Sirk makes practice, but readiness leading up to opener still a question

Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk was on the field late Monday afternoon as the Blue Devils opened preseason football practice – a relief to everyone in the program.

Sirk is coming off a ruptured left Achilles tendon and while his six-month rehab is said to have gone well, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said the redshirt senior would be limited in practice, at least initially, likening him to a pitcher put on a strict pitch count.

“Not just on throws, but on how much we fatigue him,” Cutcliffe said at a Monday press conference. “We’ll just see day to day how he progresses. …

“He’s going to do every quarterback drill. He’ll do seven-on-seven, and he’ll do one-on-one throws. I made a limit on how much team work he’ll get at this point, to open up with.”

After Monday’s first practice, Cutcliffe said of Sirk: “He got a lot of work. I thought he threw the ball exceptionally well. When we’re not letting him, he’s not trying to run full-speed. ... I’m anxious to watch the tape (of practice) and ask him how he feels tomorrow morning.

“I’ve been watching his rehab, so I knew what to expect. He’s not full-speed ... and we’re not going to let him run full-speed.”

Cutcliffe said there is much to like about his team, about his program, heading into the 2016 season, his ninth at Duke. He liked the work habits of the players in the offseason, liked their willingness to transform into a bigger, tougher team.

Cutcliffe told the team in February he was tagging the 2016 season the “Year of the Beast” and said the players adopted a beast-mode approach in workouts. The “visual progress,” as Cutcliffe put it, is there to see and now it’s a matter of that improvement carrying over into practices and games.

“Last year sometimes we got pushed around,” senior cornerback Breon Borders said Monday. “Now we’re a lot stronger and a lot better.”

Still, there will be the nagging concern about Sirk’s readiness and availability leading up to the Sept. 3 opener against N.C. Central.

“I think Thomas is going to be well, but I don’t think you can look at any Achilles (injury) … you just don’t know,” Cutcliffe said. “There’s a little bit of a mystery.”

Sirk, who went through Duke graduation ceremonies in May, was one of four quarterbacks in the Football Bowl Subdivision that passed for more than 2,600 yards and rushed for more than 800 yards. A part of the “mystery” will be that once back, how much will the Blue Devils rely on his running ability, both in the read-option and his ability to scramble.

Parker Boehme was Sirk’s backup last season and started the Pittsburgh game with Sirk out with an injury, passing for 248 yards and reeling off a 77-yard run in a 31-13 loss. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound redshirt junior, the No. 1 QB in spring practice in Sirk’s absence, has Cutcliffe’s trust and will be used.

Sirk ruptured the Achilles in a Feb. 9 workout, having torn his right Achilles in 2013. Cutcliffe said he entered the training room in February expecting to see “a totally crumbled youngster.”

Instead, Cutcliffe said, Sirk was determined, not dejected, with a “great spirit and a great attitude.”

“I walked out of that training room just blown away,” Cutcliffe said.

CAMP NOTES: Freshman wide receiver Scott Bracey tweaked a hamstring in practice, Cutcliffe said. ... Defensive tackle Quaven Ferguson, who injured a knee two weeks ago, was able to practice. ... Offensive guard Tanner Stone, who had back surgery in April, will be held out of contact work in early practices.

This story was originally published August 8, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Sirk makes practice, but readiness leading up to opener still a question."