FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Santonio Holmes sat out the first day of New York Jets minicamp practice with a tight hamstring, an injury that occurred last week in the team's final session of organized team activities.
Holmes, who remained on the sideline Tuesday during drills, angrily pulled himself out of OTAs last week because he said he was taking too many snaps after just returning from a goodwill trip to Germany. Holmes said last week that he wasn't injured, but coach Rex Ryan confirmed that the receiver tweaked a hamstring.
"He just knew it was tight and, like I've mentioned before, veteran players know their bodies better than anybody," Ryan said. "When they sense that, 'Hey, you know, I'm tight. I'm getting ready to pull,' it's obviously better to pull yourself out of the drill than sustain an injury. I think that's where Santonio was last week."
Holmes did agility drills during the two-hour practice, but did not participate in team or individual drills. He declined to speak to the media Tuesday, saying he would talk instead on Wednesday.
Holmes was just one of a handful of wide receivers ailing at the start of minicamp. Second-round pick Stephen Hill has a hamstring issue, as do Jeremy Kerley, Patrick Turner, Chaz Schilens, Royce Pollard and DaMarcus Ganaway. Hill didn't practice, while Kerley and Turner were limited.
"Obviously, I think I've probably pushed the wideout group, in particular, a little too hard," Ryan said.
Safety LaRon Landry, recovering from an Achilles injury that shortened his season with Washington a year ago, was with the team but didn't practice. Landry, who was not a regular participant during organized team activities, worked out on his own after choosing a non-surgical rehabilitation for his injury.
He spent much of the time during practice doing agility drills and also talking with fellow safeties Eric Smith and Yeremiah Bell. The team hopes to have Landry ready to go for training camp, but Ryan acknowledged that he didn't expect him to be healthy yet.
"He's doing what he thinks is going to give him the best opportunity to be successful in the fall," Ryan said. "I know his heart is in the right place and I know he wants to be healthy."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
