FSU Game Week: The Norvell Era Begins

Technically speaking, this off season has been just as long as any other. But man, it's felt like an eternity.

Technically, Most of football's schedule remained steady despite everything this year. The season ended before the waves of Australian Wildfires, Killer Wasps, COVID-19, and Racial Unrest turned this year into a seemingly endless lucid nightmare. And now it prepares to somehow, against all odds, return on time. (Unless your a B1G or Pac-12 Fan. Sorry guys.)

But all of the stress, pressure, and uncertainty of this season has made the last 7-8 months feel untenable, and now we finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. At least as it pertains to football, the rest of the world still feels like a dumpster fire.

But it's honestly been difficult to get in the Football spirit. Part of me doesn't even feel right shifting my attention to sports when major issues and problems in our world remain unsolved. But at that same time seeing the opportunities and platform that sports provides, coupled with the momentary escapism, has been enough for me to justify taking a step back to normalcy as a sports fan. But even still, I wasn't sure if I could even bring myself into that head space right now.

And then FSU released it's game week Depth Chart.

And for the first time in 8 months, I actually believed football was actually going to happen.

I got excited in a way that I hadn't been all year. So excited, in fact, I had to jump on here to put out a few quick takeaways. Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles prepare to take the field this Sunday, and here's a few thoughts.

What could quality coaching actually mean for this roster?

From Day 1 of the Norvell Regime taking over, a few things have been abundantly clear. Even if they inevitably fail, it will not be because of lack of organization and a comprehensive plan.

Willie Taggart was all flash, no sizzle. The horror stories of how disjointed, disorganized, and fractured the previous staff were reflected themselves on and off the field from Day 1.

Norvell has proven to be anything but disorganized, and his coaches are unified behind his leadership and vision. And considering all the confusion and miscommunication that has plagued FSU the last few years, this new regime should be music to our ears. I'm calling it now, FSU will actually field all 11 players on each snap this year. And if that happens, it'd be the first time in 2 years we managed such a feat.

And that's not even getting into what having true educators and coaches could mean to different position groups and segments of the team, especially for those who were asked to play against their strengths these past few years.

Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller actually plans on using guys like DT Marvin Wilson and DT Cory Durden to attack and disrupt opposing offenses rather than just sit there eating blocks. DE Josh Kaindoh is apparently actually learning how to rush the passer. Linebackers are actually being taught to fill gaps. The Offensive Staff actually seems willing to adjust their play-calling to their deficiencies on the offensive line.

There are inevitably going to be guys that disappoint us this year and don't live up to the hype because of poor scheme fit or lack of talent, but I also can't wait to see how many guys emerge because they're finally receiving adequate coaching with a cohesive plan in place.

This Defensive Line is gonna be a problem for opposing offenses

Now this isn't exactly a hot take. Florida State has one of the best Defensive Lineman in the country in Marvin Wilson, and his counterparts in Corey Durden and Robert Cooper are stars in their own right. But with the emergence of Josh Kaindoh on the outside, and Mississippi State transfer Fabien Lovett on the inside; FSU now has a chance to get pressure from anywhere on the Defensive Line, and has the depth to continually rotate their inside guys to keep them fresh.

And as the season progresses, guys like freshman DE Josh Griffis (Who has already emerged as the primary backup to veteran Janarius Robinson) have a chance to grow and continue to add depth to this already talented segment of the defense.

The FSU Secondary might finally live up to its talent level

4 and 5 Star talents have littered the FSU secondary the past few seasons, and yet they continually disappointed under the tutelage of Harlon Barnett. DC Adam Fuller now has a lot of talent to work with, but a lot of mental ground to make up both from an intellectual and emotional standpoint.

The FSU secondary was constantly out of position, boasting false bravado, and blowing assignments due to poor communication in years past; but if they can get on the same page and start working like a cohesive unit? Look out.

CB Asante Samuel Jr. has a chance to take his game to the next level this year. Already one of the toughest dudes on the team, and arguably FSU's best corner since he got to campus, he has a chance to be an Alpha Dog on that defense. And opposite Samuel appears to be a healthy rotation of Akeem Dent, back in his natural position at corner, along with the two transfers: Meiko Dotson and presumed starter Jarrion Jones. That's a pretty talented bunch.

While S Hamsah Nasrilideen will be missing to start the year due to injury; Renardo Green, Travis Jay, and Jaiden Lars-Woodbey have drawn rave reviews in camp. Travis Jay in particular appears to be a darling of the coaching staff coming off his redshirt year, and is an exciting athlete the fanbase has been clamoring for since he got on campus.

If this segment can bring it all together under Coach Fuller and Secondary Coach Marcus Woodson; this could rival the defensive line for the deepest unit on the team.

Can James Blackman and the FSU Offensive Line strive for average?

Some guys are untapped potential. Some guys are just waiting for the right coach to unlock their talents are break through their ceiling.

Some guys are who they are. Some guys are James Blackman. And unfortunately, there's no coaching guru on the planet that can transform guys like that into something they aren't.

James Blackman is an uninspiring choice for Coach Norvell's first quarterback, but with the injury to Freshman Chubba Purdy, he remains the consistently inconsistent stalwart of mediocrity... and their only realistic option.

In his defense, he's been failed over and over again these past few years, and his lack of development is hardly all his fault. But is he about to blow us away under his new offensive playcaller? Probably not.

And the same can be said for the Offensive Line. There's simply a ceiling when we're dealing with the personnel currently on the roster. There is no magic wand Norvell can wave and fix this issue overnight. It is what it is.

But, can they be... average?

Can Baveon's move to guard help unlock his athletic potential? Can Darius Washington build on a decent freshman season? Can Dontae Lucas emerge as the force of nature we all thought he‘d be when he got to campus?

Can James Blackman just not throw the game away and crumble within himself when times get tough?

If this is true, what wonders that could do for this team! Imagine if Blackman had the know-how to see Tamorrion Terry whenever he ran wide open. Imagine if we could hold up in the run game enough to give transfer RB Jashaun Corbin a lane to run through. Imagine if they could function on a semi-consistent basis against the middling competition in the ACC!

A guy can dream, can't he?

Final Thoughts For Georgia Tech

FSU opens as an 11-point favorite against Georgia Tech in Mike Norvell's first game, and there lies a chance to make a strong opening statement.

However, let's be real for a second. FSU has opened every year for the past 3 seasons with crippling disappointment and pessimism. I don't care if FSU wins by 1 or 50 points. Please just win the game Mike.

Let's start 1-0 for the first time since 2016.

There's a chance this game will be sloppy, Week 1 games in a normal off-season are always a bit sloppy, and this year these teams have had even less time to prepare. However, if FSU can come out focused, organized, and prepared then they should beat the Yellow Jackets soundly.

While Tech has the benefit of being in Year 2 of the Geoff Collins era, they have a much more difficult personnel problem than Florida State. Coming off ten years of Triple-Option Football under Paul Johnson, they are still in the process of overhauling their entire offensive roster.

If the Florida State Defense can minimize mental mistakes and play to their physical potential, they should shut down the Yellow Jackets. Then it's up to the Offense to manage possessions and hold up enough on the Offensive Line to take advantage of their physical mismatches on the outside.

I think at the end of the day we had our groan worthy moments, but are pleased with Norvell's debut.

Game Prediction: FSU 27 - GA Tech 17