How Good is Holmes?
Andy Benoit writes on Fifth Down that the Jets new WR is one of the league’s best, in his opinion.
10. Santonio Holmes, Jets
The most deceptive route runner in the league. Also elevates his play in crucial moments.
Of course there is the four game suspension to consider. But to hear from a guy who did in-depth film study on every team that he thinks Holmes was one of the best players in the league last season? Yeah, that’s a good thing!
39 Responses to How Good is Holmes?
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Justin says:
its funnny i was talking to my freind about this, I really under rate this kid is a good player, but i havn’t watched im enough to know how good he is, also in talking about cotchery HE IS THE MOST UNDER RATED WIDEOUT in the league…the guy is anquan boldin 2.0 imo
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vbsiena says:
He’s way better then his Steeler teammate the oft overrated Hines Ward
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Jets = Misery says:
Hey Basset, there’s an interesting piece on nfl.com about various rookies who stood out at their respective camps, and in it there’s a three-paragraph blurb about the Kyle Wilson, Vlad Ducasse, and Joe McKnight.
Here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d817f4c39&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true
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NJets says:
I think the list is pretty spot on. I’d probably put Vincent Jackson where Steve Smith is but other than that, it looks pretty accurate.
Im ecstatic we have Holmes on our team. Could be the best VALUE trade in NFL history for a young WR entering his prime.
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Love to see Santonio get another Super Bowl MVP. Hopefully, Coles will wait a couple months to climb aboard our “Bowl or Bust” train. He can cover slot firts four games!
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roof says:
steve smiths inclusion on that list is a joke, he wasnt even the best steve smith in the nfl.
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Revis Pangea says:
Having watched Holmes every chance I could get (the guy is good), I noticed one thing. He really sells his route fakes. Corners are taught to watch hips for direction changes. Some receivers will fake left with their heads and/or feet and post right and be okay at it. Holmes truly sells his fake with his whole body. His hips turn into the fake-enough to signal a shift, but not enough that he can’t reverse it. He has amazing route technique.
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BigKatt says:
OchoCinco and D. Jackson over Holmes, V. Jackson, Boldin, Colston, and Rice???? That list sucked.
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david i says:
He has flown under the radar and over delivered time and time again. He certainly surpassed my expectations of him when he came out of college. He just happens to be one of those guys that glides, accelerates, creates separation and makes plays over and over. I still can’t believe how Mr. T stole him from the Rooney’s. I guess timing is everything and he was the scapegoat for everything that was going wrong in Pittsburgh and the Rooney’s didn’t want to turn into the “Bungals” of years past. Good message, tough price to pay, but our gain!
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juunit says:
Which makes you wonder why we were able to get him so cheaply. I’m afraid of that suspension growing for unknown reasons. Or him getting bench time just for being a dick. And yet, hope springs eternal.
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i think the list is pretty spot on, although at this point in their careers i think you HAVE to have brandon marshall #2, and move wayne to 5….if any of you morons don’t think steve smith should be on this list, THAN YOU DON’T KNOW FOOTBALL….Delhomme had one of the worst yrs this yr(thus the reason he is no longer there), and he was double covered on every play, he’s easily a top 5 receiver in this league, and w/ the season Delhomme had, he’s slotted perfect at 6…..
i do think holmes w/o a doubt is a top 10 wr in the league, idk what u guys are smoking talkin bout vincent jax, on any other team he’d be a patrick crayton…rivers is one of the best qb’s in the league he made him look good….
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greene says:
roof,
steve smith from carolina is a beast. if you talking about steve smith from the giants, thats a pretty funny joke.
ss of carolina has NO HELP out there. his QB didn’t help, his other receivers didn’t help. its all him out there.
ss of giants is no-comparison.
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sexy rexy says:
…the guy is anquan boldin 2.0 imo
ok that’s stretching it a bit for Cotchery. Cotchery is a more explosive/faster Laverneus Coles.
