A bonfire blazed behind Manley Field House before sunrise Friday morning. To new head coach Doug Marrone, the dark smoke rising into the early morning sky represented the final remnants of four years of failure and disappointment under Greg Robinson. On the practice field, the team tossed its old cleats into the fire, the same way Syracuse players did almost 80 years ago.

When Marrone played for the Orangemen, the shoe burning session was one of the program’s most coveted traditions – one Robinson abolished. It was so important that former head coach Dick MacPherson flew to Syracuse from his home in Florida for less than a day to explain the ritual’s significance.

Marrone was determined to bring the shoe burning back, as a way of symbolically returning Syracuse to its glory days. But with one minor alteration: Instead of waiting until the end of the season, he pushed it to the beginning of spring ball, as a way of telling his new team to forget the past and prepare for a turnaround.

With that, Marrone’s inaugural spring as head coach could begin. Spring practice began Monday afternoon with a series of traditions reinstated, none more crucial to Marrone than Friday’s shoe burning.

‘We were excited to bring it back,’ Marrone said. ‘It’s a tremendous tradition, at least that I was a part of, and a lot of people were after coach Mac and then later on through coach (Paul) Pasqualoni, and it hasn’t been done in a while.

‘I wanted to make sure that we brought it back because it was important to me.’

It is already clear things have changed in the Orange football program.

Fans and the media were allowed to watch practice, and virtually every spring practice will be open, unlike the last several seasons when everything was closed off.

Despite the frigid temperatures outside, everyone wore short sleeves, which was a rule created by MacPherson. The offense wore green practice uniforms and the defense wore red, harkening back to a tradition established by MacPherson and continued by former head coach Paul Pasqualoni. The color scheme is supposed to mimic a traffic light, with the green representing the offense ‘going’ for the end zone and the defense trying to ‘stop’ its opponents.

Under Robinson, Syracuse wore blue and orange practice uniforms.

‘When you come back to your alma mater, and there are such great traditions and what’s gone on, to be able to bring some things back that inspired myself as a player and others that were after me, it just gives us a chance to bring us the red and green jerseys,’ Marrone said.

Off the field, the Orange has taken on a new look as well. For the interview sessions after practice, each player met the media wearing the same bright-orange collared shirt and sweatpants. Tailback Delone Carter said Marrone has demanded the players wear collared shirts for all team-related activities and be clean-shaven.

‘It’s a little hard adjusting without the facial hair,’ Carter said. ‘Just the mustaches and the collared shirts. But it’s all for the best. We’re buying in because we want to win and we’re gonna.’

Now the question is if these rules and traditions will mean more wins. Syracuse was 10-37 in Robinson’s four-year tenure. If the first practice of this spring is any indication, though, Marrone has set the groundwork for a culture change, starting with the shoe burning.

‘It’s all about putting those bad memories behind you and moving forward, and only thinking about positive things from here on out,’ defensive back Nick Chestnut said.

‘The evaluating started the first day by the way someone walks, by the way someone presents themselves,’ Marrone said. ‘You’re always in the evaluation process. This is the first stage of our evaluation process as football players that can process information and go onto the field and play.’

Depth chart revealed

Syracuse released its pre-spring depth chart before its first practice, even though the new coaching staff has barely seen anyone on the team play. The players are still so unfamiliar, they all wore stickers on their helmets with their names.

At quarterback, which is considered up-for-grabs, last year’s starter Cameron Dantley is listed as the starter again, with Andrew Robinson as the backup. David Legree and Ryan Nassib are both considered third-string. Carter is currently the starting tailback, backed up by Antwon Bailey. Sophomore Averin Collier is also in the mix. This is likely the Orange’s deepest position.

One notable addition is wide receiver Mike Williams, who was suspended from school and did not play last season. He had a dominant year in 2007, amassing 837 yards and 10 touchdowns. Williams practiced Monday.

As for a few position changes, Cody Catalina, who started last year as a quarterback before moving to tight end, is now officially a tight end. Mike Holmes, who bounced around between safety and corner, is listed as the starting free safety. Nico Scott is listed at right cornerback.

After practice Monday, Marrone stressed these might not be the end of the position changes.

‘We’re going to try and find the best 11 players,’ Marrone said. ‘When we find the best 11 players, we’re going to put them in positions where they can perform and win games for us.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on March 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm