MSU captains: Cousins, Foreman, Robinson (now with quotes)
Kirk Cousins, Joel Foreman and Trenton Robinson were voted 2011 captains by their MSU teammates. There will be a rotating fourth captain for each game. Cousins is the second MSU player to be a three-time captain, joining center Robert McCurry (1946-48).
On the three captains: “They’re a great group of leaders who have all played a lot of football here. They’ve not only had success, but they’ve also been on the other side of the fence a little bit in terms of having to battle through some adverse situations in their lives. When you pick leaders, as I told our football team this morning, you need to find people who have gone through difficult times and have been able to move forward in a positive manner. I think they will be great leaders for us.”
On Cousins: “Kirk just has a way with people. Whether it’s joking around with them, being serious with them, sending a message at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, or just standing in the locker room talking to somebody, he has a way of being very real and very caring about other people. That’s why you see him succeed as a leader. It was a great choice again by our players.”
On Robinson: “Trenton brings a lot of energy to whatever he does. I think last year he was seen as a leader as well on the defensive side of the ball. He’ll be a great captain. He’s a very sentimental person and has a lot of enthusiasm. There’s a lot to him as a man. This will propel him into great things for the rest of his life – he’s a special person.”
On Foreman: “Joel is a very positive person and has battled through adversity – he’s a guy who’s been there, done that. He’s one of the first guys in that first group that came here in 2007, so he’s seen it from A to Z, really. I think it’s very fitting and very well deserved for him to become a captain in his senior year. He’ll do an outstanding job.”
On rotating a fourth guy: “We will have the same process as we did last year (rotating a fourth game captain among the unity council). We vote on the unity council periodically, probably around five or six times a year, so guys have to continue to lead, and if someone emerges as a leader, somebody has to step aside. The unity council is such an important representation of our football team, and they meet with me regularly. I think it’s important they all have a voice on Saturdays and have that opportunity to go out to midfield and say, ‘what am I going to do with this opportunity.’ It’s a good thing for our team.”
Here are some thoughts from each captain...
Cousins on the team's leadership: “I think a lot of times talent-wise we weren’t better than the team across from us (last season). Leadership-wise, we were stronger, because we had so many people capable of leading. And I think that’s the case this year. So while we do have our three captains, we’ll rotate a fourth captain every game from our unity council. And between our unity council and our senior class, I think there’s a large group of guys who can lead on this team. And I think that will help separate us from the teams we’re playing.”
Cousins, by the way, will head home this weekend -- taking freshman DT Damon Knox back to Muskegon on his way -- take in the Holland-Holland Christian game and watch Youngstown State film. MSU players are due back Sunday to begin game prep.
Foreman on the emotion of being named captain: “It was a powerful thing for me. To be thought of like that by your peers and especially the guys you go out there and grind with every day is something that is very special and it means a lot to you. It’s always gonna be carried on. There’s a list we have, that coach D has, of captains through the history of Michigan State. And to be in that fraternity is something that’s very special. It comes with a lot of responsibility.”
Asked about the starting offensive line, Foreman didn't want to go there, but it sounds like a starting five has been established. I expect it to be the same as it's been -- France, Foreman, Jackson, McDonald, Burkland -- with competition continuing and changes possible after the first two games.
Robinson on his growth into leadership after he arrived in 2008 as an immature freshman: “Before, I don’t think I was really ready to be in the lead because I was doing things that weren’t the best. But now, I’m a senior, I’ve grown up, matured. And it means a lot that my teammates would pick me to lead. ... The way I was thinking freshman year, my mind wasn’t at a point where I was thinking I wanted to be a captain or anything like that. I was really immature my freshman year. To see how much I’ve changed as a person and everything to be elected by my teammates, it’s an honor.”
Asked who has impressed him among the secondary receivers, Robinson immediately mentioned redshirt freshman safety Kurtis Drummond, who appears to be the No. 2 strong safety behind Isaiah Lewis as camp breaks.
