AFA Sports   Air Force Academy sports

Interesting to watch coach Troy Calhoun during practice today.

The first-team defensive line and some linebackers were working against the first-team offensive line in one area; the first-team defensive secondary and some linebackers were in a pass skeleton drill against the first-team backs and receivers in another area; and the junior varsity backs and receivers were running plays in a third area.

Calhoun kept his eyes everywhere and jumped in periodically with critiques that showed his attention to detail. After “Z” receiver Matt Davis caught a pass and took off, Calhoun told him not to “fall away from the ball” when catching it. “Go get it,” Calhoun said, noting that Davis could start to run a split-second quicker if he did. Moments later, Calhoun tweaked a freshman quarterback’s delivery. And shortly after that he was telling receiver Mike Moffet to fight for a pass in the air.

Lasting image: Jim Ollis sitting glumly on a cart with an ice bag on his left ankle. Ollis was one of the most intriguing players on the Falcons’ roster heading into August. A backup quarterback his first three seasons at Air Force, the coaching staff moved him to running back in hopes of getting him on the field more.

Listed as the backup tailback after spring, Ollis sprained his left ankle on Aug. 6, the Falcons’ first full-contact practice. He finally returned to the field today but re-injured the ankle.

Coach’s quote: “You make your evaluations based upon productivity. It’s been pretty clear that Scott’s practiced better and played better. And that’s pretty much because he’s been out there.” – Calhoun on Scott Peeples moving ahead of Ryan Williams into the Falcons’ starting fullback slot

I was reminded today that the 2007 season won’t be senior tight end Travis Dekker’s last at the academy. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Albuquerque native broke his foot between his freshman and sophomore seasons, sat out his sophomore year (2005) and received an extra year of eligibility, which he’ll use in 2008.

With his size (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) and his athleticism, Dekker – and the Falcons’ tight ends in general – was surprisingly underused in 2006. Dekker was the only tight end to catch a pass during the season, and he had just four.

He should have many more this year.

“I feel like they’re finally kind of just using what we’ve had, but now they’re kind of exploiting it,” Dekker said. “Which is good. I feel like we’ll definitely be a much more integral part of the offense.”

No wonder Dekker referred to Calhoun as “The Mastermind.”

Who stood out: Senior wide receiver Devin Hart. After playing football his freshman year and part of his sophomore year, Hart did not play last season. But Hart, who also competes for the academy’s track team, was lured back to the gridiron by the new coaching staff and some of his fellow seniors.

Hart has been limited in the preseason due to a bruised ankle tendon. But his speed is intriguing. And Wednesday in practice he broke off a route and jumped to make an impressive grab along the sideline. If he can get healthy, I could see him giving Chad Hall a break at the “X” wide receiver position early in fourth quarters when opposing defenses are tired and his speed becomes more of a factor.

Lasting image: At the end of practice, Air Force’s offense practiced its Hail Mary play – three receivers go deep, ending up in a line with about five yards between each of them (think one at the goal line, one at the 5-yard line and one at the 10). The ball is thrown in the direction of the middle receiver with the other two looking at him (in other words the receiver on the goal line facing back toward the offense, the receiver on the 10 with his back to the offense).

After that the Falcons practiced what many teams call the “victory” formation – when the quarterback takes a knee to run out the clock.

Just took a look at si.com and Sports Illustrated’s preseason Top 20. USC is on top – no surprise there – followed by LSU and defending national champion Florida.

But I found it interesting that TCU wasn’t included. Boise State was the only team from outside the Pac-10, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 on the list.

So no Air Force opponents on there.

On to some notes …

Who stood out: Junior defensive end Jake Paulson. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder missed a good chunk of last year because of a dislocated elbow, but he showed signs of becoming a pass-rushing force when he was on the field. He clearly put on some muscle in the offseason, and he’s looked good during the first two weeks of practice. Tuesday he showed good quickness and moves in a one-on-one pass-rushing drill.

Side note to anyone planning to come watch a practice at the academy: Do yourself a favor and spend some time watching defensive line coach Ron Burton. “Intense” doesn’t even begin to describe him. He’s high-energy and at top speed all the time. His attention to detail is astounding. During the one-on-one drills, he had precise critiques for each player – from where they placed their hands to how quickly they moved off the ball to where they were focusing their eyes while trying to beat an offensive lineman. Burton’s group of linemen could surprise people this year. Inexperienced but bigger and stronger than what many probably expected.

Lasting image: More dropped passes. I watched primarily the defense Tuesday, but within a five-minute span, a pair of on-the-money passes went through the hands of backs Ryan Williams and Chad Smith.

Depth chart day.

