By far the most notable news to come out of Navy football Media Day was the fact starting quarterback Ricky Dobbs will wear a green jersey in practice, designating that he is not allowed to be hit by defenders.

    Dobbs is far and away the most experienced quarterback on the roster and his health will go a long way toward determining the success of this season. No offense to backups such as Kriss Proctor and Michael Stukel, but an injury to Dobbs would be devastating to Navy's hopes of a winning record and bowl berth.

    Head coach Ken Niumatalolo chuckled when asked if Dobbs would be placed in a protective jersey. "If I could put a bubble around him I would," he said.

    Dobbs was not restricted during spring practice, participating in full-contact drills at all times. However, Niumatalolo might have been spooked by the fact Dobbs went down during the annual Blue-Gold game. 

    During the triple-option era, the starting quarterback has always been full contact. Option quarterbacks carry the ball on every down and are going to get hit. Former head coach Paul Johnson and Niumatalolo believe the only way to prepare for the punishment and to learn how to absorb hits, the quarterback must be live during practice.

    “I knew that Ricky needed live reps in the spring. You can’t simulate what we do without getting hit,” Niumatalolo said. “You were just crossing your fingers that he didn’t get hurt. But I also knew that once (August) camp comes, just the time to heal is not as long. So we knew as soon as spring was over that all of our quarterbacks would be in green.”