Most people prefer rock and roll. But for Syracuse football head coach Paul Pasqualoni, nothing sounds better than crack and thud.

“On the first day of pads,” Pasqualoni said, “spring practice sounds like it’s supposed to sound.”

Pasqualoni and the rest of the Orangemen reveled in the euphonious noise of shoulder pads cracking yesterday for the first time since last fall.

For the first two days of spring practice, players ran through practice wearing helmets, jerseys and shorts. To its delight, Syracuse got its first taste of full contact yesterday.

“I like getting in the pads,” running back Damien Rhodes said. “It’s more realistic, like football.”

Players were most excited for their first scrimmaging. For 20 minutes and about 15 plays, Syracuse’s offense lined up against the defense.

Safety Darryl Kennedy delivered the brief scrimmage’s biggest hit, decleating fullback Greg Hanoian on the sideline after Hanoian caught a pass out of the backfield.

Interior linemen especially enjoyed “inside drills,” in which an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman try to push each other back.

“That’s always a thrill,” defensive tackle Louis Gachelin said. “When we’re in shorts and helmets, it’s more of an offensive look. In pads, it’s more of an even look.”

The practice wasn’t without its gaffes, though. Safety Jeremy Sellers committed a freshman faux pas when he tackled tight end Brandon Darlington at the knees during a drill in which players were instructed to wrap up the ball carrier but not take him to the turf. The play elicited a laugh from safeties O’Neil Scott and Troy Swittenburg.

Overall, the first day of pads — the equivalent of Christmas morning to your average football player — was successful.

“You get a more realistic picture of what’s happening,” Pasqualoni said. “Being the first day of pads, I thought that the guys handled it as well as you can expect it to be handled.”

Moving inside

After playing in pristine conditions to open the spring season Friday, the Orangemen were forced to move practice from Coyne Field to the Carrier Dome.

“I would much rather play outside,” Gachelin said.

But the Dome offers one advantage over Coyne. The Dome provides superior camera angles for SU’s cameramen, which makes for better film study.

“The Dome gives us a quality practice and quality film work,” Gachelin said.

The Dome also makes the recent cold spell irrelevant.

“I love being outside, on the grass, when it’s 65-70 degrees,” Pasqualoni said. “Now, if it’s not sunny and 65-70 degrees, I love the Carrier Dome.”

Jewel thief

Diamond Ferri, a converted safety, looked sharp in his first practice as a defender.

In his first experience at safety since high school, Ferri intercepted one pass and swatted away several others in various drills pitting wideouts against defensive backs. Against the run, he instinctively flew to the ball the minute a back broke through the line.

“(Ferri) is very fast and he’s very explosive,” Pasqualoni said. “He has the tools and the athletic skills that are required to play safety. On our evaluation, he possesses what you would hope you would recruit at that position.”

This and that

Fullback Thump Belton sat out yesterday’s practice. He wore sweats and stood where the running backs were working for most of the practice. … Syracuse dedicated about 15 minutes to different punt-coverage plays, led by vocal special teams coach Chris White. Maybe that’s why SU led the nation in average punt-return yards allowed with 2.5. … Pasqualoni on the difference between spring practice when he played and now: “When I played, we had 20 practices, and they were all full pads. Now, we have 15 practices and 12 are full pads.”

Published on March 31, 2003 at 12:00 pm