SBNation.com User Blog: Murphy45p

Arrivals and departures

Murphy45p — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 21:10:05 -0000

Just took a brief look at the roster to try to get an idea how we will be looking next year. We lose three starters on offense. Lonnie Pryor, EJ Manuel and Rodney Smith. Benjamin has more potential than Smith if he gets the nod, LP is hard to replace, and who knows at QB, although Winston was a five star recruit, the top of his class. That doesn't necessarily translate, but its not a bad place to start. Loads of returning talent, lots of support people to make a QB better. I think our offense could be even better, especially since its my personal opinion that QB was our weakness all season. I also believe we could improve with a dedicated OC. Provide an influx of fresh ideas. On defense, the news isn't as good. Tank Carradine, Everette Dawkins, Brandon Jenkins, Amp McCloud, Jacobbi McDaniel, Nick Moody and Vince Williams are all gone. In my totally uninformed opinion, there is a very strong likelihood that Bjorn Werner and Xavier Rhodes would be taken far enough up the draft to make it likely that they may be gone too. Also gone, Mark Stoops, who took our defense from terrible to top twenty. We recruited extremely well for the defensive linemen positions last year, so there is hope for the future, I'm just not sure how soon some of the five stars will make an impact. It's hard to replace three defensive ends who healthy, any of which could be taken in the first round of he NFL draft. Xavier Rhodes, in my opinion, is the best corner we've had in a long long time. Corner becomes more crucial without a dominant pass rush. Karlos Williams should get more reps depending on which position he'll be assigned, and he can be special. We need to recruit some serious linebacking talent. With the losses anticipated, including the coach, I'm skeptical if we can be as good on the defensive side of the ball next year. Please let me know if I'm missing something. Those DE's saved us. If for some reason Rhodes and Werner stay, then our defense, I believe, can be just as good or maybe better depending on the coaching move. Last, we will be losing the NCAA all time kicking scoring leader. Hopkins was a stud. Even Janikowski would only be an equal replacement there. No way to improve the position. Depending on how quickly the defensive line gets up to speed, I think we have the potential for a good season. Hopefully another ACC title if not more.

Rivalries

Murphy45p — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:12:14 -0000

For me, it works like this, in the animal kingdom a gator is known for their disproportionately large mouth. Even if you kill the gator and preserve the skull, that mouth is still as big as it ever was, but the difference is, dead gators don't make no noise. Gators to me seem to be constantly bragging, constantly taking shots against FSU, refusing to admit, even in defeat, those years when our team is superior. Florida State is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Florida, but the Gators, whose school was an offshoot of ours, insist on looking down their noses at us and treating us like second class citizens. They denigrate us based on our noble history, providing education to women when sufferage was in its infancy. They treat us like our degrees are somehow less dignified than their own, and they throw up the "We're in the SEC which means any team in our conference can beat any team in yours and any SEC win is a superior one." Forget the fact that we beat them head to head, they rationalize that by saying that we wouldn't have done that had we played an SEC swchedule the rest of the year. Forget the fact that Vandy or Kentucky or Ole Miss or whoever happens to stink up the field the same way some of our ACC teams do.

They have a wide fan base, they are disbursed throughout the country, and they are very vocal and obnoxious as a rule. They stole their first national championship from us and they are despicable. In my view, they are unparalelled as a rival and always will be.

Miami is a different sort of rivalry. Miami, like FSU, was a school that didn't get much respect until the 1980's. They earned it the same way we did, by beating the best teams on the road. The Orange bowl was not the place you wanted to play the Hurricanes, EVER. I don't know if the record still stands, but they held the NCAA record for consecutive home wins there. I attended a game, I don't remember the year, but it was our opener, we were ranked #1 and they were ranked #2, and I travelled to the Orange bowl to see the Seminoles get whipped 31-0. I endured taunts by the Miami fans after the game until I managed to find my vehicle, which I had paid $20 to park in some shady looking guys yard, and travel back to the hotel. The NCSU loss hurt this year, but that loss hurt worse. I didn't even speak for two solid days. Miami fans can be obnoxious, but the difference is, I've always seen these teams as having mutual respect for one another. I root for Miami during the weeks when we don't play them. I recognize their strong tradition and they always have talent that somehow goes under the radar. Some of my all time favorite Seminoles have come from Miami, Marvin Jones for one. Miami has cost us several national championships and the only way to beat them is to play a full four quarters of football. Yes, they are rivals, but its a different sort for me. Florida State Miami was THE game every year for probably ten years or more, and it always seemed to be close.

