USNA Spring Ball
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Con_AlmaSpring practice is such a tease.
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Con_AlmaCBS Sports Network will televise live Navy’s annual Blue-Gold Spring Football game on Friday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. It will be the first time in school history that Navy’s spring game will be televised.
Craig Bolerjack, Randy Cross and Kaylee Hartung will call the game.
Look for me in the stands. You might see me and my son. -
thavoiceDo you or your son attend the NA?
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Con_AlmaNope. My son is too young.
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Con_AlmaEgads!! Took in another practice and scrimmage last week. Very disappointing. Team speed and size are way down. The passing game will be non existent with Proctor at QB. His speed in the triple is the only saving grace. If he gets hurt it will get ugly because the competition for backup is bad, really bad.
It could be a mediocre year at best for the Midshipmen.
Hope I'm more optimistic after the spring game. It will make the drive home a little shorter. -
cbus4lifeThose dudes are bad ass.
Love Navy football. Always have liked Navy more than Army, for some reason, despite having no "personal" connections with Annapolis, but more than a few with West Point (best friend from high school went there, etc.). -
Con_AlmaNavy's football coaches trying to fill gaps
Navy's defensive coaches didn't anticipate having to replace both starting outside linebackers. They had planned to audition candidates to succeed Jerry Hauburger at the "Raider" position, but did not expect to also need to identify a successor to Aaron McCauley at the "Striker" spot.
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While Hauburger is graduating in May, McCauley caught the coaching staff by surprise by voluntarily leaving the academy, citing personal reasons. That puts the pressure on outside linebackers coaches Tony Grantham and Napoleon Sykes to get a group of young, inexperienced players ready for game action.
"We've got some young guys that we are really excited about. They are not where they need to be, but they are coming on strong," Grantham said. "Physically, they've got all the tools. They just lack experience right now. We've got to get them caught up to the point that, if they get in, the speed of the game doesn't overwhelm them."
Seniors Jared Shannon and Mason Graham entered spring camp listed as the starters at Striker and Raider, respectively. Both saw significant action on special teams in 2010, but got limited plays at linebacker - usually toward the end of games that were already decided.
"I think the biggest thing about playing on special teams is that it gives you get a feel for the tempo and intensity of a regular-season game, which helps reduce the nervousness and butterflies because you have been out on the field," Graham said. "But nothing beats downs from scrimmage when it comes to really understanding what to do at your position and how to play within the overall defensive structure."
Even that limited playing time puts Shannon and Graham light years ahead of the competition. Junior Keegan Wetzel and sophomore Andrew Glaize are second and third on the depth chart at Striker while sophomore Evan Palelei and senior Hal Hunter are the backups at Raider.
"Jared and Mason are playing at a high, high level. They are playing the way you would expect a senior to play," Grantham said. "They are also doing a great job of setting the tone in the meeting room and pulling the young guys along. They were at the front of the line during the offseason workouts showing the younger guys the way we do things around here."
Grantham and Sykes review tape of every practice and evaluate every repetition - issuing grades with regard to execution of assignments and making plays. Graham and Shannon have consistently come out on top of the pack while the younger linebackers have been up and down.
"We've made it clear that the guys that perform are the ones that are going to play. It doesn't matter what we think you can become, it's a matter of whether you produce when you get on the field," Grantham said.
Graham and Shannon understand that as senior leaders they are expected to teach the sophomores and freshmen about the effort, intensity and competitiveness required to play for Navy. They have done so by being the first to arrive for offseason workouts, pushing hard in the weight room or making every practice repetition count.
"Neither of us are big talkers or loud vocal guys. We like to lead by example with our work ethic on and off the field," Graham said.
Grantham and Sykes are excited that Navy has talented outside linebackers that are not currently on the depth chart, but are pushing to get there. Cody Peterson, a converted fullback, has impressed the staff with his size (6-foot-3, 205-pounds), athleticism and willingness to learn.
