The Chicago Bears have announced their captains for the 2012 season, according to Zach Zaidman on Twitter. It's a familiar list, as all five selections are returning captains from 2011.
Jay Cutler, Roberto Garza, Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and Patrick Mannelly will captain the team this season, just as they did a year ago when the Bears finished third in the NFC North at 8-8. Of the group, only Urlacher was an All-Pro selection a year ago, although Cutler and Mannelly both missed six games due to injury.
Peppers's overall productivity dropped last season, as he went from 43 tackles in 2010 to 33 a year ago. However, he did record three more sacks in 2011 than in the year before. For his career, Peppers has exactly 100 sacks.
Garza and Mannelly are the less-celebrated guys of the bunch, but both players have been mainstays for the Bears for many years. Garza came over from Atlanta prior to the 2005 season, and has started all but 11 games during his tenure in Chicago. Meanwhile, Mannelly has played for the Bears for his entire career, which began in 1998. Mannelly has never started a game, but has only missed nine in his career.
For more on the Bears, be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron. And, for additional pro football news, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.