The Clemson game doesn't have the history that Miami or UF does, and generally, we have prevailed against them. NCSU when Amato was there, that was another rivalry and in my mind, NCSU is a bigger rival than Clemson. To me, NCSU is always a gotcha game. But for me, the number two rival is a totally different team. It's Oklahoma. I don't know the last time (if ever) we have beaten Oklahoma. They destroyed our hopes two years running, stole a championship from us the year that Richt checked out before the game, and besides, Bob Stoops used to coach at Florida and he's just as arrogant as you would expect a Gator to be.

I guess my point is, that Miami would be mentioned as a rival by probably just about every Seminole fan, and aside from Florida, would be the only team to hold that distinction. Because of history, I'm not counting this weekend as a W until the game is all the way over. I've seen us let them back into the game on more fourth quarters than I want to remember. It's that sickening feeling, like there's a script that each team must play. My hope is that Jimbo decides to deviate from the script, get away from that Miami scores 20 in the fourth quarter to go up by two points, we get the ball back with 2:30 left on the clock, drive down the field, stall, then have to kick a field goal last second to win it. Let's score a lot of points and keep their receivers defended, tackle their runners, not allow third down conversions, build a big lead and KEEP PLAYING all the way through the fourth quarter. If rivalry includes having an uneasy feeling every time you play someone, Miami certainly fits the bill.

With Miami week upon us, I've noticed the question of rivalry has arisen. It seems that each of us holds other teams in different statuses concerning the question, some arguing that Clemson has overtaken the Hurricanes as rival number two. And there are some who have been around longer than others, which further complicates matters. To hold certain opponents with greater contempt is a matter of personal choice. I graduated in 1985, so my outlook is different from those who graduated both earlier and later, and I have my own personal twists. Rival number 1 for me is the Florida Gators, always has been and always will be and there's not even a close second. I root for the Gators to lose every time they play, even when a win might benefit the Seminoles on paper. I root against Tim Tebow because he is a former Gator. I root against Steve Spurrier because he is a former Gator player and coach, but this weekend, I will be rooting for Spurrier because priortiy one for me is to see Gator fans dejected. For me, it works like this, in the animal kingdom a gator is known for their disproportionately large mouth. Even if you kill the gator and preserve the skull, that mouth is still as big as it ever was, but the difference is, dead gators don't make no noise. Gators to me seem to be constantly bragging, constantly taking shots against FSU, refusing to admit, even in defeat, those years when our team is superior. Florida State is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Florida, but the Gators, whose school was an offshoot of ours, insist on looking down their noses at us and treating us like second class citizens. They denigrate us based on our noble history, providing education to women when sufferage was in its infancy. They treat us like our degrees are somehow less dignified than their own, and they throw up the "We're in the SEC which means any team in our conference can beat any team in yours and any SEC win is a superior one." Forget the fact that we beat them head to head, they rationalize that by saying that we wouldn't have done that had we played an SEC swchedule the rest of the year. Forget the fact that Vandy or Kentucky or Ole Miss or whoever happens to stink up the field the same way some of our ACC teams do. They have a wide fan base, they are disbursed throughout the country, and they are very vocal and obnoxious as a rule. They stole their first national championship from us and they are despicable. In my view, they are unparalelled as a rival and always will be. Miami is a different sort of rivalry. Miami, like FSU, was a school that didn't get much respect until the 1980's. They earned it the same way we did, by beating the best teams on the road. The Orange bowl was not the place you wanted to play the Hurricanes, EVER. I don't know if the record still stands, but they held the NCAA record for consecutive home wins there. I attended a game, I don't remember the year, but it was our opener, we were ranked #1 and they were ranked #2, and I travelled to the Orange bowl to see the Seminoles get whipped 31-0. I endured taunts by the Miami fans after the game until I managed to find my vehicle, which I had paid $20 to park in some shady looking guys yard, and travel back to the hotel. The NCSU loss hurt this year, but that loss hurt worse. I didn't even speak for two solid days. Miami fans can be obnoxious, but the difference is, I've always seen these teams as having mutual respect for one another. I root for Miami during the weeks when we don't play them. I recognize their strong tradition and they always have talent that somehow goes under the radar. Some of my all time favorite Seminoles have come from Miami, Marvin Jones for one. Miami has cost us several national championships and the only way to beat them is to play a full four quarters of football. Yes, they are rivals, but its a different sort for me. Florida State Miami was THE game every year for probably ten years or more, and it always seemed to be close. The Clemson game doesn't have the history that Miami or UF does, and generally, we have prevailed against them. NCSU when Amato was there, that was another rivalry and in my mind, NCSU is a bigger rival than Clemson. To me, NCSU is always a gotcha game. But for me, the number two rival is a totally different team. It's Oklahoma. I don't know the last time (if ever) we have beaten Oklahoma. They destroyed our hopes two years running, stole a championship from us the year that Richt checked out before the game, and besides, Bob Stoops used to coach at Florida and he's just as arrogant as you would expect a Gator to be. I guess my point is, that Miami would be mentioned as a rival by probably just about every Seminole fan, and aside from Florida, would be the only team to hold that distinction. Because of history, I'm not counting this weekend as a W until the game is all the way over. I've seen us let them back into the game on more fourth quarters than I want to remember. It's that sickening feeling, like there's a script that each team must play. My hope is that Jimbo decides to deviate from the script, get away from that Miami scores 20 in the fourth quarter to go up by two points, we get the ball back with 2:30 left on the clock, drive down the field, stall, then have to kick a field goal last second to win it. Let's score a lot of points and keep their receivers defended, tackle their runners, not allow third down conversions, build a big lead and KEEP PLAYING all the way through the fourth quarter. If rivalry includes having an uneasy feeling every time you play someone, Miami certainly fits the bill.

