Scrimmage Debrief

It was a great day for the first scrimmage of the preseason at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning, as we finally got a break from the heat to enjoy some actual college football (as opposed to, you know, the CFL or something.) First off I'd suggest that everyone check out the official release from Scott S. over at NavySports.com, which includes quotes from Coach Johnson and a nice summery of the events. My thoughts are as followed:

First and foremost, which players were the most impressive? I guess to answer that question we first have to take a scrimmage like this into context. Not only were some of Navy's best players not in the lineup for the day (minor precautionary reasons) but the purpose of the first scrimmage is to find out who can play on the team and who can't. Yes, Reggie Campbell was impressive every time he touched the football, but then again we already knew that. Today was less about getting the ball to the play makers and piling up points than it was about finding out how different groups of players work together and which guys from the second and third team have a shot at breaking out. As far as commenting on the first team offense goes, I will say that Kaipo looked sharp in the pocket today, and although he only completed half of his passes he seems to have more zip on the ball and more confidence in the pocket. It's also worth noting that he had some very good protection up front. Ballard ran strong as usual, and the first team offense line did a good job moving the first team defensive line back (for the most part.) The "D" did do a good job tightening up in the red zone as the scrimmage possessed, but it's more then fair to say the offense is ahead of the defense (as we expected.)

The second and third team offenses however seemed to struggle, particularly with basic concepts like taking care of the football. Readers of this site know that I am an unabashed fan of both Jarod Bryant and Troy Goss, but they each gave it back to the defense while playing with the first team (Jarod threw one to Blake Carter, Troy lost a fumble to Matt Nechak.) Blocking is still inconsistent with both the second and third teams, although their were some nice runs by the slotbacks, particularly Andre Byrd and Greg Shinego. Plebe Greg Jones also did some good things with the third team at slot back, as did Scott Oswald, who while still struggling with blocking assignments is getting better. The receivers need to show more poise and better hands while at the same time understanding their blocking assignments. There is a lot of raw talent on the second team, but it seems like a number of players are still struggling with the basic concepts of this offense.

Alright, on to the important stuff. Possible risers in the depth chart? I think you have to start with two plebes, those being QB Ricky Dobbs and SB Andre Byrd. Dobbs saw time with the second team and looked impressive running the ball. He spent some time at NAPS so it's obvious that he has an understanding of the offense to compliment his great athletic ability. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him listed on the three deep when Monday's depth chart comes out. As for Andre Byrd, he's obviously an outstanding athlete as well and could have a bright future. He reminds me a lot of Reggie Campbell with his running style. His height (5'7ish) allows him to run low to the ground and his patience and quickness are unmatched by the other plebe slotbacks. He's someone to keep an eye on in the future. On defense, Michael Walsh may be entrenching his spot at right end, while Andy Lark has quietly moved up in the order of things and could contend for a backup job. I also think Ram Vela may be able to put himself in contention for the nickel back spot by camp's end.

As for the defensive side of the ball, well, I hate to use this cliche, but they did some good things and they did some not so good things. I thought big Nate Frazier had a very good day, and liked seeing the kind of penetration he was able to get. I know Antron wasn't in there to challenge him, but he was able to cause some serious disruption in the backfield. Chris Kahur-Pitters did some good things as well. I like our linebackers all around. Their were some pads popping and in general they flew to the football well. Coming off blocks quicker is still a concerns (especially against the first team), but for the most part they did a good decent job. Secondary shows some promise. I like Ram Vela at corner and it seems like he's made some major strides since spring, while plebe Wyatt Middleton showed some toughness in on tackles. While were on the subject of hitting, anyone know who layed the wood on Bobby Doyle to cause the fumble Thiel scored on? I don't remember seeing much of this, but apparently Jeff Deliz did some good things as well (2 tfl.) Just as a side note, I tend to focus on the offense more (as most fans do) and it's fairly easy for me to lose track of what's going on in the secondary unless the play is right in front of me.

All and all, this wasn't a bad first scrimmage. It wasn't great, but it wasn't "freaking awful" as Paul Johnson would say. Whenever you have a lot of plebes out on the field (as there were) poise is going to be an issue, as was the case today. The first team offense is still well ahead of the defense, but we all knew that coming into camp. The point is that our defense will be fine. By "fine" I don't mean shutting people out, but there is enough talent and aggressiveness here that teams aren't just going to roll right on down the field. As far as things getting stressed in practice this week, I think it's got to be decision making and taking care of the football on offense. I think Coach Johnson will use Dobbs' play to push Jarod and Troy, who in their own right did some good things today. I think there might also be some attention paid to blocking on the perimeter once the tape is reviewed. That and knowing where you are on the field, as I saw one to many guys run into each other and botch a quarterback-fullback exchange. On defense, it's got to be what it always is. Discipline, tackling, and flying to the football.

