The Miami Dolphins have announced their team captains for the 2011 season. The team chose to have 4 captains on a permanent basis this year, with the fifth slot reserved for a coach's selection each week.
Your 2011 captains are:
Jake Long
Karlos Dansby
Yeremiah Bell
Chad Henne
That's right. As much as fans have wanted to see Henne replaced this off season, the team elected him to the captain's position. "I've been saying all along, he's the leader of our offense and a leader on our team," Long said of the election of his University of Michigan and Miami Dolphins teammate. "He did a great job this offseason, and he's been doing a great job this training camp, really stepping into that leadership role. I'm happy for him. He deserves it and he's been the rock on our offense and got voted captain for a reason."
Head Coach Tony Sparano spoke aboout the four captains. "I felt like a year ago, that our team leadership was outstanding with the three captains that we had. Those three captains, I though, did a great job under hard circumstances and really kept the team together. They're good voices, and with the addition of Chad now, and the team speakin out that way, I was really pleased to see that. I think it's a good combination and I think anytime your quarterback can be one of those guys, although he doesn't really have to be, I think it says an awful lot about the team, and what they've seen in him.
"I'm sure it means a lot to Chad," Sparano continued, "to have the respect of his teammate that way. It's something that I think the guy's worked awful hard at and, this summer I think went a long way with that."
The fifth captain had been previously held by special teamer Patrick Cobbs. Now, the coaching staff will look to rotate it to deserving players, especially if kicker Dan Carpenter or punter Brandon Fields dominate during the week.
"We all mesh, and at the end of the day, what four better guys could you pick?" safety Yermiah Bell said about his reelection as a captain. "I really took a look when we were in the offseason and Chad was running the OTAs, and I thought that was really big of him. Despite all the noise that was around him, and things going on, I still looked up to him just because of what he was doing. He wasn't sure if he was going to be the guy here or not, but at the same time, he didn't care about that. He just wanted to make sure that the offesnive guys were getting the game plan and putting a new offense in, and he did a great job."