If I were Jimbo...

Murphy45p — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:24:31 -0000

This would be the unfolding of events today:

Phone call to James Coley Offensive Coordinator

Jimbo: James? Hey, sorry to bother you on a Sunday, but I got ZERO sleep last night and I think we need to have a serious discussion. You had a good game plan against Clemson, but our season is more than that one game and frankly, the play calling these past two weeks is unacceptable. I want you in my office tomorrow morning at 9:00 with a game plan for BC and it damned sure better not be the same one we just ran. As a matter of fact, I want to see some plays that showcase the kind of offense we're capable of. I don't want to be standing on the sidelines next week watching the other team, once again, call a better set of plays than us. This is the third straight week that our opponents have shown more creativity in their play calling than we have and that is unacceptable at Florida State. My butt is on the line and the fans are calling for my head and honestly, they are exactly right because we should be better than this. I'm letting you know right now that I don't intend on losing my job over your lack of motivation or creativity. That being said, I'm willing to give you an opportunity to fix this, but it needs to be now. That's how serious this is. I want to know what you are going to run against the blitz, and I want to see it in practice. By the way, you need to start adjusting your schedule now. We're going to ramp up practices this week until the offense can run all those new plays you're bringing in. Our vacation time is after the season is over, and I don't expect that until post Orange bowl. I don't care if you have to watch every team that's played a game this year to come up with some new plays, we have to get it done. I'm quite frankly embarrassed by our offensive play the past two weeks and you should be too. I'll let you go so you can get to work. I'll see you tomorrow morning and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Call to Rick Trickett:

Jimbo: Rick, it's Jimbo. I didn't sleep last night and I'll tell you why. Our line isn't blocking well in blitz situations particularly, but also on punts. At first I thought it was because we had some new faces out there, but we're six games into the season now and its time the linemen manned up and learned to handle a blitz. I know we've done well run blocking, a lot better this year, and I do appreciate that effort, but if we don't start handling the blitz I'm not sure if we'll win any of our remaining games. I've told James that I want a new offensive plan, and I expect your unit to do its job as well. This has been an ongoing problem since USF and it needs to be addressed. My butt is on the line and I've got a family to feed. I need you guys to support me. Coach Coley will be in my office at 9:00 tomorrow morning to unveil his dynamic offense, and I want you to take today to come up with a plan to block for it. I'll see you then.

Call to Eddie Gran:

Jimbo: Eddie? The staff is meeting tomorrow morning to come up with a new plan of attack. Getting punts blocked and fumbling punts will NOT be part of that plan, so I need you to figure out how you plan on keeping that from happening.

This would be the unfolding of events today:

Phone call to James Coley Offensive Coordinator

Call to Rick Trickett:

Call to Eddie Gran:

Trying to maintain sanity in insanity

Murphy45p — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:01:15 -0000

I'm in a state of shock and disgust that threatens to ruin an entire day, so in the hope that venting will relieve some of my angst, here goes. First, WTF?!!!! It seems to be universally acknowledged that FSU has more talent on it's roster than NCSU, we have four and five star recruits all over the place and yet we look clueless when we take the field. This is a coaching problem. Now granted, our coaches have drastically improved the team during their tenure, huge big improvements, but it seems to be a consensus that we are not meeting expectations. And one game in the large scheme of things can be overlooked, the truth is, that most teams will lose this year and that includes some with very impressive talent. Furthermore, the problems that have plagued us for the past TWO weeks, because this is a two week problem, can be corrected. Moreover, the problem on the sidelines isn't everywhere, it really narrows down to an area or two and so that should be reason for optimism if the problems aren't simply ignored.

