Gridders CLose First Week of 2006 Spring Practice Slate

Head Coach Bobby Ross Says First Week Was Heavy on Installation of Plays; Predicts Week Two Will Feature Much of Same
April 1, 2006

One week into his third spring session along the banks of the Hudson, Army grid boss Bobby Ross gave his veteran squad a favorable review Saturday, commending the team's progress after four practices, the last two of which featured the Black Knights working out in full pads at Michie Stadium on successive days.
Focusing on intensive installation of both offensive and defensive systems during the first week, because of the vast amount of experienced players on both sides of the line of scrimmage, Ross lauded the effort of the Black Knights throughout the week.
"I wasn't displeased with the work that we got done this week. We put in quite a bit of our offense and quite a bit of our defense. And even with the (heavy) installation, we did a decent job," Ross explained. "We didn't make a lot of mistakes. We still have to refine a lot of things though.
"We may be a bit faster (with the installation of systems and plays) this spring, but that's because (of the team's veteran experience level). We want the last two weeks of practice to be (dedicated to) polishing technique, which will give us a chance to look as some other things too. That's why we've gone as fast as we have."
To cap the opening week, Ross put his troops through a briskly paced two-hour, non-contact session Saturday morning that began under an inviting spring sun but was conducted under increasingly threatening skies as the day wore on. As usual, the practice plan featured individual skill-development sessions, one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills and a limited amount of full-team plays.
Despite his overall happiness with the week, the one area in which Ross was a bit guarded Saturday centered on the play of the offensive line, a group that has quite a bit of experience and is expected to anchor the entire offensive unit.
"Offensively we weren't coming off the ball today quite as good as I would like to see. We got slowed because our defensive line did a good job with their pressure package," Ross said. "That is something we need to avoid (offensively). I don't think we are totally ready for (certain types of defensive pressure up front) so that's why I want us to see it. Defensively we were getting off the ball very well, and a lot of that had to do with our stunts and pressure.


With two days off until his team returns to the practice field this coming Tuesday, Ross set the agenda for next week, stating, "We will stay with our installation and keep trying to get better. I want us to take the attitude of coming out each day to get a little bit better. If we do that, we'll be fine."

Army Gridders Enjoy Another Strong Spring Session

Head coach Bobby Ross Lauds His Team's Efficiency; Credits Experience Level
March 29, 2006

With eight starters returning on both offensive and defensive sides of the line of scrimmage, Army brought a veteran football team to the opening of this year's spring drills, and that experience level is already paying dividends for head coach Bobby Ross's Black Knights.
Ross put his charges through their second consecutive day of workouts Wednesday as the veteran grid boss opened his third spring at the helm of the Army football program. As was the case Tuesday, sunny skies and welcomed warmer temperatures enveloped Michie Stadium Wednesday during the Black Knights' two-hour session.
At the conclusion of Wednesday's workout, the second of his squad's 15 practice sessions, Ross lauded the Black Knights' progress over the spring's opening two days. And he cited the outstanding weather as a contributing factor.
"It's been beautiful. We've had two beautiful days, which allows us to get out here and get our work done. The weather has been a positive, and the first two days have been a positive," Ross said. "We've had a few things that weren't positive, but that's always going to happen. But if we keep working, and we keep hanging together as a football team, we'll be okay.
"We are making good progress. We are doing a much better job with the little things right now, on both sides of the ball. That is because of our experience," Ross added. "We are still young in a few places. Corner (back) is a big concern. We are evaluating that every day. Obviously quarterback is another area, and running back is another. Defensive tackle, where we lost three guys at one position, is another area also.
"There is still work to be done, but the first two days this week have been the best first two days we've had since I've been here. It's because of their background in what we are doing."
Two units that boast a vast amount of experience are the offensive and defensive lines. Three starters return along the four-man defensive front--DE Cameron Craig, DE Brandon Thompson and DT Tony Fusco--while four starters on the offensive line are back in spring drills--OG Matt Weisner, OG Dan Evans, OT Jonathan Connon and OT Ray Zelenak.


"Some of the areas where we've made the biggest progress are our up-front people. We are doing things a lot better now than we were last year at this time. It is obvious to me that we are a little stronger. We've put on a little weight, but more than anything we've added strength. That's been a big thing.
"We are more aware of things. The experience is helping us a lot. The things they are seeing now are things that have seen before and have experience with. That's been one of the significant things. Now, though, things will start to separate a bit because we will put on the pads on Friday. That will tell us a lot more."