"Cody has made great strides. He has a chance to be a special player. He is a very physical kid who takes coaching very well," Grantham said. "We're going to have some tough decisions to make as far as who is going to be on the travel squad because we have a bunch of guys who can contribute to the team in some way. This spring is about trying to figure out who our playmakers are so we can get them on the field."
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/nas/2011/04/09-35/Navys-football-coaches-trying-to-fill-gaps.html -
Con_AlmaANNAPOLIS, Md. | The practice field isn’t the best place to determine Navy has limited experience returning in the secondary. Instead, position meetings provide the best glimpse of how raw the Midshipmen really are in the defensive backfield. That’s when all eyes turn to cornerback Kwesi Mitchell.
“In the room when a question arises, people look to him for answers because he’s the only one who’s really played back there,” senior Gary Myers said.
Mitchell started every game a year ago as the Midshipmen enjoyed a 9-4 season. But safety Wyatt Middleton and cornerback Kevin Edwards graduated, taking with them a combined 81 career starts. Then safety De’Von Richardson was dismissed from the academy, leaving Navy with just one returning starter.
This spring functions as a bit of a transition. Edwards and Middleton are still at Navy practices as student assistants, providing guidance whenever possible. However, the safety net will soon disappear, a reality Mitchell is well-aware of.
“They’ve been around for it seems like forever,” Mitchell said. “Since I started prep school, they’ve been leading us since they were freshmen. It’s really big shoes to fill, but somebody has to do it.”
It falls to Mitchell by default.
Cornerback David Wright started just one game last fall, a one-game cameo at Louisiana Tech. Tra’ves Bush is an early co-starter at rover, Middleton’s old position. Jordan Fraser, a junior listed as the starter at free safety, played in seven games a year ago.
Then there’s Myers, a converted wide receiver who served as Navy’s primary punt returner last season. He already is listed as a co-starter with Bush and Wright, and it’s uncertain exactly which position he’ll wind up at in the fall.
Beyond that is mostly a cast of promising sophomores - Albrey Felder, Shawn Lynch and Wave Ryder - as well as junior David Sperry.
It adds up to few concrete answers beyond Mitchell, and it’s ensured a patience-testing spring for secondary coach Keith Jones. He knows as much as anyone a little separation by the time Navy’s spring game concludes April 22 would be helpful in preparing for the fall.
“It’s very critical,” Jones said. “It’s hard when you’re young, especially in the secondary to be a puppy or be young. You’ve got to be a veteran from Day One.”
At least with Mitchell, Navy knows precisely what it will get. He made 48 tackles, broke up three passes and recorded one interception a year ago, and the 5-foot-10, 189-pounder is poised to improve in the fall.
Who will be around him, though, is anyone’s guess.
“It’s really not who’s going to be given a job, but who’s going to take one,” Mitchell said. “That’s where we’re at at this point.”
However the defensive backfield takes shape, it will take its cues from Mitchell. He is the only full-time defensive starter from last year participating in spring practice (defensive end Jabaree Tuani is injured), making Mitchell a vital piece of Navy’s offseason development.
“He’s got to teach them that this is what we do and this is how we play,” coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “I’ve been encouraged by his demeanor. Kwesi’s done a great job of leading us. More than anything, yeah, he’s got to improve his play, but he also has to be the leader back there.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/apr/12/cornerback-mitchell-stepping-to-forefront-in-navy-/?page=all#pagebreak
Def back's Coach Keith Jones is as energetic and demanding as any Coach on the staff. It's comforting to know that he's leading this young group. Even so after what I saw in practice last week it could be a long year for the Midshipmen. -
Con_AlmaThe Football Writers Association of America has announced its second annual "Super 11" field of sports information departments which were deemed the best in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision during the 2010 season.
