2006 Statistics

For the third year in a row, the preseason focus is still on the QB battle. Is it Weatherford or Lee, both highly touted recruits now in their junior seasons? Up to this point the job has mostly belonged to Weatherford, but this new offensive coaching staff is sticking to their guns and declaring the battle a toss up that will continue into the summer. Weatherford has shown accuracy when given time in the pocket, but they have mainly been short passes. Due to this, he has lacked the ability to stretch the field with opposing defenses. Lee, on the other hand, looks more athletic, but he has not demonstrated with his feet much proof of his dual-threat tag. Expect more out of both with Jimbo Fisher coaching them up. Still, the running game has been the Nole’s major offensive problem (finished a horrendous 109th and 103rd in rushing the past two seasons). Antone Smith will carry the load. A former Mr. Florida Football, Smith demonstrated all spring that he is the best rock-carrying weapon FSU will display. Look for his numbers (and the team’s [ground] numbers) to increase. Behind him, Jamaal Lewis is turning heads. The big reason for all of this has to do with what the offensive line has been achieving under new coach Jim Trickett, who came from WVU where his schemes helped open huge holes. Trickett is a hard-nosed coach who is sure to shake things up, and that is just what is needed. He has already moved underclassmen into starting roles over returning senior starters, motivating all to either perform or be bumped back. One of the two best position battles to watch will be at center, where long time starter John Frady is now fighting for his old spot over newcomer Ryan McMahon. The other will be at OT, where Caz Piurowski shifted over from TE and has (thus far) won the starting job over touted senior Shannon Boatman. The Noles also have issues at TE - superstar Brandon Warren decided to transfer, and combined with the move of Piurowski to OT, that leaves FSU a bit short there. D.J. Norris, who played TE in prep, has been moved there to augment depth, and walk-ons got serious looks here in spring. Still, the longtime trend of lacking a true receiver at the TE spot is likely to continue. On the outside at WR, Greg Carr has been nothing more than a long ball deep threat (18.2 avg., 12 TD in only 34 total receptions). Carr has made All-ACC the past two years but has to prove he can do more than win jump-balls with his 6’6 height advantage. De’Cody Fagg is the sure-hands, go-to guy, though he had the dropsies in spring. Watch for emerging sophomore Preston Parker to become another cog in this passing scheme. In short, the offense was chiefly responsible for the team’s recent downfall…which was the main reason why coordinator Jeff Bowden retired this off-season. The OL will start opening holes again to reestablish the running game, a key for FSU in climbing back into the national picture. Moreover, the entire offensive coaching staff has been revamped. New offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher (former OC at LSU) is a real stickler to details. Former FSU standout players Dexter Carter and Lawrence Dawsey have taken over the RBs and WRs, respectively. And the OL appears to be more lean, mobile and aggressive in the early stages of Trickett’s tutelage. By the time this translates in their performance, everyone will see a more aligned offense, the kind that made State famous as their whole achieves more than the sum of its parts.

Defense has not been a problem throughout the ‘seminal’ slide. Given the vast array of talent and speed on this side of the ball, this group will continue to hold foes when needed. Injuries have played a major role in procuring some of the positions, in particular the DL. Through the tribulations, many extra faces have seen quality playing time. Tackle was once a concern but has now evolved into a strength. Senior Andre Fluellen is one of the ACC’s best insiders. Paul Griffin was poised to be a superstar, but a torn knee ligament sidelined his entire 2006 effort. He has sat out spring but is on pace to be back as the starter there. If these two stay healthy, blocking both effectively will prove quite cumbersome, and depth only makes it tougher when their bigmen motors are fresh into the fourth quarter. The DE position has some extremely heated battles. At one end are former starters Everette Brown and Alex Boston sharing time. The other side belonged to Kevin McNeil, one of the team’s sack leaders as just a freshman. But a terrible car accident, in which he injured his foot and was lucky to survive, has sidelined his spring. Through this, Neefy Moffett has become a monster and may not relinquish the job back to anyone. Although the LBs lost Lawrence Timmons early to the NFL, there are just too many soon-to-be stars under the direction of Chuck Amato for this to be a weakness. A former FSU assistant who went on to become a head coach at NC State, Amato is back in Tallahassee to direct this unit. Most expect the starting lineup to consist of Hayes, Ball and Nicholson, but injuries to Ball and Nicholson have forced guys like Dekoda Watson and Anthony Kelly to step up, which affords Amato strong rotations and less tiring. This may be the first season in quite some time that the Nole secondary has a positive outlook due to so much starting experience. Once the nation’s No. 1 recruit (2006, ESPN), Myron Rolle is the star from his strong safety position. He is climbing fast on the post-season honors watch lists. This entire defense, still under long time coordinator Mickey Andrews, is as deep as it has been in quite some time. A nice mixture of youth and veterans will share starting roles and push each other to the levels that made FSU a perennial top five finisher.