SB Nation - Everette Brown

The Preview: Maryland Terrapins @ Florida State Seminoles

FSUncensored — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:04:10 -0000

Time: Noon
TV: Raycom Sports - Tim Brant (pbp), Doc Walker (color) and Mike Hogewood (sidelines) will call the action. The game can also be seen on ESPN Gameplan or ESPN360.com.
Line: FSU -18.5
Forecast: Rain? No Rain? Looks like heavy rain in the afternoon but it should hold off for the first half.

The Maryland Terrapins are coming off a 36-9 home loss to Virginia Tech. They sit at 1-8 on the year against D1 teams. Their coach, Ralf Friedgen on that loss:

"I thought we improved in our offensive line play. Andrew Gonnella played probably his best game and I thought Terrell Skinner played a fantastic game. He had 13 tackles and really played well. We defended the run well, but what we didn't do was defend the big plays and the passing game. We have to make some more plays in our offense. There are some plays out there that we need to make and we didn't make them. On Monday night I showed about eight plays to the offense where we are very, very close to just sustaining the block, breaking the tackle or making the catch to make a difference."

Maryland Offense v. FSU Defense

As you can see (click to enlarge), Maryland's offense isn't very good. 83rd in the country and significantly worse than North Carolina (the next best offense FSU has played). But they are better than USF, and like USF, they are starting a young running quarterback for the first time.

And Florida State's defense...

As you can see (click to enlarge), FSU's defense is 90th in the country. Maryland put 31 points on NC State's 85th ranked defense on the road, and dropped 32 on Wake's 46th ranked unit, also on the road. But that was with their quarterback. Let's see what they are currently working with.

Here's Maryland's offensive depth chart:

WR-X 7 Adrian Cannon 6-2 204 Jr.-2V
LT 74 Bruce Campbell 6-7 310 Jr.-2V
LG 71 Paul Pinegar 6-4 290 Jr.-2V
C 72 Phil Costa 6-3 300 Sr.-2V
RG 77 Andrew Gonnella 6-6 305 So.-SQ or 78 Justin Lewis 6-4 320 Fr.-RS
RT 76 R.J. Dill 6-7 320 Fr.-RS
TE-Y 34 Devonte Campbell 6-2 250 Fr.-RS
QB 11 Jamarr Robinson 6-0 190 So.-SQ
TB 8 Davin Meggett 5-8 215 So.-1V & 23 Da'Rel Scott 5-11 200 Jr.-2V
FB 38 Cory Jackson 6-1 245 Sr.-3V
WR-Z 82 Torrey Smith 6-1 200 So.-1V
WR-F 24 Ronnie Tyler 5-11 190 So.-1V
TE-F 80 Lansford Watson 6-4 260 So.-1V

And FSU's Defensive Depth Chart:

LE 95 Kevin McNeil 6-2, 257, SR
DT 93 Everett Dawkins 6-2, 258, FR & 72 Budd Thacker 6-2, 276, SR
NT 90 Moses McCray 6-2, 298, SO & 99 Jacobbi McDaniel 6-0, 267, FR
RE 98 Markus White 6-4, 261, JR & 49 Brandon Jenkins 6-2, 240, FR
SLB 36 Dekoda Watson 6-2, 226, SR
MLB 29 Kendall Smith 6-1, 224, JR
WLB 13 Nigel Bradham 6-2, 235, SO
Backup LB 12 Nigel Carr 6-3, 230, SO
CB 15 Ochuko Jenije 5-10, 188, JR
FS 20 Jamie Robinson 6-2, 188, SR
RV 22 Korey Mangum 6-0, 202, SR & 10 Nick Moody 6-2, 228, FR
CB 21 Patrick Robinson 5-11, 194, SR
Nickel Corner: 5 Greg Reid 5-9, 175, FR

Phillip, a friend of Tomahawk Nation, will be helping us out with the Maryland team.

Jamarr Robinson is the new quarterback. He runs a 4.66 in the forty yard dash so he'll give your defense all types of problems scrambling but at this point he's just not a good passer. In six quarters he is 17-43 for 130 yards, no TD's and no pick, though he has thrown a couple balls that could have been picks and a couple that could have been TD's if the receiver makes a play. Robinson won't throw over 200 yards against FSU in all probability no matter what the circumstance. Robinson is mobile, but not so mobile he's a game changer. He can't read coverages and hes pretty inaccurate.

But in the rain with FSU's defense over-pursuing like crazy, this running back playing QB could give FSU some trouble. I'd actually rather face Turner. I talked to the Va Tech guys and they said Robinson is extremely erratic. FSU is facing a less talented B.J. Daniels. Maryland has always run some option and they rep the option in practice so I think FSU is in for a heavy does of option. It would fit this kid's skill-set well.

Tough to evaluate this running back group cause of the bad O-Line. Da'Rel Scott, a first team all ACC guy should return from injury after missing the last five games. Hes our best runner. Hes averaging over 5 yards a carry when nobody else is over 4. He was fumbling the ball before he got hurt, so that could be an issue. The backups who played the last couple weeks were banged up themselves. They are not bad players they just don't have big holes to run through. Also with Jamar Robinson playing you can crowd the box, thus the RB's only got 7 carries against VT, the QB did most of the running (25 carries for 127 yards). Without a healthy Scott this group is pretty average. If they played with a good line they would get decent yardage, but they don't and aren't good enough to make things happen on their own. Scott put up big numbers earlier in the season, but in fairness to the other rb's, Scott played against a couple weaker defenses, (James Madison and MTSU) when he put up his numbers. Our fullback, Cory Jackson, might be the best blocking fullback in the ACC, but without an O-Line that only gets you so far.

Remember Dave Megget of the Giants? That's his son. A similarly fashioned scat back. Scott is not a receiving threat but Megget has good hands. If Maryland wants to use a fullback, that's fine by me. FSU will play 8 men in the box like they did last year early on.

This wide receiver group is talented. Torrey Smith, Adrian Cannon, and Ronnie Tyler the top 3 guys are all good. If Turner is the QB this group could cause your secondary problems. This group is probably in the top third of the ACC. If we had a good O-Line or a run game to balance the pass, UMD could put up big passing numbers with these guys. Torrey Smith is a sophomore but probably has a future in the NFL. He broke the ACC KO return yards as a freshman and broke that record this year and has put up very solid receiving numbers. Smith has soft hands, good cutting ability, and low 4.4 speed. Adrian Cannon is a good possession WR. He runs around a 4.6 so not a deep threat that can stretch the field vertically, but hes got a thick body and very strong hands. Hes good after the catch, okay elusiveness and is strong and will break a lot of tackles by db's. Tyler is the slot, short at 5'9, hes an explosive athlete that is a good college receiver.

I agree with Phillip here. FSU CB Patrick Robinson, one of the best corners in the nation and a likely first round choice should be able to limit Smith. Jenijie should be okay against the other their #2. Maryland doesn't have a tight end who catches a lot of balls, so that is a plus.

I would say the worst O-Line in the ACC by quite a bit. We struggle to pass block and we struggle to run block. Its not clear which we are worst at. Occasionally they will have a good series or two, but this O-Line has yet to really put together an entire game, so FSU doesn't have much to worry about. The O-Line started out young and inexperienced and has been exacerbated by injuries. Bruce Campbell the best O-Lineman is playing pretty hurt. Due to injuries 9 different guys have gotten starts this year on the line and another has played significantly. Your D-Line will have its best game.

This is true. Maryland's offensive line is highly questionable. Campbell is actually a tremendous talent at left tackle, but as Phillip said, he's been injured. Last year Maryland was one of a few teams to not double team Everette Brown and Brown absolutely abused the Terps. They have struggled with quick rush ends so far this year and as Phillip said, FSU might have a good day. I don't think he understands just how poor FSU's defense is, however, so don't get too excited, 'Nole fans.

Maryland runs a pro-style offense. It's West coast based. They typically man block, not zone block (FSU zone blocks). If I was running Maryland's offense, I would probably use 3 wide receivers and two running backs, mixing in a lot of option looks for the young quarterback who is basically a running back under center. The rain probably plays to Maryland's advantage if they elect to run some of the zone-read plays we've come accustomed to seeing teams run against Florida State, often with great success. It's one thing to overrun a play. It's another to overrun a play in the rain and be unable to recover in time. I expect FSU to run more of the cover-2 stuff they ran against Wake Forest. This should help because it allows FSU to keep all 11 eyes on the "quarterback". It also will force the quarterback to work with his receivers. FSU did not do this well against USF, and pair dearly for it via two bombs and multiple scrambles. Playing an excess of man coverage in this game is a poor choice. Maryland has some good skill guys and if FSU lets them play street ball, this could be interesting. Against Zone, receivers must sit down in the voids, and the quarterback must recognize where these voids will be and throw the ball to the spot. I do not think Maryland's guy under center can do that consistently. FSU must make him do things at which he is not comfortable, and not allow him to hit the high-risk, high-reward stuff. A good cover-2 or cover-3 zone can help with this. In addition, FSU should refrain from excessive blitzing. If there is any offensive line that FSU's defensive line can get pressure against, it is this group. Maryland won't consistently beat a conservative FSU defense, but they could beat an aggressive FSU defense. They have a veteran center who can make the calls and FSU's schemes aren't fooling anyone. It's best to be very conservative, contain Robinson, and let him make mistakes. I worry about this because it is defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews' last game. Will the players be too hyped up to play good assignment football? I don't know.

Working off a 68 play projection (about average), I expect Maryland to put up about 5.5 yards per play. That's 375 yards. 24 points seems reasonable. I'll go with that. Can FSU top that? Continue reading to see.

Maryland Defense @ Florida State Offense

The Terps defense is not as bad as their offense.

From their media guide:

They've actually been sort of solid on defense for most of the conference season (Cal housed them 52-13), though they struggled aginst the Hokies last week. They are allowing an average of 113 rushing yards per game (second in league play). LBs Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten have been the top playmakers on a defense which has just four starters back from last year. Wujciak, a second-team All-ACC selection last year, has a team-high 113 tackles, including 11 vs. Virginia Tech last week. Moten has 58 tackles (second on the team), including team highs in tackles-for-loss (8.5) and sacks (6.0). Freshman LB Demetrius Hartsfield, was the third-leading tackler until he broke his hand and missed two games. He was back in action last week. First-year defensive coordinator Don Brown has a veteran secondary, though there have been injuries at that position. Senior Nolan Carroll, the team’s No. 1 cornerback, was lost for the season vs. JMU with a broken tibia. Senior SS Jamari McCollough missed two games with a foot injury and played sparingly the following two weeks. Top safety reserve Kenny Tate sprained an ankle last week and will miss the rest of the season. CB Anthony Wiseman has a team-high eight PBUs and CB Cameron Chism has a team-best three interceptions. Seniors Travis Ivey, Jared Harrell and Deege Galt are veterans on the defensive line. The Terps are tied for second in the ACC in sacks (2.5 per game).

As you can see (click to enlarge), Maryland's defense is 69th. NC State is the worst defense FSU has faced this year. But Maryland is on par with BYU, and definitely worse than Wake Forest.

As for Florida State's offense? Click to go full-screen and you'll see FSU sits at 5th in the country. This is an elite unit.

Maryland has faced the #9 rated NC State attack. Without Ponder, I believe FSU's offense is probably top 25 but definitely not top 5. These ratings reflect performance to date. They can't account for the future impact of injuries. They also played Va Tech, who like NCST, also put 35+ on them. #27 rated Wake Forest put 30+ on these guys. But I don't remember any of those teams playing in a downpour.

Maryland Depth Chart

DE 57 Jared Harrell 6-5 265 Sr.-1V or 44 Derek Drummond 6-4 250 So.-1V
NT 96 A.J. Francis 6-5 315 Fr.-RS
DT 90 Travis Ivey 6-4 325 Sr.-2V
Anchor (DE) 56 Deege Galt 6-4 264 Sr.-SQ
SAM 54 Adrian Moten 6-2 230 Jr.-2V
MIKE 33 Alex Wujciak 6-3 255 Jr.-1V
WILL 42 Ben Pooler 6-3 235 So.-SQ or 59 Demetrius Hartsfield 6-2 230 Fr.-RS
CB 6 Anthony Wiseman 5-10 185 Sr.-3V (Starter lost for year)
FS 1 Terrell Skinner 6-3 214 Sr.-3V (Starter lost for year)
SS 4 Jamari McCollough 5-11 200 Sr.-1V
CB 22 Cameron Chism 6-0 185 So.-1V

FSU Depth Chart

WR 80 Jarmon Fortson 6-3, 223, SO & 9 Richard Goodman 6-0, 190, SR
LT 67 Andrew Datko 6-6, 283, SO
LG 57 Brandon Davis 6-2, 281, JR (Replacing AA Rodney Hudson)
C 60 Ryan McMahon 6-3, 282, JR
RG 79 David Spurlock 6-5, 285, SO
RT 77 Zebrie Sanders 6-5, 288, SO
TE 88 Beau Reliford 6-7, 241, SO (Starter Caz Piurowski lost for year)
QB 3 EJ Manuel 6-4, 223, FR (Starter Christian Ponder lost for year)
FB 24 Lonnie Pryor 6-1, 195, FR
TB 38 Jermaine Thomas 6-1, 190, SO & 23 Chris Thompson 5-8, 173, FR
WR 86 Rod Owens 6-0, 183, SR & 83 Bert Reed 5-11, 165, SO & Taiwan Easterling

And FSU's Injury Report:

Out
76 OT Garrett Faircloth (hip)
70 OT Antwane Greenlee (knee)
51 LB Aaron Gresham (knee) (For career)
44 LB Maurice Harris (neck; out for the season)
62 OG Rodney Hudson (knee)
97 DT Demonte McAllister (knee)
94 DT Justin Mincey (knee)
81 TE Caz Piurowski (knee; out for the season)
7 QB Christian Ponder (shoulder; out for the season)
74 OT John Prior (knee)
27 CB Xavier Rhodes (thumb)
11 LB Vince Williams (back)

Questionable
9 WR Richard Goodman (groin)
Mister Alexander is also banged up but FSU didn't list him.

Let's see what Phillip has to say about Maryland's defense.

