Seminole Sidelines: Unpacking thoughts from FSU's coaches

a [Music] [Music] [Music] hello everybody happy Wednesday afternoon welcome to sumal Sidelines my name is Nick Carlile I'm joined by Bob verante Kurt Wier and publisher Jerry Kuts publisher from Ireland well you're not from Ireland anymore you're publisher from from back home in Tallahassee now aren't you Jerry I am I'm half Irish so there you go oh you I guess you I guess are you I thought you were I thought you were German K German yeah it is but my father was Italian and they changed the name from kuzo to Kuts so okay half Italian and half Irish okay there you go well thank you all so much for joining us today we're giving pad a little bit of a break as he's been doing a lot of the shows recently but um a very important day today um and it kind of just felt a little bit different because we have not listened to Norvell and the coordinator speak after a regular season loss in a very long long time especially not a loss to the quality of loss that we saw on Saturday so going into it I personally was very interested to see kind of the verbiage that Norvell and the rest of the coordinators use because coache is very much a thing uh and you know to my surprise um a lot of the verbiage that you know we have been saying amongst ourselves I think a lot of the fan base has been saying as well Norville used the word sickening to describe this loss um Kurt and Bob what did you guys think of what Norville had to say today and um did you feel did you feel moved in any particular way about what you heard from from Norvell and the coordinators yeah I I don't I think we've learned by now that Mike Nell's G of kind of never go full Nick Sabin of kind of using his press conferences with us as motivator to the team is trying to light a fire under the team's butts if you will whatever have you I think we've Le that's not really his Mo it felt like today was about as close as we ever seen him get now I will say I think a lot of it he put on himself I mean obviously he talked about areas where the team needs to be better but at the end of the day I think it's a credit to Mark Nal and I think it's what a lot of people wanted to hear that he was like at the end of the day if the team's not ready for a game and I don't think we were I don't think we play like we ready that was not our best that at the end of the day comes on me and I a lot of people appreciated the amount of pretty direct ownership Mike has uh Mike has taken about this because I think we've all thought for all the problems on the field I think we've thought he wasn't blameless in this and so I think a lot of people appreciated him him coming out and getting ahead of it I can only imagine I mean how many how much what the last few days have uh have been like for him it definitely seems like he was still feeling it a little this morning this afternoon you know to add to what Kurt just said he he opened the press conference by thanking all the FSU fans who had traveled so far to see that game you know probably 30,000 would be a fair guess and uh I think he felt a responsibility for letting them down yeah absolutely and I think I think the the words I think he said at one point that nobody was happy watching film after getting back did they get back on Tuesday or or did they get back late on Monday I know they had a day planned in Ireland yeah so I mean I I I kind of have to doubt that even that last final Day in Ireland was super enjoyable for that for football team but go ahead Kurt yeah I from from what it sounds like I know we had somebody on our board say I no Mike said today that they they early Sunday morning uh had a film session with the offense and defense separately and I think the the quote from Mike was nobody was in a good mood but I know as someone on our board posted and saw them later in the day as they were seeing Ireland and it seemed like they were I don't want to say they were in a good mood but they were at least enjoying it and not not trying not to dwell on that and take away from that unique experience I know a few people apologized to Florida State fans they saw in Ireland UNS in kind of just said I'm sorry for for what we put on the field so I think uh I I if a loss like that isn't a motivator I don't know what will be and it sounds like the early returns have been good which is uh which is encouraging but yeah it's I I thought it was smart of Mike to lead with that today like Jerry said because I think I was talking to someone I forget who of saying you know as much went into that trip for so many people and I would hope that game didn't ruin people if they took a whole week to go over I would hope that game didn't ruin their entire trip if so I might advise you to reconsider some things but but it was a big commitment for a lot of people so I said to someone I think I I hope he I think he should make mention of something of apologizing almost for the the effort they put on the field for the commitment financially so many people come can't went put in to go see that trip and he did he let off with it yeah absolutely and especially having it be in a prime time slot there not only were a lot of there was a lot of garnet and gold over in Ireland especially in comparison to uh Georgia Tech fans but also just the prime time slot a lot of eyeballs on the game and you you would hope that with that product on the field and you know you talk like you think they would be blown out but you know physically and the way that they played it almost feels like they got blown out