2017 Team Captains
- Thread starter Lion8286
- Start date
I think it's the first time we ever had a kicker for one of the captains.
Looks like a solid group of leaders.
Looks like a solid group of leaders.
almost as many captains as asst. ads.
Solid group of leaders distributed throughout the team. Can't have too much leadership when it's by example.
I know this has an 'everybody gets a trophy' feel to it, but keep in mind, three of these guys are only juniors.
And look at some of the names who are not on this list: Gesicki, Mahon, Nelson, Cothre(a)n, Campbell, all of these guys are established leaders who came here during the 'dark times' and have stuck it out and done everything right. I'm probably missing a few other guys as well.
Hopefully this is just a squad teeming with maturity, leadership and class. There are probably a few future coaches in their midst..
And look at some of the names who are not on this list: Gesicki, Mahon, Nelson, Cothre(a)n, Campbell, all of these guys are established leaders who came here during the 'dark times' and have stuck it out and done everything right. I'm probably missing a few other guys as well.
Hopefully this is just a squad teeming with maturity, leadership and class. There are probably a few future coaches in their midst..
If you have Nick Scott playing a significant role on special teams, then this breaks down to 2 captains for special teams and 3 each for offense and defense. I don't have a problem with that.
Interesting. I am curious..... What would having no captains mean to you?
I'm all for recognizing solid leadership via naming captains before the season. Sets in place the examples, the expectations, the responsibilities, etc. for not only those named, but for the entire team, that go along with that honor.
This year, 8 is a lot (and is enough!), but I expect this will be the exception. If 8 have earned the distinction, that speaks volumes for what a terrific group of teammates this squad is, imo.
Naming no captains to me is more along the lines of everyone gets a participation trophy. Merit is not being recognized, and an important aspiration is taken away from those who are working toward that honor.
In my opinion naming no captains indicates that the players are motivated enough that they don't need a peer to lead by example. And with 8 captains named, I would imagine there are a few guys asking why they weren't named captain.
Thanks for the reply.
Does this hold true for freshmen, too? They, more than any other group, need to see leadership by example from their teammates, imo.
My thought on that -
Even with a large group of Type A personalities, which is what a highly-functioning football team most often is, you need leaders to emerge to keep the whole group's expectations on track and continuing in the right direction. The group needs some peers to have the unquestioned authority to step in when someone is not performing or behaving to expectations, or to simply serve as a daily reminder of what the larger goals are for the group. And that cannot always be the coaches, in the case of a football team. Just as it cannot always be the CEO or HR in the case of a business.
If this group has enough self-motivated people, as you say (and I agree they certainly do), I don't think the first thing going through their minds will be 'why wasn't I selected?', which is sort of a 'poor me' 'tude, imo. I think the question they will ask themselves is "what can I do better or more consistently to earn the honor of being a captain (or whatever they aspire to be) the next time around?" Motivated people look for opportunities to learn and grow, often from both formal and informal training, such as group observation. The coaches can and should help guide them there, of course.
Again, all my opinion, based on experiences.
Given that they are elected by their peers, not just the coaches, maybe a bunch of them tied in regards to votes, so they were all honored which is the way a "meritocracy" functions.
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I think it can go either way. I think an argument can be made that not naming captains sends a message to each of the kids that this is big time football, you are grown men, we respect you as grown men and we are treating like men. (i.e. You don't need to have somebody tell you what to do.) At the same time, that sends a message to the team to police yourselves. Saquon Barkley is going to be push his teammates whether he is named a captain or not. But I think Miles Sanders will be doing the same.
As for guys wondering why they weren't selected, these guys are all trying to crack the lineup. These guys were all the best player of their high school. But they are all motivated by different things, including jealousy. There was a recent article about Saquon discussing his relationship with Andre Robinson. He said that he didn't like him when he first met him because he was the competition. He also said that he was always working out in the gym telling himself that Andre is probably in the gym as well.
In any case, I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if no captains were selected. It wouldn't surprise me if a great majority of the guys don't care if they are named a captain.
I think it can go either way. I think an argument can be made that not naming captains sends a message to each of the kids that this is big time football, you are grown men, we respect you as grown men and we are treating like men. (i.e. You don't need to have somebody tell you what to do.) At the same time, that sends a message to the team to police yourselves. Saquon Barkley is going to be push his teammates whether he is named a captain or not. But I think Miles Sanders will be doing the same.
As for guys wondering why they weren't selected, these guys are all trying to crack the lineup. These guys were all the best player of their high school. But they are all motivated by different things, including jealousy. There was a recent article about Saquon discussing his relationship with Andre Robinson. He said that he didn't like him when he first met him because he was the competition. He also said that he was always working out in the gym telling himself that Andre is probably in the gym as well.
In any case, I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if no captains were selected. It wouldn't surprise me if a great majority of the guys don't care if they are named a captain.
Thanks for the reply, Nitanee. Enjoyed the discussion.
Here's to us both greatly enjoying the upcoming season!
