The start of the college football season is still more than five months away, but it’s never too early to make a good first impression.
That’s what Navy coach Paul Johnson is stressing to his players as spring football practice gets underway Monday. With just two starters back on defense and a number of positions open for competition on offense, previously seldom-used players have a chance to move up the depth chart.
Johnson said he has seen players who have improved their work ethic during early-morning workouts so far, while others have not lived up to his expectations.
“You have a lot of young guys that are going to be challenging, and it gives you a chance to watch the young guys and see who steps up and who you can count on,” Johnson said. “Coming out of morning workouts, there are a couple of young guys that I was really counting on that I’m disappointed in. I don’t know if they can play for us. I don’t know if they are tough enough. They give up awfully easy.”
One position Johnson said is wide open is outside linebacker, where replacements must be found for Tyler Tidwell, David Mahoney and John Chan. The trio combined for 200 tackles and 19 sacks in 2006. Among the potential candidates are sophomore Craig Schaefer, senior Matt Humiston, senior Dell Robinson and sophomore Jordan Eddington.
“It’s hard to single anybody out,” Johnson said. “It could be anybody. We may move some more guys. If I don’t see what I like, I will move some more guys out there.
Johnson said one thing that is just as important as finding the best players is finding which players work best together as a unit.
“You learn to play by playing,” he said. “Nobody is going to be perfect, but they have to play with the kind of effort that if one guy isn’t perfect, then somebody can cover for him because they are playing with extra effort. I feel like, athletically, we are as good or better than we’ve ever been. Now, the mental part of it, we will see. The mental part is a big part of it.”
NAVY?S MUSICAL CHAIRS
» Sophomore Craig Schaefer will attempt to earn a spot as a starting outside linebacker after moving from the inside spot. Senior Matt Humiston, a special-teams player, and Dell Robinson, a safety, are also trying out at linebacker this spring.
» Among the players making the biggest move is senior Corey Johnson, who will compete for playing time as safety after spending the last three years as a point guard for Navy?s basketball team.