In alphabetical order those 11 honored departments are from the following schools: Clemson, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Navy, Northwestern, Rutgers, Southern California (USC), Troy, Tulsa, and Utah. Five schools are repeaters from last season (Clemson, Georgia, Rutgers, USC and Utah).
"There are many outstanding sports information departments across college football," said Tim Griffin, Super 11 Committee chairman and the FWAA's immediate Past President. "But we felt it was very important to honor the best of the best - including some who have been honored for two straight years who are consistently exemplary above and beyond the call of duty. We plan to continue this program in upcoming years to continue to honor the departments who understand the demands of our jobs and continually do what they can to help us."
Since the FWAA's inception in 1941, one of the organization's charges is to provide better working conditions for media across the country. Over the years, the FWAA has given out press box commendations to deserving schools. The FWAA also has conducted ratings of sports information departments.
Criteria in determining the winners not only included how press boxes/operations were run, but the quality and timeliness of information provided, the amount of information presented and appropriately updated on websites, personal responsiveness to media inquires as well as the accessibility of players, head and assistant coaches. The ratings also took into consideration the departments that went the extra mile in servicing the media. The Super 11 Committee received input from other FWAA members covering college football during a period from Feb. 1, 2010 through Jan. 31, 2011.
"The FWAA is proud to honor the fine work produced on a consistent basis by the Super 11," said FWAA President Tommy Hicks. "Led by past president Tim Griffin, our organization seeks to recognize the sports information offices, big and small, that go about daily tasks with professionalism as well as a personal touch. Each of the offices included in the Super 11 has established itself among the best in the country."
In addition to Griffin, members of the 2010 Super 11 Committee are Dennis Dodd, cbssports.com; Mark Blaudschun, Boston Globe; Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman; Herb Gould, Chicago Sun-Times; Kate Hairopoulos, The Dallas Morning News; Matt Markey, Toledo Blade; Ted Miller, espn.com; Lenn Robbins, New York Post; Randy Rosetta, Baton Rouge Advocate; and George Schroeder, Eugene Register-Guard.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team. -
sleeper
As bad as Navy will probably be, they will still beat Notre Dame, and you can take that to the bank. -
Con_AlmaI don't think this year that's going to be the case sleeper!
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Con_AlmaNavy football players will sign autographs after the annual Blue-Gold Spring Football game on Friday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. 2011 Navy Football posters will be available to all fans attending the game and the players will sign autographs for approximately one hour on the Blue side (press box side) concourse as part of a Meet the Mids promotion.
Friday's game will kick at 7:00 p.m. and admission is free
The spring game will feature special head coaches as the Blue team will be coached by the Superintendent of the Naval Academy, Vice Admiral Mike Miller, USN, while the Gold team will be coached by the Commandant of Midshipmen, Capt. Bob Clark, USN. -
Con_AlmaKris Proctor is the fastest Navy QB I've ever seen play. The question for me is will he throw it effectively.
By Bob Socci
"A few days before the Navy Midshipmen hosted Central Michigan last November, after it became official that the so-called backup would be moved up, head coach Ken Niumatalolo had no qualms whatsoever about quarterback Kriss Proctor.
"Kriss prepared all offseason as if he were going to be the starter," Niumatalolo said of the junior who was soon to spell injured senior Ricky Dobbs, fully expecting a seamless transition under center.
That turned out to be the case, even as the lefty Proctor went about his business differently than right-hander Dobbs, relying on his legs a little more and his arm a bit less.
Proctor led the Navy offense to five touchdowns in a 38-37 victory, becoming the sixth quarterback in school history to rush for 200 yards. He scored once and covered 48 yards on the longest of his 20 carries, masterfully directing the Mids' triple-option.
Their average touchdown drive consumed more than 76 yards and they weren't forced to punt until the final 64 seconds. Without star quarterback Dobbs, Navy was fortunate to have Proctor readying in wait.
You could go so far as call it luck. If, that is, you subscribe to the old line: luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
In reality, Proctor's preceding offseason had been spent not as someone who might or could start, but as someone who had been there, had done that.