Probably the worst in the ACC. The DT's are so-so, maybe the 7 or 8th best group in the ACC as far as DT's go. The DE's are awful. The rush end position (Harrell and Drummond) has yet to record a sack this season after 10 games. This group generates no initial pass rush. The strongside DE (Deege Galt) is a 100% effort type player and got a couple sacks by continuing to work and getting a sack after the play broke down, but this group is really awful. Our DE's are by far the worst in the ACC from what I have seen at generating pass rush. The DT's don't help with pass rush. They use a three man rotation of guys weighing 330, 325, 310 (Ivery, Kerr, Francis) so they are okay agianst the run, teams have not really gash us by running right at us, but they contribute nothing to a pass rush. Therefore you have four guys totally not capable of getting any pass rush. The D-Line is serviceable against the run, but you want to be more than serviceable when that is the strength of the unit.

I think he's pessimistic here. These guys actually do a decent job stopping the run. They are massive inside and have good but not great size on the outside. He is right though about their pass rush ability. Maryland's pass rush from the front-4 is just not there. In addition, FSU's offensive line is excellent in pass protection. I do have some concerns about Davis working together with the other guys picking up the blitz. Speaking of blitz...

LB: A solid, but not great unit. At MLB, 255 Alex Wujciak is big and strong and good in run defense. Hes not very agile or fast so you can pass on him, though he has improed his awareness there a little. Still, his pass coverage is the type thing that Jimbo will take advantage of. With Ponder you would have burned us like crazy passing over the middle with him cause Ponder is accurate. Wujciak is not fast or agile, buts aware and he took an inaccurate pass by Russell Wilson to the hosue on a 70 yard interception return the other week. Still hes probably one of the slowest MLB in the ACC if not the slowest. He leads the ACC in tackles and is fourth in the nation. Its hard to run against him cause he can off blocks well even if you get a O-Lineman to him cause of his size and strength. Running up the middle against us is maybe do-able, but with so many other weaknesses, teams don't even really bother to try. Adrian Moten one of the OLB's is very verstaile. Hes solid in pass coverage, blitzing, and against the run, but is not great at any of them. He leads the team with 6 sacks. I see him in the NFL eventually, not necessarily as a high pick, simply cause at the least he would make a good backup because hes no real weakness. Hes also a vocal leader of the D. The third LB is Demetrius Hartsfield a RS freshman. Hes got solid quickness and average straight line speed, and like a lot of freshman is inconsistent. At times he shows good instincts and an aggressive instinct that makes him effective. Other times he looks lost. As the season went on he got a little bit more consistent, his worst games as far as missed assignments were his first. FSU will be his second game back from injury after missing three games.

Moten is undersized and doesn't do a great job of getting off blocks. Otherwise, I agree with this. FSU has a very good run game that has been steadily improving since Rick Trickett took over the running back coaching duties. The backs now understand what hole to run through, an important part of being a running back.

The DB's are average to below average which is a surprise as many fans expected them to be good. We lost our top corner, Nolan Carroll, in the second game of the season. That hurt a lot. Sophomore Cameron Chism may have NFL talent but hes still learning the ropes. He's very good when the ball is in the air, has three picks, and is excellent in run help. That said he gives up some big plays and is susceptible to double moves and the like at this stage in his career (hes a true soph. who only played special teams last year). Wiseman the other corner is one of the worst starting cb's in the ACC. A three year starter who never has gotten an interception, hes a bad tackler, who is really bad when the ball is in the air. Hes is very suspectible to the long ball. Against the short ball, like slants, hes okay and will get some pass breakups, but hes such a bad tackler thats hes still not great there becaue those missed tackles turn into 40 yard players. The third and fourth corners, Richad Taylor and Trenton Hughes are about what you expect from backup corners. I think they are both slightly better than Wiseman, but there is inertia with returning starters and they are not that much better anyways. At S, we just lost Kenny Tate for the season at SS. With McCollough, who will be the strong safety agianst FSU, you got a saavy player capable in pass coverage, but not great in run help. At free safety you have Terrell Skinner, who had had a better junior year than senior year so far, except for the fact hes had his best two games of the season the past couple weeks so he may be coming on.

I have nothing to add to that. A huge thanks to Phillip for his help!

I watched a bit of Maryland this week. They blitz a lot. I feel bad for this defense. They get no pass rush, so they are forced to blitz. But their secondary has really struggled due to losing two starters and just generally not having a ton of talent. They are hurting either way.

So, how to attack Maryland's defense? We know that their front can't rush the passer but is very big. And we know that their best linebacker is a liability in coverage. They love to blitz. And we also know that they are incredibly thin on the secondary. So, how would you attack this?

I would spread them out and pass on early downs. This puts pressure on already thin secondary. It will tire out their big defensive tackles who certainly don't want to rush the passer. It will stress their excellent linebacker who is sort of a stiff. There is no reason to run right at Maryland, especially not without Rodney Hudson. FSU needs to run at the edges and attack the undersized outside linebackers or defensive backs. By throwing on 1st down, FSU can keep Maryland off balance. The bubble-screen game could play big in this contest. Anything to simplify the reads for freshman QB E.J. Manuel. Most teams don't blitz much on 1st down, making it an ideal down to throw on because of the added time in the pocket. Also, many teams are reluctant to blitz the spread because the blitz comes from a greater distance than against a traditional formation, thus taking longer to get there, being more readily identifiable, and affording the offense more time to react.

But undoubtedly Maryland will have some success with the blitz. I doubt Manuel stays clean in this game. But I do think he can hit a big play or two, interspersed with some less than desirable plays. I don't think FSU can run quite like they did against Wake Forest. FSU must pick up the blitz. And if Maryland goes a little more conservative, then Manuel needs to be in sync with the receivers.

Assuming FSU gets 68 plays, I think they can average about 6.75 per snap. That comes out to 460 yards. I like FSU to score 40 points. And to be clear, I definitely think rain is a disadvantage for the 'Noles here.

FSU 40, Maryland 24 Maryland is the worst team FSU has faced to date, and though I expect Manuel to look rough at times, I will still project the big win.

Chance of Victory: 88% (the exact percentage I predicted before the season).

Conversation with Tomahawk Nation

DrB — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:58:51 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

3 months ago: Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder throws a fourth-quarter pass during an NCAA college football game against Jacksonville State, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida state won 19-9. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

Browse more photos »

In this Q&A we have FSUncensored of Tomahawk Nation as our guest blogger. Our thanks go out to him for helping us get exposure for the new site. He's always been our greatest supporter. Below you'll find answers on why FSU has struggled this year, the Chest/Fisher escapade, and why Jenn Sterger had a brain fart and removed her breast implants, destroying erections everywhere. You can find our answers to their questions here.

FSU has been able to keep defenses fairly honest with their rushing game. I have noticed a lot of big plays/highlights coming off of play action and have heard the gusy at Tomahawk talk about even running a few screens off of PA. How important is this to their offense and how important is it for the Seminoles to have some success running the football to set these types of plays up?

As you noted in your excellent preview of our offense, Fisher will take what an opposing defense gives them. A lot of teams elect to play soft 2 or 3 against the 'Nole's offense, because they are scared of FSU's 4 very capable wideouts. In those situations, Fisher will run the ball on them, and when he expects them to creep up from the soft alignments, he will do the PA stuff. FSU hasn't abandoned the run all year, as he's called 28, 49, 22, 28, 28, 23, and 33 run plays in their 7 D1 games. FSU has run the ball well in most games, and has really run it well of late, (GTech: 28 for 193), UNC: 23 for 53 (included is a -14 yard reverse though, which obviously counts.) We used the run game early to keep them honest later., and NC State: 33 for 277. Note that I take out sacks when calculating run numbers, because it's really a failed pass play.

Also, wouldn't you think that Fishers ability to stay patient and take what the defense gives you/play to strong suits combined with FSU's offensive talent make Clemson's degense lose some aggression?

Yes. I do think Clemson should play off and hit FSU's wideouts. The only things that has stopped FSU this year are 1) Ponder's MCL injury in the USF & BC games, and receiver fumbles (also BC and USF). Fisher doesn't get over-anxious with his playcalling and neither does Ponder. That's remarkable to me because FSU's defense is so shitty that they are often behind. Sometimes the wideouts have pressed, however, trying to take a simple hitch and make something out of it that simply is not there. Wideouts have had 8 fumbles lost, though none in the last two games if my memory serves. However, when FSU holds onto the ball, it can be pretty frustrating for the opposing defense, and then I guess the ball is back in Kevin's court. Will he risk FSU going downfield and screening Clemson to death?

Who has had the most success defending your offense? Why?

USF and BC. I fashioned this handy chart for you:

Opponent Miami BYU USF BC Ga Tech UNC N

Opponent Miami BYU USF BC GT NC NCSU

Plays 71 77 64 71 66 65 73

Yards per play allowed 5.7 6.6 4.5 6.8 8.2 6.7 7.6

Rushes 28 49 22 28 28 23 33

Yards/rush allowed 4.5 6.4 2.8 2.9 6.9 2.3 8.4

Passing Plays 43 28 42 43 38 42 40

Yards pass/allowed 6.4 7.1 5.4 7.7 9.1 9.2 6.9

5.7 yards per play (400 yard pace) against everyone except USF. 6.6 (460 yard pace @ 70 plays) against 4 teams, and a 530 yard yard pace in the last two. So what happened against USF (7-17 home loss)?

First, Ponder had an MCL sprain and was kinda hobbling around. Second, receiver fumbles. Third, when the offense doesn't convert on the goal line, the defense should get you the ball back in realistic field position. That did not happen, as USF had a 99 yard drive for TD on the ensuing possession. So FSU had 1st half drives of 79, 43, and 39 yards, and 200 yards total in the 1st half, with no points. Fourth, Jason Pierre-Paul. He's the best player we've faced all year (Allen Bailey of Miami was close). Mel Kiper moved the relatively unknown Juco product up to 10th on his big board, and the kid is only a junior. He was unblockable and it was the best defensive performance I've seen against the 'Noles since the early decade Miami teams picked on Chris Rix and co. USF rushed 4 and got there. FSU came in overconfident and then sleptwalked thorough the game. This was USF's biggest game in their history and the intensity levels were not comparable. They didn't blitz much and played a lot of cover-2.

Essentially, USF played the perfect game of their lives on defense.

I dont understand how Mickey's defense can be as BAD as it is. Its the worst I've ever heard of FSU having. What is the major malfunction?

Ok, check out how bad they are: http://www.tomahawknation.com/2009/11/2/1110686/florida-states-defense-the-cure 98th in the country is just not acceptable. So what has happened? They are too small. Mickey is still playing a bunch of cover-1 and cover-0, and they've never been a good zone team. The defensive ends are coached by a former wide receiver who never coached or played defense before Bowden hired him to replace the universally highly regarded Jim Gladden (the man behind the terrors off the edge for many years). Amato is more concerned with screwing with Jimbo Fisher than he is coaching the linebackers. He implemented the freedom system which just tells the backers to go make plays. As you might expect, a system which encourages FSU's guys to be more undisciplined has failed miserably. Nobody plays with anything even resembling decent technique. Fundamentals are completely absent. Linebackers don't take good angles. Other teams have figured out FSU's signals (my opinion). Andrews hasn't wanted to coach since his son's suicide (and who can blame him) and he didn't want the aforementioned coaches! Coaches who don't want to coach, refusing to adapt, and players who don't buy into the garbage the lame duck coaches are selling, and you get FSU's defense.

I will say that they do play really hard, however, which is scary.

Why does K. Mangum start? He's absolutely awful, and a senior? I think a monkey can do better in pass coverage.

I think it's an evil plan between Amato and Bowden to make Jimbo crack and Kill someone, thus costing himself the shot at the job. Mangum knows some of the assignments, which is better than some others can say, but he is definitvely the worst starter at FSU since 1980, and it is not even remotely close. I know for a fact that the offensive coaches tried to repeatedly embarrass him in fall camp to have Mickey bench him and he just wouldn't. Andrews is a great man but he is in love with Senority.

Whats the story at Defensive End with Jody Allen? They have horrible discipline and they never hold their containment. These guys would be 3rd stringers here.

Ah yes, Allen, our defensive ends coach who was selected to replace possibly the best ends coach in the game (Gladden). The players think he is a racist. He won't take advice from Gladden, who graciously offers it if asked. Allen never played defense at any significant level. His practice antics make everyone uncomfortable. Everette Brown ended up teaching our defensive ends last season

What adjustment has Andrew's made schematically to make up for these issues? What can be done when you suck at pretty much every position, aside from one or two good players?

Um, does blitzing everyone into the same gap count? No? That doesn't work? Oh. Hmm. They tried to play some more cover 2 and cover 3 and that was a colossal failure. The defense is really too small to play anything that doesn't involve 8 men in the box, which creates somewhat predictable coverages. The frustrating thing is that while I have been screaming for some adjustments in the past, there are few schematic adjustments I feel this staff can make because they can't or won't teach it. They need to bench Mangum and the upperclassmen who have zero shot to play next season (though some do).

Chuck Amato was once a good recruiter, once a pretty good position coach, but I dont understand what has failed for him since being back at FSU, any ideas what happened to him?

It's all about Chuck's Ego

.

He bounces around practice, doing everything but his job. He gets into multiple confrontations with other coaches (some physical). As noted above, the freedom system destroyed the work done by Steele, and I thought Steele had our backers taking good pursuit angles. Amato doesn't have these guys keying anything and they definitely don't take good angles. Plus, like Allen, I think the players know he's toast.

I heard the other day that Jenn Sterger had a breast reduction......GOD WHY?

I always thought Sterger was a bigger deal to other schools than she was to FSU. But I hope she hasn't lost that great set! Ok, upon some investigation:

But other research says different:

Actually the article about Sterger's breast implant removal is in the Dec 2009 Cosmo magazine. I dont wanna know how Figurefour found that out. Someone clearly screwed up, I thought Cosmo was supposed to have "how to make him go crazy in bed", not "how to make him go limp by removing two perfectly constructed breasts."

Talking Florida State With Tomahawk Nation

Akula Wolf — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:41:26 -0000

In preparation for this Saturday's defensive debacle, I exchanged some questions with FSUncensored from Tomahawk Nation. Below he talks about FSU's struggling defense, Bowden's future, Chuck Amato, Christian Ponder's turnaround, and much more. You can find my answers to his questions at TN later today.

1.) The gist I get from reading you guys is that the coaching staff is primarily responsible for the issues on the defensive side. But that can't fully explain a slide of nearly two yards per play from '08 to '09, can it? What else is going on?

