SB Nation User Blog: nolesblogger

Coach Who Should Take The Bus To Work

nolesblogger — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:55:38 -0000

Coach Who Should Take The Bus To Work

"That would be Florida State's Bobby Bowden (36), who watched 49 points get hung on his team by Georgia Tech -- at home. If you want to know how far south it's gotten on Bowden -- like, approaching Antarctica -- consider this stat from Dash buddy Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times: Bowden was 71-2 during 1992-2000 against ACC opponents, and this year he's 0-3."
- Pat Forde

ESPN Rank 'Em: MLB General Managers

nolesblogger — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:45:44 -0000

ESPN Rank 'Em: MLB General Managers

This should be fun.

Slow Day for FSU Sports

nolesblogger — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:42:48 -0000

With football getting ready to take on Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl and basketball gearing up to host Tennessee Tech tomorrow night (look for TrueCubbie's game preview either later today or tomorrow), there isn't a whole lot to cover involving FSU sports. Instead, we'll look at a story that didn't recieve very much attention when it broke this past Wednesday, but could have a big impact later on. It involves the potential demise of the BCS.

It shouldn't surprise anybody that the man behind the newest attempt to bring down the BCS is from Texas. Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, is trying to pass legislation that would force college football to move to a playoff system. The basic idea, according to Barton, is that marketing a postseason game as a "national championship" game would be a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act, unless the game was a part of a playoff system.

It is still unclear whether or not Barton's attempt will be successful, but it sure is an interesting attempt. Let us know what you think by adding a comment and voting in the poll. To read more details click here.

Poll

How do you feel about Rep. Joe Barton's attempt to get rid of the BCS?

I like it. Anything to get rid of the BCS is what is needed.

46 votes

I don't like the current system, but I don't want Congress getting involved.

84 votes

I'm skeptical, but I think it is a step in the right direction.

13 votes

I like the current system just the way it is.

10 votes

153 votes | Poll has closed

Baseball America Organization Prospect Rankings

nolesblogger — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:45:47 -0000

Rankings

Baseball America's top 10 prospects for he Rays organization came out Wednesday. No shocker here, David Price is number one. They also have some other cool information like the prospect with the best specific tools (i.e. best hitter for average, best athlete, etc.) and the prjected lineup for 2012 (I don't think CC will still be in left for us then). Hopefully some of the guys on the list will be traded cause they don't seem to have very high value for us compared to other teams. Anyways, this is just some more interesting stuff to get us through to next season.

Myron Rolle: Overhyped? Overrated?

nolesblogger — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:59:26 -0000

As the number 1 high school football prospect in the nation according to ESPN and the number 12 overall prospect according to Rivals.com, Myron Rolle came to Florida State with tons of hype and high expectations from the fan base. Since his arrival, many fans have been disappointed with his production, and other fan bases (as well as some FSU fans) have claimed that he is overrated. What's been the real reason for why Rolle has failed to meet the expectations of many?

In his freshman season, Rolle was third on the team in tackles with 77, trailing only linebackers Buster Davis and Lawrence Timmons. The next year, his numbers dropped a tad as he was fourth on the team in tackles with 67. So far this season, Rolle is second on the team with 25 total tackles. As the numbers indicate, he is clearly involved in a large number of plays and makes some stops for the FSU defense. A large reason for why Rolle is in on so many tackles has to do with his ability to defend against the run. In the FSU defensive scheme, Rolle is constantly lined up in the box to matchup against tight ends, running backs coming out of the backfield, and occasionally receivers in the slot.

Even though his tackle production has been exceptional over his career, the claims that he is overrated and overhyped most likely stem from his inability to make big plays from the safety position. Over a little more than 2 seasons he has only 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble. As a supposedly can't miss five star prospect, Rolle leaves more to be desired in these areas.

However, his lack of production in these areas may have more to do with how he is used instead of his overall abilities. As we mentioned earlier, in our current scheme under defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, Rolle is asked to man cover receivers. Now think of some big name playmaking safeties, guys like Reggie Nelson when he was in college, Ed Reed, and Bob Sanders. These guys have two main things in common. The first is that they play free saftey, a more natural playmaking position from the defensive backfield, as opposed to where Rolle lines up at strong safety, or what Florida State calls the rover position. The second similarity is that those guys primarily play in defenses that employ the Cover 2 scheme, or how it is referred to as the Tampa 2 in the copycat league know as the NFL.