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Revis Christ says:
bigg katt… rice is a decent receiver when he has a normal qb he would only be considered great cause of the qb who i will not name that was throwing to him .. i feel like the same thing is with colston
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Shakespeare,
Your argument is bogus. If you actually read the article, this is a 2009 film study ranking of who the best WR’s are from the 2009 season. Its not a list of which WR has the most talent or the best career.
The facts are the facts, Vincent Jackson outperformed Steve Smith in every single statistical category. Like someone said before, Steve Smith wasn’t even the best Steve Smith in the league.
As for your argument about Phillip Rivers being an elite QB vs. Delhomme…
What are Payton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, Ben Rothlisberger and Matt Schaub? I see their WRs on the list too.
Before calling people morons through a blog post, read the actual article. Even better, simply read the first 3 sentences of the entire article so at least you have a clue what we are talking about.
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david harris says:
Vincent Jackson was helped by the fact that the entire S.D offense is structured around throwing the ball. There are at least 5 receivers on that team that are all threats and therefore a team can not always guard Jackson, which is a reason why he had such a productive season.
Now think about Steve Smith. His QB was one of the worst in the league last season. His QB had no distance on his throws so there was no threat of him throwing a long ball and thus the secondary was able to play closer to the Panthers wide receivers. Not to mention that Smith was the 1 and only wide receiver on that team that was productive. The Panthers offense is also not built for throwing the ball… they have a 2 headed beast in Stewart and Williams, why throw the ball with a terrible QB when you have your offense in those 2 players alone.
When i look at both players i don’t see a comparison to be made. Jackson directly benefitted from playing on the Chargers offense. Not to mention that after game 3 the Chargers schedule became ridiculously easy, which meant Jackson had an easier time of running loose on opposing defenses. Smith did not have the same luxuries as Jackson did. No QB, no other WR help, an offense structured for running the ball and not throwing, a much harder schedule… and you are comparing him to a #1 receiver on another team who had basically everything opposite (Top 5 QB, 5-10 guys who were all threats to catch the ball, an offense structured for throwing the ball, and most probably the league’s easiest schedule). Stats have nothing to do with this argument.
Put Jackson on Carolina and Smith on San Diego and you wont be saying the same things about both wide receivers.
The only thing i’ll say Jackson has on Smith is his height. He’s a lot bigger target. But in terms of elusiveness, speed, ability to get open, ability to make plays after the ball is caught, etc… well i’ll give that all to Smith.
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Hahaha you guys are amazing.
You wanna join my fantasy league?
I’d LOVE to trade you Steve Smith for Vincent Jackson straight up.
Don’t tell me that Vincent Jackson benefits from the Chargers offense but then tell me that its cool for Reggie Wayne to be on the list.
I could even argue that Vincent Jackson’s growth as a receiver has been stunted the pass two years because of all the other options. If Vincent Jackson was a pure # 1 option, thered be no comparison right now (keywords are RIGHT NOW… not 5 years ago).
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Jeff says:
I would move Reggie Wayne down. I mean, Peyton Manning makes everyone look like an All-Pro. Certainly he is great, but he is like Marvin Harrison 2.0.
Definetely Larry Fitzgerald should be 3 perhaps 2.
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And Desean Jackson shouldn’t be on there. He’s fast but he doesn’t have great hands. He makes his plays with his feet. To be a top ten receiver you absolutely need to have sure hands. You need to be the guy on the highlight reel.
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THANK YOU DAVID HARRIS…
@NJETS…[namecalling removed]..vincent jackson runs ONE ROUTE, DEEP A LA RANDY MOSS….the guy cannot run any other routes, is not a #1 reciever…if he was on new england he’d be a #3 reciever……when u play for a chargers team that passes the ball 80% of the time, i would hope you would have better stats then sum1 w/ a horrrrrible qb that runs the ball 80% of the time…shoot, watch, i wouldn’t be surprised Malcolm Floyd puts up better #’s than Vincent Jax this yr….he’s a product of his system….he is not an elite wr in this league….
like david harris said, you put steve smith on the chargers he’d be top 3 on this list…..and vincent wouldn’t be above mushin muhammad on the depth chart in carolina….
