The Buffalo Bills announced which players would be team captains for the 2022 NFL season and the big reveal on Sunday, September 4 was met with strongly mixed reactions on Twitter. The issue wasn’t which players were chosen, but how many, as the Bills decided to give nine players the title of captain.
This number marks “a new team-high in the Sean McDermott era,” as stated on the Bills’ official website. The Bills had six team captains from 2017 through 2019, seven for the 2020 NFL season, and eight last year.
These nine captains, which were elected by players, are quarterback Josh Allen, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, center Mitch Morse, linebackers Von Miller, Tremaine Edmunds, and Tyler Matakevich, safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, and special teams veteran Taiwan Jones.
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Per Rule 18 under the NFL Guidelines, only six captains can participate in the coin toss ceremony during a home game, therefore, a third of the captains will not be allowed on the field during the heads/tails declaration. For away games, the team can only pick one captain for the coin toss.
Most NFL teams select six captains, so the Bills having nine, which is 16.98% of the entire 53-man roster, both surprised and confused many people on Twitter. One man wrote, “Lmaoooo that’s so embarrassing. 9 players???” while another person tweeted, “9? Might as well make ‘em all caption 🤷🏻♂️.”
However, former Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander approves of the decision. “Well the players vote so It’s a good thing. Not reliant on 1 or 2 voices,” Alexander tweeted, while other people were simply hyped to see the captain’s group so stacked.
A Bills Mafia member tweeted, “Congratulations brothers!! It bout that time to show the world you’re not just good on paper and stacked with talent, but ready to win it all. Hope everyone stays healthy and play the best they can Go Bills!!👊🏾💙❤️.”
There is another team with more captains than the Bills for the 2022 NFL season, the New York Giants, which selected 10 players. Last season, the Arizona Cardinals had nine captains.
Only 1 Player From Last Season Is No Longer Captain
The only person who was a team captain last season that isn’t this year is long snapper Reid Ferguson, who held that honor for three consecutive seasons.
While it’s normally surprising to see a first-year Bills player make the captain’s list, Miller is not your average player. The eight-time Prowler and two-time Super Bowl champion started acting as a mentor as soon as he arrived in Buffalo and is an unquestionable veteran team leader.
Allen is serving his fourth consecutive year as captain, as is Edmunds, while it will be Poyer’s third straight year. For Diggs, Hyde, Matakevich, and Jones, this is their second consecutive year as Bills’ captains. As for Morse, the 2022 NFL season will mark his first year wearing a “C” patch sewn on his jersey.
Sean McDermott Said of the Bills’ Team Captains, ‘I Count on Those Guys’
GettyHead coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills watches his team play against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter of a preseason game at Bank of America Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Aside from the maximum six players participating in the coin toss, one designated team captain “is permitted to indicate the team’s penalty option,” per the NFL’s Guidelines. However, according to Bills head coach Sean McDermott, the importance of these elected players happens off the field.
“Because of the core expectations in-house, the messaging and the culture, the continuity to that piece is already established,” McDermott said during a press conference on Sunday. “There are those that have come before them, but some of them have carried the torch for more than one year. I count on those guys a lot. There are a lot of other guys that I count on, too.
“It’s a great honor, but it comes with great responsibility. There are a number of players on our team who wear an invisible ‘C’ because of how they steady us, how they inspire us and what they bring our team.”
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Twitter Strongly Reacts to Bills’ 2022 Team Captain Selection