 24-year-old Pittsburgh wide receiver has the words "Muck" and "City" tattooed on top of the tools that have helped pave the Steelers' way to Super Bowl XLIII.

"That's the little nickname that we have for our town," said Holmes, which includes the surrounding area. "There are quite a few athletes who have been through our town, so it's a great line of blood that breeds football players and athletes."

But for all who made it big out of "Muck City" there are many others who got stuck along the way.

"For us kids, the only job that we probably had was either working in the fields with our parents, or you would stand on the corner, sell drugs or you're going to work at the local Winn-Dixie," he said.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20...ORTS02?Title=Steeler_Star_Rises_From_the_Muck

Holmes Coming Clean About His Past
By TONY FABRIZIO
[email protected]
Published: January 30, 2009

TAMPA - Santonio Holmes' revelation this week that he briefly sold drugs as a youth in Belle Glade has created a stir in the national media, which is exactly what he wanted.

But he's done with the subject as far as Super Bowl XLIII is concerned.

"I've got three more days before I play in this big game, and I really don't want to change the focus," the Steelers' No. 2 receiver said Thursday. "It's been talked about too much and we definitely want to put it aside right now."

Holmes made the admission in an interview with The Miami Herald on Tuesday and talked about it during his Super Bowl media availability Wednesday.

The second cousin of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor and a single father of three chose the biggest stage of his career to reveal his darkest secret in hopes his story will dissuade someone else from taking a wrong path.

"I feel it's time to share things," he said. "Everybody's going to be watching. I'm pretty sure some kids can get a feel for changing their lives and not doing those types of things and can get an opportunity to get out of the ghetto, the 'hood, to be successful."

Holmes told the Herald he was surrounded by family members and others who sold drugs and "that's all we knew." He said that for nearly a year, he would leave school and stand on the corner much of the day, selling drugs to buy shoes or snacks or just "have money in our pockets."

Because of the drug involvement, Holmes and his mother routinely came home to find bullet holes in their apartment.

"As the years grew older, I just felt like that wasn't what I wanted to do," Holmes said. "I wanted to play football. I don't want to end up like a lot of my friends, in jail, standing on the corner, not going to school."

One time, Holmes' mother found cocaine in the youth's dump truck. She eventually moved them away from the bad neighborhood.

"It made me who I am today," Holmes said. "If I had continued down that path, I wouldn't be here."

Holmes Coming Clean About His Past

Steelers' Holmes traces speed to humble, rabbit-chasing roots
By Kevin Acee (Contact)
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
January 30, 2009

? When Santonio Holmes is darting around the grass of Raymond James Stadium on Sunday as the Steelers' big-play receiver or punt returner, few people who see him might know where that crazy zigzag speed came from.
Not too far from here, where the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals will play in Super Bowl XLIII, there is a town in the midst of a swamp where the children catch rabbits in the muck and mud.

Catch them by hand.

At 7, 8 years old, the kids chase the rabbits and grab them and club them with a sugar cane stalk. Then they put the rabbits in a backpack. When they have enough rabbits, up to 20 for a day's work, the kids sell them for $3 apiece.

The coveted cottontail, especially good for soup, can fetch $5.
?We'd punch them in the head, chop them in the back of their neck to kill them instantly,? Holmes said yesterday.

?We had no remorse for those rabbits. We were hunting, just like people out there surviving.?

Steelers' Holmes traces speed to humble, rabbit-chasing roots

 

[Buckskin86]

Originally published Saturday, January 31, 2009
Super Bowl | Anquan Boldin, Santonio Holmes emerge from "Muck City"
From the time he was in elementary school, Santonio Holmes knew he had a choice for how his life would turn out. Every little boy growing...
By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post

TAMPA, Fla. ? From the time he was in elementary school, Santonio Holmes knew he had a choice for how his life would turn out.

Every little boy growing up in Belle Glade, Fla., knew the options. They see the examples everywhere around them.

"Either you're going to sell drugs or play football," Holmes said. "Play sports, or stand on the corner."

It's a blunt description, yet this is reality for young men living in Belle Glade and neighboring Pahokee, small rural towns on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee that together go by the unofficial name of "Muck City."

The people here subsist on agriculture, because the rich, black soil ? the "muck" ? is ideal for growing sugar cane, sweet corn and other vegetables.

Seahawks | Super Bowl | Anquan Boldin, Santonio Holmes emerge from "Muck City" | Seattle Times Newspaper

Muck bowl gets a super stage
The wet soil near the Lake Okeechobee towns of Pahokee, Belle Glade is fertile. Crops spring forth and, this year, so do Super Bowl receivers.
Ethan J. Skolnick | Sports columnist
January 31, 2009
TAMPA

Who has the best hands in Super Bowl XLIII? Larry Fitzgerald? Hines Ward? Anquan Boldin?

Take a closer look at the hands of Santonio Holmes first.

On the left, "Muck." On the right, "City."

"I got these last February, right before the last Super Bowl," Holmes said, making two fists to display the tattoos on the tops. "That's the little nickname that we have for our town."

Super Bowl XLIII Media Day Photos And if Holmes does something Sunday for the Steelers that gets him even more national attention than his 67-yard kickoff return touchdown and 65-yard receiving touchdown in the playoffs?

"I would definitely have to show my tattoos," said Holmes, a product of Glades Central in Belle Glade. "To show that no matter where I go, or how far away from you guys [I am], it runs in my blood and my heart at all times."

Muck bowl gets a super stage -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

T-U 2: Holmes might not be best role model
Submitted by Robert McGinty on Sat, 01/31/2009

2 cents

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes took an interesting approach to Super Bowl Media Day, using it as a platform to try and help troubled youth. And he did this by admitting the troubles of his own days as a kid in Belle Glade, specifically a year he says he spent selling drugs on the street corner.

And he says he wants to help steer at-risk kids into sports and other activities, so they don?t fall into the types of traps that almost ensnared him. It was an honorable move on his part, and we can only hope he?ll follow through.

But ?

Maybe, he shouldn?t have made an announcement like that in the middle of Super Bowl hype. That?s like running outside in the middle of a hurricane to announce to your neighbors that it?s really windy. It just gets lost in the maelstrom. And it doesn?t help that Holmes had to sit out a game earlier this year after a traffic stop resulted in him being charged with drug possession.

Or maybe it?s just the way things are. Paraphrasing something Steve Martin?s character said in the movie ?Leap of Faith?: If you want to learn about sin, you have to learn from a sinner.

So, good luck, kids!

T-U 2: Holmes might not be best role model | Jacksonville.com