2017 SEASON CANCELLED

With both of my teams 2-4, this season is officially cancelled....for lack of football.
:\

Jimbo? Where are we going?

Jimbo?

Decisions by our head coach have come into question in recent weeks, since the Seminoles fell to 0-2 (nearly 0-3) and out of the Top 25. In fact, they fell to the basement of their division in the ACC.

This post is not a knee-jerk reaction to a poor start in 2017, it is a reaction to a trend towards mediocrity at FSU since the departure of stellar overachievers, like Jameis WInston and Dalvin Cook.

My feelings are that Jimbo rode on the coattails of these once-in-a-decade athletes who rose above poor coaching, questionable playcalling and lack of preparation.

Again, this isn't based on 2017 alone.

Since Jimbo took over playcalling, there's been a lack of creativity, aggressiveness and WAY too much reliance on field goals. This past weekend was indicative of his weakness as an offensive playcaller. Afraid to put his QB in high-pressure situations, he called running plays on 3rd and long all day. Beside the fact that this was basically a punt on 3rd down, it undermined the young QB's confidence. He had to be thinking "Coach doesn't trust me." And he clearly didn't.

And where is the masterful gameplanning we've come to expect? With a year to prepare for Alabama, we were just ok. With three weeks to prepare for NC State, we looked like we were caught with our pants down...at home, no less. Players constantly out of position, missing assignments, running wrong routes, wrong blocking schemes, poor execution and lack of will all point to a break down in pre-game preparation. That's on the coaches.

As Clint Eiland pointed out in his column today on TheDailyNole.com, "It has become abundantly clear that the FSU coaching staff has not gotten the players to buy in. They are not motivated, they are not executing, and they are not playing up to the standard of FSU football that head coach Jimbo Fisher refers to so often."

But more curious than his playcalling and gameplanning is Jimbo's defense of and loyalty to his assistant coaches, those position guys whose job it is to have these players ready from week-to-week. Let's call them by name--Rick Trickett (Offensive Line), Lawrence Dawsey (Receivers), Charles Kelly (Defense) and Vic Valori (Strength).

Trickett's offensive line is comical, if not downright sad. On Saturday, there were lineman literally tripping over each other. Their takedown rate of o-line teammates was greater than their rate of blocking Wake Forest defenders. That's an obvious exaggeration, but their blocking was horrific. This isn't a one game anomaly, either. Last year, QB Deondre Francois was beat-up and battered all season by defenses who feasted on this pathetic O-line. In the Alabama game to start this season, he was finally injured. It seemed like a foregone conclusion. Now, we have 'Slim Reaper' back there at 165-180 lbs, depending on who you believe--the media guide or the strength coach--and it's just a matter of time before he's carried off the field. How many QBs do we have on this roster, again?

I won't belabor that point. It's like beating a dead horse. Hell, a dead horse could coach these kids better on the offensive front. Trickett should have been forced into retirement when his son transferred to WVU.

Dawsey, an FSU great at wide receiver, has had 10 years under Jimbo's tutelage. What has he produced? Other than dynamic standout, now NFL baller, Kelvin Benjamin, I'm struggling to name others. I heard the Tomahawk Nation podcast guys call him out last week--TWO NFL draftees in a decade. WOW! They conclude that if he were not an FSU great, he wouldn't have a job. Looking at his receivers performance this year--Noonie a no-show for 3 games, Gavin and Campbell unable to catch balls that hit them in BOTH hands, Tate the only real target--I have come to the same conclusion. Ill-prepared, undisciplined and poor execution from the FSU receiving corps. This, too, has been an ongoing problem.

Charles Kelly. I don't even know where to begin with him, but let's go back to the 2014 opening game vs. Oklahoma State. I remember watching that game and nearly pulling my hair out every time mediocre, immobile QB Brandon Weeden ran wild down the middle of the field. There was NEVER a QB spy at the linebacker position there to stop or slow this kid down. I began my disdain for this man back then. Nothing changed. Last year, Louisville's Lamar Jackson ran roughshod over Kelly's defense and he never had an answer. Now before you mention Jackson's Heisman Trophy, let me remind you how many teams found an answer and bottled him up AFTER our game (remember his poor finish last year?). Charles Kelly had no answer. He NEVER has answers. No in-game, post-game or pre-game adjustments. He just benefits from the raw talent that's dealt him by recruiters. Kelly should have been fired long ago.

Vic Valoria should have lost his job last year after cops found him passed out at the wheel of his vehicle. His legal troubles aside, how strong and conditioned IS this FSU team? Judging by the offensive line, and how easily they are pushed around, I'd say you have your answer. The man's better known for his antics on the sideline (and apparently in the offices after hours) than for the conditioned athletes on the field. These kids aren't physically or mentally prepared to fight for four quarters of football. He wasn't worth the humiliation of the story that broke last year in the shadow of the Showtime special. I'd have used that as my excuse to get rid of him...and if AD Wilcox had a backbone, that should have happened last year!

I don't blame Coach Fisher for being loyal to a fault, but c'mon, man! Your program is spiraling, seemingly, out of control. This year, we are 1-2. The win at Wake Forest was by the skin of our teeth. We looked like a Wake Forest-caliber team. WTF? We are FLORIDA STATE! And I, for one, am not going to settle for mediocrity, living at the middle of the pack in the ACC (which we made into a Power 5 football conference!).

As the Tomahawk Nation guys pointed out, using Jimbo's own logic, if other teams aren't trying to steal away your coaches, then you haven't done a good job in hiring. Will you be any better at the firing?

Nole Nation wants to know. Meanwhile, we wait...but for how long?