2015 Captains?

[irishfan]

This topic has been spread out in a bunch of different threads, so I figured I would dedicate one to that discussion. I did a quick search and couldn't find a 2015 thread for this, so this can be deleted if need be. Last year they were announced August 27th, so should be in the next 2-3 weeks.

So many people to choose from. Martin and Day seem to be locks as they were captains last season. I think the coaches would be hesitant to pick Zaire due to his lack of game experience. By all accounts he is a gamer, but he could pull a 2011 Crist in Week 1 for all we know. There hasn't been much chatter about Stanley or any of the skill position guys, but I'd imagine they'll go with 2 offensive and 2 defensive guys like last season. We seem to have more leadership on the defensive side of the ball between Day, Schmidt, Jaylon, Grace, KVR, and Max. I'm assuming KVR is out due to his past suspension and I wouldn't be surprised if the coaches try and motivate Jaylon/Max to return for 2016 to earn captain roles.

My guess: Martin, Stanley, Day, Schmidt
Who I would personally choose: Martin, Zaire, Day, Jaylon

 

[mgriff]

Martin/Schmidt/Day/Jaylon

I don't see Jaylon coming back next year. I could be wrong but he's great and he's going to be a high pick.

 

[Irishman77]

Martin
Schmitt
Day
Stanley

Any year that your captains are no brainers and are your best players is great

 

[Redbar]

Mine would be Martin, Stanley, Schmidt and Farley. No disrespect to Day or Jaylon. If I had five I would add Day to that.

 

[dublinirish]

C-Mart, Stanley, Jaylon and Sheldon.
I'd pick Schmidt but he's not 100% sure of a starting spot yet

 

[NDdomer2]

Quotes from yesterday's presser:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BK: "We have some of the best leaders we have had at Notre Dame, starting with Joe Schmidt."</p>— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/ISDUpdate/status/629294492760342528">August 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kelly says everyone much more familiar and have better understanding of Brian Van Gorder's defense heading into year two.</p>— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlowndu) <a href="https://twitter.com/angdicarlowndu/status/629294536003555328">August 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When talking about leaders, Kelly mentions linebacker Joe Schmidt first. Also mentions Day, Farley, Grace and Russell.</p>— BlueandGold.com (@BGInews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BGInews/status/629294622444023808">August 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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My guess is your captains are from this group.

 

[Cackalacky]

Martin and Fuller for Offense
Schmidt and Farley for Defense.

 

[irish4ever]

Martin and Stanley for Offense
Schmidt and Farley for Defense

 

[woolybug25]

It boggles my mind that the best player on our team, who is also the undisputed leader of the team, isn't even being considered by everyone as a captain.

There is no more important player on our team than Jaylon, imo.

 

[IrishLax]

Remember previous years when captains were picked by process of elimination instead of really acting like captains? Not this year. KVR, Smith, Schmidt, Day, Zaire, and Martin are all captain material and you can make a case for a half dozen other guys too.

 

[Henges24]

Zaire, Martin, Schmidt, Farley

 

[woolybug25]

Remember previous years when captains were picked by process of elimination instead of really acting like captains? Not this year. KVR, Smith, Schmidt, Day, Zaire, and Martin are all captain material and you can make a case for a half dozen other guys too.

This is my thought as well.

I bolded my preference.

 

[fightingirish26]

Martin and Stanley probably won't both be captains because they're both on the o line

 

[ulukinatme]

I think you should have vocal guys be the captain, guys that the team will look up to when things get rough. The last few years we've had a lot of more introverted/quiet guys that were captains. That were captains because they kept their head down and worked hard, and there's nothing wrong with that and should be commended. I think Day has to be a captain, he's a guy that plays with emotion and just needs to stay healthy. I'd like Zaire to be a captain, but he may be a bit too young...next year for sure if things go well. Schmidt probably has to be a captain I would think. Offensively, outside of Zaire, I'm not sure who would be the guy to push the offense. Maybe you do go back to the OL and go with N-Mart or Stanley. Fuck it, Zaire is the one leading the show now, give him the "C."

