For the third time in his football career, Holmes is returning from a significant knee injury. He missed the 1995 season at the University of Texas with torn ligaments. Then he missed five NFL games with Baltimore in 1999 with a sprain and the final eight games with Kansas City in 2004 with a strain.

The Pro Bowl running back was on a record setting-pace when he suffered his injury at the midway point last season. He scored 15 touchdowns in eight games, which put him on track to break his NFL record of 27 in a season, set in 2003.

Holmes also was leading the league in rushing with 892 yards, so a second NFL rushing title also appeared to be within his grasp.

A healthy Holmes is arguably the best back in the NFL. But his goal in 2005 isn’t to reclaim the top rung from Curtis Martin. Nor is his goal to win another rushing or scoring crown.

No, Holmes has altered his goals after spending the off-season rehabilitating his knee back home in Texas.

“There were a number of goals I set in years past in terms of yardage, touchdowns, long runs,” Holmes said. “But right now, it’s about the team. Being from San Antonio and seeing how the city was in an uproar about an NBA championship … It reminded me how badly I want to win.”

“In order for me to win, I truly need all 52 other guys on this team. It’s not about individual goals. We’ve been able to achieve so many of those. But we fell short of the Super Bowl. So it’s a team goal to win.”