Santonio Holmes: Is the New York Jets No. 1 Receiver a Worthy Team Captain?

According to the Star Ledger, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan named Mark Sanchez, Darrelle Revis, Sione Pouha, Eric Smith and Santonio Holmes his team captains for the 2011 season.

Ryan took it amongst himself to choose his captains this season rather than let the players vote on it. Among the five choices made by Ryan, Holmes seems to be the most interesting.

For one, Holmes is the only player chosen by Ryan who was not drafted by the New York Jets. Holmes was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly before last season, and he only played in 12 regular season games last year after serving a four-game suspension. The other four players were drafted between 2005-2009 and have spent their entire careers in the organization.

Holmes has also been involved in a number of off-the-field incidents, which ultimately led to the trade between the Steelers and the Jets last season. In 2008, Holmes was benched by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin after being arrested for possession of marijuana, and right before the trade with the Jets he was involved in a night club incident that involved him throwing a glass at a woman.

Holmes has also had troubles with the Jets, including an incident on his flight to New York after he refused to remove his iPod headphones on the plane. He was not arrested and the league took no action, but he did have a talk with Rex Ryan after the incident took place.

But the bad behavior has decreased since his arrival in New York, and perhaps Rex Ryan has gotten it through Holmes' head that he is no bigger than the team itself. Ryan certainly has made it clear that he likes Holmes in Jet green, and was quoted saying, "I see 'Tone as a guy that took the challenge that I gave him. I want him to lead from the front, and that's what he's doing."

According to ESPN New York and NJ.com, Santonio has responded well to his newly acquired role, being the most vocal during receiver drills in his first practice as team captain and talking to everyone on the field. He told the media that he was surprised by Ryan's choice to name him captain, but he is certainly ready for the challenge.

So does Santonio Holmes deserve to be a team captain? When he is motivated and has something to play for, he has the best work ethic in all the NFL. Before the 2008 Super Bowl season with the Steelers, Holmes told the media he had a goal to play all 16 games that year. He followed by gaining 11 pounds through offseason workouts and made the game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLIII.

Some may say there are also options on the team to play the role as captain, including veteran running back LaDainian Tomlinson and tight end Dustin Keller. Keller has spent his entire career as a starter with the Jets, and Tomlinson is one of the most respected players in the NFL today. Tomlinson also took a pay cut and a smaller role in the team's offense this season in order to help the team win, something many would view as leadership worthy.

But despite having Tomlinson on the team, Ryan went with Holmes as the team's second offensive captain. Ryan has been known to make some controversial decisions, and it will be interesting to see how this move pans out as the season progresses. If Holmes can stay out of trouble and play to the same level he did last season for the Jets, then Rex Ryan and the fans will be pleased by the move. However, if Holmes goes back to his old ways and gets in trouble again, Ryan will be under more scrutiny by the team and the fans.

Let the season, and the debate, begin.