Black Knights Kick Off Spring Practice With Strong Effort

Head Coach Bobby Ross Pleased with Initial Spring Showing
March 28, 2006

Above-average temperatures and beautiful blue skies greeted the Army football team as it stepped out on to the Michie Stadium playing surface around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, officially heralding the start of the Black Knights' 2006 spring season.
And the good feelings around Army's football complex were not limited to the unseasonably mild weather conditions as veteran head coach Bobby Ross put his club through a briskly paced two-hour workout in helmets and shorts.
"I was very pleased with what I saw today," said Ross. "The retention was good. Our adjustments to some new things that we want to get done were good. I felt pretty good about it. Our attention to details like taking the proper splits on certain plays was so much better than what it was at any time last year. That's a good start. Now, we'll see if we can carry that over.
"It's nice is to have a little retention with our veteran players. Right now, we've got eight starters back on offense and eight on defense. They weren't all out there today, but that's very encouraging. It all starts with the up-front people and I thought part of it was very good, and for the first day, better than I had anticipated."
With the departure of four-year starter Zac Dahman at quarterback, much of Ross' attention will be trained on the quarterback position where David Pevoto, Pat McDonald and Kevin Dunn are expected to battle for the starting job.
All three candidates enjoyed solid showings on Tuesday, with Pevoto gaining the majority of snaps with Army's first offensive unit.
"All three quarterbacks threw the ball pretty well," Ross offered. "I thought all three quarterbacks did well. I was particularly pleased with David (Pevoto). I thought he was more accurate with the ball. He was around the receiver more consistently and that was a good start. Now he's got to sustain that. Dunn has good `zip' on the ball. I was very impressed by that. He's got to improve his mechanics and footwork. McDonald has got to pick up the quickness to what he does a little bit better. But all in all, I thought they all did a decent job for the first day."


Another area sure to capture much of Ross' focus this spring will be the running back spot as the Black Knights strive to uncover a replacement for departed All-East performer Carlton Jones, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons. With no clear-cut favorite entering spring drills, the next three weeks remain crucial for the host of individuals battling for playing time at the position.
"It was just the first day. There are so many people we're looking at there that it's hard to say. Until we get into some scrimmage work, I won't be able to tell. The one thing that did catch my eye today was the performance of Wesley McMahand. He's got a little quickness to him; he's got a little `scoot' to him. He cut the ball back there a little bit. I was pleased with that. He showed a little something. But it's way too early to tell with any of them."
As is in the case of the offense, eight starters return to Army's defensive cast. The overall level of experience was quite evident to the Black Knights' field boss on Tuesday.
"Our retention in our defense is very good. We've got experience at every position. Even the younger guys who haven't played a lot in games, have some good experience. That should really help us to make progress."
Army will return to the practice field for a helmets only workout on Wednesday, then break a day before closing out the week with workouts on Friday and Saturday.

Spring Football Practice Set to Open Tuesday

Replacing Quarterback, Running Back and Cornerback Positions Top Goals for Spring
March 27, 2006

Although there will be some very familiar names missing when Army begins spring football practice Tuesday at Michie Stadium, the Black Knights will welcome back their largest number of returning starters in recent memory.
Forty-seven letterwinners, including 19 returning starters, will be among those hitting the practice field Tuesday for the first of 15 spring drills. Army will feature eight returning starters on both offense and defense, along with three starters in the specialty areas.
Among those departing following stellar careers in the Black, Gold and Gray are longtime starters Zac Dahman, Carlton Jones, Dhyan Tarver and Ray Stith. Finding replacements for those stalwarts at the quarterback, running back and cornerback positions, respectively, ranks chief among head coach Bobby Ross' goals as he enters his third spring session guiding the Black Knights.
"We're very anxious to begin," explains Ross. "This is the first year that we've had any semblance of returning players with game experience. We return eight starters on the offensive side of the ball and eight starters on the defensive side. That's a very good starting point for us. Additionally, we return our top two punters and our top two placekickers. We're in very good shape in that respect.
"Our key areas of concern entering every spring are filling the voids created by players that were lost. Of course it starts at quarterback and at running back for us on offense this year - two very key areas for our football team - and at cornerback on defense.We lost some excellent football players in Zac Dahman, Carlton Jones, Dhyan Tarver and Ray Stith. Developing their replacements will be very important this spring."


