In most cities, the players vote to determine the captains. When it comes to picking the captains of the Jets, coach Rex Ryan is the king.
Ryan previously has identified quarterback Mark Sanchez as one of the team’s captains. Also on the list are receiver Santonio Holmes, defensive tackle Sione Pouha, cornerback Darrelle Revis, and safety Eric Smith, who’ll serve as the special-teams captain.
“This is something that I chose and I chose these guys based on what I see on the practice field, the game field, the classroom, their leadership, what they mean to their units, the pride and everything else,” Ryan said. “How come not [linebacker] David Harris? How come not [safety] Jim Leonhard? This is just what I chose. I just feel this is right and this is what I’ve noticed. You look at the offensive line, Brandon Moore, Mangold, D’Brickashaw [Ferguson] all these guys [could be captains], but I just feel good about these captains.”
On offense, Holmes likely got the call over one of the linemen as a gesture of positive reinforcement. Remember, Ryan enlisted Commissioner Roger Goodell to rip Rex in front of Holmes in order to help the two men develop a connection in 2010. And given that Holmes served a four-game suspension in 2010 under the substance-abuse policy, he likely remains one bad Friday night away from a one-year suspension.
Presumably, Ryan thinks that having the “C” on his jersey will help Holmes resist the urge to roll up a “J”. Allegedly.