He had already been the next man up, called upon as a sophomore for games against Wake Forest and Temple in 2009. In the first, Proctor presided over a three-point win in driving rain. In the next, he helped position the Mids in the lead, before a late score by the Owls settled a three-point loss.
Furthermore, Proctor had gone through extended motions as a frontline quarterback. He was running Navy's first-team offense last spring, while Dobbs recovered from knee surgery.
His voice resonated in the huddle. His split-second decisions resulted in a handoff, pitch or keep.
Twelve months later, Proctor is in the same position. The coveted green jersey that makes the quarterback off limits to defenders in practice is his. Only now, barring the unforeseen, it's his for keeps.
"I've been very impressed with his attitude and demeanor," said Niumatalolo entering this spring's camp. "He understands that this is his time."
In many respects, it's a time for self discovery - en masse and individually.
"For the team, we need to find our identity, find out who we are," Proctor said in late March. "These three classes (practicing this spring) need to find out what guys can lead this team, who can put the team on our backs in late-game situations.
"(For me) getting more comfortable with the offense is important, so that not only everybody else can trust me, but I can trust myself to check to the right play."
Proctor isn't just talking about life on the run. Being proactive in the video room, in addition to sheer on-field repetition, should fortify his strength at reading and reacting to defenses on option plays. It also, Proctor's convinced, will make him an accurate passer - albeit one with just nine career attempts.
"Just getting into the playbook, knowing where people are going to be," Proctor answers, when questioned what he can do to become a threat as a thrower.
To underscore the point, he quotes a boyhood favorite.
"Steve Young once said, `The key to being a good quarterback is being able to read defenses,'" says Proctor, referring to the pro football Hall of Famer.
On one hand - the left in this case - it's natural for a Northern Californian like Proctor to look up to a San Francisco southpaw, who also was dangerous on the move, scrambling away from defenders. On the other, Proctor was considered foremost a candidate for the secondary by most college recruiters.
The offense he quarterbacked at Big Bear High was similar to Navy's - which makes it mostly dissimilar to almost every other college scheme. Coaches from power-conference schools decided Proctor was best suited to play safety.
But much like someone else already in the Mids' program at the time, Proctor opted for what appears a near-perfect fit, as a quarterback.
"Kriss is a natural option quarterback," Navy's offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper told gomidshipmen.com in the fall of 2009. "He's the same as (Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada) coming out of high school. He was coached by a guy who has been (running) the option for a long time."
Like Kaheaku-Enhada, who was prepped for the triple-option in Hawaii, Proctor is as comfortable breaking down defenses as a New York City point guard in a pick-up basketball game. From his cut-backs to his ball fakes.
"We ran basically the same offense (at Big Bear) as we do now (at Navy)," says Proctor. "The names of the plays are different."
Other than that, differences are subtle. Considering all of that, Proctor ought to have tremendous confidence.
"Absolutely," he agrees.
So does offensive captain and fullback Alexander Teich.
"Kriss is a tremendous athlete, teammate and player," says Teich, who's been on the sideline much of the spring, recovering from surgery. "He's always been a leader. He's playing with a lot of fire and passion. Sometimes (in games) I would almost sit back and watch him. Now I get to see him everyday in practice."
One of those games last season was at Louisiana Tech, where Proctor picked up for a shaken-up Dobbs. From seven yards out in a 23-23 tie, he reached the end zone to put Navy ahead for good. Proctor also dazzled while mopping up. In the Mids' historic 76-35 rout of East Carolina, his five carries netted 78 yards and 2 TD.
"Part of me wishes he hadn't played in the past and we could spring him on people (this fall)," Niumatalolo half jokes, realizing that video of Proctor's prior cameos is already out for opponents to scout. "He's special with the ball in his hands."