While Ross entered spring drills a year ago looking to rebuild Army's entire offensive line, the Black Knights' veteran mentor is pleased with the experience found along the front wall this time around. In addition to returning all five starters and their backups, Army features a host of young talent primed to fight for playing time this spring. Several of those young players will be given the opportunity to display their talents due to the absence of Pete Bier, who will sit out this spring as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. Aside from Bier, last season's offensive line returns intact this spring.
"We're two-deep in our offensive line right now. Every player that we had there last year has returned," Ross explains. "We've made some nice progress in that area. With Pete Bier being on a medical leave of absence, we'll have the chance to look at some of our younger players. We're not sure where we'll play Pete yet. He has the ability to handle the center or guard positions, so we're going to go through the spring and see who develops at each of those spots to determine where we need Pete the most.
"We've been real impressed with Brandon Cox, a youngster who played quite a bit in the Navy game last year and performed quite well for a freshman. We're real high on him and are hopeful that he can continue to develop as well."
Still, Ross emphasized the greatest need for his club this spring - settling the quarterback position following the departure of Dahman, a four-year starter who owns virtually every Army passing record on game, season and career levels. Juniors David Pevoto and Pat McDonald enter spring as the frontrunners to assume the job.
"We've got to develop a quarterback," stresses Ross. "It's just such an area of responsibility and our system is not an easy one. In addition to that, we're introducing some new option elements to our offense, which involves decision-making by the quarterback. If we can develop a quarterback, I think we have a chance to have a pretty good football team. While the quarterback spot is probably down to two people - David Pevoto and Pat McDonald - the running back position is wide open right now. We'll just have to see. We have as many as six people that we'll take a look at.
"The biggest thing that I want us to concentrate on offensively, other than filling the voids at quarterback and running back, is to improve in the techniques of things in our offensive line. Last year we had four starters that had never played a game and Pete Bier had never played a game at center. We were really starting from the ground up. They came along and they developed fairly well. Now I'm looking for significant improvement. I'm hoping the offensive line will carry the offense until we get the quarterback situation cleared up. I've always believed that what's up front counts a great deal. I feel a lot more comfortable with what we have back this year than certainly what had back last year."
Defensively, Ross and his coaching staff are buoyed by the return of eight starters, including All-East strong safety Caleb Campbell and every linebacker listed on the Black Knights' two-deep from last fall. Still, losing a pair of cornerbacks with the pedigrees of Tarver and Stith will present a significant challenge this spring. Ross will also be looking to fill a void created by the graduation loss of Seth Lotts at one of the team's defensive tackle positions.
"We've got to find two cornerbacks and a defensive tackle," Ross states." Of course we lost two very good players in Tarver and Stith. We have some young men in our program that played quite a bit last year, guys like Darren Newson and Sean Grevious. We'll take a close look at them. We also have some other young people that we hope will develop.
"One of our defensive tackle positions will be wide open. We moved Peter Harrington from defensive end to defensive tackle, and Shane Zinszer has always been a pretty tough kid. We're hoping that he can step up and develop into a pretty good football player. But overalll, I'm very excited about our defensive line. With Brandon Thompson and Cameron Craig at the ends and Tony Fusco at one of the tackles, we've got a pretty solid returning core. In addition to that group, we've got some backups that are pretty solid."
In addition to welcoming back the top six linebackers that dressed for Army's season finale against Navy last December, Ross eagerly anticipates the return of fast-rising Charlie Rockwood, who missed the majority of his sophomore campaign after suffering a season-ending knee injury against Iowa State in September. While he may be somewhat limited as he continues to recover, Rockwood is expected to return to action at some point this spring.
"I thought Charlie was one of our blossoming stars at the time of his injury," Ross comments. "We also return his backup in Luke Pell, who played most of the season in place of Rockwood. We think we have a very fine youngster at that position in Tim Jennings as well. In addition, we return one of the better football players on the East Coast in Caleb Campbell at strong safety. Overall, we feel like we have pretty good depth at the two safety positions. Settling things at cornerback will be the key for us."
Army is scheduled to practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week with all sessions subject to change due to inclement weather and scheduling considerations. Tentative starting time for the annual Black/Gold Game on April 22 is listed at 2:30 p.m.