Shakespeare, if you don’t stop the name calling and personal attacks, you’re going to end up being “bard” from posting.
Thanks, TJB
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and c’mon guys, i know we’re all jets fans here…. but cotchery doesn’t deserve to be on this list…..he’s a hard worker, great hands, but he’s more a poor man’s anquan boldin rather than a boldin 2.0…lolol…
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Shakespeare,
PLEASE JOIN MY FANTASY LEAGUE.
Vincent Jackson > Steve Smith…for the rest of both of their careers.
Jackson is the physical presence Steve Smith can never be and he catches everything.
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MY FAULT TJB….I APOLOGIZE..U GOT IT…i guess i got use all of the name calling from tkb, lol….but it don’t fly here….once again i do apologize…it won’t happen again….
@njets, that’s why it’s fantasy AND NOT REALITY….i’ll put money that the chargers would trade vincent for steve smith in a second….
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@njets “Jackson is the physical presence Steve Smith can never be and he catches everything.”
cmon man, u can’t really believe that……if this was boxing steve smith would be floyd mayweather or manny pacqiao of the nfl, the p4p king…..i can’t recall ever seeing steve drop a pass…now that man catches everything, may have one of the top vertical leaps in the league…..
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but at the end of the day agree to disagree, everyone has their own opinion…..:) have a gnight y’all….
and once again i do apologize for the name calling, i’m a huge fan of this blog since i came across it recently…def don’t want to be bard from it…lol….SORRY BRIAN… :)
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Fantasy Football is based on statistical reality. You get points when the actual players do well in games. Steve Smith hasn’t been statistically elite in years.
There is no way they trade those two guys straight up. Age, injuries, and size make Vincent Jackson the better receiver right now.
Obviously we will never know for sure… but ill repeat what someone else said one last time….
STEVE SMITH ISN’T EVEN THE BEST STEVE SMITH IN THE LEAGUE ANYMORE.
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ridinmywave says:
Njjets, please tell me your reeking of sarcasm, because if not I’m going to assume your a teenager or just not really “in” to football.
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Green Goblin says:
Where’s AKA Jack?? HAha….Andy Benoit’s a guy who did in-depth film study on every team and said that Welker would certainly be on the Top 10 but wants to see how he recovers from knee surgery. That would mean that if not for Welker’s injury, Welker would have, at the very least, been rated higher than Holmes (and would have booted Holmes from the top ten list)!!!!!! So here is a guy who actually closely studied these two players and agreed with me…AKA Jack, don’t you see the trend?! It seems that every non-Jets fan (and even a lot of non-biased Jets fans) agrees with me that Welker has been a better WR than Holmes up until this point in their careers!!!! Benoit is just another guy who agrees with me and disagrees with you…HAha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Marvel(I wanted TM) says:
Vincent Jackson is a much better WR than The real Steve Smith .. NJets some things aren’t even worth arguing stats or no stats you could survey every starting QB in the NFL & there’s no doubt in my mind 85% would rather have VJ .. just my thoughts ~dakar voice~
NJets- I’ve read like five of your posts today .. You make very good points .. Good work ..
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Thanks Marvel!
Without getting soft here… I always enjoy reading your comments, whatever thats worth.
I totally agree, its not exactly a debate worth having considering the numbers speak for themselves. Vincent Jackson is better right now. Its not even a debate.
The best part about it is that Revis can eliminate every single player on that list and hes on my team. So every other debate is just a technicality.
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AKA Jack says:
Sorry Green Gobln, I have a job that doesn’t allow me to come gloat every time you are wrong. Besides, my job pays better and is infinitely more worth my time.
Welker is a slot receiver, a one trick pony, who plays with the one of the best QBs ever to play the game. He is a 5 yard receiver with decent YAC play in an offense that features him like no other receiver in the league.
