The Buccaneers have a history of curious captain votes. This year’s is curious because it hasn’t happened yet.
Via JoeBucsFan.com, coach Dirk Koetter said Friday night on the Buccaneers Radio Network that the player vote for captains will happen, in time.
“At some point in the year we’re going to have the players vote on permanent captains,” Koetter said. “We’re just doing something a little bit different this year.”
The reason for the delay seems obvious: With quarterback Jameis Winston suspended three games, it made no sense to conduct a permanent captain vote before Week One. The coin-toss captains for the Saints game were receiver Mike Evans, center Ryan Jensen, guard Ali Marpet, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, linebacker Kwon Alexander, and linebacker Lavonte David.
The performance of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick further complicates the issue. If he continues to play well (and if the Bucs continue to win), a pewter wave could overtake the ballot box, if the vote is held when Winston returns. If Koetter plans to put Winston back on the field, the coach may want to wait until the quarterback re-establishes himself before opening the precincts.
The team’s captain vote sparked plenty of speculation and controversy in 2013, when former quarterback Josh Freeman wasn’t one of the captains. Some wondered at the time whether former Bucs coach Greg Schiano #RIGGED the voting.