um you you would hope that Norvell would open up the conference and say look to the fans especially also knowing that BC is also sold out thank you guys so much for your support for everything despite the way that we played Bob what did you think of norville's comments I I think for him to speak about ownership and what the coaches and players how they responded you know he answered a couple of of questions from us taking ownership you know when we asked about jayen Lucas for example only getting on the field for seven plays and and he didn't respond to the seven plays as much as the three touches that Jaylen had on offense and and he said that's that's on me to get the ball to Jaylen Lucas um much more frequently because he is a playmaker because he has shown it he earned it through the preseason through the spring I think that's one example um a lot of the takeaways I have are I think we were asking questions about who can play more who can step into various roles and I think it was a really clear storyline for all the coaches to say it was a seven drive game for each team it messed up our rotations on offense and defense you can call it an excuse if you want I think it's probably pretty legit I mean there was just some longer drives unfortunately on the defensive side they didn't get off off the field enough enough three and outs for example so we didn't see for example like c l who had a really good statistical game for the number of snaps that he had um so I think there are some smaller moves that are are going to be considered if you're looking for a massive depth chart shakeup I think a lot of fans were maybe going into today thinking there might be some some moves some announcements the depth chart doesn't work that way for Mike norell it it just ain't you might see something Monday night but it wasn't going to happen today in a really public setting like like for us in a press conference yeah absolutely uh I mean and and there were some minor depth chart changes today there weren't anything major um I think probably the the biggest one if you could claim that it's the biggest one was probably Uh Kevin nuls being named Soul starter at that strong safety position opposite of Shaheen Brown um Devonte Brown was the starter heading into uh the Ireland game it's the UPS secondary the Brown and Brown you know what can Brown do for you uh is no longer the case looks like Conrad hussy is going to be the soul starter at that position Jeremiah Byers also now listed at Soul starter at right tackle instead of sharing a co-starter with Robert Scott Kevin nolles now is the lone starter at nickel instead of being co-starter with Earl little Jr um so there were some minor shakeups there um with the depth chart but going back to some of the co to some of the coach speak that we were expecting today um I think both puchas and and Fuller didn't get to talk to Atkins today um some of the verbiage that they use soft uh at the edge I think was something that Fuller and puchas both said I wasn't exactly expecting them to come right out and use that verbiage but um kind of in the similar vein uh Jerry Bob Kurt if you heard or all of what uh Fuller said what what were your opinions on his comments there I don't remember the last time we've heard a coach head coach or coordinator use soft and and in context folks not soft just soft on the edge and I think they put it in good context I don't think we've heard those words used by the staff since they R in 2020 well and I think Fuller also commented or poest did that L Hala uh you know was not soft on the edge uh which in coach speak means that maybe Marvin wasbe well and and he talked about C probably having a larger role based off how he performed in game one in in game two so I think uh yeah I think that I can't say I entirely disagree I mean I think that's the side of the ball where you need to challenge them a little more I think a lot of when you look at the offense I know Mike has talked about how they need to be more explosive we saw that a little more later in the game obviously I think need to be a bit more balanced Mike talked about which that really falls on on the play caller you know I mean that falls on Mike at the end of the day and uh but but I think the defensive side of the ball is you need to challenge them a little because yeah I think they didn't rise to the physicality I think there are more there are less like things you can point to of you the the coaches didn't adapt things as well and as much as just like the execution wasn't there I know I think a a pretty telling quote I thought from Adam Adam fuller today was kind of he talked about you know I think we have some very strong very powerful players on the defensive line but if they don't play with technique if they don't play with Grit that might not be enough on its own it kind of takes the combination of everything coming together and it feels like maybe those some of those defensive linemen were trying to rely on power alone and not play with proper technique and a a experienced techniques sound offensive line taught him a lesson son Saturday so hey let me say this um about that I I picked up on that too Kurt exactly what you were saying there and I think that um for you to play with physicality um you have to be confident first right I mean most people if they're not 100% sure what they're seeing they're going to play careful they're G they're they don't want to run themselves out of a play and so I think I think what I saw and I thought he spoke to me on today was that uh if