QUICKER PRACTICES, LESS WEAR

Miami coach Randy Shannon has changed the Hurricanes' practice routine in an attempt to get more out of his players without as much wear and tear.

Instead of starting at 5:45 a.m. on Tuesdays, they will start at 3 p.m. Their 5:45 a.m. Wednesday sessions will stay the same. All practices will be reduced in length.

``From now on, we're just going to practice one hour,'' Shannon said. ``Keep them fresher. Now it's all mental. We're going to get a lot of things done. It's going to be fast now, a lot of movement. We did it in the NFL. last year at this point, I kept them [longer] because we were young and I thought we needed the reps. But now we're a year older and more experienced. It'll help. It will give us fresh minds going into games.''

Linebacker Colin McCarthy welcomes the new format.

``I used to wake up at 4:30,'' he said. ``This is a nice little change. There won't be as much contact. It's more mental than physical, as far as studying more film and getting an opportunity to work with the whole defense and learn our responsibilities a little better.''

Cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke agreed. ``Quick tempo, no water breaks, it's good for us. We can rest [sooner] and get in the ice tub.''

-- SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

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