 

[bigfish]

Nick Martin for sure. Any possibility of having just three? If so, I'd say Martin, Day, Schmidt.

 

[Te'o4Heisman]

Martin, Smith, KVR, Schmidt

Would love to see BK reward KVR for all the hard work he put into getting back where he is and showing character and dedication to his craft and his team through some tough times. Could easily be said he should have never put himself in that position and should have been out there helping his team last fall, but he is clearly a leader and his swagger and attitude would be incredibly valuable as a captain. He seems like the kind of kid players will rally around and would run through a brick wall for.

 

[Booslum31]

KVR and Smith on Defense
Martin and Zaire on Offense

Well, I consider these guys the best Game-day leaders which is all I get to see...maybe not the best with the other responsibilities.

 

[ulukinatme]

I don't think you can make KVR a captain, even if he did work hard to get back. I said the same thing about Golson last year. How do you reward a player with a captain spot when there were players last year doing all the right things on and off the field? If KVR had another year then yes, make him a captain then.

 

[bigfish]

I don't think you can make KVR a captain, even if he did work hard to get back. I said the same thing about Golson last year. How do you reward a player with a captain spot when there were players last year doing all the right things on and off the field? If KVR had another year then yes, make him a captain then.

Agreed.

 

[woolybug25]

I don't think you can make KVR a captain, even if he did work hard to get back. I said the same thing about Golson last year. How do you reward a player with a captain spot when there were players last year doing all the right things on and off the field? If KVR had another year then yes, make him a captain then.

I think that the captains should be the best leaders on the team... period.

I also don't get why KVR's suspension should even be an issue. He has already been punished for his mistakes. Why does he have to still pay for past mistakes when he has already earned his way back onto the team?

 

[Henges24]

I don't think you can make KVR a captain, even if he did work hard to get back. I said the same thing about Golson last year. How do you reward a player with a captain spot when there were players last year doing all the right things on and off the field? If KVR had another year then yes, make him a captain then.

Was thinking the same thing but I don't think BK was very pleased with how the university handled the situation. And IMO BK is the type of guy to give a big FU to the people that had the official ruling on their suspensions by making KVR a captain.

If not, BK knows deep down inside that KVR should be.

Either way it should be a players vote, if it's not already.

 

[Booslum31]

I think that the captains should be the best leaders on the team... period.

I also don't get why KVR's suspension should even be an issue. He has already been punished for his mistakes. Why does he have to still pay for past mistakes when he has already earned his way back onto the team?

Totally agree! It may be a situation where we shouldn't worry about how something "looks" to some people and just put the "best" leaders out there. When i played college ball 100 years ago the team elected captians...I'm guessing that the coaches make the selections here?

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I think that the captains should be the best leaders on the team... period.

I also don't get why KVR's suspension should even be an issue. He has already been punished for his mistakes. Why does he have to still pay for past mistakes when he has already earned his way back onto the team?

I'm with Wooly, if KVR handled everything behind the scenes then there is no reason to further penalize him. If he's back with the team in full capacity then there should be nothing else hanging over him.

In fact, I think more players would respect him as captain because he didn't just give up. It was far harder to stay away for a year and continually work to rejoin the team. He deserves it as much as anyone for the work he put in to make it back for one final year.

I really hope he's a captain and he works himself into the first round of the draft. He is the epitome of an "ND man". He worked to correct his mistake, he's getting his degree and he looks primed to ball out.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Kelly rewards the vets if they are up to the task. If this is a prediction thread rather than an "I wanna..." thread, then it seems that Joe Schmidt, Sheldon Day, and Nick Martin should be locks.

