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C is for captain, M is for mess
Cold, Hard Football Facts for September 15, 2007
By Jonathan Comey
Cold, Hard Football Facts associate captain
Assess the following two Cold, Hard Football Facts and ask yourself if they make any kind of sense:
Cold, Hard Football Fact No. 1: Bills quarterback J.P. Losman (above left), wore a captain's "C" on the upper right shoulder of his jersey this past Sunday, indicating his leadership role with the Bills (who he has led to nine wins in the past three-plus seasons).
Cold, Hard Football Fact No. 2. Packers quarterback Brett Favre did not wear that same captain’s “C” Sunday, despite starting his 240th consecutive game for the Packers (and winning it, his record-tying 148th NFL victory).
Confused? So was everyone else.
But that was the NFL's captaincy program in Week 1, a damned good idea that was poorly orchestrated by the league and ill-explained to Football Nation.
In August, the league sent out a press release on the "emphasis on captains,” shortly before the season. This was not a particularly big deal, as teams had long been elected game captains throughout the season, mostly on a game-by-game basis.
But part of the announcement was that teams would have "C" emblems on the jerseys, which was pretty intriguing. The captain "C" and assistant "A"s in hockey are two of the sport's most enduring symbols, and the concept brimmed with possibility for the NFL.
Most football types assumed that all teams would be wearing the captain insignias, because, well, why would one team have them and others not?
Wasn’t this a league rule?
Therein lay the rub, and perhaps even the strip steak to put it on.
This was no league mandate – this was a strong suggestion, something that came up at a players council meeting with new commissioner Roger Goodell. The players suggested it, Goodell liked it, the coaches liked it, and it was so.
But somewhere along the line, the specifics slipped out of the league’s grasp like a wobbly spiral on a rainy November night.
Week 1 was rousing good fun for football junkies everywhere, but in terms of the captain “C”s it was a complete disaster.
Some teams had them, some teams didn’t, with no rhyme or reason given by the networks pre-game or in-game.
In addition, the announcing teams did very little to spotlight the insignias during the games - no features, no graphics, nothing, just passing mentions
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There were no explanations as to why one team would have the Cs and one wouldn’t, as happened in several games (Patriots-Jets, Cowboys-Giants, for example).
Clearly, signals from league headquarters were to deemphasize the “C.” If the league had felt comfortable with it, the captain change would have been something the fans knew about in every city.
Instead, it was buried, right out in the open.
Well, the Cold, Hard Football Facts likes nothing better than to help dig up the truth and share it with brave Trolls everywhere, so here’s what we know about “NFL Captain Fiasco Gate 2007!”
1. Captains must be elected for a year-long term to qualify for the “C"
Several teams chose not to name season-long captains, opting instead to select their captains on a week-to-week basis: Baltimore, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Washington.
This explains some notable “C”-less players, like Ray Lewis, Favre and Donovan McNabb, who must all be at least somewhat miffed at the lesser lights like Losman being honored league-wide.
2. Teams can only have six players wear the “C”
If you wondered why Tom Brady – as obvious a captain as there is in the league – didn’t have a “C,” it’s because the Patriots elected seven captains (yes, Brady was one of them). The Rams selected nine, including the offensive law firm of Bulger, Jackson, Holt and Bruce.
And in San Francisco, head coach Mike Nolan showed he likes captains as much as he likes snazzy suits – the Niners named 11 team captains, plus three more on a week-to-week basis.
One Joe Montana would have done nicely instead, but let’s not get stuck in the past.
3. Teams can also do whatever floats their boat
Houston is planning to re-vote on their captains in midseason, which seems to go away from the “year-long captain” concept. Yet Andre Johnson, DeMeco Ryans and kicker Kris Brown all got to wear Cs in Week 1.
Meanwhile the Chargers named five season captains, including LaDainian Tomlinson, but didn’t wear Cs against the Bears. The Cowboys had four captains, but no C’s.
4. We still don't know what's up with the stars
As to the four stars in the patch that appear below the “C,” the rumors were that these are supposed to be color-coded to represent different levels of captaincy somehow.
Sounds neat, like playing Stratego.
But no mention was made of stars in the league release, and we're damned if we can figure it out. We'll keep trying though.
5. Apparently, offensive tackles and tight ends aren’t big on leadership
There were 26 teams that named permanent captains (semi-permanent in Houston’s case), and 135 total captains.
Yet only two tackles managed to earn the “C:” Jonas Jennings of captain-happy San Fran and Wayne Gandy of the Falcons. And two tight ends: Alge Crumpler of Atlanta and Jason Witten of Dallas.
Meanwhile, 33 of the 135 captains are linebackers (many of them special teams).
And 18 of the 26 teams have a "C" planted on the right arms of their quarterbacks – although it's Trent Dilfer, not Alex Smith in San Francisco. (Yes, Dilfer, the 2000 Super Bowl champion, is still in the NFL, and a captain no less.)
The Week 1 starting QBs on permanent-captain teams who didn’t earn the insignia: Matt Leinart (Arizona), Joey Harrington (Atlanta), Rex Grossman (Chicago), Matt Schaub (Houston), Damon Huard (Kansas City), Josh McCown (Oakland), Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh), Alex Smith (San Francisco), Charlie Frye (Cleveland).
The breakdown of captains:
- QB – 18
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RB – 8
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WR – 13
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TE – 2
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T – 2
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G – 3
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C – 8
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DT – 6
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DE – 12
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LB – 33
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CB – 5
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S – 10
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K – 9
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P – 4
6. Great idea, but the NFL needs to make some changes
The NFL is a success in part because of its wonderful nuance, and this captain idea is a winning nuance. It worked great for hockey, and if the NFL can figure out a way to get everyone acting in a more unified fashion, it could be a great tradition in the league for the next 50 years.
But it just doesn’t make sense to have J.P. Losman running around with a "C" on his chest while future Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions Tom Brady, Ray Lewis and Brett Favre dress like mortals. The league should get the “C” on all of its high-profile players – rewrite the rules, if they have to. It’s not like anyone really cares.
Let’s face it, the captain’s insignias aren’t going to change the course of human events – or the outcome of games. They're just an interesting sidelight off of the main stage ... but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be the best they can be.
So, with that, we leave it to the man who wears the "C" on the lapel of his NFL suit: Roger Goodell, a.k.a. the Gridiron Godfather.
C'mon, Roger. Make your teams an offer that they can't refuse.
Aye, aye, captain!
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