I've written a lot about this over the past year. Mostly, it is the coaching staff. You will be blown away at the complete lack of discipline, fundamentals, and just general common sense with which our defense plays. Last season, the defense was a top 30 defense. This year, they sit at #104 (FEI by football outsiders). Here's a handy graph I made using their numbers. Last year's defense really only played well against stubborn offenses. For instance, against Miami (fired their OC), Colorado (had a freshman left tackle and refused to double team NFL DE Everette Brown), and Wake Forest (bad offense for the entire year). Teams who had some common sense ran out of spread sets and rolled away from or double-teamed Everette Brown. Keep in mind our defensive ends coach never played defense or coached at another school. Bowden just made him defensive ends coach for whatever reason, and to add insult to injury, he replaced one of the finest defensive ends in the country! FSU cannot stop the run at all because they are tiny as a result of poor recruiting. This causes all kinds of problems. They get bunched up in the middle and get beat on tosses and reverses. And the pass-rush is non-existent, which hangs out the secondary (corners are good to very good, safeties are trash). And of course, FSU hasn't changed their scheme in years. The defensive coordinator has wanted to retire for the past two seasons after his son died in his front yard. Amato, well, he's a clown. I'll discuss him later.

2.) Have the coaches made any adjustments to what they're doing defensively? Do you expect the D to start coming around down the stretch?

Very, very few. It is painful, Steven. FSU for the most part plays man coverage with 1 safety, blitzes with really poor timing and not as a team, and generally looks extremely confused on defense. The upgrade that will occur next year will be similar to the upgrade made by FSU going from Jeff Bowden to Jimbo Fisher. I do not expect many adjustments. We are 7 games in and there haven't been serious adjustments made in years.

3.) Official Coach Person Chuck Amato ... what does he do, exactly? Also, if I recall correctly, y'all mentioned on Twitter a while back that coaches were telling recruits that Amato would be gone after this season. Is that still the case?

Amato has the title of executive head coach. Bowden bestowed it upon him, giving him more money and more power than Jimbo Fisher. It pushed Fisher to 4th in command, which is incredibly frustrating for the best coach on our team. Amato is a malcontent and a saboteur, still somehow under the impression that someone will again hire him to be a head coach or coordinator. His recruiting has been flat awful (1 South Florida recruit in 3 years, supposedly his strength. And the kid he recruited isn't any good). He gets in arguments with everyone, but luckily for him, Bowden still loves him. I have heard from recruits that they are being told all of the defensive coaches will be gone next year, and that's what the tweet referenced.

4.) With regards to Bobby Bowden's future, does it matter how the Noles finish this season? Do you feel like another year of Bowden would inflict some lasting damage on the program?

No, I think how he finishes is largely irrelevant. I guess if FSU won out and beat @ Clemson and @ UF and won the ACC and the BCS game, a few big $shots who want him gone would be swayed, but we hear that he is gone and that he has pissed off some who were once cemented in his corner. Another year of this foolishness would seriously hurt the program. We have 4 coaches who will stay when the house cleaning happens, and they are busting their tails trying to keep this thing afloat. FSU is literally coaching with the equivalent of 8 coaches, while everyone else has 10. You can't win in this business with 20% fewer resources than everyone else.

5.) When we did this last year, I asked you guys about a struggling Christian Ponder. This year--holy smokes, he's been unreal. Is it experience, talent, comfort in the system all coming together? Better pass protection? Better play from receivers?

I dug up last year's question:

Against I-A opponents, FSU's quarterbacks have completed barely 40% of their passes and have averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt. What've been Christian Ponder's biggest issues so far? Any QB controversy?

Clearly, those numbers are not acceptible. Christian got off to a horrible start against Wake Forest, as his first pass was intercepted, and I think this made him a little gun shy. Despite the shocking play of the offensive line, relative to their youth, we've still had pass protection issues. Poor wide receiver play has also contributed, as there have been incorrectly run routes and dropped balls. Ponder is also at fault, obviously. His drops have been inconsistent, his steps are sometimes too large on play action (great fakes though). His biggest issue is trust and inexperience. He has to learn to throw the ball before the guy is open. I think he's starting to do that, but as of yet, he still usually waits for the guy to come open before throwing. That seems to be an inexperience issue. He has really improved in his pre-snap reads, and I have to think that he will continue to progress. The Miami game was really a bad game for passing, since it was played in a downpour, and Miami really gave up the run to take away the pass. There is no QB controversey, Ponder is the guy. He needs expeirence, consistency, and trust. I think all of those can be remedied with time. Luckily, he seems to be able to rely on his legs for now.

We were one of the few FSU blogs who staunchly stuck behind Ponder. Perhaps it's the ex-offensive lineman in me, but I like to focus more on line play than others. This off-season, I wrote:

The truth of the matter is that without the qualifier, the statement that "Florida State's offensive line was very good in 2008" is false. All told, if you evaluated their performance without knowing how young they were, you'd be hard pressed to come up with anything more than average. There's a big difference between wildly exceeding expectations and being elite on a national or conference scale. When FSU needed their offensive line to dig in and provide protection in 2008, in passing situations like 2nd & 8+ or 3rd & 5+, the line failed miserably. They simply could not pass protect. Sure, they made big strides in other areas, and looked much better than some of the garbage produced by Jimmy Heggins and Mark McHale in the early and middle parts of this decade, but 'Nole fans eager to have a decent offensive line jumped all over the idea that their boys up front were now elite. They have not yet earned the pre-season accolades being strewn upon them by the media. Not with last year's performance. This year the challenge is to become elite- not just elite considering their youth.

The rest of the piece is here. I wish more read it, and I think your readers will really enjoy it. FSU's offensive line was the youngest in the country (3fr 2 sophs). That article does a nice job explaining their struggles, as well as what they did well.

I plan to re-run the article when I get time, and re-examine how the line is doing. I'll break down every 2nd/3rd and long situation again, just as I did there. I will say that Ponder now has that requisite trust in his offensive line. He stands in the pocket like a champ. He also is the smartest QB Fisher has ever been around. Fisher says he'll come off the field and tell Fisher "they were in cover-3 cloud so I checked to X, etc." Those two are on the same page and I'll say Ponder is the smartest QB in college football. FSU calls 3 plays in the huddle and then has Ponder check them into the right one. There's no sideline-checking here. Ponder really gets it, and he was hiding injuries last year that even the team doctors didn't know about. (We knew of the broken ribs, but not some of the back injuries or the wrist).

Also, the young receivers grew up a bit, and it helps when you have receivers in the right spot, particularly against teams running a lot of soft-zones.

If you want to read a great article on Ponder, I'd check this out. Doing the research blew me away as to just how good he is.

6.) I had a dream the other day that this game ended with a final score of 84-63. Some arena football-style action. A six-hour marathon in which fully 60% of the players involved go down with cramps after too many tearful entreaties for mercy. Also I think my liver exploded. That sound about right to you?

Only 60% cramps? I totally agree with your prediction. 3 times this season, FSU has gone over the total (over/under) in the first half. Against 1A teams, FSU was 5-1 on the Over. Vegas has caught up, posting a total north of 65. That's the highest recorded total for an FSU game since they began keeping track! (1985!) Through 1995! (64 points @ UF) was close.

FSU has the 4th best offense in the country and the 104th best defense. NC State has the 25th best offense and the 52nd best defense (see 1st picture I linked above). FSU has the 12th rated kick/punt units (return and cover), while NC State's are 117th.

Will there be more than 3 punts in this game?

The only thing I suspect could happen to foul up this score-fest is what happened last year. NC State was shredding FSU's defense, so FSU held the ball for almost 40 minutes. Might NC State do that? Might FSU do that? My guess is that NC State will run for 6+ per carry (w/o sacks), control the clock, play very conservative zone, and hope that FSU's juggernaut offense gets impatient and tries to force things against the soft zones.

Progression, Stagnation, or Regression? Noles Defensive Line

FrankDNole — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:55:46 -0000

Every day while catching up on my daily Nole must reads, I very often wonder to myself, "Are my 2009 Noles going to be better than last year’s team?"

Recently I came across a similar series that I thought I could apply to our 2009 Seminoles, which might make for entertaining reading to some of our TN members. While this series may not actually answer my question, it might at least give us something to discuss and debate until more information starts rolling in once the practices actually start.

What I will attempt to do, is to project how our 7 basic units (defensive line, linebackers, secondary, backfield, offensive line, receivers and tight ends, and special teams) of the 2009 Noles will perform as compared to last season team.

The way we will try to come up with a possible answer is to address each of the 7 units above individually, by using the projected 2 deeps as of today, in comparison with last years starters. We will look at who was there last season, analyze the roster changes, if any, and then we will all decide if these changes will result in progression, regression, or if we can expect little or no change.

We must remember that with the kickoff still over a month away, and the start of practices still over one week away, it will be impossible to reach definite conclusions at this time. There could very well be injuries, promotions, demotions, and incoming freshmen who might surprise us all. I will ask you the TN members to project via poll, (your favorite way and the easiest and most accurate measure available to us) how well you expect the 7 individual units will perform this season. At the end of the series, I will report back to you, the TN readers, what your expectations of this team are at this point in time.

Recently NoleThruandThru gave us his projected two-deep lineup and asked you for your thoughts on the 2-deeps. While there were some very good comments and opinions posted as to what may happen before and during the upcoming season, for the purpose of this series I will be using only the official Seminole 2-deep lineups posted along with some projections and input I received from FSUncensored.

Please remember that while we lost some very good individual talent, we want to look at the each unit as a whole when we finally vote on whether that particular unit has progressed, stayed stagnant, or regressed, in comparison to last years unit.

Today we will start with the DEFENSIVE LINE.

2008 DE=Benjamin Lampkin (really a LB) started the first 3 games, then was replaced by Neffy Moffett who started the rest of the season. In 10 games played, Moffett had 19 Total Tackles of which 11 were for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 int, 2 QBH, and forced two fumbles and recovered one. Both players are now gone.

2009 PROJECTED DE=Kevin McNeil and Jamar Jackson

2008 NG=Moses McCray started the first 2 games then was replaced by Budd Thacker who started every remaining game until the Champs Bowl when Paul Griffin started his last game as a Nole. Griffin is the only one gone and only had 11 Total Tackles, 1 for loss, 1 QBH, and 1 FR.

2009 PROJECTED NG=Moses McCray and Budd Thacker

2008 DT=Kendrick Stewart started 8 games and Justin Mincey started 4 games, 3 of which were the last 3 games.

2009 PROJECTED DT=Justin Mincey and Kendrick Stewart

2008 DE=Everette Brownhas left and taken his 36 total tackles of which 21.5 were for losses, 13.5 sacks, 2 pass BU, 3 QBH, 4 FF, and 1 FR.

2009 PROJECTED DE=Markus White and Toshmon Stevens.

OTHERS EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE: Everett Dawkins (SDE), Brandon Jenkins(WDE), Jacobbi McDaniel (DT), Demonte McAllister (DT/SDE)

Well there you have it. I guess the real question is not if Brown and Moffett can be replaced, but whether their replacements will be able to keep up the kind of pressure on the QB we saw last year, to prevent the rest of the defense from being shredded.

MY PROJECTION: REGRESSION.

What is yours? Please vote now.

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Poll

2009 FSU DEFENSIVE LINE-PROGRESSION, STAGNATION, OR REGRESSION? Please read the whole article before voting. Poll closes Friday July 31 at 7:00 PM

PROGRESSION

180 votes

STAGNATION

117 votes

REGRESSION

58 votes

355 votes | Poll has closed

Monday Morning Tomahawks- Monday, 07.13.09 Edition

FSUncensored — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:16 -0000

Inside, you'll find:

Mickey Andrew's Q&A session with the Greater Orlando Seminole Club as provided by Bill kid (Crowlnole)
Another free photo gallery of Thursday's practice session and some notes on that session.
A summary of the "Bridge Program"
Notes from some observers of the Bobby Bowden Camp (including some major prospects)

Pictured: Darious Cummings and Lamarcus Joyner, as captured by an e-mailer. Cummings is a 6'2.5" 255lb defensive end/ tackle prospect, ESPNU 150 Watch List, Rivals 250 member, and of course, a 'Nole commit. Everyone knows about Lamarcus. Look how long LJ's arms are! He might only be 5'9", but with those wings and that vert, who cares.

NEW @ 11 EST: Andrew Carter on the SEC Contract
NEW @ 11 EST: Gobbler Country- Do Offensive Lines still matter?

Mickey Andrews at the Greater Orlando Seminole Club

First of all, apologies for taking so long to get this posted. Busy day and evening on Friday.

We had quite the contingent of celebrities joining us on Friday. Aside from Mickey, Corey Sawyer, Tom Block and Paul Kennedy all joined us for the evening. Corey is getting involved with the SCGO and will be putting together a program to have former players get involved with the Seminole community in the Orlando area. You all know my stance on former players, and if certain offices in Tallahassee aren't going to give the former players the respect and love they deserve and have earned, Orlando damn sure will.

Now onto Mickey. Corey laid back as a bit of a surprise and Tom brought him up as a surprise. They shared a couple old stories and one was especially interesting:

Corey was named an All American in 1992. He tied a school record in the NC State game with 3 picks, but got beat for a long TD late in the 4th quarter of that game. As we was taught to never walk off the field, he jogged off but Mickey was glaring at him the whole time. Corey went to the other end of the sideline but Mickey stalked him down, and let loose with "I don't know how you were named an All-American after a play like that" It was a great example of the excellence Mickey demanded from his players.

Gotta love mickey. I don't think anyone in the college game has a better scowl.

Georgia Tech was brought up by Mickey before we even got to the questions. He immediately owned the loss, and stated that he has been asked a lot about the fumble by Sims costing FSU the game. He simply said that the defense was to blame. Marcus never would have been put in the situation if Ga Tech didn't score so much.

He went on to talk a bit more about the game. He acknowledged that the defensive tackles were lined up too tight on the center, and it is something that was realized and will be corrected. He did want to make note of something though. While FSU gave up 288 yards rushing, he wanted to look at the comparison of some other strong defenses to put it in perspective. Ga Tech's performance against a few others:

Georgia: 409 rushing yards

Miami: 472 rushing yards

Virginia Tech: 278 rushing yards

North Carolina: 328 rushing yards

That not an excuse by Mickey to our poor performance, which he admitted, but wanted to show that other strong defenses got shredded by Ga Tech as well.

I'm glad Mickey is taking responsibility for this game, because his defense played awful. He neglected to mention that before GT's QB rolled his own ankle, they were rolling at almost eight yards per play!

