Just two days after Derrick Mason was shipped to Houston, Santonio Holmes fired more shots at the team’s offensive line according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Holmes blamed the group for the Jets’ inability to throw the ball deep this year. “I may be criticized again for saying it, but I think it starts up front,†Holmes said. “The big guys know it. [If] they give Mark [Sanchez] enough time to sit in the pocket and complete passes, I think everything changes. The routes that are being run are short routes, ‘Hey, let’s get the ball out of Mark’s hands quick. Let’s move the ball down the field and let’s go from there.’ But if you can’t protect the quarterback for four or five seconds, then there’s no point in dropping back 7 yards to throw a football when he doesn’t have enough time. So, we pretty much have to roll with the way our offense is rolling right now.†This is the second straight week Holmes has criticized the offensive line. He was asked if anyone from that group has said anything to him about his remarks. “Those guys, meaning my offensive line, live in a totally different world than we do,†said Holmes, seeming to point out how hard their job is. “I can sit here and complain as much as I want to about protecting our quarterback. Sometimes little things as far as getting their toe stepped on, can’t get back in their protection in their drop-back long enough, are some of the things that affect play-calling. Like I said, I can complain all day about it.†“We’ve done a lot of talking in our meeting rooms about how well things can change if we were to stretch the ball a little bit more down the field,†Holmes said. Source: The Redzone
