Transcript of WR Santonio Holmes' news conference Friday morning following the Jets' first practice of training camp at SUNY Cortland:
On Rex Ryan's comments of him being the offensive coordinator…
Oh, I'm pretty sure he would have. He likes the mindset that I have and the attitude that I bring to this team. I think it was just a joke between us, and he understands me and I understand everything that he says and we're not going to take anything for what was said in the media.
On if he took those comments personally…
Never. Not one time.
On his comments about the two-quarterback situation…
It's something that I've never been a part of, except when I was in college and we had a few complications and we figured it out later in the season and whatever Coach [Tony] Sparano brings to the table and Coach Ryan wants our offense to work on is going to be what we are going to work on. We brought in a group of guys that are going to be football players and are going to compete and continue to help our team win ballgames by all means, and that's what we're looking for.
On building a bond with Mark Sanchez…
It's building trust. If he can trust me, that I'm going to be where I'm supposed to be, I'm going to do what I say I'm going to do and he's going to feel comfortable about it. I think the connection can only get better from this point on.
On the first practice…
It was fast-paced. Coach talked about how our offensive line did the 9-on-7 drill, and those guys got through about twice as many reps as we did last year because he's been keeping that tally and seeing how hard we work as a group this year compared to the way we didn't work last year and I think it's working tremendously for us in our favor.
On if there were challenges with trust last year…
I think it was all over the place amongst us all. It wasn't just between myself and Mark, it was the quarterbacks and receivers.
On last season and if there was a lack of chemistry with Sanchez…
That was last year, we're moving on right now. Let's talk about something positive and what's going on with our football team.
On why it will be different this year…
Because we have trust. We know what we have. We're football players, we're going to allow each other to play football, and I think it's going to work from that point on.
On specific things he worked on in the offseason…
There's a lot of things. If I give them to you guys, I give them to all the defensive players that I have to go against. I can't do that. I can't open up that far.
On the offense looking sharp…
I think the mindset that Coach Sparano drills into our head every day in the meeting room is how much he wants this tempo to pick up. And if we believe that he picked the right group of guys to play on this team, we have to carry out what his message is to us, and that is to have a fast tempo, and that is to wear out every defensive team that we play against, every snap.
On the long pass to Stephen Hill during practice and if it sets a tone for practice…
I think it's supposed to for our group. And that's what we talk about in our meeting room as receivers, how we can set the tempo for this group and not worry about anything else and just control what we can do, and that's by catching the ball and making the tough plays look easy.
On his connection with Sanchez and if he could feel a difference today…
Not really. We're picking up where we left off when we were at Jets West and we're going to keep moving forward from here.
On Tim Tebow and what he brings to this team…
He's a football player. Once he steps on the football field on Sundays, he gets his yardage, he makes the plays, he keeps the crowd excited, he keeps us moving, he keeps the chains moving, and I think that's all we can ask for from him.
On what Keyshawn Johnson said to him…
Pretty much big-brother-little-brother-type talk. Just teaching me how to be cordial to everybody, and to understand what gift I have to give this football team and this organization, and just learning how to utilize it.
On what gift he thinks it is that Johnson is talking about…
It's personal, it's personal.
On how important Hill is to take some pressure off him…
It's going to be big to have a rookie come in and embrace the game and learn from a veteran. We spent a lot of time talking amongst ourselves on the little things that he knows he needs to work on to be a better receiver and I think it's only going to benefit him because once the young guys see that he's able to step up into a leadership role as a young guy, those guys are going to fall in place and I think it makes my job as the veteran receiver of this group a lot easier. Coach Sanjay [Lal] is steadily drilling the things we need to work on as a receiver group to make all of us better.
On if he learned something about Sanchez he didn't know last year…
I can honestly say that yes, I did. I've learned a lot from him because we've gotten an opportunity to talk a little bit more on a personal level and understand each other, the little things that we like, the way the ball needs to be placed in a situation. And I think the more we continue to work on that, it's only going to get better for us.
On if he looked up to Johnson… When you think about Keyshawn Johnson, I don't know how many wide receivers were the No. 1 draft pick in the NFL, and to be placed in that position, you have to be there for a reason. He had a gift, and he embraced it, and he played 12 years in the NFL and he put everything on the line every Sunday. Just talking to him, teaching me the game and hearing it from a veteran can only make me better and allow me to grow from it.