For comparison purposes,

Opponent Yards/Play
@ 15 Virginia Tech 6.6
21 Florida St. 6.7 (7.8 before QB left game)
@ North Carolina 5.5
Miami (Fla.) 8.3
@ 13 Georgia 6.9

To be sure, Georgia Tech has an amazing offensive scheme led by one of the best coaches in the nation, but I think it's a little silly to rely on total yards there, when yards per play tells a much clearer story.

Onto a few questions. The first of which is that pink elephant of a spread offense:

What needs to be done to slow down the effectiveness of spread offenses?

Where could this question have come from? Maybe these two articles?

Size Matters on Defense, part 1

Size Matters on Defense, part 2

I would like to make note this was touched on by me in 2008 with Mickey, but this was a MUCH more thorough explanation than a year ago

We need to account for the QB. Too much the focus was on the running game and the receivers. From the threat of the option to QB's like tebow being a lead blocker for his running backs. He's realized the fear of the option needs to limit the blitz. The safeties need to be more involved with the running game and the action happening closer to the line of scrimmage. The drawback to this is that it puts a lot of pressure on the corners to lock up with the outside receivers.

Its a very crowd pleasing answer, and I don't want him to say anything else.

What can we change or do to beat an option offense much like the one Georgia Tech runs?

Mickey has had some people very familiar with this offense come in and talk with him about how to slow it down. The defensive staff has already reviewed the Yellow Jacket films and have set a new defensive game plan. The defense will be dedicating 10 minutes of practice time every day from day 1 to learn how to defend this defense, and practicing this game plan. It will give the the equivelent of three weeks of full prep and practice time for it by the time the game comes.

What are the challenges of coaching some of the young players today as opposed to 20 years ago?

Players today are more worried about making it to the NFL. They don't have as much of an understanding of what it takes to get there, and what they need to do to win at the college level. As they were stars and much more recognized in high school now, they haven't had to work as hard as they need to do to take that next step.

Why haven't we been harder on players that have gotten in trouble, and why do we seem to have more problem players?

The kids haven't gotten any worse. The parenting isn't the same that is was a couple decades ago. They're still the same kids they've always been. Coach Bowden realizes a lot of these kids will have nothing if he kicks them out, and believes many of them would end up in jail or worse. He wants to see them turn the corner and blossom into good men, and will go to the ends of the earth to help them do so.

There definitely could be something to the parenting thing, but Coach Bowden doesn't know the names of most of the players.

Who are the early candidates at rover, and why was Korey Mangum moved there?

The two early players are Mangum and Nick Moody. Mangum was moved by Mickey because he was having some trouble in space and he wanted to get some of the young corners reps at CB. Mangum wasn't happy with the move early on, but looked to settle in a bit better late in the spring.

He initially thought Moody was too big to stay at safety. Once they saw his body composition, and that he retained all of his speed and quickness, he stayed. He feels Moody can be an outstanding player at FSU.

Please, for the love of God, do not allow Korey Mangum to play meaningful minutes for this team. Moody better step up.

Who are some of the freshmen standing out early?

He cannot observe the new players yet, and had no answer.

This is a bit silly. Andrews absolutely knows which players are looking good out there. He talks with the coaches who are allowed to observe workouts.

Who do you feel will step up into Everette Brown's shoes at defensive end?

Markus White. Markus has really looked to turn the corner from his first season. With some strong words, Mickey feels Markus can be as good a defensive end as FSU has had in several years.

Markus looks better and better very day.

What was you best defense ever?

It's a hard answer, but the 1993 defense was just nasty. But, there have been so many outstanding players over the years.

What are your thoughts on this years defense?

"Talented but inexperienced." There are 25 players on defense that will be freshmen or sophomores. The talent level has increased, but young players will make mistakes early, but they'll be playing.

Can you comment a little bit on the offense?

We have guys on the offense to win. He can say that now. He feels the offensive line has a work ethic and a mean streak to them, and thinks they'll be the best in the conference and one of the best in all of college football. He really feels Christian Ponder is the most improved player on the team.

The only major question we didn't get addressed was the issue of covering the tight end. I was out of the room for about 10 minutes to talk about our Booster program, and the Q&A was a bit shorter than normal. I do hope this is plenty to address most of the questions though.

Summer Workouts

Video and Pictures from Seminoles.com! For the video, press play, then "right click, zoom, full screen". Of note in the pictures: Pic #25 is C.J. Mizell in the background.

FSU's freshmen make impression | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat
From early indications, and this is indeed very, very early, the true freshmen on the Florida State football team are making a truly good impression.

FSU Football Practice Photos| tallahassee.com (good free gallery)

via cmsimg.tallahassee.com

Orlando Sentinel - Football workout tidbits by
Some observations, thoughts and bits of information from football conditioning workouts earlier today:

Speaking of Thacker, I spoke with him for a bit. He is recovering nicely from off-season shoulder surgery and said he's about 90 percent. He has lost about 15 pounds and weighs a little less than 270, which is where he hopes to be during the season. He's still rehabbing that shoulder and the rehab mostly involves stretching. He sometimes spends more than an hour per day stretching.

Thacker is about 264lbs and from every report I have received, looks tiny. He will likely be a non-factor this season and FSU will depend heavily on sophomore nose guard Moses McCray. Thacker is just too small and untalented to be a player in major college football.

The Bridge Program.

You probably know that C.J> Mizell is training with the team. He's current;y involved in something called the bridge program. What is the Bridge Program?

First:

For students who are the first in their family to go to college or who are disadvantaged by economic, cultural or educational circumstances, the culture shock can be particularly traumatic, hindering their chances for success.

To help smooth the way for such students, Florida State University's Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) offers a "Summer Bridge Program" that gives them an opportunity to acclimate to college life at a more comfortable pace while providing them with the information and advice they need. This week, more than 310 incoming freshman students from all over Florida are on the FSU campus as part of the Summer Bridge Program. They are staying on campus at two residence facilities, Bryan and Reynolds halls, and will receive a week of orientation and transition activities prior to their first day of classes on June 26.

"Over its six years of existence, FSU's Summer Bridge Program has admitted a highly diverse population of students, both in terms of ethnicity and of academic talents," said Karen Laughlin, FSU's dean of Undergraduate Studies. "The CARE program has continued to mentor and support these students throughout their years at FSU. In the absence of this program, many of these students likely would not have the opportunity to attend a major research institution such as Florida State University - and certainly would not have been as successful here."

Twenty-one residential counselors, including upper-division and graduate students and recent FSU alumni, will serve as live-in guides and mentors through the summer session that ends Aug. 4.

Here's a lot more:

FSU Summer Football Camps & Recruiting

Youngsters get a full dose of coaching at Bobby Bowden Football Camp | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat
DeLong, a 1991 FSU grad, knew the coaches would be on hand, but he didn't know how involved they would actually be in the drills. He — and the campers — found out that answer real quick. "They're running them. And hollering at them," DeLong said with a laugh. "I saw (offensive line coach Rick) Trickett making a kid do push-ups because he didn't line up right after he told him. So it's been good. They've really been coaching them."

There were a bunch of prospects in town this weekend, including (just kids you might know):

2010 DB LaMarcus Joyner, who had a great time by all accounts and will stay in town until Wednesday, before heading home for a day or two, and then returning for Seminole Showtime! He also attended Ernie Sims' VIP Party at Chubby's nightclub, which is awesome.
Blake Bortles, a QB from Oviedo. Keep him on your radar in case he blows up. Very raw.
Christian Green (but he didn't workout)
DT Damien Jacobs (Louisnana, will be here this week)
DT Elliott Porter (Louisiana, stayed for the weekend)
2011 DE Ray Drew, who our coaches absolutely love. 6'5", 235, huge feet, quick as a cat, likely 5*, and he preaches for his church. Very quality kid.

I'll have a big list of Showtime Visitors (Saturday, the 18th!!! Be There!!) later in this week, but I had a long talk with DE Corey Miller last night. Seems like a really good kid and a leader type. He'll be at Showtime and will be in Town Friday Night!

Andrew Carter

Here it is. Excellent piece by our friend Andrew. That SEC contract is a BIG deal. Here's John Taylor's response.

Do Offensive Lines Still Matter?

Gobbler Country goes to town on a weak piece by an Oklahoma Writer.

Go Noles!!

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Florida State Wednesday Open Recruiting Thread 06.24.09

FSUSOM — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:45:24 -0000

Welcome back.

As always, our recruiting coverage here at Tomahawk Nation is based on the:

2010 Big Board

*If you have a simple recruiting question (i.e. Where is Jeff Luc leaning?), please do not waste a fanpost. If you have questions such as these, I direct you to the BIG BOARD when there is not a recruiting post open.

Tomahawk Nation's Florida State Seminoles Recruiting Map.

View Tomahawk Nation.com Florida State Seminoles 2010 Recruiting Map in a larger map

Again, if you haven't yet given us your zip code, please do so. We will add you and you can see what players Florida State is targeting in your area. More info on the map and the project here. Help us band together and provide the best free Florida State athletics coverage on the net.

Let's get to it! Today is a big update!

We told you not to worry unless FSU started accepting commitments from scrubs. This week the 'Noles grabbed three big comitments from the Sunshine State.

COMMITTED:

ADDED:

Corey Lemonier, DE.
Zach Allen, LB

REMOVED:

Cory Phillips, DB, no interest. Impact: Minimal.
Derek Owens, DB, commit to UGA. We did not show interest. Impact: Owens is a good player out of Jacksonville, but we weren't going to offer his teammate just to get him as the Dogs did. He was at best the 'Nole's 7th rated corner prospect.
Morgan Bailey, OL, the lifelong Georgia Tech fan committed to the Yellow Jackets. Impact: Minimal. FSU only plans on taking 2 offensive linemen this year and they already have ESPNU150 Watch List OT Ed Christian from Lowndes. Bailey is a good player but not someone who will make or break a class.
Reid Webster, OL, committed to Clemson. Impact: Again, Minimal. We're not losing any prospects we really need.
Mark Wilson, LB, Tallahassee Lincoln. Committed to Illinois. He's a marginal prospect, but we do need linebackers. Impact: undetermined. We'll know more when other LB prospects emerge.
Nate Askew, TE, San Antonio. Committed to Texas A&M. Impact: FSU needs a tight end, but this kid was a long shot from Texas.
Brent Benedict, OT, Jacksonville. Committed to UGA. Impact: HUGE, because it keeps him away from UF. FSU had little shot with him from the get-go.
Ralph Williams, LB, Miami. Committed to Tennessee. Impact: Minimal.
Richard Leonard, CB, Miami. No interest. Impact: Minimal.

MOVED:

Greg Dent, from WR to CB. Why? Dent isn't a wideout at a major D1 college but has shown considerable coverage ability in recent camps. I posted a fanshot about Dent about a week ago. Hopefully we start showing interest.

NOTES:

Florida State commit Ed Christian will take visits to other schools, but I am told not to worry. He's a Nole and just wants to get wined and dined during his four other visits. I bet that he keeps recruiting for FSU. Can he pull Telvin Smith?
Corey Lemonier might seriously consider the 'Noles. I'd be shocked if he went anywhere other than Miami, but I heard that he will give everyone a look.
Do not worry about Christian Green and UF. He recently named UF his leader, FSU will be too strong in the end. Longtime 'Nole recruitniks remember that Nigel Bradham and Jacobbi McDaniel also named UF their leader at one point in the process. In fact, Tharinger.com confirmed that he has no leader, but rather that he likes FSU, UF, AND UGA in some order.
Brandon Gainer: it's us against Tennessee. He'll be an early entry so expect a decision before September.
Eduardo Clements is playing games. That being said, I do not expect him to end up here..
Preliminary list of prospects attending Florida's Friday Night Lights camp courtesy of Tharinger (6/23). He's getting us an FSU list soon.
The next commitment? I think either Haggins or Joyner.
Byrnes DL Brandon Willis attended a UNC camp. Those there still feel he and Corey Miller are 'Noles.
CB Keion Payne is looking hard at Miami. We might have waited too long with the offer.
Speaking of Merrill Noel, he shut down highly coveted Georgia commit Da'rick Rogers at the huge 7 on 7 back in March.
Another note on Noel: Who is he going up against in practice? De'Joshua Johnson, Chris Dunkley, and Fred Pickett.
I am starting to think we take Jeffrey Godfrey if he wants to come. However, USF has promised him the starting job next year, and he is listening. If we do not take Godrey, we will not take a QB this cycle.
We show Brandon Gainer enough interest, he is a Seminole. We can only hope.
Does anyone have any film on Pahokee LB Zach Allen (6'2' 200 4.6)? ESPN is very high on the kid. Portions from ESPN Scouts, Inc: Coveted disruptive presence on defense and is a guy who can get after the quarterback and make a lot of plays near the line of scrimmage. Tall, Long and rangy. A good vertical attacking and projects best in heavy pressure defense. Quick, long and disruptive off the edge even in a two-point stance. Covers a lot of ground quickly in the short-range and can redirect sharply mirroring the ball carrier. Chases and pursues very well from the backside with his long wing spin and good closing burst. An effective reach and grab type of tackler who pursues with a high motor. A sideline to sideline guy with good range and speed. Very effective pass rusher; displays good first-step quickness, knows how to work the edge/half the blocker's body and bend flat down the line of scrimmage. Simply can get after the quarterback and collapse the pocket with speed and high energy. Shows fluid hips for a taller, vertical guy. Very active with his hands at the point of attack separating and stringing out the run to the sideline; difficult to seal on the perimeter run. His ability to sift through the fast moving traffic laterally is a question mark as well. He flashes good ball skills and athleticism at tight end making us think he can develop that facet of his game. Overall, Allen has a sought-after blend of potential size and fast-twitched athleticism and can simply rush the passer and make plays off the edge. Will need some polish and work in a fulltime weight training program but his upside on becoming a disruptive perimeter presence at the major college level is very promising. ESPN has him rated as a better prospect than teammate Richard Ash who many seem to be cooling on.
Strong DO NOT WANT DOG for Demar Dorsey. Kid is a headcase with bad grades and character issues.
Ohio H-back Dan Schnieder has legit interest. gahnki has the in here, and is high on the kid. It will probably be him or Basford for that spot.
Florida will most likely not offer CB Terrence Brooks (Dunnellon HS, FL). Good news. Charles Fishbein reports that the kid is built like a tree trunk (not unlike Janoris Jenkins, on the field).

FILM:

Cliff Coleman (Boyd Anderson HS), 5'11 170, 4.4. Runs the 100m in 10.5 seconds:

Coleman is starting to grow on me. Rumors have us the team to beat, but that was before Miami coach Randy Shannon personally offered him. Certainly a long strider, with long arms, Coleman has enormous potential at the position. However, we want to see more out of him. Right now, I would take him over his headcase teammate Demar Dorsey. I can't wait until senior film comes.

