Todd Bowles has new plan for Jets’ team captains… well, not really

With a new head coach will come a new way to handle the captains situation, except of course it is just like the old way.

Todd Bowles will hand-out the captaincy on a rotating basis, he announced on Thursday, based on factors such as performance but also who and where his New York Jets are playing. In 2011, then head coach Rex Ryan named captains for the season, including wide receiver Santonio Holmes and quarterback Mark Sanchez among others. That year and some of the selections were considered a disaster so the team went back to shuttling in and out new captains for each week.

Very often for road games (outside of that disastrous 2011 season), Ryan would pick players who hailed from the area. Bowles, a former NFL player who won a Super Bowl during his career, won’t depart too much from that mindset.

“I’ve been around captains and they get hurt during the year. They get that ‘Big C’ on their chest and get hurt in training camp, then you don’t have any,” Bowles said on Thursday. “So whoever plays well the week before or gets a chance to be in their hometown, you give them a bone that way. We’ll go game-by-game.”

Jets notes

On Thursday following the official close of training camp, the Jets released an undrafted rookie free agent Jake Heaps. In his place, the team signed journeyman backup quarterback Josh Johnson. He has five starts as he heads into his eighth season in the league. Heaps was impressive in the team’s rookie minicamp this spring.
Outside linebacker Calvin Pace is considered day-to-day with a groin injury suffered three days ago. He spent time in the rehab area but did not practice.
Wide receiver Chris Owusu told Metro he is cleared to play and will be available for Saturday’s preseason game at the New York Giants. Owusu suffered a concussion midway through training camp.
A ribs injury apparently is healing well for Devin Smith, the team’s second round pick. The wide receiver did some positional drills on Thursday.
Oft-injured cornerback Dee Milliner had his bulky cast off on Thursday and watched the training camp session with what appeared to be a lighter brace.