As I wrote in an article that will appear in tomorrow’s Gazette, the biggest surprise on coach Troy Calhoun’s new depth chart was the placement of senior Bobby Giannini – at backup free safety.

Giannini was an honorable mention all-conference performer in 2005 and has started every game the past two seasons. But Air Force’s coaching staff has sent a message that past deeds will not be rewarded this season, and Giannini – in part due to a pair of nagging injuries – has not played like one of the two best safeties on the team so far in the preseason.

“We’re going to play productive guys,” Air Force defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. “Bobby knows what to do, and he’s dinged up a little bit. He’s got to be able to go out and be productive and strain his body more.”

Kudos to Giannini for the way he handled the news. Not only did he refuse to blame his injuries, he admitted he hasn’t played as well as he can and should.

“Coach DeRuyter told me I need to work for it, and I came out today with the attitude that I was going to get (the starting position) back,” he said. “It’s early (in the preseason), and I think they’re really trying to push me. That’s what good coaches do, they push their players, and I’m looking forward to getting that spot back.”

Giannini, who ended up practicing with the starting defense today anyway because Chris Thomas was resting his right knee, did have an extra bounce in his step. He dove in an attempt to make an interception and threw his body into a ball carrier along the sidelines during a seven-on-seven drill.

Who stood out: Kip McCarthy. The senior tailback, who has been practicing with the starting offense since the first day of contact drills, looked sharp and ran hard.

Lasting image: DeRuyter admonishing a group of linebackers for trying to hide from the heat in the shade provided by a tarp. “Get out from under the shade – now!” DeRuyter yelled.

Coach’s quote: “What you do is the guys that are playing the best play the most. I don’t get too wrapped up in the depth chart because I don’t think, when you’ve got a healthy football program, I don’t think it’s ever static.” – Troy Calhoun

One last note – if you’re looking for freshman cornerback Reggie Rembert out at practice, he’s now wearing No. 8.

Some thoughts from Saturday’s session, which included lots of scrimmaging:

Who stood out: A bunch of players. As will be documented in Sunday’s Gazette, freshman corner Reggie Rembert, senior corner Carson Bird, wide receiver Sean Quintana and all the tight ends made big plays. In addition, senior Chad Hall continued to look comfortable at the Falcons’ “Z” wide receiver position. Hall broke free for a gain of about 60 yards on a reverse and also made a leaping catch along the sideline.

Lasting image: Senior guard Caleb Morris getting penalized for excessive celebration after the first-team offense scored a touchdown.

After tight end Keith Madsen hauled in a touchdown pass from quarterback Shaun Carney, Morris ripped off his helmet and jumped into Madsen’s arms. But taking off one’s helmet results in a 15-yard penalty. The refs who worked practice immediately tossed flags in Morris’ direction.

“Our o-line coach (Clay Hendrix) said in the locker room he wants us to get really excited (when we score),” Morris said. “I either forgot about the rule or I never heard it.”

If nothing else, Carney got a kick out of it.

“An offensive lineman getting an excessive celebration?” Carney said as he walked off the field. “I love it.”

Offensive linemen are the best for comedy, though. I asked Morris after practice what the 2007 offensive line’s t-shirt would read this year (as reported in an earlier blog post, last year’s was – “There may be no ‘I’ in ‘team,’ but there are three in ‘Chili Cheese Fries.’”).

“I think we’re gong to do ‘Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap,’” he said. “But we haven’t figured it out yet.”

Coach’s quote: “Defensively we’ve got too many assignment busts, we’ve got to clean it up. And offensively, we’ve got to be a little more ornery group, we’ve got to be a little more disciplined when it comes to penalties, when it comes to holding onto the ball. That’s mental toughness.” – coach Troy Calhoun on what the Falcons must improve.

Somebody on the Air Force football team needs to step up.

With a nickname.

Having written about former wide receiver Vic Thompson in Friday’s paper, I recalled all the joy brought by the former wide receiver’s alias – Waffle House. (You know, because he’s open 24/7).

Sophomore strong safety Chris Thomas is “Tom Tom,” and sophomore defensive tackle Ryan Gonzales is “Gonzo,” and I know there are probably lots more that I just haven’t heard quite yet.

But Thompson set the bar pretty high with “Waffle House.” Especially because (I think) he came up with it himself. So I’m opening up the floor for nickname suggestions. Let me know.

Who stood out: Senior cornerback Garrett Rybak. On consecutive plays during seven-on-seven drills, Rybak picked off a tipped pass and returned it for a score and then reached from behind freshman receiver Nate Carlson to bat away a pass.

Lasting image: Toward the end of practice, Air Force running plays out of the shotgun with four wide receivers. I know the Falcons did it last spring, but it’s still jarring to see a run-n-shoot set on the academy practice fields.