By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/14/2007
He has gone through enough ice to pave a skating rink, been more spectator than participant during Wednesday practices and practically limped his way through a couple of games this season.
But take a look at this week's NFC receiver rankings. Rams wide receiver
Torry Holt ranks third in reception yards (700) and is tied for third in receptions (54). He is ninth in both categories in the overall NFL rankings.
"That's just a testament to how good he is — to be able to play and know that he's not 100 percent," coach Scott Linehan said. "I don't know what the percent is ... but he's able to get himself ready for Sunday. In recent weeks, he's gotten himself closer and closer to what he needs to do to be effective."
It has been a slow-go for Holt since surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee last February. But the six-time Pro Bowler is learning how to manage the knee — when to push it and when to pull back. Undoubtedly the bye week helped as well.
Sandwiched around the bye were six catches for 110 yards Oct. 28 against Cleveland, and eight catches for 124 yards Sunday in New Orleans. It's the first time Holt has posted 100-yard outings in successive games since Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2006 season.
There were all kinds of goals and predictions by various Rams players before the start of the 2007 season. Even in a year of generally disastrous offensive play, only Holt is close to matching his annual goal of 1,300 yards.
He's currently on target for 96 catches for 1,245 yards, so he's not far off the pace.
"You know I keep track of it," Holt said late last week. "That's no secret. People can look at it however they want, but I am always aware (of the numbers). I have goals that I set for myself that I think help our football team win ballgames. It's not a 'Hey, look at me' type of deal. So I think I'm on pace to do some pretty good things coming off the knee injury."
Make no mistake, Holt would trade some of those catches and yards for additional victories this season. But on the field — and in the trainers' room — he'll keep plugging away.
When the knee stiffens up, or experiences some swelling, Holt backs off.
"I kind of go back to the basics, and work on my technique and my depth (on routes) and different things like that," Holt said.
The Catch-22 for Holt is that the more practice time he misses, the tougher it is to stay in sync with quarterback
Marc Bulger. But if he practices too much, then the knee gets sore.
"When the season's over, we've got to sit down and really evaluate what we've got to do to get from one game to the next, and get through these long seasons with what's a very sore knee," Linehan said. "I think he's figuring out his own body, and how it feels, and what he's got to do to get himself to Sundays."
Timing on routes is perhaps even more important now because Holt doesn't have the acceleration he had before the knee problems, which first cropped up during the 2005 season. Some games are better than others, and in New Orleans Holt seemed to have a little more burst than usual.
"He does have those capabilities when he's healthy to still change a game and change the way teams are going to defend us," offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. "So it's important over the last stretch here of the season, that we continue to manage (the knee) and make sure that he's as fresh as he can be on Sunday."
As expected, tight end Aaron Walker (shoulder) was placed on the injured reserve list Tuesday. Offensive tackle Mark LeVoir was signed off Chicago's practice squad to replace Walker on the Rams' 53-man roster. LeVoir also spent the 2006 season on the Bears' practice squad after signing with Chicago as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame.
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