After serving his four-game suspension to start the 2010 season, then not contributing all that much in his first three games with the New York Jets, Santonio Holmes has stepped up big the past two weeks. Two weeks ago it was his run and catch in overtime that set up a game-winning field goal in overtime. Last week against the Browns, Holmes scored the game-winning touchdown in OT himself.
On Monday, Holmes joined The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio in New York to talk about being the catalyst in OT the last two weeks, Braylon Edwards’ seemingly never-ending quest to get revenge on his former team the Browns, and what lies ahead for the Jets as they try to stay out in front of the pack in the AFC standings. (Transcription via: SRI)
On the play against the Browns that won the game for the Jets in overtime:
“It was just instinct. It was just playing football and being in the right place at the right time and not afraid to make any mistakes.”
On whether or not he asked for that play to be called:
“It was just something that I had a feel for the whole game as to how they were playing me. We as players and coaches, we communicate on the sidelines and the coaches should have some trust in believing in what we see on the field and in that particular time, we had been talking about it, myself and Mark, and just getting a feel for each other. Calling the plays at the right time and trusting that we could make it work.”
On the importance of the game for Braylon Edwards:
“The game was very big for him. He wanted to come out and prove to those guys that they made a mistake letting him go being one of the best players that they had at the time. He wanted to come out and make a statement early. Me as a player, I know how it feels right now because I’m in the same situation facing the team that I’m gonna be playing in a couple weeks from here. I know what emotions were running through his mind and I was just being a teammate and saying hey look we’ve got bigger things to worry about now and that’s winning this ball game by any means. He bought into it. Throughout the course of the game he calmed down, he started making the plays that he’s capable of making, and we continued to have fun from there.”