if you notice he was saying about it's where your handan placement is and uh and all that you know technique and hand placement I I felt like we were off balance the whole night that what what Georgia Tech was doing with the eye candy and the guys in motion it was messing with the linebackers big time but I think it also messed with the front and if you got guys like Daryl Jackson and farmer with their ears pinned back they're a whole different uh problem to deal with than when they're trying to figure out what it is that you're doing and and I think I think that had a lot to do with it now Fuller didn't he did say that he didn't think that they were as well prepared as they should be you know he took that responsibility Fuller did and said you know I don't think we were as prepared as we should be now part of that is mental of course we weren't mentally prepared enough and and and part of it's emotionally prepared but I I think we're much more physical team than what we showed yesterday um but it's hard to be physical when you're confused do you do you think it was a do you think it was a confidence thing Jerry once they got into the game it was a lack of confidence in what they were seeing because I believe it was Fuller who said something to the effect of if you're not playing confident you're not playing well you overcompensate do your job is I think the phrase that a lot of the coachs did do you get the sense and Kurt and Bob you can chiman do you get the sense that it was a confidence thing in um digesting what they were seeing on the football field and that was affecting how they played to me I thought what he was talking about is you've got a responsibility in this defense in order for us to fit and you need to do your job do your assignment be confident that your your neighbor is going to do his and make the fit but what I heard Fuller say and I heard U Mike say and I saw with my own eyes was guys were they were trying to make a a play wasn't in their assignment you know and I think to for a defense to fit and form the wall that Fuller was talking about you got to have confidence that the neighbor on either side of you is gonna do their job and that's how I read that well I forget if it was Mike or Adam but one of them kind of I think straight up got asked did you think the defense played tentatively played like almost afraid to make a mistake and when you're so afraid to make a mistake you you let the play come to you and by then you've kind of already let the guy get past you you've already lost you're catching blockers yeah you're catching blockers and another interesting thing too I mean we've dogged the linebackers and I'm not disagreeing with with dogging the play of the linebackers it was not up to Snuff I know I think Adam basically said you know the linebacker play was I think not ideal was the the words he used but he also probably the best two words that he could have used to describe that go ahead but he also talked about and I do think there's some truth to this when your defensive Line's getting pushed back that messes up everyone's gaps and everyone's angles and all that that changes the entire nature of a play when you are losing the line of scrimmage like Florida State quite often did on defense on Saturday and that changes things and makes things harder for a linebacker I think we had our questions I think truthfully we had our questions about this the linebacker core we thought the defense of line and the secondary we both be good enough to make up for that if if one of those units or either of those units is is not playing up to Snuff that becomes a real problem for the linebackers yeah I agree I thought I thought and I think I even wrote it I know I've said it I thought that we were going to get really good defensive line play which was going to make it easier on the linebackers and instead the opposite happened you know yeah and we got soft play from the defensive line they were getting knocked back into the linebackers which is making it much more difficult on the linebackers final question here before we take a short break I I kind of in in the Fallout of this game it I went back to um I think it was that after the Boston College game last year and I can't remember if it was AEM Den or shahib brown who brought up communication on the defensive back end and just communication on the defense in general and how important that is when and um kind of just ciphering what the offense is doing making sure you're fitting into gaps and making sure that you understand what's coming and everybody does their job I guess I guess my question is how much did communication and learning to communicate with one another how much did that play into what we saw on Saturday I think it's big you know huge U you know where I think I saw it the most from the stadium is when they would shift at the last second and go to a different formation your linebackers have to be talking to each other you know everybody's got to be talking and when they put a guy in motion across the field that's you know the linebacker would go in motion with the back across the field and often times get hung up on one of the other linebackers trying to get there and he got there late every time so it was uh an easy go you know to for the quarterback they can identify its man coverage from the motion and then the quarterback had a wide open back in the flat that are are you know we were trailing uh and I asked that question of Gladden uh about how they used to do that back in the day and if they were in man