Getty Frank Ragnow and Jared Goff talk on the sidelines during a Lions' 2021 preseason game.
The Detroit Lions are pushing toward the 2021 NFL season this coming weekend, and one of the more interesting decisions left to come revolved around who would be the captains for the year.
After the roster was rounded out, determining what players would stand as captains was going to be the next biggest issue. Ahead of Week 1, the team revealed that they would have five new players with the responsibility for this coming season.
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The Lions revealed the captain picks in a tweet, and showed off their new captains for this season.
Our 2021 captains, as voted by the players:
Offense: @JaredGoff16 & @KNARFWONGAR
Defense: @AlexAnzalone34 & @III_Flowers
Special Teams: @ReevesMaybin
Getting the responsibility on offense is quarterback Jared Goff, as well as center Frank Ragnow. On defense, edge rusher and outside linebacker Trey Flowers gets the call, while first-year Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone joins him. On special teams, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin will receive the honor. All of these players was voted as a captain by their Lions teammates.
Detroit’s captains will take the field Week 1 and beyond, and will be in charge of rallying the troops and getting everybody ready to go during and before games as well as bringing the team together after, no matter the circumstances.
Breaking Down Lions 2021 Captains
Overall, the players who were selected by the team weren’t all that shocking. On all sides of the ball, this group all has players who are solid leaders both vocally and otherwise for the team. Seeing Goff and Ragnow get voted as the team’s offensive captains was not surprising considering their stature for the franchise. Seeing Flowers get the nod on defense was not a shock either given how much he seems to mean for the team. Anzalone getting voted as a captain on defense on his first year on the job in Detroit was perhaps a bit of a surprise seeing as he hasn’t been with the team, but that simply speaks to what he has done already for the team in a short amount of time. Reeves-Maybin is a core special teamer, so seeing him as the captain for this group is interesting as well.
All told, this is a good mix of youth and experience for the Lions on all sides of the ball, so it will be fantastic to watch and see how this group’s leadership can impact the team in a positive way on the field during this season.
Lions’ Captain Approach Changed Recently
Typically, NFL teams have multiple different ways they handle the captain discussion. Under Jim Caldwell, the Lions tended to wait week to week to name game captains. That changed under Matt Patricia, and this season, the Lions will once again have regular captains week to week to lead them on the field. Given the fact that the team has changed in big ways this year, it isn’t a surprise to see some brand new faces on the roster getting the responsibility for 2021.
Overall, it will be interesting to see what this group can do, and the legacy they will leave during the 2021 season once it gets going.