TALLAHASSEE – Florida State coach Mike Norvell has, in general, been pleased with the way his team has practiced every day of camp for press season.
But on Monday, Day 9 of camp and the first practice after FSU’s Saturday scream, Norvell challenged his offense.
“Thank God we have a new week to go after Sept. 12 because we have a lot of work to do,” Norvell said, referring to FSU’s season opener vs. Georgia Tech. “This team has to challenge itself … We had limited opportunities and I did not think today about the intensity of what it takes for us to play to the caliber that I think we are capable of playing.
‘We have to make the choice. We need to respond together as a team and we need to continue working together to become better at increasing the way we prepare and the way we grow together. “
The failure of FSU had some positive moments in checking Saturday, but the plays that made the most of the unit’s productivity do not appear to exist on Monday.
“Defensively, a really good job today. The misdemeanor had a hard time doing almost anything, “said Norvell. “We need to develop our toughness and mindset.”
Tight ends coach Chris Thomsen – a former head coach at Abilene Christian – said this is part of the process. Physical fitness is one thing, but mental fitness remains a work in progress.
“On Saturday, I think they showed that they were progressing quite a bit in that way. “There could be a bit of crime in that,” said Thomsen. “We can not let them do that. It’s just a matter of winning consistency.
“It’s like I said at the end of my group, ‘You can not come out on Saturday and be solid and then on Monday not be so good from a mental focus point.’ “We just have to push them that way. And they have to stick to the task. That’s a process that I think every team goes through.”
Who steps to tight ends?
FSUs already inexorably tight entourage took a hit then Jordan Wilson – a graduated transfer of UCLA – suffer a season-ending leg last week.
Where does FSU come from after losing Wilson, a likely blockchain specialist who stated that it was the primary complementary piece to escaping threat threat Camren McDonald?
The above option is likely Wyatt Rector, a walk-on quarterback turned tight end that proved worthwhile as the Scout Team MVP last season. Rector moved positions this spring and showed enough to develop him as FSU’s 3-Back this offseason.
“I feel like I’ve become a lot more physical than in the spring. In the spring, to be honest, I just learned the basics of blocking, because I’ve been in high school all my life and everything, “Rector said, ‘That was generally new to me, but I feel like way better than a blocker. Of course, there’s always room for improvement. I feel like I’ve become.’
Thomsen notes that Rector still learns to block the nuances of angles and understand how his blocks set up runners, but that he shows a better understanding of how different plays require different lever points on blocks.
Norvell also named two freshmen: Carter Boatwright and walk-on Preston Daniel. This is not the first time that Daniel’s name has come up, and it turned out that the Memphis landowner of a small school in the old Norvell stump area could develop into a bit of a steal for the ‘Noles.
“He surprised us a lot to be honest. He still learns a lot about just our misunderstanding. “He’s one of the more composed, intelligent kids I’ve run into in terms of knowing where I need to go, knowing different levers and things like that are not really natural for some newcomers,” said Thomsen. He has done a great job by just learning the system.
‘Now he has to play faster. He must be accustomed to the speed of the college game and the physicality of the college game. He’s a guy we’m really excited about and has done some really good things in camp. ”
Notes
– The improved depth at linebacker has been documented at this point, but it’s interesting to hear a veteran Emmett Reis discuss the shift in personnel at the position.
“The increased level of competition with the added depth just pushes everyone to go harder, because it’s not like you can have an off-day, because you know there’s someone you’re into. the neck breathes and tries to make you better and take your place, “Rice said. “The depth was well needed for competition.”
–S Hamsah Nasirildeen is “real progress” according to Norvell. The senior safety suffered a knee injury late last week and appears to be in the process of recovering from the injury. looked at crutches in a video released by FSU earlier this month.
–FSU returns to practice on Tuesday morning. Players and coaches are expected to address the media starting at 11:30 p.m.