Before last week's game against Miami, FSUncensored broke down Miami's Cover 2 Man defense. This is slightly different than the Cover 2 used in the NFL, where cornerbacks and linebackers usually do not lock on in man to man coverage underneath the 2 safeties but instead also play zone. This defense is part of the reason why Miami has been so successful at developing playmaking safeties such as the previously mentioned Ed Reed and the recently deceased Sean Taylor. By playing Cover 2, you give your safeties the freedom to read the quarterback's eyes as well the play as it develops right in front of you. It allows the safeties to use their instincts and prior film preparation to make plays on the ball.

If FSU switched from there current scheme to the Cover 2, you would likely see Rolle make more big time plays such as interceptions and big hits on receivers coming across the middle. You would also likely see fewer big passing plays, because the safeties would be able to help the corners on deep balls. This is a huge advantage to the Cover 2 as opposed to the current scheme, where our corners have given up big plays when they have been in 1 on 1 coverage. (See Chattanooga's only TD against us) The downside to the Cover 2 in terms of how it effects Rolle is that his total tackles would most likely decrease since he would line up away from the line of scrimmage more often and would not be as involved in running plays.

Even though Rolle has been considered overrated during his career at FSU, he is still projected to be a relatively high pick. Mel Kiper lists him as one of the top 5 safeties (includes both FS and SS) that are juniors or younger and still eligible for the next NFL draft. Also, NFLDraftStock.com ranks Rolle as the top SS prospect for the class of 2010 and a projected first rounder if he were to enter the draft for 2010. Howver, I believe he will enter the draft after this season and will be drafted around the third round.

Either way, the fact that Rolle has remained a high draft prospect despite not putting up big plays leads me to believe that he is more misused in our current scheme than overrated. I think that Rolle is very similar to another player that excelled at SS in the Cover 2, John Lynch. Neither Lynch nor Rolle are the greatest athletes in comparison to other high caliber football players. However, both are extremely intelligent (Rolle is a potential Rhodes Scholar and Lynch is a Stanford alum) and have good size (Rolle is listed at 6'2" and 218 lbs. and Lynch is listed at 6'2" and 220 lbs.). Lynch was able to use his football IQ to read plays as they developed (during the Bucs Super Bowl Championship DVD it shows a play during the Super Bowl where Lynch tells Dexter Jackson exactly what route an Oakland receiver is going to run leading to one of Jackson's interceptions) and his size to deliver big hits to receivers coming over the middle. Given the chance to play in a Cover 2 scheme, I think Rolle would come up with many similar big plays that Lynch has produced over his career.

Hitting the Links

nolesblogger — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:25:16 -0000

Recap of what other bloggers are saying after the big win this weekend. Look for our analysis later this week.

We'll start of this week at ChantRant! where they have a nice piece on the ugly win. They take it lightly on the ugly aspects of the game by only mentioning the penalties, special teams, and Jabaris Little's drop. They could have mentioned some of the others, like the interceptions and blown coverage on Miami's gimmick plays, but its tough to play perfect and we still picked up the win.

Hitting the Links

nolesblogger — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:15:30 -0000

We'll take a look at what others are saying after our game against Colorado and the upcoming game against Miami.

Andrew Carter provides letter grades for each unit in his report card. I can't say I really disagree with much here. He also has a nice short Q&A about the game where he covers topics like the lack of impact from Corey Surrency the last 2 games and Myron Rolle's coverage skills (we should have an article during the Noles next off week that covers this topic as well). He also has a list of 5 things that have gone right so far this season. The only major disagreement I have is that the jury is still out on the offensive line. Yes, they had a better game against Colorado than against Wake Forest, but Colorado was also a weaker opponent than Wake so it is hard to tell just how much they have improved. As usual, Andrew does a great job with his coverage of the Noles.

Wake Forest Unit Match Ups

nolesblogger — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:52:06 -0000

We'll provide a breakdown of how the teams' different units will match up with each other in the game on Saturday.

