Air Force Academy – From coach Troy Calhoun to quarterback Shaun Carney to safety Bobby Giannini, the Air Force Falcons boiled over with enthusiasm Wednesday to be starting the season with the first day of practice.
For Calhoun, it was another step in completing the transition from Fisher DeBerry’s long term as Air Force football coach to the beginning of his tenure.
For Carney and Giannini, as well as a number of other seniors, it’s the beginning of their last chance to get Air Force’s program soaring again.
Although the focus was on preseason practice, there also was conversation about the end of the season and hopes this team can change a disturbing trend of late-season meltdowns the past three seasons.
“Coach Calhoun will address (it) and he understands that over the last couple of years we’ve gone into a slide toward the end of the season,” Carney said. “That’s not acceptable. The new staff has put together a plan to help us be stronger, mentally tougher and better prepared to play in the last couple of weeks.”
Carney, a three-year starter, sat out Wednesday’s practice because of a strained hamstring. But he is expected to take part in workouts in a couple of days.
The Falcons haven’t finished well in the past three years, winning two of their last five games on the way to a 5-6 record in 2004 and 4-7 in 2005 and one victory in the last five games on the way to a 4-8 record last year.
Calhoun and several of his assistants are former AFA players, and the head coach believes the staff’s knowledge about cadet life at the academy could help the players retain energy for the closing stretch of the season. The staff understands the hardship on players during heavy academic weeks during the season.
“We’ll have a different schedule at certain times during the season,” Calhoun said. “The key is to make sure you’re well prepared for your current game and another key is making sure you have a stronger, more durable team as you come down the back half of our schedule.
“Our daily approach will be different. We’re going to lift (weights) every day even during the season, and we’ll make sure it’s done prior to practice. The practices might be 20 minutes shorter, and I’m not sure that is bad, especially in October and November.”
Calhoun also wants to use more players in hopes of maintaining stamina.
“I want to play more than one deep,” he said. “I want to play eight offensive linemen. I want to play three safeties. I want to play three inside linebackers. I want to play at least two tailbacks.”
Calhoun pointed out that in all cases, playing time has to be earned, and determining who has earned a place has to be one of the top priorities for his coaching staff in the next two weeks.
Air Force’s schedule doesn’t favor the front or the back in terms of where the Falcons might look for a path to a winning season.
“We’ve played some outstanding football teams recently in the back half of our season and we’re going to again this year,” Calhoun said. “We play Nov. 10 at Notre Dame, and that’s not bad. But I want to see us play well the very first day out, but at the same time, as we get into the middle of October and the last few games in November, I want to see us playing our best football at that time of the year.”
In consecutive weeks in September, the Falcons play Utah, Texas Christian and Brigham Young, three of the top-rated teams in the Mountain West Conference. But it could play to their advantage.
“They really won’t know some of the new things we’re doing in the first few games,” Carney said. “If we can surprise some people, it would do nothing but build confidence and take us another step closer to reaching our goals. We don’t want to say that we’re good with six, seven wins. We have to compete for a conference championship and get to a bowl game.”
Giannini sees the positives of a new strength coach and a revised coaching staff.
“There’s a buzz in the athletic department that we’re going to do something big this year,” Giannini said. “The seniors are looking forward to this year to prove some things to the conference and the nation as well. What happened at the end of the last three seasons was frustrating, but we’re looking forward to a 13th game this year.”
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
