Weather wrecks Miami's practice plan

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Not a single raindrop fell Saturday afternoon on Miami's practice fields. Skies were blue, dotted with puffy white clouds, and an slight breeze brought relief from 88-degree temperatures.

"I've never seen it any better," Miami coach Larry Coker said.

And still, the Hurricanes couldn't get through their first formal practice for the 2005 season without a major disruption. Just 30 minutes into practice, sensors surrounding the fields detected lightning in the area, forcing the team indoors and scrambling to rearrange the day's schedule.

For the second time in three days, weather seriously affected South Florida's football teams.

On Thursday, strong thunderstorms cut through the area where the Miami Dolphins have their training facility; lightning struck near where the Dolphins' video coordinator worked atop a tower, mildly shaking him up.

"We're not going to let this be an excuse. We're not going to let this set us back," Coker said. "We're going to do whatever we need to do to be ready to play. Probably the most disappointed, upset guys it affects more is the coaches. The players, they're going to do whatever we ask them to do."

Some players were taken into a gymnasium for added workouts; some went into meetings during the delay. The team was hopeful of getting back onto the field in the evening, although forecasts suggested that was anything but a certainty.

"It was a great feeling to go out, have everybody out on the field at the same time, running around and having fun," said Kyle Wright, the sophomore who is taking over as Miami's starting quarterback.

Wright took the first snap of the fall, turning left and handing it to slimmed-down tailback Tyrone Moss - who ran behind left tackle Eric Winston, now recovered from the serious left knee injury that ended his season eight games early a year ago.

Winston wore two bulky knee braces; he donned one on his right knee mainly for balance and peace of mind, he said. And even with the weather delay, he said he was thrilled to be back.

"It was awesome. It was kind of like how I remembered it," said Winston, who participated in informal drills with teammates throughout the summer. "It was very nice and hot. Same old, same old. I felt like I was out there and I hadn't really been gone. That's what was nice about it."

Coker said there were a number of reasons why the team scheduled practice for the afternoon, when storms are more apt to pop up. Players reported Friday, making that an orientation day and one not affording the opportunity for on-field work.

Schemes and systems were installed during meetings Saturday morning, and the plan was to practice them in the afternoon.

While the training camp features a number of morning practices as part of two-a-day workouts, Miami also has afternoon practices scheduled for each of the coming three days.

"It's more than concern. It's a real concern," Coker said. "I don't know if we're going to have better days than this in South Florida in August and September."