BY NICK ST. DENIS
Question of who will be back and who won't surround the Jets this week.
One thing is certain: The "C" on players' jerseys will be a sure casualty for Gang Green.
After the Santonio Holmes debacle Sunday, Jets coach Rex Ryan decided that the Jets will no longer have designated "captains," at least while he's running the show. Holmes was one of five captains for New York this season.
"To be honest with you, this is something that I think I made a huge mistake on," Ryan told the media Monday. "Not just by naming Santonio a captain, but all of the captain things. It's not something I truly believe in. That's something I mentioned to you at the beginning of the year. But I put that “C” on their jerseys. And this is not a reflection of anybody in particular, but we are not going to have those anymore."
Quarterback Mark Sanchez, defensive tackle Sione Pouha, safety Eric Smith and cornerback Darrelle Revis were the Jets' other four captains this season. Sanchez is the offense's leader, Revis is one of the best defensive players in the game, and Pouha and Smith are longtime Jets who obviously have the respect of their teammates. Holmes, having played with the Jets for a just one year until that point, didn't seem to fit into that group to begin with.
"The way we built our team is we built a team," Ryan continued. "And I think that pulls away from the team a little bit. It may work for other franchises, but it doesn't work for me. And there's several things, when I look back on it, why we were not successful. We are going to stay to our belief, and our belief is building a football team."
"People ask me why you go to Cortland [for training camp]. Well, that's because I want to build a team and all those type of things. I think it recognizes individuals and not the team, and I think that it's something I'm not a believer in, and I was uncomfortable when I made that decision and obviously I look at it now as it was a mistake."
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