From the beginning, new Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has talked of the importance of having an open mind. Let things play out through training camp and the exhibition games, he has said time and again. The tough decisions regarding player personnel will become obvious.

So it is with the team's split end position.

Santonio Holmes has to be the starter.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Wide receiver Santonio Holmes is the team's home run hitter and has to be the starter. Click photo for larger image.

"He's one of our home run hitters," quarterback Charlie Batch said.

That's one reason.

"I can do it all over the field," Holmes said.

That's another.

That's why it was nice to see Tomlin bump Holmes up to the first group this week, ahead of Cedrick Wilson, in time for the third exhibition game Saturday night at Washington. It was inevitable, really. It would have happened at the start of training camp if not for an undisclosed, non-football related surgical procedure that forced Holmes to miss the first week.

Holmes showed he was healthy and dangerous Saturday against the Green Bay Packers by getting behind cornerback Will Blackmon and safeties Atari Bigby and Marviel Underwood to turn a deep ball from Batch into a 49-yard gain. Actually, he showed it the week before against the New Orleans Saints when he blew by cornerback Jason David to catch a 41-yard pass from quarterback Brian St. Pierre. He completed that drive moments later by catching a 3-yard touchdown pass, beating corner Jason Craft with a sweet fade pattern in the right corner of the end zone.

I can do it all over the field ...

It is Holmes' big-play capabilities that are so intriguing. Teammate Nate Washington also can get deep, but he doesn't always catch the ball. That can be a problem for a wide receiver, you might have heard. Holmes is much more reliable.

2006 NFL rookie leaders
RECEIVING
Player	Team	Yards
Marques Colston	Saints	1,038
Santonio Holmes	Steelers	824
Reggie Bush	Saints	742
Greg Jennings	Packers	632
Hank Baskett	Eagles	464
RECEPTIONS
Player	Team	No.
Reggie Bush	Saints	88
Marques Colston	Saints	70
Santonio Holmes	Steelers	49
Maurice Jones-Drew	Jaguars	46
Greg Jennings	Packers	45

"He's got deceptive speed. It's like he's a glider," Batch said. "There are times you think you put the ball out there too far for him, but he puts it in another gear and goes and gets it."

Holmes showed his burst on the final play of last season. He took a slant pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in overtime in Cincinnati, sliced through linebacker Brian Simmons and cornerback Tory James before they could squeeze him and outran safety Madieu Williams to the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown.

The play didn't just send Bill Cowher out a winner in his final game as Steelers coach ...

"It gave Santonio the confidence to know he can take it all the way on any given play," Batch said.

Well, yeah, there was that, but I was thinking more about how it made a lot of people forget about Holmes' two arrests last year, not long after the Steelers made him their No. 1 draft choice, before he even joined the team.

Funny how that works, isn't it?

Funny how terrific talent trumps just about all.

Give Holmes credit for winning the fans over the right way after his rough start. It helped that charges against him for disorderly conduct in Miami and domestic violence in Columbus, Ohio, were dropped. It also helped that he kept improving as his rookie season went on. He started the final four games after Wilson's ankle injury and took full advantage of the opportunity with 16 catches for 320 yards and that overtime touchdown, throwing in a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown against Carolina Dec. 17 as a bonus.

Holmes' finish last season and his start this summer have eased concerns about the Steelers' mostly young group of receivers. Hines Ward, Holmes, Wilson, Washington, Willie Reid and Walter Young aren't bad, especially when Washington holds on to the ball. There might not even be a roster spot for Young; all he did against the Packers was catch a 41-yard touchdown pass from Batch.

The good news is there's a spot in the starting lineup again for Holmes. That means there's plenty of potential for him to have many more postgame conversations this season like the one he had with the Packers' Blackmon the other night.

"I know him. We came out [of college] together and trained together in Orlando," Holmes said.

"Oh, yeah, I made sure we talked after the game. I told him, 'I got you that time. I beat you deep.' "

That's why Holmes has to start.

Tomlin was right.

It's become obvious.