In a year that has already featured a great many changes with how the Chicago Bears operate, the team announcing season-long captains is one that will bring smiles to faces.
Quarterback Justin Fields, linebacker Roquan Smith, offensive lineman Cody Whitehair, and defensive end Robert Quinn are captains:
And as an additional bonus, David Montgomery gets the call as the Week 1 honorary captain. No arguments here. It’s a pretty good group.
I had chills down my spine watching that reveal. I love it. Not only from the perspective of a fresh start. But also the symbolism in naming these specific captains.
Fields is QB1, which makes him an obvious choice. Smith is the quarterback of the defense, so that was an easy one. Whitehair is the longest-tenured Bears player. On either side of the ball. Put some respect on the name of a player who has persevered through the John Fox and Matt Nagy eras. And then there is Quinn, the most experienced and accomplished player in the locker room. Quinn, 32, is coming off a record-setting season with the Bears. And after an offseason in which his future felt like it was up-in-the-air, not only is Quinn still with the Bears, he is a captain, too. How can you not love it?
And to think, none of this would’ve been possible had Nagy remained as the team’s head coach.
Nagy did a bunch of aggravating things, but none were as bothersome to Bears fans as his weekly rotating captains. And while I don’t think that schtick was keeping Chicago’s football team from playing winning football, announcing weekly honorary captains was an annoyance I could do without. However, that is now a thing of the past. The Bears have four captains that are entrenched in those roles. They put a “C” on their chests. And in four days, they’ll be ready to ball.