coverage and they put a guy in motion they would switch to what they called banjo coverage so instead of me that the linebacker on this this side where the motion begins trying to run through all the muck to cover the guy would they would switch and so one of the other linebackers would pick him up and everybody the other linebackers would assume his assignment right and I throughout the game I kept thinking you know it's it's really it's a really tough ask for a linebacker to to chase a running back that far across the field um so that's a scheme change that I think uh I'm curious to see if they might make any other thoughts on that from you Kurt you Bob yeah I would just say again Cam Riley was not here in the spring so this is a tough ask for him he's he's flying a lot of reps without a lot of experience two scrimmages Etc we liked Blake Nicholson to a certain extent 17 snaps would like to see him get more but it's just year two for him too it's new for Everybody DJ Lundy was limited in in Camp with an injury we haven't seen Shawn Murphy on the football field very much because much because of his injury a lot of major questions about each linebacker and each linebacker and how they communicate with each other and you add in the Green Dot component of of Adam Fuller's talking to somebody and then you add in the component of Georgia Tech's helmet communication to their linebacker wasn't working in the second half and then flate has to agree to not use their communication in the second half so yes when we talk about communication I think there's a lot of things flying around in a in a first game in a weak zero it was a lot to throw at these guys yeah yeah absolutely all right so we're going to take a quick break uh to show some love to our sponsors back Shore perel who have uh very kindly sponsored the Oola and seminal Sidelines uh for the believe the month of September so we're going to hear from them very quickly when we come back going to talk a little bit about um just how the the the comments today from the coaching staff may or may not have changed our perception of what happened on Saturday and you know what that means uh moving forward as Boston College comes in on Monday so we will see you back in 45 seconds here's the word from backshore apparel the backshore that stretch of fluffy sand just beyond the reach of the salty waves the place reserved for volleyball nets cookouts and the air filled with fun and laughter celebrate the backshore with backshore apparel grab an amazingly soft and comfy backshore apparel Beach hoodie to keep you protected from the sun's harmful Rays or the backshore revamped trucker hat a modern Twist on a classic favorite crafted from moisture waking fabrics and uring they're lightweight and breathable not to mention durable with their unique floating feature shop now at backshore apparel.com and right now FSU fans get 10% off your order with code FSU [Music] 10 man I'll tell you what I'm not exactly sure where the backshore is but I would much rather have been at the backshore than uh driving home uh sulking after uh what we all saw on Saturday again thank you so much to backshore apparel for sponsoring the Oola and seminal Sidelines we greatly appreciate you um so we've already talked a little bit about the comments that Norville Fuller puchas made today um kind of about the verbiage of what they said and what exactly that means um I I kind of left the game and and after watching it a second time and said okay so so how does this actually get corrected because it seemed like such a bizarre loss in the way that a lot of the things that we've seen Norvell and his coaching staff kind of repair over the last few years the want to the physicality the um I guess I don't the emotional maturity all of those things that are in the culture the DNA of the program seem to not be there sometimes on Saturday so it kind of had that that bizarre feeling to it so how does that how does that stop and not carry over to Monday and the answer that I came up with was well this team just has to own it there can't be any excuses this team just has to own what happened to them they have to own everything leading up to the game and then you have to go out flush it and go play another week of football do you obviously we only got to talk to norell and the coordinators today we'll be able to talk to some players tomorrow did you get the sense from the coaching staff that they were that they were able to say okay we own it and certainly norville's comment suggest that but we own it let's move on we know what we need to fix did you guys get the sense from the comments today that they're ready to move on and really focus on on Boston College absolutely I I did and that's been his modus saranda you know I remember last couple years ago when we lost to u to what was it Jacksonville State uh the coaches went into that meeting I wrote about this expecting maybe to get fired you know after the the Hail Mary passed for a touchdown and uh but it was business as usual for Mike it was like what do we do wrong how do we fix it let's talk about the next opponent and that emotional intelligence is uh that's a trademark of his and uh and so I expect that they've already had that meeting now and you guys can comment on that before I get to my second point if you want I mean do you agree with me on that yeah no I I would think so but you know just in case just in case you know somebody had any other opinion but yeah just tough not to pain right it's it's tough not to just go in and just tear