CORTLAND, N.
.Y. -- Keyshawn Johnson wrapped his arm around Santonio Holmes shoulder
and walked with him from the practice field.
The two laughed a bit as they chatted for a few minutes, one
controversial former New York Jets wide receiver giving advice to a
current headline-maker.
Yes, really. The guy who once wrote an autobiography called "Just
Give Me The Damn Ball!" had some tips to share.
"Pretty much big brother to little brother-type talk," Holmes said
Friday after the Jets first practice of training camp. "Just teaching me
how to be cordial to everybody, and to understand what gift I have for
this football team and this organization, and just learning how to
utilize it."
It was a pep talk Holmes needed to hear.
Holmes has been considered a villain since last season, when he
feuded with Mark Sanchez and the offensive linemen and was benched in
the regular-season finale after arguing in the huddle. Holmes also
recently ruffled some feathers when he said he didnt think a
two-quarterback system can work in the NFL -- despite the Jets planning
to use both Sanchez and Tim Tebow on offence.
Coach Rex Ryan got a bit miffed when he heard that, telling ESPN
before training camp that Holmes doesnt need to act like the teams
offensive co-ordinator. That, he said, is Tony Sparanos job.
Holmes said it was "just a joke between us," downplaying the latest
mini-controversy of which he was at the centre.
"He understands me and I understand him and everything that he says,"
Holmes said, "and were not going to take anything from what was said in
the media."
Ryan was asked if Holmes comments were, in fact, just a funny thing.
"Well, sure. If thats what he said, Im with him all the way," Ryan
said, drawing laughter. "But no, the thing that we have to understand is
that his job is to come in here and play and all that stuff. Well worry
about all of those situations. Tony and I will figure all that out.
Just come in here and be the great player that you are."
Holmes relationship with the media can also be contentious at times,
saying in a recent radio interview that beat reporters should "write
positive things" about the Jets.
"My advice was to not pay any attention to it," said the outspoken
Johnson, who retired in 2006 after an 11-year career and is currently an
analyst for ESPN. "Just go out and play, and let the play speak for you
and at the end of the day, you can tell them you know what. I mean,
thats the way my approach was, that Im going to play and do what I need
to do and then Im going to stick my tongue out at you at the end of the
day."
Holmes is trying to be positive this season -- about Sanchez, Tebow,
Sparano and anything else that comes up about the Jets.
"Hell probably grow up a little bit," Johnson said. "I mean, if thats
the proper words to use, growing up. I think hell get there. Im not
worried about him."
Holmes acknowledged that there was a lack of trust between all the
quarterbacks and receivers last season, saying that it was "all over the
place amongst us all." Things began spiraling midway through the season
when he criticized the offensive line, who fired back at him.
He stopped short of discussing the relationship he had last season
with Sanchez.
"That was last year," he said. "Were moving on right now. Lets talk
about something positive and whats going on with our football team."
Well, whats going on is that Sanchez looked pretty sharp on Day 1 of
camp, with Holmes coming up with some nice grabs. They even high-fived
each other after one early connection.
"Its good to start out like that," Sanchez said. "Its amazing the
psychological impact that has not just on a quarterback but on a team.
It shows were all capable of plays like that. We didnt have a lot of
that last year."
The two have said they smoothed things over months ago, and spent a
lot of time together in the off-season.
"Ive learned a lot from him because weve gotten an opportunity to
talk a little more on a personal level and understand each other,"
Holmes said, "the little things we like, the way the ball needs to be
placed in each situation. I think the more we continue to work on that,
its only going to get better for us."
Thats a good thing for the Jets, who need Sanchez and Holmes to be on
the same page at all times. They also need Holmes to stay off the back
pages.
"Theres so much more media out here in the world, and the scrutiny
and Facebooks and social media and all that, that every little word,
people hang on," Johnson said. "I think as a player, youve got to know
that and let it roll right off your shoulders."
