As Training Camp Begins, Navy Hopes It All Works Out

By Christian Swezey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 31, 2007; E02


The Navy football team had 36 voluntary summer workouts at the academy. Coach Paul Johnson's goal was for most of the players to participate in 25. All but seven reached that goal; three of the seven missed workouts because of mandatory training with the Marines. Nearly 30 players did 30 workouts and six players made every one.

The players who completed at least 30 were given T-shirts that read, "Navy football: All in." Meantime, some of the players who did not complete 25 workouts had their names listed on a wall in the locker room.

"We had the best summer we've had since I've been here," said Johnson, who is entering his sixth season.

The Midshipmen are in the midst of a historic run in the program's history. They have been to four straight bowl games, have won five straight games against Army and have won four straight against Air Force.

And at the annual media day/fan fest at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium yesterday, the players gave the impression that they did not spend the summer resting on their laurels.

"We've been working hard this summer," said senior Irv Spencer, a starting linebacker. "When you look at the good defenses, like Rutgers, they have 11 guys going to the ball. That's where we want to be. But to do that, we have to be in good condition."

The team begins preseason camp today leading to its season opener against Temple on Aug. 31. Johnson said almost all of the players are healthy. The only significant exception is junior starting cornerback Rashawn King, who had offseason shoulder surgery and is questionable to play in the opener.

Eleven of Navy's 12 regular season games will be televised. The game at Rutgers on Sept. 7 will mark the program's second regular season game on the main ESPN channel since 1998. Other games will be televised by CBS, CSTV, ESPNU and NBC.

Three of the games will be in prime time.

"We're all excited," said Shun White, a junior running back. "That's one of the things I've been dreaming about since high school. Playing in a night game" on national television.

Navy enters preseason camp with good and bad news. Among the good news is that, for the first time since 2003, the Midshipmen have a starting quarterback back. Junior Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada started the final six games last year and finished with 507 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. In 2004, '05 and at the beginning of last year, the starting quarterback was a senior first-year starter.

The defense, however, has only two starters back. It is similar to the situation the offense faced entering the 2005 season. That year, only two offensive starters were back. Navy lost its first two games but finished 8-4.

"Sometimes you enter camp and you know you have guys coming back and you're solid there," defensive coordinator Buddy Green said. "We still have a lot of unanswered questions. We need to grow up in a hurry."

Said Johnson, "We will have some new faces, but we really have a chance to be better athletically [on defense] than we have been."

One of the newest faces at the academy is also the most important. Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler became the academy superintendent in May. Johnson complimented the administration for being flexible with the players' summer schedules and allowing many of them to do their military commitments at the same time so they could work out together near the end of the summer.

"He's the make-or-break guy," Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk said of the superintendent. "He runs the academy, and if he decides yes or no on something that is what is going to happen. . . . But I think we have a program that sends the right messages across the board, and the superintendent recognizes that."

Ellie