Hopefully this was a wake-up call for TE

I believe the OL will look a good bit better as the season progresses. Partly because of some inexperienced guys getting more reps, but also because they won't be trying to block Georgia's DL and LB's.

That being said, the entire offense looks to have some foundational cracks. There is very little pre-snap motion to help your young QB better identify coverages, most of the routes appeared to be taking too long to set up, and most importantly the complete abandonment of the run game.

That few carries in a one score game is unacceptable and even more so, the lack of creativity in trying to move the ball on the ground was pretty jarring. I'm not one out here calling for TE's head but I do think the offense has become stale and you've seen teams have an easier time figuring it out.

bretfsu®

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Re: Don’t Overlook FSU

Sep 9, 2021, 7:42 AM

As a Nole, I appreciate the kind words.

Too early to tell after only one game, but I doubt we are as far along as you think.

Here is where Norvell has the team going in the right direction:

1. Attitude. The guys seem to have bought into him. They believe in him. They didn't quit. They looked adversity in the face and fought back. That is a huge improvement over the past 4 years, maybe 5.

2. Fundamentally sound. Under Taggart we were notorious for 12 men on the field, 10 men on the field, 5 lined up in the backfield, 2 men in motion, looking to the sideline for the defensive call while the ball was being snapped, jumping off sides, offensive linemen moving before ball was snapped, etc. At least the guys seem to know what they are doing on the field.

3. Athletically, we aren't there yet. We are better than last year at every position group, but that mean we are good at every position group. OL was the worst in FBS last year. Not hard to improve on that. WR corp is young and not talented. Don't have anyone in that group who will be 2nd team ACC. Linebackers are the weakest position group on defense.

4. Everybody is excited about the amazing story of McKenzie Milton, but he's not gonna lead us to a New Year's 6 bowl. Our "QB of the future" is A.J. Duffy who is a senior in HS this year.

We may have improved enough not to get embarrassed this year by the better teams on our schedule (Florida and Clemson) but probably not enough to have the game in doubt after 3 quarters. By the time we play y'all Venables will have plenty of tape on our offense.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to poor mouth us. I am very optimistic that Norvell is the guy who will bring us back. I'm expecting 7 wins this year, and after last week, 8 is a reasonable hope. (Before the season started I was thinking 6-6 would be a good season.)

Long way to go. But, we are headed in the right direction. Perfection is the goal. Direction is the test.