Syracuse Football Practice: Day 2 Recap

Day 2 is in the books.  So what happened?

QB

Okay, I think we've finally established once and for all that until he is injured and/or throws four interceptions in Akron, Ryan Nassib is your starting quarterback.  Doug Marrone doesn't seem to have any doubts about this.

"I’m impressed by not only his play, but his leadership and command of the offense. We’re excited about where he is and going into the season with him as our number one quarterback."

And what of the newbies?  Niko Tamurian took a look at John Kinder and Jonny Miller to get a sense of what the Orange QB future look like.

Personally, I haven't seen much of Miller other than on recruiting websites, so to analyze his potential would be unfair. Certainly as camp goes on, we can see his potential, and the potential of him hitting the field in 2010.  I'll say this, he passes the "look test" at media day, he looked much bigger than I thought he would.

Kinder, again in my amateur wisdom, looks fantastic. Very mobile, athletic and has a cannon for an arm. 

RB

Of course, it's mostly all about Delone Carter.  DC3 returned to the practice field for the first time since his suspension and he was humbled by all of the events in between.  Carter told reporters that his focus the entire time was on maintaining his athletic conditioning so that he could step right back in if the opportunity arose (Listen to audio of presser here).

"I would go out and run every day and tried to keep the schedule I had when I was out here working out. I just tried to do a little bit more and stay up on what I knew of the past plays. I just studied and stayed sharp on my game."

Even though DC3 worked out with the first-team, Coach Marrone was in no rush to give Carter back his depth chart spot.  That will have to be re-earned.

The loss of Averin Collier and the possibility of playing without Delone made Syracuse fans think about something they had neglected to previously...are the freshman running backs any good?  Doug Marrone certainly thinks so.

"Obviously we’re not in pads yet, and I’ve said this before, we want to make sure we’re in pads before we start making decisions or doing anything, but if I had to pick out a specific group that I’ve been impressed with it would have to be the young running backs, Jerome Smith, Tyson Gulley and Steve Rene," Marrone said. "Competition at any position will push you. I am excited about those young players, they really have had good retention. Coach Wheatley has done a great job with them."

Gold star for Coach Wheatley!

WR

Competition at the wide receiver position is fierce as a lot of guys try to separate themselves.  One of them, freshman Jarrod West, wasn't supposed to be here.  He was supposed to be at Stanford, where he can signed an LOI last year.  Then his SAT scores came in and didn't make the cut.  Enter Syracuse and it's 392 available scholarships. Now he's in camp trying to prove that he can make a difference for the school that actually wanted him.

"If I had to rate myself," he said, "I’m a great route runner. I can fit in a lot of categories because I run great routes and put defensive backs in bad position. I can be a deep threat or a possession receiver."

"We have a lot of great receivers. We’re all going to play . . . or a lot of us," he said. "Everybody wants to play. You’re not going to come in with the mentality that you’re not going to play."

With every day he's there, Dorian Graham gets a better feel for the WR position. Mostly though, he just wants some W's.

"We're all trying to get W's here, and whatever I can do, whatever anybody can do to help get W's, I think they'll make that scarface and you know, do what we've got to do for the greater good of the team."

In listening to the audio from the interview, Graham actually says "make that sacrifice" but I'm going to stick with "make that scarface."  Sounds ominous.

OL

Still no sign of Sweet Lou Alexander.  His arrival is imminent, apparently.  Dave Rahme says he's expected to be cleared any day.

DB

#SHAMARKO spent the day of the sidelines, nursing a "tweaked hamstring."  It does not appear to be serious.  Of course not.  #SHAMARKO need only look sternly at his hamstring and it will fix itself.

Mike Holmes has talked extensively about being moved to safety to corner this year.  HCDM likes the idea and thinks it's a good fit.

"In our minds right now," Marrone said, "we’re looking at him to play corner and to play well for us."

Looking for insight into the 1st team and 2nd team depths?  Mike Holmes and Da'Mon Merkerson were working with the first team as corners, Kevyn Scott and Rishard Anderson lined up for the second team.

Max Suter, who is returning from a fractured right arm, is still wearing a protective brace on it.

Special Teams

It's never too early to get your kick returners in place and HCDM is excited about the athletes at his disposal. It's one of the few areas we have some kind of depth to work with.

"Both Tyson Gulley and Steve Rene have the ability to participate in our return game, they look very comfortable back there," Marrone said. "We’re going through the evaluation process now, but (Gulley and Rene) look good. Mike (Holmes) has always been very dependable and Max Suter is dependable back there, too. I feel more comfortable about our depth in the return game than I’ve felt since I’ve been here. That is a credit to them, to the coaches who recruited them and everyone who was involved in that process."