As to Jaylon, no one I assume has any negatives about him, but there are two things which may not favor our superman for a captaincy:

1). he is not the vocal leader that several of his peers are, and Kelly has said that all the other leaders on defense are great partly because it allows Jaylon to not think too much on the field and just "GO". I doubt that Coach wants to load anything at all extra on Jaylon except First-team All-American playing conditions.

2). It's rare to load the captaincy up on one side of the ball. As Day and Schmidt are essentially already acknowledged Captains, that would likely be another reason for Jaylon not being named.

Kelly and Jaylon seem to have a great relationship and I have seen none of the egocentrism in Jaylon which would become disappointed not to be Captain --- universally respected as a hard-working super-player will be fine by him. Kelly need not hand out an artificial reward to coddle him, and I'll bet that they've talked a bunch about this.

So who's the fourth Captain? It could be Ronnie Stanley, but as has been mentioned one usually doesn't pick two same-unit players. But a second on offense stretches the imagination. Chris Brown is a senior who Kelly likes. ... and has claimed in the past is the leader of the WRs. Kelly has warmed a great deal over time to Will Fuller, now that he at least tries to block somebody, and could go that way. I'll bet that Coach watches Malik VERY closely this camp, but he's worried about Malik's "excitability" as regards his spontaneous comments. I doubt that he goes there.

Coach may end up violating the not-too-many-of-one-kind rule for his fourth. If he does, I'd bet on Matthias Farley --- almost a "specialties" captain.

 

[ulukinatme]

I think that the captains should be the best leaders on the team... period.

I also don't get why KVR's suspension should even be an issue. He has already been punished for his mistakes. Why does he have to still pay for past mistakes when he has already earned his way back onto the team?

I don't think it's about punishing someone who has paid for their mistakes. Rather, it's rewarding those that were already doing the right stuff. I don't think it sends a good message to those players.

 

[woolybug25]

I don't think it's about punishing someone who has paid for their mistakes. Rather, it's rewarding those that were already doing the right stuff. I don't think it sends a good message to those players.

What message does it send? Is he not a full member of the football team? Should he wear a patch that says "cheater" on it? I just don't get why he needs to be singled out for it. He earned his way back, is that not "doing the right stuff"?

Being a captain isn't a reward. It's a responsibility to be a leader for the team.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Responsibility/Reward: it's both. I was always happy to serve but inwardly proud that the team thought that I was the right guy to lead.

 

[woolybug25]

Responsibility/Reward: it's both. I was always happy to serve but inwardly proud that the team thought that I was the right guy to lead.

It can be "rewarding" that you were picked, but I disagree that it is something that is given as a reward for hard work. It's a role on the team. A position of leadership. It isn't a trophy.

 

[ulukinatme]

It can be "rewarding" that you were picked, but I disagree that it is something that is given as a reward for hard work. It's a role on the team. A position of leadership. It isn't a trophy.

I dunno, people wanted to give Golson the captain status last year, I felt the same way then and I have a feeling KVR won't be a captain. Since he didn't redshirt in 2012 he still has another possible year to play, right? In the unlikely event he comes back I say make him a captain for 2016, but I have a feeling he won't get it for 2015. There are guys that are just as deserving that were with the team all last year and working with them in the Spring. There's too many other viable options, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[woolybug25]

I dunno, people wanted to give Golson the captain status last year, I felt the same way then and I have a feeling KVR won't be a captain. Since he didn't redshirt in 2012 he still has another possible year to play, right? In the unlikely event he comes back I say make him a captain for 2016, but I have a feeling he won't get it for 2015. There are guys that are just as deserving that were with the team all last year and working with them in the Spring. There's too many other viable options, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

I honestly don't think that Golson's suspension was the reason for him not being a captain. It was based on the fact that he was a poor leader. Evidenced by Fuller's comments yesterday.

Again... I really don't believe that a player should get a C as a reward. It should be a position of leadership. When you marginalize it as simply a reward for previous hard work, you disregard that the hard work is supposed to come AFTER you get the C.