Angus
Active Member
- Messages
- 5,097
- Reaction score
- 20
Captaining an NFL team is a badge of honor
by Rick Gosselin
01:58 AM CDT on Thursday, October 25, 2007
Most Americans vote once a year. NFL players vote twice.
In December, NFL players are asked to vote on the Pro Bowl teams. But that's often a vote on reputation. In many cases, Pro Bowlers are elected sight unseen. Quarterback Tom Brady will be voted to the AFC Pro Bowl team again this season even though he will have played against only nine of the 16 teams in the AFC in 2007.
The other vote comes in September. The players are asked in that one to vote on men they see every day in practice – men they see on a daily basis throughout the spring and summer at minicamps, quarterback schools and training camp.
There's no reputation involved in that September vote. This one is all about respect. This vote is for team captains.
"It's one of the greatest honors you can have as a player," Tennessee defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "It doesn't come from the coaches, the media or the fans. It comes from your teammates. You can't fake leadership. You can't fake hard work. Your teammates know. They're there with you every day."
The NFL decided to honor captains in a special way this season, awarding them patches with a C to wear on the front of their jerseys. Titans coach Jeff Fisher, a member of the NFL competition committee, loved the idea.
"I've always been intrigued by hockey and how they identify their captains," Fisher said. "I think it's a neat gesture."
A neat gesture for a prestigious honor. There are 1,696 players in the NFL. Only 131 of them wear the C on a weekly basis. This vote is the elite culling the elite."I'd say 70 percent of all the guys in the NFL were captains in college," Fisher said. "That's the one question we ask at our combine interviews and predraft interviews every year – 'Were you a captain? If you weren't, then who was the captain ... and why did you vote for him as captain?' "
Obviously leadership is a premium commodity on NFL draft boards. It's an even greater commodity in locker rooms and on the field. There's more to a captaincy than wearing the C on game day. Leadership is a daily responsibility.
"A captain is going to set an example," Fisher said. "He's going to practice every day and he's going to play hard. He's going to be on time. He's going to do the right things for the right reasons."
Under Mike Holmgren, the Seattle Seahawks have voted on captains twice each season – once in September before the start of the season and again in December before the playoffs. They'd pick three in September and three more in December, one each for offense, defense and special teams.
Linebacker Lofa Tatupu was not voted a captain in September of his rookie season in 2005. But after leading the Seahawks in tackles and earning his first Pro Bowl berth, he was voted a captain for the playoffs. Team captaincy means more to him than any Pro Bowl.
"I cherish it more than any award I've received," Tatupu said. "These are your guys, your peers. You go through all the off-season workouts with them, all that work in camp with them, and they collectively choose you to be their captain. It's not like one person said, 'You're the captain.' It means so much to me."
Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu has been to the Pro Bowl, but he says getting elected team captain is an even higher honor.
AP
Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu has been to the Pro Bowl, but he says getting elected team captain is an even higher honor.
Only six teams declined to elect permanent captains in 2007: Baltimore, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Washington. The coaches assign captains on a weekly basis on those teams.
"I use that as a reward for play each week," Eagles coach Andy Reid said.
Two teams elected an army of captains. The San Francisco 49ers selected 10 players and the St. Louis Rams nine. The Colts and Cincinnati Bengals were at the other end of the spectrum, voting only two captains apiece, one on offense and one defense.
Captains had long been a silent minority in the NFL, moving quietly among their teammates on game day without any fanfare. But the C on the jersey changes all that.
"When we go out [to the field] each week, I check to see who's wearing the C's for the other team," Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. "That lets you know who the team leaders are."
Manning is a captain of the Colts. Vanden Bosch is a captain of the Titans. Tatupu has now been voted a captain each of his three NFL seasons. But he's not a fan of the C he must wear on his jersey.
"It singles you out," Tatupu said, "and I don't like that. I'm honored to be a captain, but I don't think that's necessary. Everyone who voted you knows you're the captain. I don't think you need to be put out there like that."
To other players, that C is a badge of honor. Titans center and captain Kevin Mawae says it signifies character, hard work and a refusal to take shortcuts.
"This transcends the football field," Mawae said. "It's what you do for your community, what type of family life you have and things like that. As a team captain, you should be a well-rounded person – not faultless by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely be an example in all aspects of your life."
NFL CAPTAINS UP CLOSE
? Of the 26 teams that elected captains, 18 chose a quarterback. Surprisingly, that wasn't the top position. There were 21 middle or inside linebackers elected.
? The Cowboys voted Jason Witten an offensive captain – one of only two tight ends leaguewide to receive that honor. Atlanta's Alge Crumpler was the other.
? NFL coaches will tell you the game is divided in thirds with offense, defense and special teams each accounting for 33 percent of the weekly result. But special teams don't command 33 percent of the respect. Seven teams selected offensive and defensive captains but none on special teams.
? Leaguewide, there were 50 captains elected on offense, 55 on defense and 26 on special teams.
NFL CAPTAINS BY POSITION
ILB QB OLB WR DE K S C
21 18 13 13 9 9 9 8
DT CB FB HB P G OT TE
7 5 4 4 4 3 2 2
BIG MEN OFF CAMPUS
The NFL's 131 seasonlong captains represent 73 colleges. Schools that have produced the most team captains:
School No.
