DETROIT LIONS NAME 2007 TEAM CAPTAINS

Team selects Hanson, Kitna, Raiola, Redding and Sims Allen Park, Mich. - Detroit Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli announced today the five team captains for the

Team selects Hanson, Kitna, Raiola, Redding and Sims

Allen Park, Mich. - Detroit Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli announced today the five team captains for the 2007 season. As selected by a team vote that included both players and coaches, the following players were named captains:Â K Jason Hanson (special teams), QB Jon Kitna (offense), C Dominic Raiola (offense), DT Cory Redding (defense) and LB Ernie Sims (defense).

Hanson, Kitna, Raiola, Redding and Sims will serve as team captains for the entire 2007 season. Each player will wear a team captain patch that includes a block “C” on the right shoulder of their game jerseys. Kitna, Raiola and Redding served as captains in 2006.

This is the second-straight year the Lions selected team captains for the entire season. Last year, the team captains were recognized with a gold “C” on their practice jersey and a sign in their locker.

NFL TEAM CAPTAINS INITIATIVE
The NFL’s decision to recognize captains with a “C” on their jersey came from a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell and the new Player Advisory Council. The result will be renewed promotion by NFL clubs on the role of season-long NFL team captains on offense, defense and special teams through a team captain leadership initiative.

The purpose of the program is to support and recognize the importance of team leadership through the role of the captains. Captains traditionally serve as a link between players, coaches and management to help foster cohesion within the teams. The initiative has been strongly endorsed by NFL head coaches and by the six-member NFL Player Advisory Council that was established in April by Commissioner Goodell in conjunction with the NFL Players Association. 

 “We’ve discussed the idea with many of the head coaches and they are very enthusiastic about it,” said Ray Anderson, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations who will oversee the program. “Team captains are a key element in building team leadership and enhancing communication between players, coaches and management. A perfect example of the benefit of this kind of communication is that the players themselves suggested the concept of re-emphasizing the team captains.”