DURHAM
Duke will start playing real football Friday. At least that's the way Coach David Cutcliffe sees it.
That will be the day the Blue Devils can put on pads and the hitting, pounding and tackling can start.
Cutcliffe will be in heaven then, because he will be able to better evaluate his team.
"Football can fool you in a hurry in shorts," Cutcliffe said. "I've seen some ‘shorts' All-Americans. Lord have mercy. And then when you put the pads on, they disappear like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz."
Cutcliffe started his third season at Duke on Monday night with a 2½-hour practice. Several major changes will be made before the season opener Sept. 4 against Elon, including settling on a quarterback for the first time in four seasons after the graduation of Thaddeus Lewis.
Cutcliffe has worked relentlessly since becoming Duke's coach and has recruited meticulously. He said he sees at least several of the pieces that he thinks will help Duke to its first winning season since 1994.
One of the more encouraging factors for Cutcliffe in the first practice was that none of his players slowed during the workout, which ended just before 9 p.m. with running drills.
"The thing that was the most fun for me was I had a hard time finding everybody I wanted to find," Cutcliffe said, citing improved depth. "That's the first time that's been the case here."
Sophomore Sean Renfree, who most likely will take over at quarterback, impressed Cutcliffe with his management of the offense and his passing. Freshmen Josh Snead and Juwan Thompson made quick cuts in running-backs drills, indicating that they might be able to dart through holes.
Cutcliffe is confident that Duke has more speed at running back than it has had in his time there. Speed also seems better on defense.
"The thing I see is a bunch of guys 6-4 and 6-5 who can run," Cutcliffe said.
Friday will be important for another reason, other than putting on pads. By then, the opener will be 22 days away. The players have to get better in those three weeks, and the coaching staff has to complete detailed evaluations to determine the starters.
Although pleased by the early results, Cutcliffe will not hesitate to say that Duke has a long way to go before it is his type of team.
"There's a whole lot going on; it's a critical time in building a football team," Cutcliffe said. "It's kind of like building a house without the foundation being built very well.
"Ultimately, what will it do? It's going to crumble, no matter what you put on top of it."
bcole@wsjournal.com
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