Georgia 6
Nebraska 6
Miami 5
Florida State 4
Ohio State 4
Southern California 4
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedc.../nfl/stories/102507dnspogosselin.38254d8.html
by Rick Gosselin
01:58 AM CDT on Thursday, October 25, 2007
Most Americans vote once a year. NFL players vote twice.
In December, NFL players are asked to vote on the Pro Bowl teams. But that's often a vote on reputation. In many cases, Pro Bowlers are elected sight unseen. Quarterback Tom Brady will be voted to the AFC Pro Bowl team again this season even though he will have played against only nine of the 16 teams in the AFC in 2007.
The other vote comes in September. The players are asked in that one to vote on men they see every day in practice – men they see on a daily basis throughout the spring and summer at minicamps, quarterback schools and training camp.
There's no reputation involved in that September vote. This one is all about respect. This vote is for team captains.
"It's one of the greatest honors you can have as a player," Tennessee defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "It doesn't come from the coaches, the media or the fans. It comes from your teammates. You can't fake leadership. You can't fake hard work. Your teammates know. They're there with you every day."
The NFL decided to honor captains in a special way this season, awarding them patches with a C to wear on the front of their jerseys. Titans coach Jeff Fisher, a member of the NFL competition committee, loved the idea.
"I've always been intrigued by hockey and how they identify their captains," Fisher said. "I think it's a neat gesture."
A neat gesture for a prestigious honor. There are 1,696 players in the NFL. Only 131 of them wear the C on a weekly basis. This vote is the elite culling the elite."I'd say 70 percent of all the guys in the NFL were captains in college," Fisher said. "That's the one question we ask at our combine interviews and predraft interviews every year – 'Were you a captain? If you weren't, then who was the captain ... and why did you vote for him as captain?' "
Obviously leadership is a premium commodity on NFL draft boards. It's an even greater commodity in locker rooms and on the field. There's more to a captaincy than wearing the C on game day. Leadership is a daily responsibility.
"A captain is going to set an example," Fisher said. "He's going to practice every day and he's going to play hard. He's going to be on time. He's going to do the right things for the right reasons."
Under Mike Holmgren, the Seattle Seahawks have voted on captains twice each season – once in September before the start of the season and again in December before the playoffs. They'd pick three in September and three more in December, one each for offense, defense and special teams.
Linebacker Lofa Tatupu was not voted a captain in September of his rookie season in 2005. But after leading the Seahawks in tackles and earning his first Pro Bowl berth, he was voted a captain for the playoffs. Team captaincy means more to him than any Pro Bowl.
"I cherish it more than any award I've received," Tatupu said. "These are your guys, your peers. You go through all the off-season workouts with them, all that work in camp with them, and they collectively choose you to be their captain. It's not like one person said, 'You're the captain.' It means so much to me."
Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu has been to the Pro Bowl, but he says getting elected team captain is an even higher honor.
AP
Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu has been to the Pro Bowl, but he says getting elected team captain is an even higher honor.
Only six teams declined to elect permanent captains in 2007: Baltimore, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Washington. The coaches assign captains on a weekly basis on those teams.
"I use that as a reward for play each week," Eagles coach Andy Reid said.
Two teams elected an army of captains. The San Francisco 49ers selected 10 players and the St. Louis Rams nine. The Colts and Cincinnati Bengals were at the other end of the spectrum, voting only two captains apiece, one on offense and one defense.
Captains had long been a silent minority in the NFL, moving quietly among their teammates on game day without any fanfare. But the C on the jersey changes all that.
"When we go out [to the field] each week, I check to see who's wearing the C's for the other team," Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. "That lets you know who the team leaders are."
Manning is a captain of the Colts. Vanden Bosch is a captain of the Titans. Tatupu has now been voted a captain each of his three NFL seasons. But he's not a fan of the C he must wear on his jersey.
"It singles you out," Tatupu said, "and I don't like that. I'm honored to be a captain, but I don't think that's necessary. Everyone who voted you knows you're the captain. I don't think you need to be put out there like that."
To other players, that C is a badge of honor. Titans center and captain Kevin Mawae says it signifies character, hard work and a refusal to take shortcuts.
"This transcends the football field," Mawae said. "It's what you do for your community, what type of family life you have and things like that. As a team captain, you should be a well-rounded person – not faultless by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely be an example in all aspects of your life."
NFL CAPTAINS UP CLOSE
? Of the 26 teams that elected captains, 18 chose a quarterback. Surprisingly, that wasn't the top position. There were 21 middle or inside linebackers elected.
? The Cowboys voted Jason Witten an offensive captain – one of only two tight ends leaguewide to receive that honor. Atlanta's Alge Crumpler was the other.
? NFL coaches will tell you the game is divided in thirds with offense, defense and special teams each accounting for 33 percent of the weekly result. But special teams don't command 33 percent of the respect. Seven teams selected offensive and defensive captains but none on special teams.
? Leaguewide, there were 50 captains elected on offense, 55 on defense and 26 on special teams.
NFL CAPTAINS BY POSITION
ILB QB OLB WR DE K S C
21 18 13 13 9 9 9 8
DT CB FB HB P G OT TE
7 5 4 4 4 3 2 2
BIG MEN OFF CAMPUS
The NFL's 131 seasonlong captains represent 73 colleges. Schools that have produced the most team captains:
School No.
Georgia 6
Nebraska 6
Miami 5
Florida State 4
Ohio State 4
Southern California 4
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedc.../nfl/stories/102507dnspogosselin.38254d8.html