Tiger Woods wants to be a Ryder Cup captain, but Brandel Chamblee doesn't think he or Phil Mickelson deserve to be

Should Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson be considered as U.S. captains in future Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups?

Over the weekend, Tiger Woods called Fred Couples and Davis Love III and volunteered to be an assistant captain if he doesn't make the team as a player.

"He [Woods] was watching at home and he just had to call," Love told GolfDigest.com's Dave Shedloski. "He was talking about all the things he thought we needed to do, and he had a lot of ideas."

If Love is excited, Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee was quick to temper his enthusiasm: "I don't really think it's appropriate to give players leadership roles in an event they didn't show passion for when they were competitors."

With Mickelson, Chamblee points to two controversial episodes in the player's Ryder Cup career: in 2004, when he switched equipment prior to the event and practiced on his own before the opening session; and in 2014 at Gleneagles, when Mickelson arrived separately from his teammates, and then turned against U.S. captain Tom Watson in a post-round press conference.

"I think he corrupted the team from the inside out," Chamblee said. "These are not leadership qualities. I get it. Everyone looks up to him and respects his record. But really should give it to people who have passion for it."

It's worth questioning whether Chamblee should be placing so much stock in events that happened in the past. We're talking about the two best players of the last 30 years. If they want to be involved in helping the U.S. Ryder Cup team get back to winning, that could be valuable. Mickelson didn't lose any of his matches at this year's Presidents Cup, proving he can contribute to a winning effort.

When Phil and Tiger are speaking in a team room, young players like Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed would respect the wisdom of two players they grew up idolizing. It's doubtful they'd hold grudges for team matches that took place when they weren't even in high school.