Pernell Williams (Coffee HS, GA), 6'1 170 4.5

UF likes this kid. He tried to commit to them back in April (ala Tavaris Barnes) but was stonewalled by Meyer and the UF coaching staff. He has nice size, and good enough quicks. I want to see better film; however, this will be another senior season evaluation by our coaching staff. Another South Georgia stud?

New Prospect for 2011: Tony Jackson (RB)

One of our newer writers, TarponsandNoles caught up with Taylor County HS (Perry, FL) head coach Shane Boggs to discuss Jackson:

Tony Jackson (Taylor County HS, Perry FL)
2011

POS: RB
HT: 5'9''
WT: 180 Lbs
40: 4.4
G.P.A: 2.8

The state of Florida has a number of 2011 recruits that have been talked about lately. The RB position has especially been thrown around. However there is 2011 RB that is somewhat unknown outside the North FL area, and hasn't been hyped by the "big" scouting sites. Tomahawk Nation has the exclusive on him right now.

Tony Jackson plays RB for Taylor County HS, in Perry FL. A team that doesn't have heavy talent each year; he may just be something special. Tony runs tall, never really dropping his center of gravity even on cuts, much in the same manner as Adrian Peterson. He has a quick stride and makes the first defender miss, but keeps his legs going once someone has a hold of him, often times gaining the extra 2-3 yards. He has no problem running between the tackles, cutting back into the lane when he sees something positive. Tony possesses excellent lateral movement as well. Because of his athleticism he can dance a little bit too much behind the line of scrimmage and never gets to the hole, but when he does he explodes through it and gets North-South quickly. Although that may have been because of the penetration the defense was getting time and again in the footage I saw.

I spoke with his head coach Shane Boggs about him, and he had nothing but good things to say. He assured me that Tony was a good student who has a 2.8 GPA and won't have a problem qualifying. He told me that Tony can power clean an impressive 285 lbs, and that when he coached Ernie Sims at NFC, Ernie was power cleaning 295 his senior year. Tony just completed his sophomore year. Finally he told me that he has coached 25 D1 athletes and that Tony fits in well with all of them.

To recap:
Biggest Strengths: Excellent lateral movement, explosive burst, good vision.
Biggest Weakness: May need to improve ball skills to become a legitimate passing threat out of the backfield on the next level.

Tony Jackson is a legitimate RB prospect in the state of FL for 2011. He has the size and speed to play D1 in the future. On top of that he has good enough vision and explosiveness to make impressive cut backs; given our need for that and our offensive line scheme I think we should recruit him. Tony is close to the Tallahassee area, and a lot of coaches will get a chance to see him in the next two years.

A big thanks to TarponsandNoles for the update and the film should come this week. If any members have any info, on any 2011 prospects, tell us!

A shift in recruiting philosophy: Jimbo Fisher's increased influence- building an Saban-style defense.

This comes to us from TomahawkNation writer (and famed wordsmith) CaStauch.

It has been rumored that Florida State defensive ends coach Jody Allen stressed to keep both of his defensive ends under 250 pounds for some inane reason. Recruiting a 6'5 260 pound junior in high school that can be easily seen as a 6'5 275 pound player by his sophomore year is an incredible step forward and a very clear indicator that Jimbo Fisher is asserting his influence and desires on the defensive side of the ball - at least via recruiting - and that our defense under his stewardship will be much more modern, much bigger, much stronger, and most importantly much more coherently structured. Not only will we be playing with great pieces, but we will have great pieces that fit together.

Returning from our roster for 2010 (remove the Seniors from link), and I'll risk a guess based on what they've managed thus far and how I perceive their frames / work ethics:

*All Weights are 2010 projections

Weakside Defensive End (WDE)
Markus White, RSSr 6'4 265
Brandon Jenkins, So 6'3 250
Jamar Jackson RSJr 6'4 240

Strongside Defensive End (SDE)
Everett Dawkins RSSo 6'2 265
Toshmon Stevens RSSo 6'6 240
Dan Hicks 6'4 So/RSFr 6'4 260

Defensive Tackle (DT)
Demonte McAllister So 6'4 280

Nose Tackle or Nose Guard (NT/g)
Moses McCray Jr 6'2 300
Jacobbi McDaniel So 6'1 290

While most of us typically look at depth charts strictly in terms of numbers returning, I prefer instead to look at it in terms of effective depth returning. Sometimes, you need to be realistic and hazard an assumption that a player won't be the player you thought he was in high school. Effectively, with White being a junior (according to FSU, though there is some question as to his Senority), we really only have one returning weakside defensive end. Now, Jackson could still prove me wrong, but up to this point he's been nothing but a dart board for the verbal lashings of our coaches - even when healthy. And in only one spring practice, Brandon Jenkins has wowed people with his talent and work ethic.

Additionally, there are circumstances during the game where it'd be beneficial to play 2 hybrid WDEs, or 2 SDEs, or an orthodox alignment, etc. For these, flexibility is key. In these situations, Markus White at 265lbs (2010 growth projection) will undoubtedly line up at the SDE position in pass rush situations, especially if Jenkins can prove effective in spite of his youth.

So, should we be so lucky, bringing in Corey Miller and Corey Lemonier serves all purposes. It gives us an immediate injection of considerable talent at weakside defensive end as well as two players that could conceivably harbor the flexibility aspect with ease. Miller is already 6'4 and 250, and has like size 22 feet or something. I'm usually not one to dig too deeply into bone prospectus, but that's a good sign. Additionally, Miller has a legendary worth ethic and is one of those guys the coaches have to kick out of the gym (he never leaves).

Moving down the line, our numerical and talent-considered depth at SDE looks to be rapidly improving. Hopefully, Everett Dawkins is moved outside to stay. He was lucky to pick one of those mercurial "injuries" and was awarded a medical redshirt year for 2008 despite playing in a few games. I hope a kinder fate chooses Darious Cummings. Anyone and everyone has said that they doubt he'll be able to hold much more weight beyond 270, and most services list him as a defensive end. His "jump out at you" characteristic is his quickness. Toshmon Stevens, though a recipient of praise from Stroud, cannot be considered to be anything more than a project at this point. Granted, he may emerge from his initially 205 pound cocoon an Andre Wadsworth (from walk-on to 3rd pick in the NFL draft), but recall how rare players like Andre come around, and also recall that Wadsworth put on something stupid like 45+ pounds in 7 months and had a Deion-like work ethic and dedication.

In a 43 under scheme, the two outside positions are just as important as the two inside alignments. It was fashionable to cuss and sling mud at our interior DL for their inability to stop the run last season; but our lack of an SDE certainly didn't do them any favors, nor did our one-trick pony at WDE (even if his one trick was good enough to land him in the NFL - keep in mind that most NFL scouts recognized Everette Brown's limitation and prefer him as "only rush the passer LB" in a 34).

With the recruits coming in and if we properly orient and develop the ones we currently have, we'd obtain the flexibility and necessary talent to relieve pressure from the 3 tech (DT) and 1 tech positions (NT). We'd have enough size, speed, and size-speed to match up against whatever the opponent threw our way. And we'd have competition.

Moving to 3 tech DT. This position is isolated for one on one matchups in the 43 under (see TrueCubbie's piece linked below). It would follow, then, that burst off the ball, the ability to initially engage and rid oneself of a blocker, and technique would be preferable to a lumbering size. This is, of course, contingent upon the 3 tech having the luxury of lining up next to a true 1 tech that can sustain the blocks from two OL. While there are doubts beginning to rumble from sub-par camp performances, I love Brandon Willis' talents at the 3 tech at least from his film. For me, these highlights are immeasurably more telling than camps - mainly because camps do very well to mitigate the detrimental weaknesses that some linemen have while emphasizing skills that won't come through in a game. Richard Ash is a prime example. Those who have seen him in games remark mainly about his disappearing act. But then he goes to a camp 30 pounds lighter than everyone else and in shorts, and runs circles around them. ZOMG! Sorry, but the spacing found in camps is rarely available in the trenches. And, it's much easier to use your speed when you're in shorts.

Shawn Green is another possibility here, so too is Calvin Smith. Amp McCloud I would prefer to slide over to the 1 tech, but he's a player that could give you flexibility in the interior and play situationally at either. (McCloud is rumored to be 275lbs right now and had had blood pressure concerns). Regardless, I think we need to bring in 3 players here to promote competition and depth behind the player Pete Carroll (2nd greatest mind in 43 under history) said was, "The Best 3 Tech DT I've ever seen in High School" - Demonte McAllister.

We haven't had a true 1-tech NT in some time. I believe, especially given his SEC upbringing under Saban, Fisher wants this to be changed rather quickly into his era. Nobody knows a defense better than the offense that faces it every day, and Fisher's offense destroyed the FSU defense this spring. He understands the desperate need for a 1-tech NT. Moses McCray is a talent. He has the wrestling pedigree that denotes hand strength, speed, and coordination (heavyweight champion wrestler). These skills are essential for the engaged technique 1 tech Nose Tackles need. They need to be able to sustain contact with 2 players and hold their position while doing so. Leverage and technique, besides size and lower body strength, allow the 1 tech to achieve this goal. McCray has the size, strength, and the technique. Jacobbi McDaniel also, for me, has these abilities. If one is to believe him, he's anywhere from 280-290 currently. Amazing technique, dominating leverage, and dedication. After going through like a 6 year famine at the position, FSU could very well find themselves fat and happy here.

[Uncensored interjects: I think McDaniel is a 3-tech DT at FSU. To me, he's a penetrator, excelling at getting penetration by getting small and using his quickness through defenders. He'll never have the bulk to absorb double teams. I think FSU takes another 1-TECH NT, or one more then CaStauch thinks we take. Time will tell.]

Still, I think we need to bring in 1 more true NT for competition and to ward off stagnation from the aforementioned. Damien Jacobs or Elliot Porter, from the fertile (and especially so re: NTs) Louisiana muddy waters, would both come in with something to prove against the highly rated above them.

So that's my take. I would honestly like 8 DL in this class.

2 WDE
2 SDE (that can cross train over)
3 DT
1 NT

in 2004, Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban signed 7 defensive linemen at LSU. This DL class won them the 2006 Sugar Bowl and 2007 national championship. They were returning 2 more interior DL than we are in 2010. All of the players they brought in were heralded and most were drafted. I think this class and its successes is certainly something Jimbo can sell to any DL recruits that may worry about the numbers we plan to bring in. Depth and competition didn't sap Marlon Favorite, Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson, or Charles Alexander of their pro prospects: it stimulated it.

For more on defensive line play, make sure to also check out TrueCubbie's piece on defensive line techniques and fits.

For more on what FSU has been doing wrong on defense, see : Size Matters, Part I & Part II

A shift in philosophy: How two of the most fertile recruiting state's top programs squandered talent for a half decade.

This is a Miami article, but the premise is enitrley relevant here. It was sent to me by FrankDNole. UM: Burned by Web hype, recruiters go with gut -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

"I used to go in the coaches' offices and sometimes they would literally have Rivals.com up on their screen," said Matt Shodell, who covers UM and its recruiting for CaneSport.com. "I won't name the coaches, but they would be writing names down on pieces of paper. I don't know how much film they were looking at." The Hurricanes have since turned to their eyes as the best evaluators of talent. Recruits now commonly say they have yet to receive a UM scholarship offer because coaches haven't seen film. Hurtt said the staff also avoids highlight tapes that often appear on recruiting sites. Even those can provide false hope. "The big difference is we're evaluating game film now," Hurtt said. "A lot of times it was highlight tapes, highlight tapes, highlight tapes. That could be just a big teaser for you. You watch it and all of a sudden people are geeked up. Then you find the actual game tape, and he doesn't know where he's going on the field and things like that. You find out things in the game film."

You really need to read the article to get the full meaning, but these things absolutely happened at FSU. I've heard that Fisher was appalled when he got to FSU over our lazy recruiting practices. Things have really changed now. I've spoken at length about how FSU is still recovering from Bobby Bowden's recruiting failures in 2006 and 2007, borne from a lack of scouting and due diligence. Just use the search feature for "failed 2006 or 2007 class". Needless to say, they were disastrous. Those two classes comprise our upperclassmen, and of those, there are only 10 starters (7 from 2006 and 3 from 2007, the class compiled mostly by the lame duck Jeff Bowden staff). Two recruiting classes producing only 10 upperclassmen starters is a failure by any measure. Thanks Jeff.

Remember that recruiting rankings are overwhelmingly accurate on average, but as FSU and Miami showed over the last half decade, each player must be individually evaluated. See Here, and Here. Failing to look at game film and conduct proper due diligence on a kid's character is completely unacceptable. Luckily, Jimbo and company (Coley, LaCavita) have brought the world-class Nick Saban model of organization. Simply put, FSU is putting in more man hours now and they have better talent evaluators doing the work. They are setting FSU up for the future and once we have an ounce of leadership at the top, the 'Noles will roll.

The Current Class

*= optional slot

Position	Name	Hometown (High School)	Ht/ Wt/ 40yd	Rating
QB*
RB
RB
RB*
H-B
WR	De'Joshua Johnson	Pahokee, FL (Pahokee)	5' 10"/ 150/ 4.36	ESPNU 150 Watch List/ Rivals 4* (5.8) #27 WR, Rivals 250 member.
WR
WR
WR
TE
OL	Ed Christian	Valdosta, GA (Lowndes)	6' 5"/ 290/ 5.27	ESPNU 150 Watch List/ Rivals 4* (5.8) #24 OT
OL
WDE
SDE	Tavaris Barnes	Jacksonville, FL (First Coast)	6' 5"/ 250/ 4.69	Not Rated/ Not rated
DE
DT
NT
NT/ NG
DL	Darius Cummings	Titusville, FL (Astronaut)	6' 2/ 256/ 4.8	ESPNU 150 Watch List/ Rivals 4* (5.8) #24 DE
LB
LB
LB
CB
CB
CB	Merril Noel	Pahokee, FL (Pahokee)	5' 8"/ 170/ 4.37	ESPN 78/ Rivals 3* (5.6), #38 corner
S	Chad Abrams	Lakeland, FL (Kathleen)	6' 0"/ 190/ 4.6	ESPNU 150 Watch List/ Rivals 3* (5.7) #21 safety
DB
ATH*

Great Member Generated Content:

NoleThruandThru put together an excellent predicted class.
FrankDNole profiled Chuck Amato's former success and current struggles in South Florida.
TarponsandNoles discussed the issue of "pipelines" (recruiting heavily from one area or school.

