Printer-Friendly Format   E-mail this article     Patrick Robinson and the FSU secondary had another nice practice on Monday.
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Despite drops, FSU offense finds success with the deep ball at Monday's practice.

March 31, 2008

Tallahassee, FL - After the longest scrimmage of the spring season this past Saturday, the Florida State football team had a fairly relaxed practice on Monday. The squad practiced for 16 periods in shorts and it was the last practice in shorts for the semester. The full pads come out once again this Wednesday as the Seminoles will hold another ½ scrimmage.

PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS

• Monday began with position group work and then broke into scout teams.
• In ½ skel the defensive backs set a tone that started in Saturday's scrimmage and continued throughout Monday's session. Dionte Allen broke up two passes, Jamie Robinson broke up a pass and Roosevelt Lawson and Rod Roberts combined on a PBU. Patrick Robinson picked off a pass. The offensive highlights came on a D'Vontrey Richardson to Bert Reed completion and Christian Ponder hooking up with Richard Goodman and going deep to Rod Owens.
• In skeleton Tony Carter broke up a pass and Patrick Robinson broke up two. One was picked off on the deflection by Kendall Smith. The offense did look better as Richardson connected with Greg Carr twice, Jonathan Hannah once and on a deep TD with Lewis Givens. Ponder also had a deep TD pass this one to Greg Carr. He also had completions to Taiwan Easterling, Caz Piurowski and three to Owens. One of the Owens passes went for a big gain due to a nice run after the catch.
• In 11-on-11 the defense continued to fluster the Seminole offense. Everette Brown, Kendall Smith and Craig Yarborough had sacks. Yarborough also had a QB hurry. Korey Mangum had a tackle for loss when Antone Smith was forced to try and make something out of a busted play. Darius McClure had a nice break-up leaping over Piurowski's shoulder to get to the ball. Allen had the lone interception.
• Practice wrapped-up with work in the 2:00 drill. With 1:30 on the clock the first team offense was unable to get much going. Ponder had a completion to Easterling but pass break-ups by Mangum and Jamie Robinson stifled the drive. The second team offense seemed to be on a similar path but Richardson and the two's found ways to convert third and fourth downs. Owens picked up a first on a third down and Brandon Paul bailed Richardson out on a busted play as he flared out of the back field for a nice gain. Givens caught a couple short passes but the drive ended with the Richard Goodman show. He converted a fourth-and-short and then scored a TD on another fourth down.

QUOTES

Head Coach Bobby Bowden
Opening Statement:

"The enthusiasm was good today, their effort is good today. The two worst things they did was dropped passes. Now for the last two practices we've probably dropped more passes then we have the whole dadgum spring, I don't know why but we've dropped more passes. The defense is doing a better job in coverage except for the bombs. That's the worst thing that can happen to you, completing a bomb, there must have been at least three touchdowns out there today. Other than that, practice is coming pretty dadgum good. We've sure got to stop that (the bombs)."

On what he is most pleased with:

 "I think the effort is good. Their effort is good, but there's still too many (players) who don't know the plays, offense and defense, don't get in the right place. Some of them are having to do too much thinking and you can't play football if you're having to try to think what you're gonna do. That's making them play about half speed. I would think knowing what we're doing is probably the thing we need the most."

On the three true freshman's progress:

"I think a whole lot is trying. If a kid is conscientious he's gonna try and do what he's supposed to do so he's out there trying to think `now do I do this, do I do that, do I do this or that?' then offense changes `now do I do this, do that'. Now that definitely slows you down. I'm sure Nigel (Bradham) has caught up a lot being a linebacker. (Terrance) Parks probably has a little bit more time out there where he is to think. (Vincent) Williams seems to be picking it up pretty good. Williams caught my eye Saturday and so did (Aaron) Gresham as linebackers. Now that doesn't mean they are better then anybody else but they did. They caught my eye. Number 24 (Darius McClure) keeps catching my eye, too."

CB Jamie Robinson

On the success of the defense the last few days:

"I really think defense is starting to mesh together pretty good. Everybody is working hard to get better and we've got new overages that we're working on. The coaches kind of changed up a little bit from last year. I think everybody is working hard to get better."

On his transition from corner to safety:

"It hasn't been as easy as it looks actually. I've just kind of been going into it with an open mind and being excited everyday about coming out here and playing the position. I am starting to get a little more comfortable out there. It isn't as easy as it looks."

On the biggest differences between playing DB and safety:

"The hardest thing probably has to be being more physical. At safety you've got to make more tackles so being more physical on my tackling and being, as Coach Andrews calls it, meaner on the field. Just playing out there with an attitude and real aggressive will probably be the hardest thing."

Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Fisher:

On the dropped passes the last two practices:

"We've got some young guys in some key situations and they are pressing and trying to do too much. They're wanting to have success so much they've just got to relax and play the game. You can want something too much, then the confidence, you can lack confidence. There were a couple chances earlier to make some big plays, they beat a block and we don't hit it deep then all of a sudden you don't believe. That happens with teams that haven't had success in a while in young guys. They just haven't had enough success to have enough confidence. I think their confidence got a little shaken and they just start the inconsistency and the only way you get confidence, you've got to go earn it. There ain't no secret to getting it. You've just got to keep grinding and grinding and you don't give up. We stay fundamentally sound, they keep working, all of a sudden they make a couple of plays and look up one day and say `this isn't as hard as you think it is'. We're gonna do the same thing, we're gonna coach the same guys. Keep grinding the coffee."

On why the offense struggled in the scrimmage:

"When you go in a stadium and start a scrimmage, they forget about catching the ball and doing the fundamental thing. `I wanna make a good play, I want coach to notice.' Which is a good thing, their intentions are good, they are just going about it in the wrong way. The quarterbacks had a couple chances. Could have read something a little different just squeeze one or two in there. No one guy for large portions just a guy here, a guy here, a guy here and all of a sudden your drives are over. But you know the good thing I thought at times we ran the football well. I think Deuce (Antone Smith) had seven carries and 71 yards, we're gonna go back and look at it. Moved the ball well as far as that. Again converted in the red zone which is another positive. Wasn't good on the short yardage as we would have liked to been, we were in the drives, but now when we did the drills."