Andre Holmes compared to Brandon Marshall by Tony Sparano

Andre Holmes career has taken off since he has came to Oakland, becoming a target for Matt McGloin last season and now Derek Carr in 2014 the athletic target has grown into his own as an NFL talent. That was no more evident than last Sunday when Holmes caught two touchdown passes from Carr, also hauling in other big catches along the way to put his name into the forefront as a player on the Raiders with potential to grow. Holmes played so good that many fantasy experts are even touting him as a lucrative waiver wire buy for those looking to add a wideout onto their fantasy rosters going forward this season.

Head coach Tony Sparano added to the Holmes hype bubble during his press conference on Wednesday, comparing the fourth year player who really has just two seasons of solid NFL experience with the Raiders to a famous wideout he coached with the Miami Dolphins. A player who is now easily on of the Top 5 wideouts in the league in the Chicago Bears’ Brandon Marshall.

From Sparano’s Wednesday press conference:

"“I like him to be that kind of guy that creates some of the big plays for us because he’s a big-bodied guy,” said Sparano. “In my time in my previous life there, Brandon Marshall was a guy that was a big-bodied guy that would go up and front the ball up and kind of climb up the back of defensive backs and do those things and you like to have those kind of players. The catches that he’s made since he’s been here, which is really been since I’ve been here, have been those kind of catches, contested catches, down the field,  ball is in the air and he’s jumping over somebody, he’s making the really hard catch. So, that’s been good to see and it’s a comfort for the quarterback when he feels like he can throw it that way and that guy is going to come down with it.”"

Coaches, as well as analysts, are known for making comparisons of any player to a top name for a point of reference so it is unlikely that Sparano’s comparison was meant as anything more than a compliment of Holmes’ world beating performance last Sunday and likely not a direct comparison of abilities to Brandon Marshall’s. However it is promising that Holmes play has grown this season at a time where the Raiders are in need of a second target to pair up with veteran pass catcher James Jones. If Carr and Holmes can continue to connect, expect more lofty comparisons like Sparano’s in the future.