That's it for now, at least until I can think of some more stuff I've probably forgotten and left out. I'll be back on Monday with some comments on the latest depth chart, and maybe even some thoughts on all this Maryland nonsense we keep hearing about.

Ultimate Navy Preview 2007: Wide Recievers

Past Position Previews: [Quarterback] [Fullback][Slotback]

On to the Three Deep!

O.J. Washington: One of the few players on the roster who seems to receive at least semi-consistent praise from Coach Johnson, Washington has been touted as one of the best blockers on this Navy team, and rightfully so. Not only does he seem to "stick" blockers, he's seemingly always in the right place at the right time. It's that ability to redirect defenders and spring ball carriers which makes him one of the most underrated players on the entire team. While he's know for his ability as a blocker, Washington is also a solid possession receiver who has good hands and uses his body well. Not to get overly cliche on you, but he views the field well and understands how to sit down on sideline routes. He'll be challenged this year by more aggressive corners, but he's clearly the number one guy here and can only improve on what was already a good 2006.

Tyree Barnes: A big target at 6'2, 188, Barnes has also shown big-play capability during his first two years at the Academy. While he's only caught twelve receptions in his career, four have gone for touchdowns, including a leaping 29-yard grab against eastern Michigan. He's a gifted athlete for his size and has tremendous hands, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Navy utilize both those qualities in red zone situations. Tyree is also a very underrated stalk blocker, and has the size and technique necessary to frustrate opposing defensive backs in the run game. The key for Tyree is going to be staying healthy however, as he missed the opening portions of 2006 after failing to come back from surgery he had in the offseason. He had more surgery this past January, and sat out of the spring game in order to recover. He reminds me a lot of the recently graduated senior Jason Tomlinson and if he can stay healthy could put up similar numbers next season.

Greg Sudderth: I've talked about Greg a lot on this blog, and not just addressing the obvious fact that he can't tackle. Now that he's at wide receiver he'll hopefully save himself from some embarrassment, and flourish as a ball handler. He certainly has the athletic ability to do so, and is arguably the most highly recruited player coming out of high school on Navy's roster, passing up a host of ACC offers to play for the Midshipmen,. At 6'2, 207 he's got prototypical wide receiver size, and has enough speed to get behind defenders who get caught "peaking" in the backfield. He looked impressive in the spring game and had a good spring camp, and if he can show he's a consistent enough blocker then I think Coach Johnson will rely more on him during the season. Look for Greg to find his way onto the field in 2007, and possibly become one of Navy's surprise performers.

Curtis Sharp: A lot of people were excited about Sharp going into 2006, but the hype fizzled by year's end as he failed to catch an entire pass all season. He has tight end like size at 6-4, 239, and good athletic ability and decent hands. He's an intriguing prospect who has seen time in goal line and short yardage situations, but I don't see him making much of an impact this year due to the reliability of the players in front of him. Still, he'll have a chance to impress in fall camp, and could surprise in 2007.

Nick Henderson: Good looking sophomore who has ideal height (6'4). Showed some ability in the spring, and could be in line to start in 2008.

Troy Goss: Goss is still listed as a QB, but I'm projected him to move back to WR in fall camp and settle into the three deep. Was a capable blocker in mop-up duty last season.

Overall: There is a common perception on the national level that this unit is not very good. To that I'd say if you lined everyone here up in four and five wide sets then that would be the case, but that's not what Paul Johnson does. This unit is, generally speaking, very good at doing what needs to be done for the offense to execute effectively. As someone who has attended the Academy's football camp as a player (albeit a very bad and undersized one in a brief high school career) I can say with confidence that Coach Bohannon does an excellent job getting guys to buy into their roles in the offense. This year the unit returns a starter in Washington and a guy who has seen significant playing time in Barnes, as well as Sudderth who has stud like athletic ability in the open field. This is a much more athletic group than Navy has seen in the recent past, and despite the loss of a great player like Jason Tomlinson, I think this group is up a half notch or so in 2007.

Grade: 7