NOTES: Ryan confirmed that Matt Slauson, coming off shoulder surgery,
and Vladimir Ducasse are "absolutely" competing for the starting job at
left guard. Slauson won the previous competition two years ago. ...
Ryan said the teams plan for S LaRon Landry (Achilles/heel) is for him
to be at "full-go" every third practice, but the Jets will adjust that
as they go along so he doesnt overdo it. ... Rookie WR Stephen Hill, the
teams second-round draft pick, impressed Johnson with a solid
performance at practice that included a long touchdown catch from
Sanchez off a tipped pass by Darrelle Revis. "You have soft hands,"
Johnson said to Hill after meeting him. "I saw you make a nice little
grab there." Johnson also said he also saw some of himself in Hill, who
is the same height at 6-foot-4. "Always play big," he told Hill. "Dont
try to play big and be small out there." ... Jeff Otah, acquired from
Carolina to compete with Wayne Hunter for the starting job at RT, still
hasnt passed his physical and isnt sure if or when he will. The trade
would be nullified if Otah (knee) cant complete running drills within a
week. ... LB David Harris walked off the field gingerly midway through
practice, favouring his right leg but came back with a wrap on a few
minutes later. He said he had "a gash" in his lower leg that needed to
be treated, but was "no big deal at all."
.
Dubnyk won 20 games in 47 appearances for the Oilers last season. The
six-foot-five, 210-pound goalie had a 2.67 goals-against average and
.914 save percentage.
The 20 wins and 2.67 GAA were both career bests. .
MacDougall cruised to a 9-3 victory over Robert Campbell of P.E.I. in the opening draw of the tournament Saturday.
Yukon skip Steve Fecteau also needed to qualify for the round robin, but he lost 9-5 to Quebecs Mike Fournier.
.1 million ($4 million) from UEFAs C100 million ($128 million) fund to
compensate clubs for releasing players to the 2012 European
Championship.
.
Vandor, 37, and Jarvis, 28, fell behind the top two crews. Questions
arose as to whether the duo would post a late sprint—asignature stint of
Canadian coach Mike Spracklens crews—but rather than expendtoo much
energy, they decided to reserve that power for the repechage.
.
However, the 25-year-old burner is an intriguing sleeper candidate for
fantasy football as he joins a team needing an upgrade at wideout.
Behind five-time Pro Bowler Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell (74 catches over
two seasons) is the most proven receiver on the Carolina roster, so
Murphy has an opportunity to not only earn playing time but, because of
his deep speed, has a chance to make big significant plays in the
offence.KRAKOW, Poland -- Joris Mathijsen is almost certain to miss the
Netherlands European Championship opener against Denmark and might be
ruled out of the tournament altogether, robbing the team of one of its
key defenders.
Coach Bert van Marwijk said Wednesday the chances that Mathijsen will be
unavailable for Saturdays match "are 80 per cent" and is considering
calling up a late replacement.
Mathijsen injured his left hamstring during the 2-1 loss to Bulgaria on
May 26 and has been struggling since. He was training on his own again
Wednesday.
"Things are not going so well with Joris," Van Marwijk said. "We hoped
he would be training with the team. But it didnt happen today. He needs
more time."
As the centre-back partner for John Heitinga, Mathijsen is an important
part of a Dutch defence which is widely considered to be the teams weak
link.
UEFA allows teams to replace a player until one day before its first
match -- if a doctor from the governing body approves the injury. .
Van Marwijk will wait until the last moment to make a decision.
The coach, however, has already allowed players dropped from the final
squad to go on holiday, making a late call-up even tougher.
The most likely replacement for Mathijsen would be Wilfred Bouma, the
PSV defender who will turn 34 during the tournament and who is
considered by many too slow to compete with the best strikers from
Germany and Portugal -- the two other teams in the group.
Adding to the problems is that Van Marwijk has been unable to fill the
left back position with an experienced player and may be counting on
18-year-old Jetro Willems.
While Mathijsen ran and did exercises on his own, some 25,000 fans
cheered his teammates through a good-humoured training session at Wisla
Stadium in Krakow.
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