Connor Cook disappointed he isn’t a Michigan State captain
Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook said he was bummed when he heard he wasn’t voted a team captain by his teammates.
The quarterback is one of the best signal-callers in the Big Ten and the country. And good senior quarterbacks are typically team captains. However, center Jack Allen, defensive end Shilique Calhoun, and linebacker Darien Harris were selected as the team’s three captains while Cook wasn’t.
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“Obviously, I was disappointed,” Cook said via SpartanMag.com. “Obviously we have leadership council with 12 guys, and I think the whole senior class takes pride in everyone being leaders. We are not all about the title. I for sure wanted to be captain, but it’s not going limit me from leading.”
Allen is considered one of the best centers in the country. Calhoun had eight sacks in 2014 while Harris had 48 tackles. All are worthy candidates. And LB Ed Davis would have been as well. Davis, who had seven sacks in 2014, is out for the season after suffering a knee injury.
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It’s understandable that Cook would feel the way he does, however he’s approaching it the right way. No matter if he’s an official captain or not, the starting quarterback is looked to as an example on the field. And given the depth of Michigan State’s senior class, the team could have simply wanted to recognize other senior contributors knowing that Cook is already considered the face of the team.
“It stinks to not be captain, but that’s why we have the leadership council,” Cook said. “Coach [Mark Dantonio] really likes to have not just three guys leading but 12. We have such a deep senior class with guys like Shilique, Darien, me, Jack, and Joel (Heath) is a great leader. If you could pick five captains, there would be five captains. If you could pick six, there would be six. All 12 guys are worthy-enough to be captains.”
And heck, the (sort of?) snub could be used as motivation too. Great athletes can find motivation in just the smallest of things, even if being a team captain is more of a symbolic gesture than anything else.
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
