Could there be a captain comeback for the New York Jets?
The Jets haven't named permanent captains since 2011, when Rex Ryan erred by making volatile wide receiver Santonio Holmes one of his co-captains. It went so poorly -- Holmes was the root of locker-room dissension -- that Ryan announced at the end of the season that he was abolishing the concept of permanent captains. It was a big story at the time, making back-page headlines. From 2012 to 2014, they named game captains by week.
New coach Todd Bowles is mulling a return to the old way.
"I haven't made a decision on that one yet," he said Monday in a phone interview. "I probably will in about a week. I'll get a better feel as camp goes on."
Bowles has been around the NFL for a long time as a player and a coach, and he has seen it both ways -- permanent and week-to-week.
"I've been there when we had [permanent] captains, and the captains got hurt and then we had no captains because they were out for the year," he said.
If Bowles decides to go that route, the most likely candidates would be Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, David Harris and Darrelle Revis -- well-respected players, all of whom were drafted by the Jets.
The Jets reporting to training camp Wednesday in Florham Park, New Jersey. The first practice is Thursday.
