Army Spring Game in My Winter?..

 It's more likely than you think.

Army Spring Game 2011.

How to start off this blog's unspectacular yet noteworthy 300th post?
:Army's Spring game was neither in the spring, nor was it a game; discuss.

ITT Knight Vision and the Go Army Sports site has a video up recapping the Black/Gold Game


Things might seem very rushed this year as the team again wedged in spring ball in the late winter and coach Ellerson held a lot of talent out of the scrimmage.  

Coach Rich Ellerson has held back potential starters this spring, including sophomore defensive tackle A.J. Mackey, Jarrett's brother. Other key players — including sophomore guard Frank Allen, Army's lone returning starter on its offensive line, and linebackers Zach Watts and Justin Trimble — were limited after suffering minor injuries at practice.

Army is also down to two healthy quarterbacks — juniors Max Jenkins and Jimmy Reitter — and both are expected to play Wednesday.

"We talked about divvying it up and actually playing a game," Ellerson said. "But there's some lines that are so short, if the one guy twisted his ankle it would the shortest spring game in the history of the world."

Despite the short bench team officials liked the look of some of the day's participants.

"We're only away for six or seven weeks away from the end of the season, and it looks like some of those guys have really taken a step forward," (Head Coach Rich Ellerson) said. They step back (off the field), they train, they lift, but they're playing that movie in their head over and over. Then they step back out here and they look like they're so much further ahead. They're more mature and their reactions are so much better. Defensively, this spring we were very simple and kind of generic in our adjustments because there was a bit of discovery phase. We had to find our strengths and weaknesses before we start to maybe tailor things to his personnel set. That's something we'll be scratching our heads about coming out of spring ball to make some of those calls. I think the defense will adjust to the personnel set we have, but it's going to be our defense."

The Black Knights will take all of next week off for spring break before returning for two final "walk-thru" practices on March 21 and 22. Those days will be used to install Army's offseason workout program.

We know that West Point runs practice early to give the guys a chance to participate in other sports, and 8 weeks isn't a lot of time for the most serious of last year's injuries to mend. But an open practice like this is a great chance to train the team as a whole as to some of the schemes and some of the expectations of the starting teams. It's a way to find out what kind of depth your team has and in terms of developing guys, the youth movement in spring ball can only end up strengthening the team for the future.

As early as the Spring Game is held, it's never too early to begin improving the team and taking another step forward from the 7-6 2010 season. In more ways than one the 2011 season started today.

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