Less than week to go before the Blue-Gold game, Proctor's goals are two-fold: stay healthy and continue developing as a manager of the triple-option. He's progressing nicely, as evidenced on Saturday.
"I thought Kriss had a good day today," Niumatalolo said after last weekend's rain-abbreviated scrimmage. "He made good decisions and I think he only missed one check all day."
In the process, Proctor again exemplified leadership by example.
"I always work as hard as I can," he says, admitting to being more vocal than Dobbs. "It's just a mindset that I'm going to have, even more now than in the past. Now I'm in a position where the younger guys look up to me."
"He's been chomping at the bit," adds Niumatalolo. "He's been busting his butt in the weight room. He's a likeable kid. He can be very relaxed and easy-going (off the field). But he comes to work."
Three years after crossing the country for Annapolis, Proctor is anxious to realize the payoff. He's no longer an understudy to the record-setting Dobbs. Soon enough, it truly will be his time.
Five months from now, following a two-week tour shadowing Marines and a block of summer school, Proctor will lead the Midshipmen into the 2011 opener against Delaware.
And as much as he'll distinguish himself from his predecessor - as a faster runner, more apt to avoid than invite contact, and likely a less-proficient passer - Proctor's raring to resemble Dobbs's most defining quality.
"Win football games," Proctor says. "That's the basis for all of our goals.
"I'm always ready to strap it up, 365 days a year. It's hard not to think about game day. That's why you work so hard." " -
Con_AlmaGot word that nose guard Chris Mayes did not dress for this past Saturday morning's intrasquad scrimmage due to academic reasons. He is eligible both both Naval Academy and NCAA standards, but has not been performing well enough in the classroom to satisfy the coaching staff and thus has been dropped off the depth chart and temporarily suspended from football-related activities.
He is a very big boy and big things are expected from him. He's projected to be the starter next year and stands 6-foot-3, 298 pounds and moves extremely well at that size.
Wish we had more coaches at the collegiate level and in high school like Niumatalolo. -
Con_AlmaThe Admiral Mack award will be given out after the spring game tomorrow. I think it will not go to Cummings but rather to Miller.
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Con_AlmaIt was announced that Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo has signed a long-term contract extension. The terms were not yet released. This is good news for the continued stability of the program.
We are heading out on the road to get to the game in a bout a half an hour. The game will also be televised tonight at 7:0oP.M. on the CBS College Sports Network. -
Con_AlmaThe weather was awful and the game was even worse. Running the triple option with quarterbacks that aren't live is not easy.
Even with the cold rain and nasty win. there's got to be some concern about the kicking game after last night. -
Con_AlmaI guessed right.
Sophomore quarterback Trey Miller (Marietta, Ga.) was named the winner of the Vice Admiral William P. Mack Award at halftime of Friday's annual Blue-Gold Football Game.
The Admiral Mack Award is presented to the most improved player during spring football drills as voted on by the coaching staff. It is just the second time a quarterback has won the award in its 36 years of existence and the first since John Nobers won the award in 1987.
"Trey had a great spring, he impressed the coaching staff with his grasp of the offense and he's a kid that just knows how to plays. He has the ability to make something out of nothing," said Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo.
Miller is currently listed second on the depth chart at quarterback behind rising senior Kriss Proctor.
Miller is a 2009 graduate of Whitefield Academy and attended the Naval Academy Prep School during the 2009-10 academic year. He was a three-sport standout in high school earning letters in basketball (3), football (4) and track & field (4). An Honorable Mention All-State selection in football his senior year, Miller was named the region MVP. He served as team captain of both the football and basketball teams his senior year and was the point guard on Whitefield Academy's basketball squad that won the 2009 Georgia state championship.
The Admiral Mack Award was initiated in 1976 and is named in honor of Vice Admiral William P. Mack, the Naval Academy Superintendent from 1972-75, who was a strong supporter of the school's intercollegiate athletic program. Admiral Mack's widow, Elsie, was on hand to present the award to Miller.