You may not have thought about getting Army-Navy Game 2023 Tickets, but you can! The Patriots’ long snapper Joe Cardona graduated from the Naval Academy, and the New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s father was a scout there. Plus, you might have heard that the Midshipmen have been struggling on offense lately. Broadcast on CBS? Definitely. But how much do you know about the teams?
New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona graduated from the Naval Academy
Joe Cardona, a graduate of the Naval Academy, possesses a wide range of talents. After settling down in New England, he rose through the ranks to become a valuable member of the Patriots special teams. From ensign to lieutenant junior grade, Cardona reached the next level as a Lieutenant on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
After graduating from the Naval Academy, Cardona spent the off-day studying film and playbooks in the team gym. He took up long snapper in the National Football League. His career is relatively short, averaging only 3.3 years. He also serves as a U.S. Navy Reserve Lieutenant. And now, he’s one of the starting long snappers for the Patriots.
Although Cardona was drafted as a fifth-round pick by the Patriots, he was promoted to lieutenant in the Navy Reserve during the 2019 training camp. The Patriots’ long snapper has remained dedicated to his Navy duties while pursuing his NFL career. Cardona has even met his new coach, Bill Belichick, during training camp.
Despite being only six feet three inches tall and weighing 245 pounds, Cardona’s size makes him a formidable force in the NFL. He consistently engages the NFL’s most powerful rushers, and his effectiveness often goes unnoticed. In fact, he says the external pressure is no match for the pressure he feels inside. If Cardona is able to get the ball to the intended destination, it will be a touchdown for his team.
While there are parallels between the two sports, football and the military are not the only ones to benefit from the relationship. The Navy Academy’s academics and recruiting methods are different from those of other universities. Many of the student-athletes who graduate from the Naval Academy end up signing up to serve their country. The success of this team is due in large part to the leadership of its coach and the unique characteristics of its players.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s father was a scout at the Naval Academy
While growing up in Massachusetts, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was influenced by the Navy football program. His father, Steve, worked as a scout from 1956 to 1989. Bill Belichick visited the Naval Academy in April to conduct business and spent the day working out Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds. During the visit, he told the reporters about his father’s time at the Naval Academy.
The father of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was a college football coach who later moved the family to the Naval Academy. While at the Naval Academy, Steve Belichick served in the Physical Education Department, as a scout for the Midshipmen. He died in 2005. His son Bill Belichick is the Patriots’ head coach, and he is credited with getting him noticed by NFL coaches and scouts.
His father Steve Belichick was a legendary scout at the Naval Academy. He was a scout for the school from 1956 to 1989. Bill Belichick began watching Navy football games when he was in fourth grade. He was memorizing Midshipmen plays by age six. He would tag along to scouting meetings and practices and would pretend to be Joe Bellino, the legendary football player who won the Heisman Trophy in 1960.
Before becoming a football coach, Belichick was a fullback for the Detroit Lions. He later went on to coach football at Case Western Reserve University. His sons, Brian and Stephen, were scout assistants at the Naval Academy. Belichick was also a scouting assistant at the Naval Academy. Belichick and his wife Linda Holliday started dating in 2007 and later married. They are now the Executive Directors of the Bill Belichick Foundation, which provides coaching and mentoring to young people in the sport of football.
Despite having been born and raised in Annapolis, he excelled in school and was selected for the NFL’s 100th anniversary All-Time Team. He also received inductions into the Wesleyan University Athletics Hall of Fame and the Phillips Academy Athletics Hall of Honor. In 2017, his college lobby was renamed Belichick Plaza.
Midshipmen’s struggles on offense
Army has been a tough nut to crack this year, but the Midshipmen have shown that they’re capable of playing good football against better teams. Navy’s offense is based on running the ball, and the Midshipmen rank seventh in the nation in rushing. The Midshipmen, however, struggle to throw the ball. They average 54.5 yards per game on offense.
The Army Black Knights defeated the Navy in the Patriot League championship game last year. The Midshipmen only scored one touchdown, but they were able to hold the Navy to one field goal in the third quarter. On the other side, the Army defense was able to contain the Navy’s leading scorer in the third quarter. The Army Black Knights dominated the Navy Midshipmen at West Point.
Both teams’ offensive lines are a concern. The Navy Midshipmen struggled on third downs last year. They held the ball for only 33 minutes a game, and they allowed teams to convert 54% of their third downs. The Navy must own the time of possession and grind the clock. This is not easy if they don’t have a consistent presence against the quarterback.
After an incomplete pass by Anderson on third down, Army punts. After a long punt, the Navy offense takes over on its own 24. Buchanan rushes for 13 yards and a Navy touchdown. The Midshipmen go on to score on the next play, and the game ends at 7-7. With just a minute left in the first half, Army leads the Navy by three points.
The game between the Army and Navy has a long history of the rivalry. Historically, they have played at different sites. The Pandemic of 1918 forced the game to move to the Michie Stadium in Philadelphia, but that has changed with regulations. In total, the Navy leads the series, 61-53-7. So, what will happen in 2023? There are many variables that will influence how the game turns out.
The Navy has had a better defense than Army, but it still hasn’t gotten a bowl win in five years. While the two teams have played twice in the past, the Navy has a better defense this year. In fact, the Army offense ranks second nationally in line yards, power success, and stuff rate. It is this defense that will keep Army’s offense in check, but the Midshipmen will have to do better against the Navy defense.
Broadcast on CBS
In 2023, CBS will air the Army-Navy game, one of the most legendary rivalries in sports. The game will be played at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. at 2:30 p.m. ET. It is one of the three-leg games of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. The Army leads the series 62-53-7, but the Navy was only 17-13 in last year’s edition.
CBS Sports will broadcast the game, with Tim Brando as host. The game will also feature a special halftime segment with the Heisman Trophy finalists. The broadcast will take place on CBS Sports’ College Football Today. The show is produced by Vin DeVito, Linda Malino, and Harold Bryant. CBS’s Army-Navy game will air on CBS from Sept. 4 through Oct. 25.
In the next few years, the Army-Navy game will move to other East Coast cities. In 2023, the game will be played in Foxborough, Mass., where Gillette Stadium is located. In 2024, the game will be played in Landover, Md., where FedEx Field is located. In 2026, the game will be played at MetLife Stadium in Philadelphia. It will be the 91st Army-Navy game. Navy currently leads the series by six games to seven, and two of the last three have been decided by a score of 38-37.
The Army-Navy rivalry dates back to 1890 and has been played annually since 1930. In all, the Navy is the better team, winning the past twenty-three games. The game was played at the end of the college football season. The CBS network has the broadcast rights to this game until 2028. The CBS network has a good history of broadcasting rivalry games, including Army-Navy and Air Force-Falconry.
The CBS network partnered with the SEC in 1996 and has returned to carrying regular-season college football games. The Army-Navy game is set for Dec. 9, 2023. The game will be played at Gillette Stadium in Boston. While the Navy will stay in Providence, game day events will take place in Boston. This game will be the first in three years to be broadcast live on CBS, and the network has made the game possible.
