SDSU FOOTBALL NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2016 CAMPAIGN

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Alex Barrett, Damontae Kazee, Calvin Munson, Donnel Pumphrey and Nico Siragusa will lead the Aztecs this season

Source: goaztecs.com press release

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

August 24, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State Football has named Alex Barrett (Mesa, Ariz.), Damontae Kazee (San Bernadino, Calif.), Calvin Munson (St. Charles, Mo.), Donnel Pumphrey (Las Vegas) and Nico Siragusa (Chula Vista, Calif.) as its captains for the 2016 campaign, head coach Rocky Long announced today.

Kazee was recently named a preseason second-team All-American by SI.com and is the preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. Kazee had eight interceptions in 2015, which tied for the second most in the nation, the most in Aztecs' Division I era (since 1969) and in Mountain West history. He was named a second-team USA Today All-American, an honorable-mention Sports Illustrated All-American, the MW Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-MW pick.

Barrett came up with 62 tackles a year ago with 13 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions (one for a touchdown) and seven quarterback hurries. Barrett backed a defense that finished among the top 10 in FBS in each of the four main categories, including fifth in total (287.3), seventh in scoring (16.4) and rushing (108.7), and 10th in passing (178.6). Barrett was also an all-MW first-team pick.

Munson led SDSU in multiple categories in 2015, including tackles (98), tackles for loss (15), sacks (9.5) and fumble recoveries (2, tied), while adding two interceptions (both returned for a touchdown), two forced fumbles and seven quarterback hurries. Munson was also a Phil Steele Magazine third-team All-American and an all-Mountain West first-team pick.

The preseason offensive player of the year, Pumphrey rushed for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns on 309 attempts (5.3 avg.), while leading the team with 28 catches for 416 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named a Sports Illustrated Honorable-Mention All-American, the MW Offensive Player of the Year and an all-MW first-team selection for a second straight season. He was one of just four players in all of FBS to lead his team in rushing yards and receptions.

Siragusa anchored an offensive line that helped the Aztecs rush for a school-record 3,226 yards and have a pair of 1,000-yard rushers for the first time in program history (Pumphrey and Chase Price). He was also a first-team all-MW selection by the league's media and coaches last year.

SDSU is coming off an 11-3 season where it tied a school record for the most wins in a single year, finished with a 10-game winning streak (second-longest active FBS streak heading into 2016), won the MW title (20th conference title in program history) and beat Cincinnati, 42-7, in the Hawai`i Bowl.

The Aztecs kick off the 2016 season at Qualcomm Stadium against New Hampshire on Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m. PT.


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Comments

Five captains?

They'll need a colonel now to take charge.

That's usually how football works.

Like I know for my Patriots, Tom Brady's a captain, but also some guys on defense that are veterans too.  It could work the way hockey captains do, where you have one main captain who wears the C and a bunch of alternate captains that wear As.

Unity of command

is a classic principle of management that is used in many hierarchical organizations, such as the military, government agencies, and corporations. Unity of command holds that an employee should only be answerable to one person. . .So they can't win with five captains. They are doomed. . .(But liking the Pats is a good thing.)

Let's see how they do

with fuzzy diluted leadership. I have a long memory for these things.

"Fuzzy, diluted leadership"?

Uh...really?  Have you seen all the awards Pumphrey's racked up?  Have you seen all the records he's broken?  He's a true leader.  Same thing with Kazee.  He was named a Preseason All-American by Sports Illustrated.  Read this and tell me he's not good enough to be a leader. http://eastcountymagazine.org/node/22131

Having five people in charge

is fuzzy diluted leadership and is no reflection upon the individuals involved. What happens when they disagree? It's a recipe for failure. Leadership is the ability to lead other people to achieve set goals. It is not the ability to break records.

Clearly you're not a hockey fan.

In hockey, there are more than five people in charge on the ice.  It wins games.  Same thing in football.  Also clearly, you didn't pay attention to this team last season.  Undefeated in Mountain West play with more than one captain.  So obviously, this is not a failure of a team like you're so desperate to believe. 

"Leadership is the ability to lead other people to achieve set goals" Mountain West conference championship win last year.  Hawaii Bowl win.  Undefeated in Mountain West play.  Yeah, this team DEFINITELY has a leadership problem. *eye roll*

You are my fount of sports knowledge so

is it true that a football referee looks to the captain of a fouled team to get a decision regarding a penalty by the offending team? If so, how does the ref deal with five captains? . . .Regarding the five appointments, since you haven't provided any cogent reason for this multiplicity of supposed leadership I am inclined to believe that the appointments were solely decorative and have nothing to do with captaining -- "One who commands, leads, or guides others." . . .Regarding hockey, it's uninteresting ever since Bobby Orr left the ice.

"No cogent reason"

 the ref usually turns to the QB.  I know that because during Pats games when there's a penalty, the ref talks to Tom Brady.  And they're not all going to run over to the ref; Rocky Long will assign some type of hierarchy.  Like one guy will be senior captain, second in command, etc.

 

Okay, so I forgot.....tell me again

why a team needs five captains. (I said needs, in the sense of playing a better game and winning.) And see? I'm definitely not acting smarter than you on sports. I wouldn't do that. I'm acting dumber, which I am. So again.....

I have told you why.

More captains = more leadership.  A football team has 53 guys.  One guy can't handle 53 players.  So, you need more to take on leadership roles.  And again, like I told you (which you ignored, but again, that's none of my business), it could function like hockey, where you have one main captain and a bunch of alternate captains.