Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan is well-known for changing his team captains on a weekly basis, trotting players out to midfield pre-game that have ties to that week's opponent in some way. (As a case study: in yesterday's win over Miami, former Dolphins players Charles Clay, Richie Incognito, and Dan Carpenter were captains.)
But when the Bills take on the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, the fact that second-year player and ex-Jet IK Enemkpali will be a captain is still noteworthy.
#Bills HC Rex Ryan confirms IK Enemkpali will be one of the captains on Thursday night
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) November 9, 2015
Enemkpali, you may recall, is only a member of the Bills because the Jets released him after Enemkpali punched Jets quarterback Geno Smith this past preseason. Ryan and the Bills quickly claimed Enemkpali despite the altercation - he ended up serving a four-game suspension for it - and Enemkpali has seen his role grow to a significant one over the past few games.
Ironically, Jets fans may hail Enemkpali's captaincy with sarcastic applause; the broken jaw that Smith ended up with paved the way for Ryan Fitzpatrick to start, and he has helped the Jets start the season with a 5-3 record.