As an experienced player, you know offseason time very well. You know what's involved, and you develop your own routines. Vikings quarterback Ben Holmes has never been able to do that. The 30-year-old has already played for several teams and almost every year somewhere else.

It all began at Orchard Park High School. Holmes then moved to Nassau Community College and three years later to University of Tarleton State. This was followed by stops at the Arizona Rattlers and Sea Lions in the Indoor Football League. 
After a short time with the New Jersey Generals, Holmes moved to Canada and the CFL. Here he played for the Montreal Alouettes, Edmonton Elks and Toronto Argonauts. He was usually not staying with teams for a longer time.

Not an easy situation, because of many relocations, coaches and new playbooks. But things have changed: Holmes has been playing for Vienna Vikings since 2024 - where he will now stay for another year. 

Home visit as preparation 

"I think for me, this offseason is the first year that I really know where I'm going to be at”, Holmes explains. He adds: "In my other six years of being a professional football player, I was going to different teams, learned new offenses, and now I can really concentrate on my craft and take the mental side off it a little bit."

The New York-born American spends a lot of his offseason in his home country, especially in Stephenville, Texas, where Holmes attended university. He still maintains good contacts with the school. After all, Holmes learned the game under Todd Whitten, who is still the school's head coach.  

"He welcomed me with open arms, and I can come out to practice and chitchat with him a little bit and work on my mental side of the game as well", says Holmes. Here, the quarterback keeps himself in shape for new tasks with the Vienna Vikings. He is allowed to use the facilities and work with the strength coach and local receivers, he reveals. 

He also often meets up with old school friends who now work as coaches. "I have a pretty good relationship with the quarterbacks coach Adam Austin", he mentions for example. "I'm really familiar with the staff and they've been super welcoming. So it's going to be a pretty fun offseason."

Off to Vienna with the whole family

Holmes plans to return to Vienna in mid of April. However, he will not be alone: his fiancée, his daughter and his youngest son, who the family is expecting in December, will join him. "So the whole family will come from start to finish, which is really good", says Holmes.

Until then, he is preparing for the new ELF season with online meetings in addition to working with his old college. "What we did in Vienna is kind of what we did here at Tarleton back in the days. So I'll try to pick their brain a little, especially with coach Whitten", whom Holmes describes as his mentor. "He's someone I look up to."

Holmes is looking forward to the time ahead and everything that awaits him next season: "I think all that hard work in the offseason will pay off during the regular season."

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