Florida State Offense vs. Wake Forest Defense

FSU Offensive Line vs. Wake Forest's Defensive Line

For any offense or defense to have success, it all starts up front. This should be a good match up throughout the whole game with neither unit being dominant. Last week against Chattanooga, both QB's were under more pressure than they should have been considering the opponent. However, Wake Forest has also shown an inability to get much of a pass rush. Look for Wake to start using multiple blitzes to get pressure on Christian Ponder and D'Vontrey Richardson (expect D'vo to play some with specific packages designed for him), especially if they have success in the passing game early. In the running game, Wake's defensive line should be able to consistently clog up the middle with DT Boo Robinson. With that in mind, there will probably be many running plays for FSU off the edge to try to get the backs into space. There will definitely be times where Wake Forest gets the better of the play, but Florida State's offensive line will give the rest of the offense opportunities to make plays. EDGE: FSU

FSU RB's vs. Wake Forest's LB's

Wake Forest has a solid group of LB's anchored by preseason All-ACC member Aaron Curry. Look for Curry to be involved in numerous plays from his strongside linebacker position. As mentioned earlier, FSU should run outside of the tackles with Antone Smith and Jermain Thomas to avoid 325-lb. Robinson. Also, look for Preston Parker to line up at RB multiple times throughout the game. Jimbo Fisher will use Parker all over the field to get the ball in his hands and the best one-on-one match up he can. FSU should have chances for some big runs, but Wake's LB's, especially Curry, will be in on a ton of tackles. EDGE: Wake Forest

FSU Receivers vs. Wake Forest's Secondary

Wake Forest has maybe the best individual corner that FSU will see all year in Alphonso Smith (the only other corner that FSU is scheduled to see all year that could be considered better is VT's Victor Harris), and Brandon Ghee on the other side is not too shabby either. Throw in FS Chip Vaughn and you are facing a more than formidable opponent. Even with all that talent, this is still FSU's biggest advantage in terms of match ups. There are just too many talented receivers for Wake Forest to be able to cover them all, especially when FSU goes to multiple receiver sets. Florida State can concede any individual match up against Smith and still have way too many other options on the field. Even though FSU has a distinct advantage here, Wake Forest will still have a couple big plays and at least 1 interception. EDGE: FSU

FSU QB's vs. Wake Forest's Pass Defense and Scheme

Ponder and Richardson have both played well thus far, but that was to be expected. It would have been more telling if they had played poorly, but as of now the jury is still out on both. If Ponder is given time, he should be able to light up the Wake Forest secondary with his plethora of receivers. Wake Forest will use a variety of blitzes and coverages to confuse Ponder and should have some success. Look for D'vo to have about 10-20 plays with a mix of both passes and designed runs. Overall, this battle will have more to do with whether Wake Forest can generate any pressure on the QB than the QB's actual talent. EDGE: PUSH

Florida State Defense vs. Wake Forest Offense

FSU Defensive Line vs. Wake Forest's Offensive Line

With the return of Budd Thacker to the lineup, this unit should be much improved. Thacker should help the rest of the defensive line stop most of Wake Forest's running plays, mainly since the interior of the offensive line is the weakest point. Also, look for Markus White to see much more playing time and hopefully his first start. Even with the help of White, do not expect much of a pass rush from FSU since Wake will primarily be running short to intermediate routes. EDGE: FSU

FSU LB's vs. Wake Forest RB's

Even with the current suspensions, the FSU LB's are still talented enough to have a big game. The defensive line should demand enough attention to keep blockers from getting to the second level, allowing the linebackers to flow freely to the ball carrier. Wake Forest RB Josh Adams is talented, as evidenced by his preseason All-ACC selection, but it does not matter if he does not have the blocking. Look for Derek Nicholson to put up another large number in the tackle column from his Mike roll. EDGE: FSU

FSU Secondary vs. Wake Forest Receivers

With Wake Forest running mainly shorter routes, they should have a high number of catches. The main role of the secondary in this game will be to not miss many open field tackles. The loss of Patrick Robinson due to suspension really hurts here, and with Riley Skinner at QB, the Wake Forest receivers will have plenty of chances to make catches and gain yards after the catch. EDGE: Wake Forest

FSU Pass Defense and Scheme vs. Riley Skinner

Riley Skinner is a solid QB that will pick a defense apart if given time. FSU should be able to get enough of a pass rush on long routes without blitzing and would be better off to have as many people in coverage to prevent yards after the catch on the shorter routes. Seminole fans can look at Skinner and see what the future may hold for Ponder. Both quarterbacks have similar skill sets, with Skinner just being further developed at this point in both of their careers. Ponder also is more of a running threat, but Skinner should have a good game unless Wake falls really far behind. EDGE: Wake Forest

