FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons held an old-school election — with paper ballots — to select their four captains for the season.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, left tackle Jake Matthews and Jessie Bates III were voted team captains for the season.
“Players vote,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “Old-school style. We handed out pieces of papers. Tallied out those things. Let the team speak.”
Several members received votes.
“We voted, then I had to pick,” Morris said. “We had to take some out. We had a lot of captain votes on this team. We had to figure out what number we had to cut it off at and decide how many … and we got to four.”
Bates, who led the team in tackles last season with 133 and was named second-team All-Pro, was elated to be named a captain.
“It’s a super honor to be voted by my peers, that I’ve been building relationships with,” Bates said. “For them to vote me as captain, that’s something that you don’t take lightly. But with that comes responsibility of being a leader. There are 10 other people that could have been voted as captains on this team.”
Bates plans to take his captaincy seriously.
“Just making sure that I’m on my stuff every day,” Bates said. “Then also leading other guys and teaching them to be captains in their own way. You lead yourself, then you lead others and then you become a servant leader.”
Bates was signed as a free agent last season. He quietly went about his business and let his play do his talking.
“That was one of my goals this offseason to become a captain and be a leader on this team,” Bates said. “It’s a huge honor for me. Something that I won’t take lightly.”
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