Santonio Holmes injured his foot on this play against San Francisco last season.
Credit: Getty Images
The closest Santonio Holmes will get to a football field anytime soon will be his walk across it to ride on the stationary bike positioned behind the end zone.
The long rehab from last year’s season-ending injury continues to test the depth of the Jets at the wide receiver position and keeps one of their true playmakers off the field.
Holmes continues to make slow progress from the Lisfranc injury he suffered in Week 4 of the 2012 NFL season and the subsequent setbacks from that injury. He has yet to run on the field and continues to receive rehab and ride the stationary bicycle as his teammates ready themselves for their second preseason game this Sunday.
There is no timetable yet for his return but Week 1 against the Buccaneers seems to be too ambitious of a return date at this juncture.
“I can’t really count that far ahead right now,” Holmes said on Monday. “I have to go with the steps that are in front of me, which is getting better today, look forward to tomorrow, working.”
He confirmed he has not yet been able to run — certainly not a good sign for a return to the field anytime soon.
A team source tells Metro New York that a realistic timetable for a return to the field “would be midseason most likely. It certainly will not be any point before the Falcons [on Oct. 7].” The trip to Atlanta comes in Week 5 of the NFL season.
When asked about the perception that he isn’t trying hard to rehabilitate the injury, Holmes simply said, “No comment.” He does admit to not knowing what to expect in terms of getting back onto the field.
“I really didn’t know what to look forward to from the beginning,” Holmes said. “So I had to deal with it as the days go through the necessary therapy and rehab and just continue looking forward to the day when it comes.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