We're really growing and just recently hit 700 active members. We'll have a nice "new member guide" up soon (still looking for help on this).

Get to Seminole Showtime! July 18th! At the Doak! Tallahasseee! be There!

That's right. Seminole Showtime is the 18th. Come out to see the past, present, and future Seminole greats. Show out in force and encourage these kids to commit. Show them the love. Let them know that they are the final piece to the puzzle.

Question of the Day: How would you grade Florida State's 2010 recruiting at this point in time?

GO NOLES!!

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4th & Inches: The Incredible Shrinking College Football Player

FSUncensored — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:35:13 -0000

[Editor's Note: This is a guest post by Ricobert1. If you are interested in penning a front page article that maybe is just too long for a fanpost, let me know. I'll even help with it.]

Recruits and potential draft picks often have their futures riding on their measurables. A poor 40 time at a camp or combine can mean the difference in getting a scholarship, falling draft spots, or even outright missing the draft and potential guaranteed money.

Likewise, the phrase "lacking ideal height" gets thrown around in draft circles as a bubonic plague. For all the talent and skill, Everette Brown is undersized (height and weight) compared to other defensive ends taken in the 2009 draft, which may very well explain his slippage into the 2nd round. Having said that, I think too much emphasis is placed on measurables: You can't measure heart, tenacity, and the capacity to build and improve with a tape measure, stopwatch, or scale. Yet we can't help but sneak a peak and say, "Hey, this guy is a little small to play T in the NFL," or, "6'7", 295 lbs. at DE? Yes please!"

Which brings us to the crux of this venture. Everyone has long suspected and even noticed the slight reductions in height from College to NFL. I decided I wanted to see if FSU is guilty of potentially tweaking/overreporting heights. I've taken the liberty of comparing height listings under Scouts, Inc. and the FSU 2008 football media guide below:

FSU Senior Shrinkage

Player	Scouts, Inc. Height	FSU Media Guide Height	Differential Height
G Carr	77.5	78	+0.5
T Verdell	74.38	75	+0.62
E Brown	73.5	76	+2.50
D Weatherford	73.38	75	+1.62
N Moffett	72.5	73	+0.5
G Gano	72.38	73	+0.62
R Goodman*	72.25	73	-0.25
J Surratt	72.13	73	+0.87
D Nicholson	71.75	74	+2.25
P Griffin	71.5	74	+2.50
D McClure	70.13	71	+0.87
T Carter	68.75	69	+0.25
A Smith	68.5	69	+0.50
M Garvin	68	68	+0

* Medically redshirted as a Senior
Magnitude values of 0.5 or less can be forgiven for rounding (green). Graham Gano is a marginal case, but still notable as it technically would round down to 72". McClure and Surratt also benefit from a bank error in their favor. But Weatherford, Nicholson, Brown, and Griffin magically shrank from FSU's field to the NFL field! Even after accounting for the rounding, Brown, Griffin, and Nicholson all benefit a good 2".

Maybe they were measured while they were in their cleats? Ok, but shouldn't all of them demonstrate the same adjustment accordingly? Griffin, Brown, and Nicholson shrank 2"; why didn't Weatherford shrink the same amount? Why didn't Garvin get listed at 69" instead of 68"? This is rather indicting evidence that there is a negative disparity between college-listed heights and the Scouts, Inc. measured heights (which we're assuming are made either at the combine or respective school's pro days and are thus "correct").

After examining FSU, I decided to look at all of the 1st round picks from the 2009 NFL draft. Perhaps we'll see the same trend? Are some schools more honorable than others? Is the weight of draft position compressing our beloved pre-pro's?

1^st Round Draftees – College to NFL Shrinkage

Player	Scouts, Inc. Height	School	School Media Guide Height	Differential Height
M Stafford	74.25	UGA	75	+0.75
J Smith	77	Baylor	77	+0
T Jackson	76.13	LSU	77	+0.87
A Curry	73.63	Wake	75	+1.37
M Sanchez	74.13	USC	75	+0.87
A Smith	76	Bama	76	+0
D Heyward-Bey	72.63	Maryland	74	+1.37
E Monroe	77.13	UVA	78	+0.87
BJ Raji	73.5	BC	73	-0.5
M Crabtree	73.38	TT	75	+1.62
A Maybin	75.75	PSU	76	+0.25
K Moreno	70.63	UGA	71	+0.37
B Orakpo	75	Texas	76	+1.00
M Jenkins*	72.13	OSU	73	+0.87
B Cushing	74.88	USC	75	+0.12
L English	74.38	N ILL	75	+0.62
J Freeman	77.75	KSU	78	+0.25
R Ayers	75.13	Tenn	75	-0.13
J Maclin	72.13	Mizzou	73	+0.87
B Pettigrew	77.38	Ok St	78	+0.62
A Mack	75.88	Cal	77	+1.12
P Harvin	71.13	UF	71	-0.13
M Oher	76.5	Miss	77	+0.5
P Jerry	73.75	Miss	74	+0.25
V Davis	71.13	ILL	72	+0.87
C Matthews	75.13	USC	75	-0.13
D Brown	70.25	UConn	70	-0.25
E Wood	75.88	Louis	76	+0.12
H Nicks	72.75	UNC	73	+0.25
K Britt	74.88	Rutgers	76	+1.12
C Wells*	73	OSU	73	+0
E Hood	74.88	Mizzou	76	+1.12
E Brown	73.5	FSU	76	+2.50

* Media guide out of print; heights courtesy of http://www.theozone.net/football/2008/roster.htm and http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml SPSID=87746&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&Q_SEASON=2008
Again we account for rounding. We see that FSU's Brown is the most egregious. Crabtree benefits apparently from tall cleats and far-sighted GAs, as well. Mizzou takes the award amongst the first rounders by granting an inch each to Maclin and Hood. 17 of the 32 1st round picks were granted a temporary growth spurt during their undergraduate days.

To be honest, you can't blame colleges for wanting to promote their own. It's good for the player which means good business (instant publicity and future money-making potential in the player as an alum/donor) for the university.

This could be expanded for all draft picks; perhaps for all available comparable data. (But I don't have the time/energy to do that) But it's interesting to see that over half of the 1st round picks were listed at least 1" taller than their respective media guide listings. I know kids can and do grow in college, but I guess I'll just continue taking off (at least) an inch off of these player measurements.

Back to Basics: A Detailed Look at Defensive Line Play

TrueCubbie — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:07:58 -0000

Like offensive lineman, defensive lineman typically don't attract much attention from the casual fan, seen as the brutes up front that simply run into each other over and over. As FSUn demonstrated so nicely in his recent piece, offensive line play is a coordinated series of movements based on real time interpretation of the defensive front. Without an understanding or appreciation the subtleties required to play on the offensive and defensive line, it's understandable why many overlook these players during the game, except when they make a significant error.

In this piece, we take a closer look at the subtleties of defensive line play, providing an understanding of what really goes on down in the trenches and some important things to look for when evaluating recruits.

Image from here.

Continue reading this thread to learn more about what is some of the most exciting play on the football field.

If you can't control the line of scrimmage your chances of winning a football game significantly decrease. A dominating defensive line, or even lineman, will impact the outcome of a game. If a quarterback has no time to throw the ball, if the running back can't turn the corner, if the offensive line can't control the line of scrimmage, it's over. In this article, we will take a look at some of the basics about defensive line play followed by a discussion about effective line play.

In general, most teams will use 3 or 4 defensive linemen in their base defensive fronts. When announcers and coaches talk about a 3-4 front or 4-3 front, the first number refers to the number of true defensive lineman. The second number refers to the number of linebackers. Occasionally, teams will go to a five man defensive lineman front, but I would say this is exceedingly rare as most teams will walk line backers up to the line of scrimmage to load the line. A four man front typically includes two defensive tackles and two defensive ends. The three man front is a little more flexible, but will generally include a pure nose tackle, a defensive end and a defensive tackle. In a 3-4 scheme, a line backer typically walks up as the fourth defensive lineman. Again, this is a very basic discussion about basic alignment and the schemes and personnel will vary from team to team.

The Basics: Techniques and Gaps

Before getting into the details of defensive line play one must have an understanding of alignment. The image below illustrates the typical numbering system that is used to identify the position of the defensive lineman:

It's not the clearest image but it is probably the most comprehensive one that I could find. The circles represent offensive linemen, with the center being the filled in circle. The letters define the "gaps" between the offensive linemen. The numbers, also referred to as the "technique," identify the locations at which the defensive players line up. For example, a "0" technique is lined up directly on the center, the "1" technique is on the inside shoulder, meaning the side closest to the center, of the guard. You will frequently hear commentators say that a player lined up in the 3 technique or 1 technique; the above image illustrates to what they are referring. Many teams will use the numbering schems in play calling. For example, when I played, the initial part of the play call referred to the base front. If the coach called "431," it meant we were using a 4 man front with the strong side tackle in the 3 technique and the weak side tackle in the 1 technique. Strength refers to the balance of the offense and generally identifies which side of the offense has more players or the tight end or the best player or however the defense identifies strength for their particular scheme.

You will also hear that specific players are responsible for a specific "gap." The gaps are identified by the letters between the offensive players: A gap is between the guard and center, the B gap is between the guard and tackle and so on. Depending on the scheme, a player may be responsible for collapsing a specific gap, blitzing through a gap or occupying a gap. Most defensive line schemes will have the defensive tackles lined up in the 3 and 1 technique. Again, this varies depending on the type of personnel a team has. For example, with a BJ Raj like player, you may have that individual line up in the 0-technique, shaded to the strong side of the play with the intention of occupying the A-gap requiring a block from both the center and guard. I can't tell you how hard it is to play center with a guy right on top of the ball.

Stunts

Stunts refer to predefined movements of the defensive line. Defensive linemen do not simply go straight ahead on every play. Sometimes they will play straight up and try to maintain their responsibility. On many occasions, a defensive coordinator will call for a specific stunt, making it more difficult for the offensive line to block. These stunts can be done as an entire defensive line with every player crashing to he weak or strong side, or it could be limited to the tackles or individual players. Stunts will change the specific gap responsibilities of the lineman as well as the backers behind them. Often a stunt will be used in combination with a blitz, using the stunt to pull a lineman away or distract the lineman from the linebacker that is now blitzing.

For example, here is a play in which all of the lineman pinch towards the center. This may be used in short yardage situations.

Here is another one in which only the tackles pinch:

And here is an example of a "loop" or "twist" play:

Here is an example of a play that demonstrates a stunt with the linemen combined with a linebacker blitz:

This play demonstrates some sophisticated line play. Look how far the Right defensive end (the one on the left side of the page) is expected to crash down the line. The purpose of this is to pull the offensive tackle toward the center, with the hopes of him turning his shoulders toward the crashing lineman, making it almost impossible for him to pick up either linebacker blitzing from the outside. The whole purpose of this play, if you look at the lineman alone, is to pull the offensive line to their right with the hope of leaving the left tackle alone to block two blitzing linebackers. Defensive lineman do a lot of dirty work to allow the linebackers to play free behind them. A good defensive lineman should be very difficult to block one on one. If a defensive lineman is able to occupy more than one offensive lineman, you are decreasing the number of players available to block the linebackers.

Stance

A lineman's stance is exceedingly important in football. Offensive lineman need to be well balanced and not tip off which direction they are likely to step first; they have to be able to move in all directions from a set position. Defensive lineman take a more aggressive stance as they are trying to accelerate off the ball. Here is an example of a typical defensive end stance. This is also referred to as a three point stance. Notice how the player has his head up, has most of his weight on his down hand and has his free hand up.

Photo from here.

Having the free hand is important for getting the hand forward on the initial movement. The player above, Mark Anderson of the Chicago Bears, is in a bit of an exaggerated stance. He is primarily a pass rush specialist and his weight is a little more forward than you would want, but he demonstrates a lot of the principles of a good three point stance. Here is an excellent picture of Jason Taylor demonstrating a more balanced stance.

Photo from here.

A good lineman will not tip off the direction of his initial movement from his stance. Clearly, in a pass rush situation a player will take a more aggressive sprinting stance to get up the field. As I mentioned previously, it is important for a defensive lineman to keep his hands forward or in a good position to fire forward. By getting the hands firing forward on the initial move it prevents the offensive lineman from engaging. You will see a lot of offensive and defensive lineman working on what is called "hand play". Here is a video of Julius Pepper's training session. Notice how much of the work out includes hand strength and that explosion out of the stance, getting the hands forward and the body extended. Here is a video that highlights our own Everette Brown. Take a minute to not only watch Everette's athletic ability, but look at the different stances of our entire defensive line, watch the way they move, watch their hands, watch how the explode out of their stances. Look at the different stances that Everette takes, it changes depending on the situation. This may be getting into the minutia, but I think this is where some of the most exciting plays in football happen.

For comparison sake, here is an example of a good offensive lineman's stance:

Photo from here.

Balanced and head up. Notice how his weight isn't placed on his front hand. If you were to swipe that down hand out from underneath the player, his stance shouldn't budge. It may seem that too much time is being spent on a lineman's stance, but it is key to their success. If you give anything away or are out of control because you don't have a good stance, you will not be successful.

Reading Blocks

Typically, you can tell what kind of play the offense is going to run based on the initial step/movement of the offensive line. Part of being a successful defensive lineman is having the ability to react to that initial step, reading the play before it fully develops. Here is a video of USC's defensive line drills. Watch the explosion the players have with the hands, engaging the pads. At the end of the video they show some basic rip/swim moves that players use to shed blocks. Listen carefully to the coach as he gets on his players about keeping the offensive players away from them.

As the offensive and defensive player engage, the defensive player should get some sense of how the offensive lineman is trying to block him, meaning is he trying to hook him, is he trying to drive straight up field, is he settling into pass protection, is he pulling? The defensive lineman has to counter those moves. Imagine yourself as the defensive lineman. Now imagine that the offensive player is trying to pin/hook your left shoulder and drive you to your right. As a defensive lineman, your objective is to extend your left arm and drive the offensive player back into the hole he is trying to create. As a defensive end, if the offense is trying to seal the outside and get around you, you have to fight the offensive lineman and cause the play to move lateral, forcing it further outside while maintaining good leverage to get back inside if needed. I have tried to find good videos on this but I haven't as of yet. But I hope this demonstrates the importance of extending the arms and taking control of the offensive lineman. You will also note that a lot of defensive lineman are wearing smaller and smaller jerseys, having a large part of their arms exposed. This is to give the offensive lineman the least amount of jersey to hold; it's not to show off their biceps. Yes, offensive linemen hold on every single play.