So for starters, looking back over the past several weeks, let's take a reality check. We have played exactly ONE team good enough to garner national ranking. Our other opponents have been exposed as products of weak scheduling and really aren't that impressive. Yes, our offense and defense are nationally ranked very high, but this has been against two FCS opponents, a Wake team that lost to Duke, a South Florida team that lost to Ball State, and an NCSU team that gave up 50 points to a Miami team that could only manage three against Notre Dame. Strength of schedule absolutely does matter, and we have been lulled by the lack of schedule strength into believing we were better than we are. Having said that, I do think we are deserving of our national acclaim, particularly on defense. Last night our open field tackling was superb. Generally speaking, we covered NCSU's receivers, give Glennon credit, he made some good throws. We were effective against their running game. In short, holding an opponent capable of putting up 45 points the week before to only 17 should be sufficient to win. It seemed like they kept the ball the entire second half, and so I'm going to wave my hand and in my mind, say that the defensive coaches did their job. Yes, there is room for improvement, but our defense played with heart and I'm looking for answers here. I don't believe any change in coaching or philosophy on the defensive side of the ball would improve our team, they seem to be doing well, both in recruiting and training up players.

That brings us to offense. Running back coach, well, Chris Thompson looks to be the best back we've had in years and the statistics and highlight reels confirm it. Likewise, Lonnie Prior. Top to bottom, the running backs as a unit have done well, they catch passes, they make blocks, they make yardage. CT4 rushed for over 100 yards, the running backs did their job, not much more to ask than that, and so I'm giving them and their position coach a pass here as well. Not much to comment on the receiving group, they really weren't given an opportunity to show anything, so I'll abstain from discussing them or the coach for that unit, I don't think the problem lies there. Overall, I think our strength and conditioning is acceptable too, so I'll disregard that coaching unit also, which brings us to the heart of the matter.

One of the key reasons we lost last night, and why the USF game was much closer than it needed to be: We have been unable to do anything in blitz situations. We don't seem to have any plays to counter the blitz. It showed itself against USF, NCSU picked up on it and exploited it the whole game. And we never answered - either time. And to be honest it pisses me off royally because if I could see the problem during the USF game, then the coaching staff (ours, because NCSU's coaches had no problem seeing it) should have developed an answer, and pronto. In my mind, this falls on Trickett, Fisher and Coley. Mostly Coley, although Fisher should have made sure Coley had the problem handled. The bad news is, that BC can rush 7 or 8 all night too, and unless we right the ship like yesterday, this season is going to very long and end on a very bitter note indeed. We need to make finding an answer to the blitz priority one this week, because I promise that every opposing coach can see this weakness. Yes, our O-line is young, but they've had five games experience at this point. NCSU's O-line was makeshift, and they did a better job of protecting Glennon than we did protecting Manuel. Other teams seem to have plays to counter the blitz, I don't understand why we don't. Did the coaches believe the stats ran up on the FCS teams? Did they think that our opponents would ever stop blitzing when the blitzes have been so effective? It feels to me like Coley put his head in the sand on the issue, assuming that the big problem would just go away. NCSU seemed to have plays to counter our pressure. There are teams with worse O-lines than ours that deal with the blitz just fine. If he's at a loss for answers, just go back and rent the game film from the 1996 Sugar bowl and see how Spurrier managed to overcome a relentless blitz of future NFL starters playing for us and score, score, score. If Manuel doesn't know the plays to counter a blitz, that's on Craig. If Coley doesn't have the plays to counter the blitz, that's on him too. Get them and fast!

Trickett doesn't get a bye for his part in this. Somehow he hasn't coached our linemen and blockers on how to deal with blitz either. And if he's responsible in any way for teaching special teams members how to block an opponent, then its double on him, but I'll get to that a little later. Jimbo's part comes down to the fact that he is the boss of those assistants. USF, shame on them, NCSU, shame on us. NCSU was the most poorly called offensive game I can remember by FSU since the Jeff Bowden years. Three runs when the opponent has all the momentum late in the game and we just need a first down? Three runs after they had effectively shut down the run by the third quarter? Three runs by an obviously tired and overworked running back, whose build isn't like Trent Richardson? Three runs of the exact same sort that hadn't run the last three and out when we tried them? CT4 isn't a battering ram. Our play calling has been unimaginative the last few weeks. It looks to me like Coley is believing his own statistics against very weak opponents, opponents so weak in fact, that truth be told, we could beat them simply by our raw talent with no coaching at all. Jimbo's part in this is to have a come to Jesus meeting with Coley and INSIST that some kind of forethought goes into play calling and game management. INSIST that a playbook be developed to counter opposing blitzes. Two plays - run and pass, will not cut it. Use some imagination or for heaven's sakes steal some from somebody. Plagiarism isn't a sin in college football! This is when we find out what kind of head coach Jimbo is. We certainly didn't lack for offense or imagination when he was calling the plays. Part of the HC job is to find and motivate your staff, and if a staff member isn't working out, then make the necessary changes. Coley has done a great job with the tight ends, but for the past two weeks straight, his abilities as OC just haven't cut it and OC is more crucial than the other. Other teams with equal or lesser talent find ways to score, against better competition. Even Miami. So get on the stick!

