[Jetsfan115]

Santonio Holmes is now a Jet for life. At least, that is how Rex Ryan wants him to feel. If the reported $50 million deal did not make Holmes feel at home in green and white, Ryan gave the controversial wide receiver some more stake in the team.

Of the five captains named Saturday, Holmes was the only one who was not originally drafted by the Jets. He was also, perhaps, the most surprising pick.

"It's unexpected," Holmes said Saturday after the Jets' last practice before heading to Houston for Monday's preseason opener. "Coming from where I came from, tryouts pretty much for one year, being here, everything worked out in my favor."

Ryan had already named Mark Sanchez a captain for the offense. Saturday, he named cornerback Darrelle Revis and nose tackle Sione Pouha the defensive captains. He named Eric Smith the captain for the special teams. Unlike past years, Ryan simply chose the captains and did not have the team vote.

"Santonio was a guy we brought in. (He) went from, as we look at him, from a rental to an owner, a guy that was here, we tested, we tried it out and now he's one of us," Ryan said. " I expect the last jersey he'll ever wear to be a New York Jets jersey and we're extremely happy that he chose to come back. I see (Holmes) as a guy that took the challenge that I gave him. I wanted him to lead from the front and I think that's what he's doing."

Holmes was an unlikely choice for a captain and not because he was not originally drafted by the Jets.

He had a very rocky road to the Jets.

Holmes became a hero, catching the game-winning pass in Super Bowl XLIII for the Steelers, but both before and after that moment he was too much of a problem.

In 2006, he was involved in a domestic violence case and in 2008 he was benched for two games after he was charged with marijuana possession. Both misdemeanors were later dismissed, but he was on his last strike with the Steelers.

Pittsburgh dealt the 2009 Super Bowl MVP to the Jets for a fifth-round draft pick in April 2010, hours before the NFL announced he had been banned four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

It was a one-year tryout for Holmes and the Jets. After serving his suspension, Holmes kept himself out of legal trouble and made himself indispensable. He caught 52 passes for 746 yards, including several late clutch grabs. Ryan even began to call late-game situations "Tone Time."

Saturday, after practice, new wide receiver Derrick Mason got another version of "Tone Time," the type that may have made Ryan pick Holmes as a captain. Holmes stayed after practice to work with Mason. Working with teammates is something Holmes prides himself on.

"That's just being a great teammate, showing these guys I am not just here for the $50 million that everybody thinks I signed for," Holmes said. "We're gonna win a Super Bowl here and everybody is gonna say, 'Santonio Holmes is a great teammate, he's a leader, he can be a Super Bowl MVP again.'"

Read more: http://www.nydailyne...l#ixzz1V2pQ9AP9

[A1elbow]

Quote

We're gonna win a Super Bowl here and everybody is gonna say, 'Santonio Holmes is a great teammate, he's a leader, he can be a Super Bowl MVP again

Quote

The guys love me around here," Holmes said. "(I) made a big impact coming in here as a receiver and helping out the young guys as much as I could, and I know coach saw that as a leadership role

I like leaders who are humble and modest. Would anyone believe it if that first quote had Curtis Martin instead of Santonio Holmes? Hell no. This guy is just another idiot and his production last year was overrated because it came at the end of games, just like always.

Don't get me wrong, Holmes is a great receiver, but I'm neither going to buy into him being a legitimate #1 or a real leader.

[Jetsfan0099]

Just because he said what people are going to say about him doesn't mean he isn't a leader, you see him helping out players all the time and him trying to get the team pumped up on the sidelines and shit. You want confidence in a WR, its rare to find a truly humbled player and especially at WR. He wants the ball with the game on the line. Yeah a lot of his plays came towards the end of the game, but Sanchez was also a slow starter along with the rest of the offense. Plus we had all these guys they tried to get looks. I think he can be a 1,000 yard guy each season, he could of had over 1,000 yards last season if he wasn't suspended.

[A1elbow]

Jetsfan0099, on 14 August 2011 - 10:21 PM, said:

Just because he said what people are going to say about him doesn't mean he isn't a leader, you see him helping out players all the time and him trying to get the team pumped up on the sidelines and shit. You want confidence in a WR, its rare to find a truly humbled player and especially at WR. He wants the ball with the game on the line. Yeah a lot of his plays came towards the end of the game, but Sanchez was also a slow starter along with the rest of the offense. Plus we had all these guys they tried to get looks. I think he can be a 1,000 yard guy each season, he could of had over 1,000 yards last season if he wasn't suspended.

Uh, people are going to say "Man, A1elbow is the coolest dude with the biggest wang according to all the girls-wish I could be like that cat!"

Saying people will respect you is okay. Putting it out there that after the team wins a Super Bowl people will say he is a leader and can be MVP again is selfish, premature, and inconsiderate to his teammates.

I guess being full of one's self is apparently our identity right now (outside of a few players) but I'll at least shake my head when Holmes does his signature ball drop after a three yard junk reception.