HOUSTON – One of the traditions to start football season is the annual naming of team captains.
That’s routinely voted on by teammates.
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Texans coach Lovie Smith said early in training camp that he would cast a vote for second-year quarterback Davis Mills.
And the strong-armed former third-round draft pick from Stanford was announced as a team captain Wednesday along with wide receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive captains in linebacker Christian Kirksey and defensive end Jerry Hughes along with veteran long snapper Jon Weeks.
“It’s extremely humbling,” said Mills, who finished his rookie season 2-9 as a starter while completing 66.8 percent of his throws for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. “The rest of the team voted me up there. Ready to attack this season as one of the leaders of this team. I guess it goes to show how hard I’ve worked this offseason and training camp so far. Being voted captain doesn’t change anything. We’ve got to come in with the same mentality every day and put our head down and get to work.”
Cooks led the Texans with 90 receptions for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns last season.
“It’s an honor,” Cooks said. “Anytime your peers look at you in that light, it’s definitely an honor and I don’t take that lightly. I want to do everything I can to help lead this team, not just on the field and off the field as well. A lot of respect to the guys who voted me that, so I’m definitely humbled and honored.”
The Texans voted on the captains on Monday.
“Teammates have gotten an opportunity to see guys they want representing them on and off the football field for a long period of time,” Smith said. " ]That’s why for offensive captains, which will be Davis Mills and Brandin Cooks, that’s saying an awful lot about them. They do it the right way. They lead the right way on and off the football field. Defensively, it says a lot when your Jerry Hughes, which will be one of defensive captains, when you’ve only been in the building for less than a year, to have that kind of impact on your teammates, and of course Christian Kirksey.
“Teams I’ve been on, if your quarterback and your Mike linebacker is not selected as captain, it’s tougher. Luckily for us, we have guys that really lead that way. Special teams-wise, Jon Weeks has been good at his position for a long period of time. I like those five guys for representing us.”
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com