Tuesday, April 21, 2009
By Vic Ketchman, jaguars.com senior editor
Torry Holt said reports of his decline have been greatly exaggerated.
“A lot of that stuff about my knee and not being effective was all false. You never saw me missing games. I think it came down to us not being that good offensively. Everyone struggled,” Holt said of his final season with the St. Louis Rams, in which Holt caught a career-low 64 passes last year.
Holt was signed by the Jaguars to a three-year contract on Monday. He immediately becomes the Jaguars’ number one receiver and it’s expected that he’ll be joined on the roster by a drafted wide receiver.
“To be able to catch 64 passes in a disgruntled organization was actually pretty good. All this talk about my decline is false,” said Holt, who claims he can play “another six years.”
“We feel we’ve signed a starter,” Jaguars General Manager Gene Smith said of Holt. “We signed an outstanding individual. He’s someone who cares about others; a positive veteran influence in the locker room.”
Holt was thought to be headed for Tennessee, but a deal never materialized.
“I really liked Tennessee. I didn’t make that a secret. I thought the feeling was mutual, but they didn’t give us anything to work with. They made a big splash with Nate Washington, so they felt there was no need to bring in a guy like me and talk contract,” Holt said.
Once the Titans faded from the picture, the Jaguars reentered and progress on a contract was made quickly.
“He’s not in his prime years, but I do think he has a lot left and can play at a winning level,” Smith said.