Special Teams

With Graham Gano still out with a knee injury, the FSU special teams have taken a huge hit. Shawn Powell has done a good job filling in as a punter, but the same can not be said for the field goal and kick off replacements. Zach Hobby is just 1 for 4 on field goals and has already missed 2 extra points, and James Esco's kick offs consistently fall short of the goal line, allowing the opponents to have good field position with only marginal returns. Meanwhile, Sam Swank has been solid for Wake Forest, making all his field goal and extra point attempts, including a 41-yard game winner against Ole Miss. FSU could switch to Parker to return punts which will help prevent Tony Carter from becoming injured. If this game comes down to field goals, it could remind FSU fans of some Miami games in the past. EDGE: Wake Forest

Initial Reaction to Chattanooga Game (Updated)

nolesblogger — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:42:18 -0000

This are just some things I noticed from watching the game at the Doak. We will watch the game later and provide further analysis, but these are the things that jumped out.

First thing, the WR's dropped too many passes. Bert Reed dropped a touchdown in the fourth quarter on a corner route on a well thrown ball from D'Vontrey Richardson. Rod Owens also dropped one in the second quarter right off the line from Christian Ponder.

The offensive line played well at some points and struggled during others. The quarterbacks were under pressure way too often for facing such an inferior opponent. This type of inconsistency wil be a huge problem as we play better teams starting next week with Wake Forest.

One play that I really liked was the second touchdown of the game. It was a great wrinkle of the offense where Corey Surrency came off the line acting like he was going to block but instead took off down the field. The rest of the team also sold the bubble screen to the slot receiver, and Ponder pump faked to the slot receiver. Both DB's jumped the route and Surrency was wide open for a long TD. It was a great play design, I just only wish we would have saved it for a more meaningful game.

On the other side of the ball, the defense put way more pressure on the opposing quarterback than they did last week. Even though the pressure was improved, it still could be better. Part of the problem is the weakness and lack of depth at the DT spots. Hopefully, they can continue to improve against Wake Forest and then will get an added boost when players come back from suspension for the Colorado game.

Other problems again this week were dropping too many interceptions and not forcing enough turnovers. Myron Rolle dropped a pick in the first half after it was tipped at the line by Moses McCray. One forced turnover will not cut it on a weekly basis against stronger teams. The one turnover was from a great hit from Kenny Ingram where he forced and recovered the fumble.

Tony Carter also made two bad plays. The first came on Chattanooga's only TD. It was a good route and throw. Carter was beat which happens and is understandable. With our defensive scheme, we play too much man coverage for our DB's to not get beat at times. The WR's in college football now are too fast, too big, and/or too strong to play man coverage and not expect to get beat at least occasionally. The problem with this particular play was that Carter misplayed the ball when he was beat, which allowed the receiver to make the catch and then take it in for the score. The better play would have been for him to accept that he was beat and just try to make the tackle after the catch. The second bad play he made was just a terrible decision. He should never have tried to field a punt by diving. FSU was fortunate to recover the ball, but this could have been very costly against a good team.

The injury to Graham Gano could be very, very costly, like maybe 2 losses. The kickoffs have not been nearly as long as Gano's usually are, which will really hurt in close games where field position is important. The punting also has not been as good, and of course, now we can not make a field goal. It is possible that Gano would not do all three, but he would definitely be a better option at all three. I would expect that he would at least handle the field goals and kick offs.

As mentioned before, these were just a few things that were immediately noticed and we will provide further analysis later.

FSUncensored's take on Noleblogger's take.

The wide receivers definitely dropped too many passes. I didn't see this in the first game and I am going to attribute this to a lack of focus, probably caused by the antiicpation of the Wake gane. The ball from D'Vo to Reed was insanely well thrown.

I was very disappointed in our pass blocking. If this keeps up, we will definitely be throwing more short stuff. Expect us to run Ponder and D'Vo A LOT against Wake. Greenlee is a nice story coming back from his neck injury, but he played like garbage today. That needs to be fixed immediately. If he is our best option, look out.

We previewed the "fake weakside toss, bubble pump, deep bomb" last week. We saw it this week. I agree with Noleblogger that he should have saved this play, but now Wake is in a bit of a bind.