Another weakness exposed in the USF game that will continue to plague us should we not give it the correct attention is punt blocking. Two blocked punts in two weeks is unacceptable. We need people back there that are capable of stopping the block team. Is there any other team in the BCS with blocked punts in two consecutive games? This is coach Gran and coach Trickett's area. Coach Gran has done excellent in training the RBs, but now he needs to focus a little more on punt blocking and coach Trickett should be there to demonstrate technique. I don't believe we would have lost the game if the field hadn't been shortened by the blocked punt. Talk about a momentum changer. Again, this is an area where Fisher should have a very serious discussion with those in charge of that respective area.

At this point, I'm not advocating a change in any of the coaching staff. But - if our offense doesn't become more dynamic, if we don't learn to play against an inevitable blitz, if we don't learn from our previous week's mistakes and make the necessary corrections, then at the end of the season I think we need a new OC. Jimbo gets the opportunity to make coaching staff changes if necessary before throwing him under the bus. Overall, improvements in every area have been made since he (Coach Fisher) took the helm, but with the talent we have, we should be in the national discussion annually. I remember when WE were the team that pulled the upsets. I don't remember the last time we managed to pull that off, maybe someone can research that and let me know, I'll bet its been over ten years.

Another area that has annoyed me all year is what another blogger referred to as a lackadaisical approach to the games. The "we could score, but we have enough of a lead" thing. I've seen that one in our last three or four games, taking a knee when we could score. I haven't seen that from any other team. Sure, if you get the ball with a minute left at the end, have the qb take a knee if you have the game won, but don't let the other team stick around. We seem to lack that killer instinct, and we desperately need that in order to garner national consideration. Moreover, the kind of conservative, predictable play calling that we've employed can lose games. I think we proved that one last night. We need to come out swinging and continue to swing until the bell. What is ironic, is that we didn't seem to have any moral issues running up the score on the FCS schools. Schools that didn't have a chance of competing with us. Be thankful for Savannah State. WVU would have given us a wakeup call the first game.

There is good that can come from this loss. Perhaps it will wake us up, I swear we've looked (offensively) like we were just going through the motions the past couple weeks. Maybe it will reiterate that each game must be taken seriously, each opponent given respect, and that we are capable of losing. Maybe it will light the fire, the killer instinct. We could learn to play against the blitz, to block for the punter, those would all be positives. Jimbo could remind the staff that they don't hold lifetime appointments, that an offensive game plan (a different one) is required for every game (as a side note, last night I could predict every play we ran just based on formation). We can finish the season without another ACC loss, win the conference which we haven't done in forever, and go on to the Orange bowl. No, we won't be national champions this year. We have at least three very difficult games remaining - Miami, VT and Florida. Don't read the reviews, believe me, all three of those teams can play and they can all beat us (and will) if we aren't prepared. Taking the attitude that we're better positionally is a course for disaster. And we'd better not overlook the others on our schedule either, beginning this week with BC. Just because they lost to Army doesn't mean that they will just roll over for us. They have people that can blitz too. They scored 31 points this week, they are capable of scoring, and they'll be gunning for us, count on it.

Finally, here is my grades for the coaching staff:

Last two weeks/ Season thus far/ Since hired

Head Coach - Jimbo Fisher C/ C/ B

Offensive coordinator - Coley F/ C/ C

Tight ends - Coley B/ B/ B

Running backs - Gran B/ B/ A

Special teams - Gran D/ C/ C

Offensive Line - Trickett C/ C/ B

Recievers - Dawsey B/ A/ A

Quarterbacks - Craig B/ B/ B

Recruiting - Craig D/ B/ B

Defensive coordinator - Stoops B/ A/ A

Defensive backs - Stoops A/ A/ A

Line coach - Haggins A/ A/ B

Ends coach - Elliot A/ A/ A

Linebacker coach - Hudson B/ B/ B

Strength conditioning - Viloria A/ A/ A

Okay, now back to my depression...