A key block to read is that of the pulling offensive lineman. Defensive lineman are taught to get in the "hip pocket" of the pulling offensive lineman. If you are lined up in the three technique and the guard pulls, follow him as he will take you to the play. Easier said than done as the tackle or center is crashing down on your legs to cut you and prevent you from doing so. Keeping your legs is also a key part of reading blocks. Getting cut makes you useless. Recognizing that a player is trying to cut block you before he gets into your legs is a difficult skill as it happens so fast.

Pass Rush Moves

Watching the battle that develops between defensive ends and offensive tackles through a game is one of the most exciting parts of a football game. One could equate it to a pitcher trying to set up a batter to chase a pitch out of the zone. There are a variety of moves that are utilized by defensive linemen to get past their offensive opponent: swim move, rip move and bull rush. Here is a nice video from Mac Brown illustrating a couple of these moves. There are multiple variations on all of these moves.

There is the pure speed rush in which a defensive end basically tries to run past the tackle. You will see an end use this a few times in a row, getting the tackle to be extremely nervous about being beat to the outside. The tackle will try to set deeper and deeper and start to turn his shoulders outside. As soon as that happens and if the end recognizes that anxiety, he will use a spin move or rip move to come underneath the tackle. Defensive tackles will typically use more of bull rush technique as they have limited space with which to work. A really important part of a pass rush is recognizing if you're not going to get to the quarterback. If you're not, then you have to get your hands up, particularly on quick drops.

Here is a nice video of Simeon Rice demonstrating the spin move back to the inside. Here is a series of clips of Julius Peppers. Another outstanding video of our own Everette Brown. Here is one of BJ Raji's highlight tapes. The first two highlights demonstrate the classic bull rush move. One of the greatest pass rushers ever: Reggie White.

This is a video from Elite Football Academy showing multiple players using a variety of pass rush moves. It's a nice demonstration of the various moves players will use. Here is Jared Allen explaining a good pass rush stance and initial movement and here he is explaining the speed rush.

And last but not least this is an excellent video of the NFL's elite pass rushers explaining how they get it done. It illustrates the hand play and importance of the initial move off the ball. (By the way, I typed my baseball analogy before watching this video)

Positions

Classically, there are two defensive line positions: tackle and end. Unfortunately, the readers at TNation are way to sophisticated and well read to recognize that is an over simplification. One could argue that the following positions are represented on the defensive line: strong side end, weak side end, defensive tackle and nose guard. Within those positions, one could break it down even further into run and pass specialists. It is no longer surprising to watch groups of linemen run on and off the field depending on the down and distance. Some teams will flip flop there defensive line from play to play depending on the strength of the play or line up their best defensive end on the weakest tackle or line up their best defensive end on the right side of the defense. The last option typically results in the end rushing from the blindside of the quarterback as most quarterbacks are right handed. This is the reason that left tackles in the NFL get paid so much. A bad left tackle will get a quarterback seriously injured.

In general, a strong side defensive end is the leverage point of the defense. He cannot allow his outside shoulder to get pinned and allow an offense to turn the corner. In general, defensive ends are responsible for containing an offense and stretching plays laterally. Typically, again depending on the scheme, the strong side end is your larger/stronger end as he is playing at the point of attack. The strong side end will typically line up on the inside shoulder of the tight end, again this depends on scheme. He must be able to handle double teams and disrupt the outside of the line, allowing the strong side and middle linebackers to run free behind him. On passing plays, he must disrupt the tight end's release of the line.

Your weak side end is typically where you see your speed and where you will see your one on one match ups. Again, the weak side end must maintain leverage at the point of attack and contain the quarterback. It takes a lot of discipline to play on the weakside of the ball as it is easy to start chasing plays down to early or getting caught inside (see the Boston College game) and allowing teams to reverse the field to the outside. It is imperative that the weak side end stay at home until he is absolutely sure that the play is not a reverse.

Your nose tackle or nose guard is a special breed of player. They need to clog up space, occupy blockers and be disruptive: think BJ Raji. The nose guard will be your largest player on the line. A successful nose guard will allow the middle line backer to roam free behind the line of scrimmage. If you get to the point that your interior lineman are successfully blocked one on one, a team will run all over you and your line backers will be miserable. This position is about power, aggressive behavior and being down right nasty.

Defensive tackles are becoming more and more specialized, meaning they are pass or run specialists. Again, the key to being a successful defensive tackle is being disruptive.

For a more detailed discussion, I would like to share our own CaStauch's take on our defense from a few months ago:

The 43 under- one gap scheme denotes particular responsibilities to each player. Concurrently, each of these responsibilities are themselves the foundation their teammates responsibilities: each position reflexively impacts and allows each other position to function. Starting from strongside and going to weakside, with respect to the defense's point of view of the offense (in that the strongside of the defense lines up opposite the strongside of the offense, usually the one with a Tight End), the first position to analyze is the Strongside Defensive end. The SDE lines up on the outside shoulder of offensive tackle to his side. His position is important because it cuts off the angle from which the offensive tackle can move without resistance. This is the form of protection that he bestows upon the LB behind him: because of the angle of his lineup, the OT cannot easily block down on the second level LB without either going through the SDE or amidst the congested middle of the line. In order to make the former as difficult as possible, the SDE must possess some method of holding his ground. Most naturally, this would imply weight. Usually SDE's range from 270-285 pounds. E.J. Wilson, of UNC (Coached by John Blake, one of the foremost DL minds in the collegiate game) weighs in at 280 lbs. Tyson Jackson at LSU clocks in at 285. Southern Cal's SDE, on the other hand, weighed in this past season at 6'6" 275 lbs.

In addition to weight, the SDE needs some form of body composition that utilizes this girth. There are two options. The first, is two evenly distribute the weight in a lankier frame, like USC's Moore. A longer body implies longer limbs. This, in combination with the greater amount of space that a longer body eats up, allows the SDE to control the line of scrimmage by dictating the movement of the OL with his longer arms. Another model for this method is Carlos Dunlap from UF. If you were with us earlier in the season, you may remember my piece on spatial and temporal playmakers (http://www.tomahawknation.com/2008/11/23/668913/strategy-session-did-the-d). A lankier SDE is an example of such a spatial constriction: his control of his opponent and longer frame shortens the negative space between him, his opposite OL, and the next D-Lineman, thus constricting the space in which the offense has to exploit.

The second option for an SDE to utilize his size is a stockier frame to produce leverage. This requires a slightly heavier player, like UNC's to exasperate the adequate leverage over what is no doubt a much taller OL.

The moral of the story for the SDE is that his job is to be a clogger. He prevents the Linebackers behind him from being blocked by the OL and TE opposite him. His angle of deployment, that on the outside shoulder of the OT and inside shoulder of the TE, along with his girth and size, allow him to do this. FSU has suffered the lack of an SDE for much of this decade. Our SDE this past season? Neefy Moffett. As admirable he performed at times, his size (256 lbs) preventing him from consistently manning the clogger role needed. Behind him, we have Kevin McNeil and Everette Dawkins, both of whom may be able to weigh in at the necessary weight (at least 275). We're also recruiting a bevy of diversity at this position, including David Perry (6"6 240) and Darious Cummings (6'2 260) both in their junior years.

Next in line is maybe the most integral man in the 43 under front, the Nose Tackle. He lines up in the gap between the center and guard on the SDE's side. More than any other, his role is singularly that as a clogger. It is imperative that his physical presence prevents either the Center and Guard to a) defend him 1 on 1, freeing up one of the blockers, and b) bypassing the NT to the Mike or Will LBs behind him. To meet this responsibility, the NT, like the SDE, has choices. Either actually clog the middle of the line with his immense girth (this is the popular approach within the NFL and was clearly illustrated by B.J. Raji and Boston College), or prove to be strong enough and have enough of a competent knowledge of technique and leverage that the same goal is accomplished. The latter is more likely for FSU: not only is it easier to teach technique and develop strength on top of necessary bulk, but we've one of the better technical NT coaches in the country. Coming in at a mere 262 lbs, Coach Haggins turned Brod Bunkley into a chiseled 290 lb NT worthy of first round draft pick and pro bowl consideration. Southern Cal's analog was Averall Spicer, 6'2" and 295. Last year, we played with Budd Thacker, who weighed in at 275, and Paul Griffin, at 280 (doubtful). This was the most direct reason for our porous run defense.

The future, however, looks bright if not tenuous. Moses McCray is expected to play at ~305, and will add that impressive bulk with the mechanical muscle memory imbued from wrestling in high school that will make learning the technical skills much easier. Behind him, Jaccobi McDaniel should start at 280 but gain weight steadily from there, and every coach that has witnessed his domination at the last two All Star games has come away incredibly impressed with his technical ability already.

The Strongside Defensive End and Nose Tackle serve as the foundation upon which the 43 under front is built. They are the necessary brick and mortar that enables the next two pieces, the Defensive Tackle and
Weakside Defensive End, to perform as disrupters that cut the spatial and temporal advantages inherent in the Offense.

The Defensive Tackle lines up on the outside shoulder of the Guard on the weak side. His position, labeled a Three Technique affords him the luxury of a one on one matchup with the Guard. Shielded both by the
body of the Guard with whom he’s matched up, and his Nose Tackle’s clogging responsibility tying up the center, it is the Coach’s responsibility to recruit and develop a player that accentuates this disruptive potential. Here, Florida State has traditionally excelled. Darnell Dockett, arguably the MVP of the Cardinals late season surge,
exemplifies this most clearly, as does Travis Johnson. Southern Cal’s Fili Moala weighs in at 6’2" 290, and possesses the necessary fast-twitch acceleration and understanding of technique and leverage to consistently beat the OG he’s opposite and disrupt the play

Florida State’s answer to this need is Justin Mincey. So as long as he develops mentally (stays eligible) and physically (fills out), Justin is potentially the next in a long line of first round picks produced by Coach Haggins. His width and length, at 6’5", allows him to control and dictate the contact with the likely shorter and slower OG. His speed isn’t gone to waste; shielded by his angle and the NT, he is provided an ample two gaps worth of protection with which to work.

Alongside him, the Weakside Defensive End also serves as a disruptor. He deploys on the outside shoulder of the left tackle, and the inherent disruptive qualities and unrivaled spatial isolation are the reasons Left Tackles
are paid more than any position in Football. While the DT is also matched up against a single blocker, he is not awarded the space with which to work like the WDE. As such, he is the principle source of pass rush in this scheme. His size and physique must illustrate this principle goal: normally between 250 and 260 lbs, allowing him not to sacrifice speed and agility with which he can attack an environment (one blocker and nearly ~30 yards of space) that is unrivaled by any other frontal configuration. While Souther Cal has Everson Griffin, FSU counters with Everette Brown and now Markus White. For all of our struggles these past seasons in fielding satisfactory SDEs and NTs, the WDE position has not been a source of angst, at least personnel wise (schematically however, has caused some frustration, but that is the seed of another article for another day).

Final Thoughts

If you have made it this far, congratulations and thanks for reading. Defensive line play is one of the most exciting parts of football. Hopefully this article provides you with a basic frame work with which to watch the line play and to think about the recruiting process. It takes time to develop into an outstanding defensive lineman, but there are basic skills required. Acceleration, explosiveness and body type are key. When watching recruiting videos, watch for the way a kid comes off the ball, what does he do with his hands, how does he shed blocks, does he stay low, what is his first movement off the ball, does his head pop up or does he move across the line. I would argue that shuttle times and agility are more important for defensive lineman than 40 yard times. Strength is key and a kid has to have the right frame to develop his body to endure the punishment of playing on the line. There has been an evolution in the style of play at each position on the line. As CaStauch nicely stated, "Each position has a specific responsibility and players must be recruited that can fill these roles as best as they can. There cannot be any square peg in round hole recruiting here."

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about our defensive line and defensive line play in general. Clearly, a lot of this article is a gross simplification of defensive line technique, but a summary of some points that I find important.

And don't forget that Florida State has a history of developing some of the best defensive linemen in the country, many of whom go on to play in the NFL:

Photo from here.

Go NOLES!

Size Matters Part Deux: Evaluating ACC Run Defenses by Sacking the Sack

FSUncensored — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:09:50 -0000

In the second part of the "Size Matters" series, we attempt to better gauge run defense by focusing only on running plays. Obvious enough as that may sound, it's not quite that easy.

Note: If you haven't read part one, you need to do that first.

Despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary, many fans still believe last year's defense was an elite unit. It's not that these fans are dumb or lazy. They just don't know what to look for.

The defense had good total numbers last year, finishing 2nd in the ACC in yards allowed, but that's not the important stat. Why? Total defense doesn't account for how many times the opponent had the ball, which is as much a function of a team's offense as it is a team's defense. Simply put, FSU's offense held the ball for long stretches last year, averaging the 2nd most time per game in ACC play. In fact, FSU's defense faced the second fewest offensive plays per ACC game. It is much easier to have a "good defense" if your defense faces fewer plays per game than everyone else, if you define “good defense” in terms of total defense. The mainstream media is just catching on to this, but I expect Tomahawk Nation readers to understand that yards per play is a much better measure than total defense.

But this article is about run defense, and even those who rely on aggregate numbers can see that last year's run defense was not special. And I hope that they are willing to step out on the ledge and accept "yards per carry" as a measure of rushing success. Well, how about Yards Per Carry Allowed? To the Chart!

NOTE: Numbers are from ACC games only, as out of conference scheduling varies wildly from team to team.

Name	Att	Yards	Avg.
Boston College	298	830	2.8
Wake Forest	254	784	3.1
Virginia Tech	312	996	3.2
Virginia	327	1097	3.4
Florida State	265	995	3.8
Georgia Tech	270	1018	3.8
Duke	333	1265	3.8
North Carolina	297	1140	3.8
Clemson	285	1121	3.9
North Carolina State	256	1027	4.0
Maryland	317	1345	4.2
Miami (Florida)	344	1497	4.4

So, FSU was tied for 5th, along with 3 other teams allowing 3.8 yards per "carry". That's certainly not what we expect from a Mickey Andrews defense. We wish we could say FSU's run defense was better than that 3.8 yards per "carry" suggests, but that is not the case. There's a reason why we used quotation marks around carry. FSU's 2008 run defense was broken.