I really liked how we got away from the bubble screen today and managed to work on other stuff.

On the other side of the ball, the defense put way more pressure on the opposing quarterback than they did last week. Even though the pressure was improved, it still could be better. Part of the problem is the weakness and lack of depth at the DT spots. Hopefully, they can continue to improve against Wake Forest and then will get an added boost when players come back from suspension for the Colorado game._Nolesblogger

Agreed, but I would like to add something. Moses McCray played an amazing game today. For those of you who are unfamiliar, McCray is a state championship caliber wrestler, who is 6'3 285ish, at DT (Freshman). Also, today we learned that Budd Thacker will be back for the wake game. This is a huge upgrade for the 'Noles, and should put our DT depth issues to rest.

I am going to explode if I talk about our garbage secondary or special teams decisions. They were very bad.

FSU Baseball Schedule Released

nolesblogger — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:16:15 -0000

FSU's Baseball schedule for 2009 was released today. We'll have a preview as the season gets closer but here it is for those that are interested. ACC games are in bold.

FLORIDA STATE BASEBALL
2009 SCHEDULE

Day Date Opponent Location Time
FRI FEB 20 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 4:00
SAT FEB 21 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY (DH) TALLAHASSEE 1:00
SUN FEB 22 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE TBA
THUR FEB 26 AUBURN UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
FRI FEB 27 AUBURN UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 4:00
SAT FEB 28 AUBURN UNIVERSITY AUBURN, AL 3:00 CST
SUN MAR 1 AUBURN UNIVERSITY AUBURN, AL 1:00 CST
TUE MAR 3 JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY JACKSONVILLE 6:00
WED MAR 4 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA TALLAHASSEE 6:00
FRI MAR 6 BOSTON COLLEGE TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SAT MAR 7 BOSTON COLLEGE TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SUN MAR 8 BOSTON COLLEGE TALLAHASSEE 1:00
TUE MAR 10 HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
WED MAR 11 HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
FRI MAR 13 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
SAT MAR 14 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
SUN MAR 15 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
TUE MAR 17 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GAINESVILLE, FL 6:30
FRI MAR 20 CLEMSON UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SAT MAR 21 CLEMSON UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SUN MAR 22 CLEMSON UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 1:00
TUE MAR 24 FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
WED MAR 25 FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
FRI MAR 27 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, MD
SAT MAR 28 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, MD
SUN MAR 29 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, MD
TUE MAR 31 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GROUNDS OF JACKSONVILLE
FRI APR 3 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MIAMI
SAT APR 4 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MIAMI
SUN APR 5 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MIAMI
WED APR 8 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA GROUNDS OF JACKSONVILLE 7:00
FRI APR 10 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SAT APR 11 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SUN APR 12 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA TALLAHASSEE 1:00
TUE APR 14 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TALLAHASSEE 6:00
WED APR 15 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA TALLAHASSEE 6:00
FRI APR 17 NC STATE UNIVERSITY RALEIGH, NC
SAT APR 18 NC STATE UNIVERSITY RALEIGH. NC
SUN APR 19 NC STATE UNIVERSITY RALEIGH, NC
TUE APR 21 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CARLOLINA - ASHEVILLE TALLAHASSEE 6:00
WED APR 22 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CARLOLINA - ASHEVILLE TALLAHASSEE 4:00
FRI APR 24 WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SAT APR 25 WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SUN APR 26 WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 1:00
FRI MAY 1 VIRGINIA TECH TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SAT MAY 2 VIRGINIA TECH TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SUN MAY 3 VIRGINIA TECH TALLAHASSEE 1:00
TUE MAY 5 JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
WED MAY 6 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
FRI MAY 8 GEORGIA TECH ATLANTA, GA
SAT MAY 9 GEORGIA TECH ATLANTA, GA
SUN MAY 10 GEORGIA TECH ATLANTA, GA
THUR MAY 14 GRAMBLING UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
FRI MAY 15 GRAMBLING UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 6:00
SAT MAY 16 GRAMBLING UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE 2:00
WED-SUN MAY 20-24 ACC TOURNAMENT DURHAM, NC
FRI-SUN MAY 29-31 NCAA REGIONAL TBA
FRI-SUN JUNE 5-7 NCAA SUPER-REGIONAL TBA
SAT-WED JUNE 13-23/24 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES OMAHA, NEB