Bye Week Mailbag

Well here we are, already halfway through the season. Boy, time flies, doesn’t it? It feels like only a week ago that we were talking about how the new tackles on the offensive line would hold up. I’d say that’s one question that has been answered definitively. But other questions remain, which is why it’s a perfect time for a mailbag. Let’s go!

With the defense struggling at times with the teams Navy has played, do you think the offense will go more ball control to limit opponents’ offensive plays or continue with what has been working with the stronger schedule upcoming? Thanks.

• @phillyfnatic

That’s a good question, and my gut feeling is that the offense will keep doing what it’s doing. I don’t think you want to mess with what’s working. I’m sure there will be game situations where the offense slows things down, but that happens now, too. Varying tempo is part of what makes the offense successful, and right now, the offense operating at peak performance is why Navy is winning games. To tinker with that is to play with fire.

Navy fans have high expectations. What has been the biggest thing from this season that reminds us how difficult it can be to sustain success? Turnover in the defensive secondary? Teams have film on us?

After all, we are still a service academy.

• @MarkHuber01

That’s sort of a weird question, if I’m honest. I don’t know how to answer it, especially considering that Navy is 6-0. But who needs any reminder after 2020-2023, anyway? That should be recent enough for everyone.

So with our issues on defense (7 new starters), do you think we will maintain our aggressiveness or try and become a more bend but don’t break defense with emphasis on making opposing offense execute more plays hoping for mistakes? Obviously, if we don’t tackle better none of that will matter.

• jeffabelt

Coach Volker pretty much answered this question in his Zoom call this week:

“We’re never going to be a defense that just sits there and plays one thing. That’s not how we’re built. We’re built to be aggressive. We’re built to be dynamic, and we’re going to continue to do that.”

Newberry and Volker in the past have both voiced a disdain for bend-but-don’t-break as a philosophy. Even if they liked it, that mindset only works if you tackle well, and for whatever reason, Navy didn’t last week. For now, Volker’s answer is to cut back on the menu, not rebrand the restaurant.

“Mike” ILB total tackles for Grant and Cauley in the last 5 games have been 6, 10, 6, 5, 8. Coach Newberry was asked about this a few weeks ago and sort of downplayed it, but it seems that consistent production at that spot has become a problem, with safeties needing to get more involved in the run game. Do you see it as a problem, and do you think that might be one of the personnel decisions being made this week?

• Paddy06

Have the safeties been more involved in the run game? I’m not sure they have, and it isn’t necessarily a problem when they are. Last year, Rayuan Lane made all kinds of plays at the line of scrimmage and felt like an extra linebacker at times. I don’t think the safeties this year have been asked to do the same, at least to that extent. Maybe I’m wrong.

The inside linebackers were the team’s top two tacklers the last two years, but that hasn’t always been the case in the Newberry/Volker era. Strikers and safeties have often been top tacklers on the team, with guys like John Marshall, Jacob Springer, and Kevin Brennan. Sometimes it’s a matter of what the defense chooses to emphasize, and sometimes it’s a matter of how offenses choose to attack Navy. On its own, I don’t know that a lack of production from that position (relatively speaking) is a red flag.

Job Grant is fifth on the team in tackles, but he is bookended on the list by Landon Robinson and Griffen Willis. The two have combined for 61 tackles so far this year, which is unusual production for interior linemen. If that doesn’t lead the country in NG/DT production, it’s at least near the top. All those tackles will take away some of the stats from the guys lined up behind them.

Now, that doesn’t mean everything is hunky dory. The inside linebackers are critical in pass defense, too. People remember Kyle Jacob’s 100 tackles, but he also had three interceptions and two PBUs. Navy likes to give a blitz look to bait quarterbacks into checking to slants and short underneath routes, then dropping the linebackers into coverage. Jacob was unusually adept at knowing just where to place himself, and that’s an element that’s been missing this season. Pass defense isn’t only on the secondary. We saw instances in the Temple game where opposing offenses controlled the linebacker’s depth to complete passes behind them. That is definitely something that needs addressing.