everybody up but we see from like the Cinematic recap how Mike Norvell handles it what he says to players I I think our questions still are who are some of the leaders in certain position groups I'm betting that's where Jerry was going I think we know at point we we don't know what every position group go ahead Jerry here here you go I teed it up for wow no no you you KN get out of the park It's a 65 m per hour fastball Jerry you can't swing and miss here no oh trust me seen me play baseball I don't know that I want to see you play baseball no you don't but hey uh but uh I couldn't break light bulbs with my betat but any rate um the thing about it to me is uh you know every team has to be player owned it really does it and it doesn't matter how much Mike's hurting or buys owns it or Fuller you got to have your players they've got to be embarrassed they have to and I'm sure Mike called in and listen let's go back a week going into this football game and I think maybe I underestimated it I ignored it because maybe I was lazy or too optimistic but I think we all had some questions about who are the leaders on this team and particularly on defense yes because when you you know pton is the only really returner on the defensive front farmer Farmer has some experience but he wasn't a guy that factored much last year and you know you can't expect Jones to walk in and be a leader it took verse a while it took Fisk a while so there we had a void of leadership on the defensive front in my opinion going into the game and nobody in in my mind's SI stepped up and took it over they didn't own it during the game and I'm sure Mike and Odell have identified some guys that they probably put their arm around and said it's time you know I would imagine that that one of those people is probably Pat pton I mean he he really I mean we we I don't think we talked to Pat pton this preseason did we guys after practice we did um I can't recall if he was asked about you know his leadership but I mean just the way that Pat Payton carries himself he seems like just a quiet or more reserved guy to begin with just is he one of those guys that needs to put on the bootstraps and say okay it's time to be a leader can just bluntly can he do that I I asked him at HC kickoff I guess kind of his leadership style and he definitely said he was a lead by example guy I think AZ has said similar things I think fent trell has said similar things I think this this this defense is is has a bunch of guys who I think do the right thing and can be those types but you can't have a defense built entirely of those types you do need to have that guy who's willing to get after his teammates I think uh I think if a loss like what they went through on Saturday uh doesn't doesn't bring out that person doesn't doesn't push someone to say I need to be this person then I'm I'm not sure what will no I I I agree with you Kurt I mean you know that's a long flight home and I'm sure there was a lot of conversation uh since that game and uh you may not want to be a leader and I've heard guys who became great leaders say this but at some point I mean you don't want your team to suck I mean football's hard enough when you're winning it's miserable when you're losing so there's a big incentive to to step up I think shahim is the the mouy one the vocal one I think Patrick pton is the emotional one and probably the most has the highest football IQ so they're both very capable I I saw Lundy you know trying to lead uh but I think you know a lot of that was because he had the dot on his helmet and he was probably communicating what was coming from the bench because he's kind of a quiet laidback I don't want to say laidback but he's just not a real vocal guy but you have to become one you know somebody has to be that guy and uh I'm sure Odell will do everything he can do he'll put a boot up some people's rears but I think what this is going to take is over lesser things I'm sure I think this is going to take an arm around the shoulder and say this is your opportunity maybe your last opportunity to be a leader yeah absolutely uh just overall guys listening to what they had to say today um did you come out of the press conference today feeling more assured about you know what the potential response of this team will be on Monday or did you feel about the same as you did before into it like did did the comments from the coaching staff make you feel a little bit better about um you know the the we the not only the practice that they had yesterday which was close to the media but the practices that we're going to see tomorrow and the preparation are do you feel better about that uh Bob I'll go to you you know I hate to say no just because I want to hear it from the players more than anybody else more than the coaches but I think when you you read body language of the coaches Adam Fuller was was definitely he was feeling down he he wasn't going to try and put lipstick on a pig or anything today I think Mike norell definitely tried because that's what he wants to exude uh you know JP got some good questions about special teams and Fitz's kicks and The Swinging gate two-point play it was easier for him to have those kind of moments I really want to hear what some of the players say you know Thursday and Friday when we talked to him in practice honestly I kind of came out of the game I've got some glass full optimism in certain areas but there's a lot of harsh realism over what we think through 60 Minutes these guys are and it didn't line up with with the preseason camp but I