After Monday’s practice – the mid-week point of the Syracuse football team’s spring practice season – one thing is quite apparent: the starting quarterback job is still up for grabs.

That’s because, in large part, none of the four quarterbacks – Xzavier Gaines, Perry Patterson, Joe Fields and Matt Hale – in competition for the job has stepped up to distinguish himself from the others.

After practice, when SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni listed the players who had been making impact plays thus far in practice he quipped, ‘Every once in a while, a quarterback makes a play.’

Despite Pasqualoni’s sarcasm, he’s not disappointed with the quarterback play thus far. Gaines, Patterson and Fields have particularly impressed Pasqualoni. For the first time this spring, he said those three players were slightly ahead of Hale.

‘Perry made a couple of throws today,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Xzavier made a couple of good decisions. He’s confident and clearly at full speed. Joe’s just a very athletic and tough guy. They all give us a chance to go after people.’

Pasqualoni said they have all been making progress. But as practice continues, it is apparent that the quarterback position could become problematic. All of the quarterbacks repeatedly missed receivers, both high and wide, often appearing to misread a receiver’s routes. At the end of practice, Patterson and Hale worked with the back-up unit, while Gaines and Fields worked with the starters.

For much of practice, Fields was seen limping slightly after plays but looked close to full strength when in action. Pasqualoni said Fields had a slight muscle pull in his leg, but the injury was nothing to worry about. He is receiving treatment and should continue to practice on a normal schedule.

‘Even though (Fields) was a little hurting today, a little sore,’ Pasqualoni said, ‘when it was his turn to go, he went. Once the ball was snapped, you didn’t know he was hurt.’

Mid-spring report

Pasqualoni said the most important thing he has tried to do this spring is evaluate players who have been moved to different positions. Among those he is particularly pleased with are Steve Gregory, who moved from cornerback to wide receiver, and Matt Tarullo, who moved from guard to center. Guards Steve Franklin and Jason Greene have also impressed Pasqualoni. Franklin started most of last season, while Greene takes Tarullo’s vacated spot at guard.

‘Some of the decisions we’ve made so far have been positive and productive,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Steven’s doing a very good job of catching the football. He’s showing he’s got very good hands. He’s only been out there for eight practices and has a great deal to learn.’

Though Pasqualoni gave a positive assessment of the line, it looked vulnerable at times during practice yesterday. During a blocking drill in which a defensive lineman had to get around an offensive lineman and knock over a dummy, the defensive line clearly got the best of the drill. The offensive line’s inability to stop defenders left offensive line coach George DeLeone screaming.

Now that Pasqualoni has gotten a chance to evaluate players in their new positions, the next step is to develop the players further. After that, the players will learn the system in greater detail.

‘You try to put everybody in a position where you’re going to maximize them,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘The coaching staff’s toughest job is to make sure you’ve got the right people in the right place, and the team’s developing chemistry. You have to do all those things and work on those things in the spring.’

Safety net

While the rest of the defense undergoes a slew of changes, the safety position is staying exactly the same for Syracuse.

Last fall, Syracuse started sophomore Anthony Smith at free safety and junior Diamond Ferri at strong safety.

The two were both first-time starters and sometimes drew criticism for their play. But after an entire season of starting, the safety position is now of least concern this spring on defense.

‘It’s probably the strength of our team right now,’ Syracuse defensive coordinator Steve Dunlap said. ‘They’re really good players. They’re physical, fast and experienced.’

Ferri registered 75 solo tackles and 45 assisted tackles last fall, picking off two passes and adding one sack. Smith recorded five interceptions and forced one fumble.

‘We went from a weakness to a strength in a matter of three months,’ said junior Troy Swittenburg, who’s playing middle linebacker this spring. ‘Last year, the talk was about how bad the secondary was, and now it’s about how good the secondary is going to be.’

While Dunlap has to concern himself with who’s starting at linebacker and who’s going to be at corner, the safety is the one position he doesn’t have to analyze during practices.

‘To tell you the truth,’ Dunlap said, ‘we have the position set. I don’t even think about those guys besides watching their numbers.’

This and that

Backup running backs Damien Rhodes and Tim Washington both saw time as slot wide receivers yesterday. This could give the Orangemen added speed when Walter Reyes lines up as a single back. … SU worked extensively on field goal kicking, and Pasqualoni was especially pleased with holder Jared Jones, who made nice holds on several low snaps. The long-snapping spot is one of concern and will be in open competition through the spring and into the fall. … SU practices again Wednesday and Friday and will have its second scrimmage of the spring season Saturday.

Published on April 12, 2004 at 12:00 pm