Whether that involves changing personnel, I don’t know. But in this particular case, I doubt it.

List the top reasons the class of 1990 is the best Naval Academy class ever.

• @ERedhat

I’ll give it my best shot.

Nathan Kent is a speed demon and threat, but other than a few missed throws I don’t remember him being used much so far; it could be me. Is the threat of him keeping DBs busy elsewhere while plays are developing? His downfield blocks are killer, like Cody Howard’s.

• @MattScassero

He had two catches in the Air Force game. But remember, he wasn’t even the starter for most of the season. Luke Hutchison was until he was injured in practice. Hutch was having a good season, too. Between the two of them, they have eight catches for 172 yards, which is actually ahead of the pace they set last season in receptions, yards, and average per catch.

Kent was always going to get off to a slow start this year. He has been going non-stop since last season, with track and field in the spring and special warfare training over the summer. Not only has he missed a lot of practice, but he physically could probably have used some recovery time. Now that we’re halfway through the season and Hutchison is hurt, Kent will be more of a factor. Josh Guerin has been playing more as well.

The last four games of the season present offenses that will test our defense, specifically our secondary. Of those teams, which QB and/or offensive system will give Navy the most problems and why?

• @MarcBez_95GOAT

Last four games? Navy just gave up 500 yards to Temple! FAU is the #5 passing offense in the country. Right now, they’re all a problem!

What will it take for Navy to get ranked? Are service academies held to a different standard? Is it a G5 thing?

• Colin L.

I won’t lie– I don’t care about the polls. Well, I sort of do. It’s a good hype generator for recruiting, I guess. It’s nice at the end of the year. But ultimately, it’s just other people’s opinions. The team can’t control that. All they can do is win the game in front of them.

The only ranking that really matters is the Playoff committee’s. Beyond that, the conference race and the CIC Trophy are all the rankings I need.

Also, just glancing at the AP Poll, I’m not sure who you’d take out to add Navy. They all seem deserving to me.

What’s your take on Army and their 3-3 start?

• Mike W.

I don’t really pay attention to Army until they play Air Force, so I can’t tell you. Teams can change a lot between September and December, so I don’t see any value in watching them early in the year. I saw a little of their weeknight games, and they look different offensively, but that’s just what I’ve noticed in passing. Maybe I should ask you for your take.

Multipart:

1- Is it time for a coaching change for Men’s Soccer?

2- Does JM get a real sniff outside of WP or did the early season stumbles lock him in? Would AF start thinking about moving beyond TC?

3- Is there a way forward for our secondary?

4- What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve seen or done since joining the radio crew?

5- What’s your favorite Navy game (any sport) you’ve seen?

• spartanmid

Geez man, save some for everyone else!

1. I couldn’t tell you the first thing about the problems with the soccer program, so I can’t tell you the solution, either. But there are clearly problems.
   
2. A multi-part question embedded in a multi-part question! I have no idea if anyone will have interest in Jeff Monken, but I suspect that anyone who would be interested would care more about the overall body of work than one .500 start. As for Calhoun, Air Force’s problems are rooted in the turnbacks the administration let him get away with. I’m sure they understand that and wouldn’t make any hasty decisions.
   
3. That’s sort of a broad question. Look, the secondary has had two bad games, and with the schedule coming up, a sense of urgency is warranted. But it’s not like they haven’t played well at times. They were good against Tulsa and in the second half of the UAB game. Why they’ve regressed, I don’t know. But I think the only path forward is to just keep coaching ’em up. What else can you do?
   
   There was a five-game stretch last year when Navy’s run defense was terrible. Between the Memphis and Notre Dame games, the Mids allowed 215 yards per game and nearly 5 yards per carry. Then, over the last six games, something clicked. From the USF game through the bowl game against Oklahoma, Navy allowed just 131 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry. That’s about when Griffen Willis entered the starting lineup, so maybe he was the difference. But my point is that there was a difference to be had, and the same could be true of the secondary. Don’t write them off yet.
   