Holmes, a guy you claim no coach in the league would choose over Welker, is one of the most dangerous all around receivers in the league. You don’t need to do in depth film coverage of every team in the league to know that. You just have to know football.
But you keep on thinking you won some mythic battle if it gets you through the night.
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Oh and reality jets fan-
If you’re out there, I just got off a flight home and I wanted you to be aware of the lawlessness I witnessed.
The guy next to me had his headphones on during landing. I’m not talking earbuds, I talking the full over the ear Bose powered headphones and his ipod was on! Naturally, I alerted the proper authorities (and Roger Goodell) and I expect this scofflaw will face the full weight of the law not to mention truth seekers like Cimini.
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Lance Mehl says:
Yeh he has talent .. can he stay on the field?
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AKA Jack, you say that Welker has been so great because Brady throws him the ball….Who has been throwing the ball to Holmes?? Got you again..This is too easy!!!! Also, don’t forget that Welker had Matt Cassel throwing him the ball two seasons ago in NE and he made Cassel look like Montana (did you watch Cassel in KC last season)…Man, this is too easy. Haha..
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NJets,
Fantasy football doesnt prove anything.
Marvel,
Have you interviewed every QB in the league to know that statistic or are you just randomly saying what you think would be the case? Why don’t i just say the same thing about smith? “I’m sure if all qb’s were asked which WR they’d rather have 85% of them would want Steve Smith over Vincent Jackson”. Well that is just not the case. You and NJets can have your bro-fest or whatever, it still doesn’t prove which player is better. AND had you actually interviewed EVERY QB in the NFL, and 85% did say they would have rather had Jackson over Smith, it doesn’t prove which wide receiver is better then either! It’s just their opinion.
There is a problem with the stats because the players are not given the same help. Jackson has a qb who’s top 5 in the league, an offense which is top 3 in the league, and other players to threat the secondary beside himself. Obviously when Smith has none of those Jackson will succeed better and have statistically a better season.
Let’s compare both players at the same age. Smith is 31, Jackson is 27.
Smith 4 years ago: 103 receptions, 1563 yards, 12 td’s.
Jackson this year: 68 receptions, 1167 yards, 9 td’s.hmmm.
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War Machine says:
Yea i may take Jax over SS bcuz of age ALONE. But if SS and Jax were both 27 u would be an idoit not to take SS. Vincent Jax? Who is that? But everybody and there momma knows who Steve Smith is.
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greene says:
Steve Smith in a heartbeat
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david harris,
I love how you neglect to read what the article is about and what we are all reacting to. The article is responding to the 2009 season ONLY.
NO ONE is arguing that Steve Smith in his prime is worse than Vincent Jackson. So chill out. I don’t need to read your 4 year old statistics to know that in 2009 Vincent Jackson was the better receiver.
As for your argument, the fact Vincent Jackson has more help is just bogus because Steve Smith was the first look, the first option, and the go to guy for a Super Bowl team a few years back. Vincent Jackson has TDs and Receptions taken away from arguably the best TE in the game right now (and Rivers’ #1 option in the red zone). Back in the heyday of Steve Smith, the Panthers didn’t have the running game they have now and Delhomme was in his prime. So Steve Smith put up monster numbers. Since then, he has been drastically declining every single year.
For discussion’s sake, ill respond to your 4 year old stats anyway. In the stats that you showed, there is a 400 yard, 3 TD difference but Vincent Jackson has 35 less receptions than Steve Smith. Its totally absurd to assume that Jackson couldn’t put up equivalent stats if he was targeted more often and given the first option look on every down just like Steve Smith was during that Super Bowl team’s strong years.
This article was written to stimulate debate. I doubt if you could find any serious fan to agree with the complete order. It was nice to find Holmes recognized, although I would suggest that a poll of Jets’ fans would reveal that we consider Cotchery to be the teams best (most reliable?) receiver. I would like to see a list of omissions.