still think it's early for a lot of these guys with so many new pieces coming in some of these new transfers I think one of the coaches mentioned that today it's really hard when all these new transfers come in and to have a a game one look really good just because I don't even remember how many transfers in their first year in Tallahassee started that game on Saturday it felt like 10 12 I mean it was just a it was just a lot of guys yeah yeah yeah I mean go ahead Kurt I don't know how much truth the truth of the matter for me is I kind of once I was sitting with it a little more even before today felt felt like this team was gonna bounce back that's kind of been the Mike norell Mo it's a unique situation obviously but really since 0 and four this team has responded at a remarkably high high level with the success they've had and so I just I I'm somewhat confident I don't know if today made that a ton more but I think I just I don't know I mean I I I totally get why it's unfounded I think like you said Bob I think some of it is based around that is not the team we saw this preseason and like that just they're just not that I can't fathom they just totally falling off a cliff but uh I I don't know I think I was encouraged by what they talked about with ownership by uh by Mike Dell definitely not shying away from saying some from being a little more candid than he normally is in those press conferences and and definitely true for for Adam Fuller and John papuchis as well yeah I Bob made a the the point of that he wants to see you know the players kind of echo that sentiment or at least exude that when they go to practice tomorrow that was kind of what I wanted to close with what do you guys want to see a practice tomorrow because we we've all been at pretty much every single practice we've seen what the practice is like for this team we've seen what they go through we're probably sick of watching them do the same stuff over and over again but I I feel like after a loss like this you can't help but go and try and look at it with a new lens when you're going to this practice is the intensity there does it match what we expect to see uh are we seeing new people be more vocal uh than they were in the previous four weeks what what are some of the things that you guys are looking to forward to seeing tomorrow we going to be looking for as we close the show here I I I'll speak first uh because there was a pregnant silence but I asked the hard-hitting questions what can I say the philosophical War well what I expect to see and what I want to see is a a coaching staff that doesn't panic I really want to see business as usual now what I what I hope to see is I hope to see some more uh urgency from the players themselves um and uh and that can be the way you described it verbally uh a high Tempo practice what I would love to see is some real open field tackling you know old school let's go you know full pads leave the donuts at the coffee shop and start tackling each other and but I know I won't see that um but I think it's important that the coaches uh come out there and uh and don't show Panic you know don't change everything like oh God you know we're in trouble I think they they need to to uh stay confident what they're doing and uh look Georgia Tech may turn out to be a pretty good team y'all I think they will we might get down the road and they're pretty good but I do think that that coaching film as I wrote about it this I want to see teaching I want to see Corrections you know and uh whatever it was that we weren't doing right uh in our in our uh on the ends I want to see puch's coaching that up I want to see Odell you know being Odell with his defensive guys and creating more urgency and I would like to see some leadership some some passion from uh his interior guys and then that's something we haven't seen absolutely well that is going to wrap up the show today we're try to keep it short as uh we don't want to jump our boat into the prediction side of things we're going to save that for a show uh later down the line and obviously I think we'll have a better idea of what we want and what we expect after we see practice tomorrow but thank you all so much for watching uh this episode to sual Sidelines uh Kurt has a recap story of what Norvell said earlier today uh and his thoughts on that Jerry has a great column up on the oola.com as well um what what was the title Jerry no time to panic or something along those lines essentially it's just what you just said Don't Panic don't panic and move on which I think is the uh is the ideal sentiment that a lot of Florida State fans are are at least trying to talk themselves into right now there might be a little slighty tiny bit of panic but um uh it's it's GNA it's going to be a it's going to be a big week uh or a big game on on Monday so we'll have coverage leading up all the way up into that uh Pat is working on a scouting report for B for Boston College right now now excuse me that'll be coming out in the coming days of course we'll have more content in the in the days leading up uh to that Monday night game uh as Florida State host Boston College to a soldout crowd once again thank you all so much for watching thank you for all the comments and thank you for your continued support of the Oola you can read more of our stuff at Flor state. ral.com my name is Nick carow thanks for joining us that's Bob fonte CT wer and publisher Jerry Kuts have a great rest of your Wednesday stay safe stay healthy and we will see you all another time thank you so much