4. I don’t know how much has been unexpected. I went into it knowing that I’d have a lot to learn, and that certainly has proven to be the case. I guess I’ve been a little surprised at how many people already knew who I was. I’ve always seen myself as sort of a niche internet guy, but sitting in the hotel lobby at the Tulsa game, there were a lot of people who walked up to me to introduce themselves. I guess they recognized me from some of the coaches’ Zoom calls.
   
5. My favorite Navy game would be my first. I was seven years old when I attended the final of the ECAC South basketball tournament, hosted by William & Mary. This is the conference that would become the CAA a year later. Navy, led by a young center named David Robinson, defeated Richmond, 85-76, to earn a trip to the NCAA tournament. I wandered onto the court after the game and stood next to Robinson while he was being interviewed by a TV crew. I was only as tall as his knee. The whole experience was my introduction to everything Navy, and I was hooked.

What is your best guess on the short term future (5-10 years) of college football with respect to NIL, conferences, and Navy’s place in that ecosystem?

• jgish-92

I think a lot of this depends on the fate of the SCORE Act. There is way too much there to discuss in a mailbag question, but at a high level, it would codify a framework at the federal level for college sports. It’s a work in progress, and I don’t like everything that’s being considered, but it would provide stability that all of college sports desperately needs. Stability is a good thing for Navy since it would slow the charge toward a breakaway by power schools.

The other big question is conference realignment. What does the Big Ten want to do? Their media deal is up in 2030, and if they want to raid the ACC, then things will get awfully messy. Hopefully they will reach the conclusion that they are already stupidly big and are better served staying where they are. Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine as to where things will end up once the dust settles.

I know this doesn’t really answer your question as to what Navy’s place will be in that ecosystem, but that’s because it’s hard to predict what the ecosystem will be. It’s a scary time.

Coach Newberry mentioned on his Monday presser they are going to make some personnel changes on defense during the bye week. What do you think those personnel changes will be?

• West2012

To be clear, Newberry said the staff had to take a hard look at personnel. He did not guarantee that changes would be made. Still, some change is inevitable. If Justin Ross gets healthy, he’ll return to the starting lineup. Giuseppe Sessi has started every game at one safety position, but the other safety has been divided between Andrew Duhart and Seth English. Maybe Duhart will start again. Maybe there will be a different rotation at corner between Hamilton, Oniha, and Allen. Maybe guys will change positions. That’s just spitballing, though. Without knowing what the coaches see as the root cause of the problems, it’s useless to speculate.

If you look at the highest performing players currently at Army and Air Force, how many did we try to recruit? What others near direct competitors for players would you say we go head to head with?

• alankirkgray

I don’t know who you consider the highest-performing players, but if they were academically qualified, Navy almost certainly recruited them. But “recruit” can mean a number of things. It doesn’t necessarily mean an offer was made. It also doesn’t mean they were #1 on the board. Recruiting is as much a numbers game as anything else. You could have three guys with an offer but only one spot left at the position, so you tell them that the first one who commits gets it. Service academy fans like to count offers and figure that whoever has the most commits with offers from the other two “wins” recruiting. But it’s not that simple.

As for who Navy recruits against, it’s everybody. The coaches call their high school contacts and ask if they have any players who fit what Navy’s looking for. Some of those players pick up when Navy calls, and some don’t. But they call all of them.

Was there a talent gap in the past 5 years? A lot of casual Navy fans said that we weren’t as talented as AF and Army anymore during the 2020-2023 seasons.

• saltysam98

I wrote about this at the end of last season, but it seems that was lost in the move to On3. Alas.

The short answer is no, it wasn’t a talent gap. There was, however, a retention gap; Navy lost more players than Army and Air Force during the pandemic. That, combined with difficulty finding the right offense to make up for the cut blocking rule changes, made for a perfect storm in Annapolis. Many of the stars of today– Horvath, Tecza, Heidenreich– were playing in 2023, too. The fact that there was already talent on the roster is why the team exploded once the right offense was put in place.