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PODCAST: Jeff Monken on why Army moved to shotgun offense

Hard to believe that Jeff Monken will start his 10th Army spring practice Wednesday.

Every spring is different with the pending graduation of seniors, new leaders emerging and young players looking to make their push up the depth chart.

This spring, Army will take different to another level on the offensive side of the ball with the move from an under-center option to a shotgun-based scheme.

Monken said on the Black Knight Nation podcast Thursday that last season’s new rule eliminating cut blocking more than a yard down the field led him to changing the offense.

“Those (the blocking rules) had made it more difficult to execute the under-center option offense,” Monken said. “Not that I think it’s impossible. I just think there are some real challenges that didn’t exist prior.

“We made the move to a different style of offense but not necessarily a different philosophy. We still want to run the ball and we want to be a really physical offensive football team. So when we run the ball, there will be a lot of option elements in what we are doing but it’s going to look different than it has in the past.”

New offensive coordinator Drew Thatcher has come in and installed and implemented the offense with Army’s staff. Coaches have started getting some pieces in place with players for the start of spring ball. Monken said Thatcher has “the ability to solve the problems and give us answers that we need if there’s adjustments need to be made.

The pairing of Thatcher and co-offense coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Drinkall is going to be a “really good combination,” Monken believes.

Monken said speaking with Thatcher before he hired him, made him feel ”energized” and he said players “are all ready excited about this change” and are “energized as well.”

For more on the role of Army’s B-backs in the new offense, the quarterback competition this spring, who stepped up as leaders in the offseason and Army’s Pro Day today

Watch the full podcast: https://www.youtube.com/live/AXNWM_-8qMU?feature=share

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