?A lot of people come back and say, ?Here we go, we?re starting today.? We haven?t started today,? Marrone said, referring to the official arrival of the players in preparation for today?s 5 p.m. opening preseason practice. ?We started this in January. I started this right after the last game. That?s when we started.?
Much has transpired since then. Marrone replaced defensive assistants Dan Conley and Jimmy Brumbaugh with Steve Morrison and Donnie Henderson. He took over the duties of special-teams coordinator and tight ends coach himself. He adjusted the offense by streamlining the passing game and adding his version of the zone-read option. He tweaked the defense by employing Henderson?s long NFL experience to help better disguise Scott Shafer?s aggressive blitz packages.
In the midst of the projects star defensive end Chandler Jones opted for the NFL a year early, leading tackler Phillip Thomas decided to move on rather than endure a one-year suspension and 14 players ? many of them starters such as leading receiver Alec Lemon, All-Big East offensive tackle Justin Pugh, middle linebacker Marquis Spruill and cornerback Keon Lyn ? missed spring ball with injuries.
Marrone signed a recruiting class to fill some glaring holes, specifically at tight end and the defensive line, and supplemented it with several late additions via Division I and junior-college transfers. The roster wasn?t officially firmed up until Saturday when eight players whose status had been uncertain prior ? among them Iowa transfer John Raymon (defensive end), Arkansas transfer Quinta Funderburk (wide receiver) and junior-college All-American Markus Pierce-Brewster (defensive end) ? were added.
No wonder Marrone said the season for him began a long time ago. Yet, for Orange fans it will really begin today when practice commences in preparation for the Sept. 1 noon opener vs. Northwestern in the Carrier Dome. Here are three big questions that must be answered before camp ends:
Who mans the line? Already presented with the challenge of rebuilding the right side of the offensive line after the departure of guard Andrew Tiller and tackle Michael Hay following the 2011 season, the task became much tougher with the news that Pugh could miss several games while he recovers from off-season shoulder surgery. Redshirt freshman Kristofer Curtis, who started in Pugh?s absence in the spring game, is also out with what Marrone called nagging injuries.
The injuries forced Marrone to move junior reserve center Andy Phillips back to left tackle behind sophomore Sean Hickey, who is coming off a knee injury. Walk-on junior Daniel Anyaegbunam is behind senior Lou Alexander on the right side. Redshirt freshmen Ivan Foy and Rob Trudo will battle for the starting right guard spot. True freshman Jason Emerich is now listed as starting center Macky MacPherson?s backup.
The outlook will brighten considerably if Pugh and Curtis return soon, but camp will open with the line unsettled and depth a concern.
And what about middle linebacker? The decision to move junior Marquis Spruill, a second-team all-conference selection last season at middle linebacker, outside will strengthen SU?s depth there. So will addition of Oliver Vigille, who redshirted last season, and true freshman James Washington. SU will begin practice with five players with game experience at the outside spots ? Spruill and Dan Vaughan at strong and Dyshawn Davis, Cameron Lynch and Don Anene at weak.
However, the Spruill move leaves senior Siriki Diabate manning the middle at 5-foot-10, 210 pounds. The former junior-college transfer got some game experience last season, making two starts and also playing in SU?s nickel pass defense and on special teams. Behind him is junior Lewellyn Coker (6-1, 228), who is one of the fiercest hitters on the team but has struggled mastering the mental aspects of the position.
One of the big questions to be answered at camp will be middle linebacker. Can Diabate hold onto a job he won in the spring while Spruill sat out with a lower-body injury, or will Spruill have to move back inside? And can Coker be counted on to compete with Diabate during camp and step in should the starter suffer an injury?
And tight end? The Orange has two tight end positions on the roster, the traditional one manned last season by Nick Provo and an H-back hybrid played by David Stevens. Stevens is back but Provo is gone, leaving junior Beckett Wales as the only traditional tight end on the roster with game experience.
Can sophomore Max Beaulieu, who moved to tight end last season, become a serviceable backup to Wales? Can true freshmen Ron Thompson, a player SU veterans raved about during summer workouts, and Josh Paris make a speedy transition from high school to Division I ball?
There are many more questions that will need to be answered during camp ? can a deep-threat wide receiver emerge, who will replace 1,000-yard rusher Antwon Bailey, how quickly and significantly can the transfers make an impact ? but those three are a good starting point. The answers should be forthcoming.
Source: http://blog.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2012/08/syracuse_university_football_t_136.html
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