In American football, a carry is a statistical term equivalent to a single rushing play. A sack is defined as tackling a ball carrier who intends to throw a forward pass. A sack is also awarded if a player forces a fumble of the ball, or the ball carrier to go out of bounds, behind the line of scrimmage on an apparent intended forward pass play.

For reasons that are probably rooted in the college game's option roots, the NCAA counts a sack as a running play. The NFL does not. This us dumb, especially when you consider that official scorers denote sacks in the same way (see above definition). Can we all agree that a properly scored sack is not a running play?

While conceding that there are differences in each stadium's official scorer, let's have a look at run defense against running plays. Let's sack the sack. A sack is an outcome of a passing play, and in a later article we'll include sacks where they belong. Here are the sack results from the 2008 ACC season:

Team	Sacks	Yards Lost
Virginia Tech *	27	240
Boston College *	25	161
Florida State	24	179
Miami (Florida)	19	134
Duke	18	95
Georgia Tech	17	128
Maryland	17	85
Virginia	16	125
Wake Forest	15	92
North Carolina State	14	94
North Carolina	12	66
Clemson	9	65
* Includes ACC Championship Game

Florida State had the conference's best pass rush in 2008, led by All-American Everette Brown. The goal here, however, is to find the most accurate gauge of run defense. To do that, we need to sack the sack.

That's atrocious. 2nd worst in the conference isn't an off year. It's a serious problem that needs to be immediately addressed. The problem is, we're not even sure FSU knows it has this problem.

That's 1174 rushing yards allowed on 241 carries, for an average of 4.87 given up per carry. We really can't underestimate the magnitude of this problem.2nd worst in the conference is not an off year, it's a systemic issue.

This chart illustrates how much each team benefited from their sack numbers being included in their run defense totals.

In Part One (see link in lead paragraph), we discussed the reasons for FSU's poor run defense. Simply put, FSU's defense lacks the minimum bulk in its front 7 defenders to stop the run without dedicating another defender (from the secondary) to the cause. Committing an extra defender to the run overtaxes our secondary, leaving us vulnerable to play action fakes. FSU further complicates matters by misusing its resources and playing guys out of position (most notably at strong side defensive end and outside linebacker). See the first article for a huge explanation.

As a last check of our numbers, we put together a game-by-game chart.

Opponent	YPCA w/o Sacks	Carries (w/o Sacks)	Rush Yards Allowed (w/o Sacks)	Att	Yards	Avg.	Sacks	Sack Yards
Wake Forest	2.1	36	75	38	59	1.6	2	16
Miami	5.8	12	69	14	51	3.6	2	18
N.C. St.	7.9	21	166	22	157	7.1	1	9
15 Virginia Tech	4.2	28	117	34	82	2.4	6	35
Georgia Tech	6.4	45	288	45	288	6.4	0	0
Clemson	4.3	30	128	36	79	2.2	6	49
Boston College	4.0	46	185	47	176	3.7	1	9
Maryland	6.3	23	146	29	103	3.6	6	43

7 of the 8 conference opponents ran for 4 or more yards once sacks were excluded, and half the opponents ripped off over five and a half yards per carry.

You don't have to take our word for it, however, as there are far more advanced metrics saying the same thing: FSU's run defense was really poor. For instance, Bill Connelly of RockMNation (Missouri) and FootballOutsiders (where he writes the widely acclaimed Varsity Numbers column). Connelly's "Conference Report" is often referenced here, as it focuses only on conference games. Here we see Bill's Run Defense Efficiency Data and made it into a handy graph. Note that this data does include sacks as running plays, we think (though we hope Bill will exclude that next year). While it does include sacks, it is adjusted for opponent (some teams didn't have to play top running offenses like FSU or Ga. Tech) and doesn't include numbers after the game is already a blowout. The higher number is better. A score of 100 is about average. FSU scored a 95.6, a score placing them in the bottom half of the conference. VT and FSU clearly receive an undeserved bump due to their sack numbers here, jumping 6 and 3 spots ahead of their rankings in the "rushing yards per carry allowed without sacks" category. The key point here is that FSU is again not a good run defense.

If these numbers excluded sacks, FSU might be dead last (as opposed to 2nd to last in our less refined measure).

This problem likely won't be fixed this year as FSU doesn't have the personnel in its front 7 after the wasted 2006 and 2007 recruiting classes, and it could get significantly worse if injuries strike the 'Noles. It is up to Jimbo and the future staff to make sure guys play the proper position and to recruit the players the FSU needs to execute its defense of choice. As noted in part one, this includes having Everette Dawkins play his natural position (Strongside End), moving Nigel Bradham to the opposite side, and having a bigger middle linebacker.

GO NOLES!!

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How did the Arrowhead Pride Mock Draft Fare Against the Real Thing?

Chris Thorman — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:00:13 -0000

Team	Actual Selection	AP Selection	Reach
Detroit Lions - UCrawford	1 Matthew Stafford	LB Aaron Curry	-3
St. Louis Rams - Lanier63	2 Jason Smith	OT Jason Smith	0
Kansas City Chiefs - TonyG88	3 Tyson Jackson	OT Eugene Monroe	-5
Seattle Seahawks - mikvogel	4 Aaron Curry	DT B.J. Raji	-5
Cleveland Browns - HIV2Elway	5 Mark Sanchez	WR Michael Crabtree	-5
Cincinnati Bengals - mistamic	6 Andre Smith	OT Andre Smith	0
Oakland Raiders - mushin	7 Darrius Heyward-Bey	WR Jeremy Maclin	-12
Jacksonville Jaguars - DThomasReigns	8 Eugene Monroe	WR Percy Harvin	-14
Green Bay Packers - JasonM	9 B.J. Raji	DE/OLB Everette Brown	-34
San Francisco 49ers - Harry Feltersnatch	10 Michael Crabtree	QB Matt Stafford	+9
Buffalo Bills - ArrowDread	11 Aaron Maybin	LB Rey Maualuga	-27
Denver Broncos - Keyser Sose	12 Knowshon Moreno	DE Brian Orakpo	-1
Washington Redskins - Official Arrowhead Pride Parade	13 Brian Orakpo	T Michael Oher	-10
New Orleans Saints - cmpotter	14 Malcolm Jenkins	CB Vontae Davis	-11
Houston Texans - ChiefsDude	15 Brian Cushing	CB Malcolm Jenkins	+1
San Diego Chargers - Helmets	16 Larry English	DE Tyson Jackson	+13
New York Jets - NJChief	17 Josh Freeman	QB Mark Sanchez	+12
Chicago Bears - Holmeslice	18 Robert Ayers	QB Josh Freeman	+1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - madtheory	19 Jeremy Maclin	DT Peria Jerry	-4
Detroit Lions - UCrawford	20 Brandon Pettigrew	DE Aaron Maybin	+9
Philadelphia Eagles - Chiefsfan717	21 Alex Mack	TE Brandon Pettigrew	+1
Minnesota Vikings - kcsno56	22 Percy Harvin	WR Hakeem Nicks	-5
New England Patriots - connerman	23 Michael Oher	RB Chris Wells	-8
Atlanta Falcons - RedNose	24 Peria Jerry	LB Clay Matthews	-2
Miami Dolphins - shraggyj	25 Vontae Davis	LB Brian Cushing	+10
Baltimore Ravens - Ben S	26 Clay Matthews	CB Alphonso Smith	-11
Indianapolis Colts - craig in calgary	27 Donald Brown	LB James Laurinaitis	-8
Philadelphia Eagles - Chiefsfan717	28 Eric Wood	OT Eben Britton	-11
New York Giants - ChiefsFan90s	29 Hakeem Nicks	WR Darrius Heyward-Bay	+22
Tennessee Titans - Lvl.99	30 Kenny Britt	C Alex Mack	+9
Arizona Cardinals - THE_TRUTH	31 Chris Wells	RB Knowshon Moreno	+19
Pittsburgh Steelers - McWhirt33	32 Evander Hood	CB/S Sean Smith

As you can imagine, there weren't very many picks by the Arrowhead Pride faithful that were right on in this past weekend's NFL draft. Lots of inexplicable drops to the second round by first round prospects threw our whole mock draft out of whack.

Here is how to read the chart. Basically, the closer to zero the better, with a negative number meaning the AP mock drafter "reached" for that pick compared to where the player fell in the actual draft. A positive number means good value was had for that pick. I subtracted the real draft position from AP's draft position to get these numbers.

Basically, negative is bad and positive is good. The second round is after the jump.

Here are some stats on the AP Mock Draft v. the real thing:

Right on

Four people got their picks dead on - Lanier63 (#2 overall, OT Jason Smith to the Rams), mistamic (#6 overall, OT Andre Smith to the Bengals), ChiefsFan90s (#45 overall, LB Clint Sintim to the Giants) and ChiefsFan717 (#53 overall, RB LeSean McCoy to the Eagles). Not too shabby in this draft.

Biggest Reaches

Our main man THE_TRUTH was in a league of his own with this one. His selection of C A.Q. Shipley with the #63 pick in our mock ended up coming far too early. Shipley ended up going in the 7th round with the #236 pick. That comes to a reach factor of -173. We still love him though.

DThomasReigns was next up on the reach list. Oklahoma G Duke Robinson fell all the way to the 27th pick of the 5th rounder. The reach factor ended up being -124.

The next three big reaches before the numbers dropped off were ChiefsFan90s selecting OT Herman Johnson at #60 (reach of -107), RedNose selecting CB Victor Harris (reach of -102) and 808NanZ808 taking OL Fenuki Tupa at #59 (reach of -100).

Non-reaches

Not including those who nailed their picks, we only had seven commenters who did not end up reaching for their mock draft picks. They are Holmeslice (CB Malcolm Jenkins at #15), Chiefsfan717 (TE Branden Pettigrew at #21), JasonM (DT Ron Brace at #41), PSUkegreen (WR Mohammed Massaquoi at #52), Lanier63 (DT Evander Hood at #35) and finally saskwatch (DT Fili Moala at #61). Nice work fellas.

We'll do it again next year

Many thanks to everyone who participated this year. Every pick came in on time and the write ups were excellent. For those interested in last year's mock draft v. the real thing, stag was nice enough to do that post back in August.

Click over for the second round results and grade the draft in the poll below.

Pick	Team	Actual Selection	AP Selection	Reach
1(33)	Detroit Lions - UCrawford	33 Louis Delmas	CB Darius Butler	-8
2(34)	New England Patriots (From Kansas City) - connerman	34 Patrick Chung	DE Robert Ayers	+16
3(35)	St. Louis Rams - Lanier63	35 James Laurinaitis	DT Evander Hood	+3
4(36)	Cleveland Browns - HIV2Elway	36 Brian Robiskie	DE Connor Barwin	-10
5(37)	Seattle Seahawks - mikvogel	37 Alphonso Smith	OT William Beatty	-23
6(38)	Cincinnati Bengals - mistamic	38 Rey Maualuga	C Max Unger	-11
7(39)	Jacksonville Jaguars - DThomasReigns	39 Eben Britton	G Duke Robinson	-124
8(40)	Oakland Raiders - mushin	40 Ron Brace	T Phil Loadholt	-14
9(41)	Green Bay Packers - JasonM	41 Darius Butler	DT Ron Brace	+1
10(42)	Buffalo Bills - ArrowDread	42 Jairus Byrd	DE Michael Johnson	-28
11(43)	San Francisco 49ers - Harry Feltersnatch	43 Everette Brown	DE/LB Larry English	+27
12(44)	Miami Dolphins (From Washington) - shraggyj	44 Pat White	WR Kenny Britt	+14
13(45)	New York Giants (From New Orleans) - ChiefsFan90s	45 Clint Sintim	LB Clint Sintim	0
14(46)	Houston Texans - ChiefsDude	46 Connor Barwin	FS Louis Delmas	+13
15(47)	New England Patriots (From San Diego) - connerman	47 Michael Mitchell	DE/OLB Paul Kruger	-10
16(48)	Denver Broncos (From Texans) - Keyser Sose	48 Darcel McBath	RB Donald Brown	+21
17(49)	Chicago Bears - Holmeslice	49 Max Unger	C Jonathan Luigs	-57
18(50)	Cleveland Browns (From Tampa Bay) - HIV2Elway	50 Mohamed Massaquoi	RB Shonn Green	-15
19(51)	Dallas Cowboys - chiefsfan1384	51 Andy Levitre	SS William Moore	-4
20(52)	New York Jets - PSUkegreen	52 David Veikune	WR Mohamed Massaquoi	+2
21(53)	Philadelphia Eagles - Chiefsfan717	53 LeSean McCoy	RB LeSean McCoy	0
22(54)	Minnesota Vikings - kcsno56	54 Phil Loadholt	C Eric Wood	+26
23(55)	Atlanta Falcons - RedNose	55 William Moore	CB Victor Harris	-102
24(56)	Miami Dolphins - shraggyj	56 Fili Moala	CB Jarius Byrd	+14
25(57)	Baltimore Ravens - Ben S	57 Paul Kruger	WR Brian Robiskie	+21
26(58)	New England Patriots - connerman	58 Sebastian Vollmer	DL Jarron Gilbert	-10
27(59)	Carolina Panthers - 808NaNz808	59 Sherrod Martin	OL Fenuki Tupou	-100
28(60)	New York Giants - ChiefsFan90s	60 William Beatty	OT Herman Johnson	-107
29(61)	Indianapolis Colts - saskwatch	61 Sean Smith	DT Fili Moala	+5
30(62)	Tennessee Titans - Lvl.99	62 Sen'Derrick Marks	LB Cody Brown	-1
31(63)	Arizona Cardinals - THE_TRUTH	63 Cody Brown	C A.Q. Shipley	-173
32(64)	Pittsburgh Steelers - McWhirt33	64 Richard Quinn	OT T.J. Lang	-45

Poll

Grade the Arrowhead Pride Community Mock Draft.

A

12 votes

B

27 votes

C

45 votes

D

59 votes

F

66 votes

209 votes | Poll has closed

Opponent	Miami	BYU	USF	BC	GT	NC	NCSU
Plays	71	77	64	71	66	65	73
Yards per play allowed	5.7	6.6	4.5	6.8	8.2	6.7	7.6
Rushes	28	49	22	28	28	23	33
Yards/rush allowed	4.5	6.4	2.8	2.9	6.9	2.3	8.4
Passing Plays	43	28	42	43	38	42	40
Yards pass/allowed	6.4	7.1	5.4	7.7	9.1	9.2	6.9