Rashad Greene: “This team has a whole different personality”

It didn’t take Rashad Greene long to realize last year was going to be special.

“It was that first game, that Pitt game,” said Greene. “I just felt like everything was there and the team was good together. We had a great bond [and] chemistry on the team– everyone was hungry and wanted it. I felt like from that game on we weren’t going to lose.”

This year things have a decidedly different feel for Greene.

Maybe that’s natural.

It’s important to remember just how dominant last year’s team was. FSU scored a record 723 points and averaged 51.6 points per game while also leading the country in scoring defense, pass defense and interceptions. It was the kind of juggernaut that overwhelms everything in its path and then looms over a school for years afterward.

But that’s done now.

As Jimbo Fisher reminds the media at the start of every season– last year’s team is gone. This is a new team, with a new personality and new chemistry. Every team is different.

Fisher’s star receiver agrees.

“This team has a whole different personality. I back him up 100% on that statement,” said Greene. “You have to let us have our own identity. The result may be the same but we may not beat teams by 30 and 40 like we did last year, but [if] we’re winning and playing good football that’s [what is] most important. I would say people can’t compare us to [last year’s] team. That was a dominant team and nothing has been seen like that in years in college football, period.”

“We can’t compare ourselves to that we just have to form our own identity and get better every day.”

So far that hasn’t been without complications though.

One of FSU’s biggest assets last season was the competitiveness of its practices. Jimbo Fisher’s first recruiting class as a head coach had entered its senior year and many of those players had evolved into an extension of Fisher himself. The coaches didn’t have to stay on the players– the players did that.

And as a result the Seminoles’ practices were — more often than not — far more challenging than the games they played on Saturday. Think about it, when FSU went good on good last year (first-team against first-team, as the Seminoles do regularly throughout the week), it was the number one offense in the country lining up opposite the number one defense. And that competitiveness trickled down the depth chart all the way to the scout team.

This year? Things haven’t felt the same.

“I still have that feeling to a certain extent, but at the same time it’s about just getting guys that — younger guys, especially — just get them to a certain level. I want to get everybody to my level,” said Greene. “I’m not saying that in a cocky way, but just to play to potential where you can stay locked in, stay focused the entire time and prepare like a professional.

“One thing I can say is we’re getting better every week. We’re improving in some area every week. To me, that’s most important. We only can be as best as we can be. If everybody gives 110%, 100%, that’s all we can ever ask for out of anybody. But we’re getting better every week and that’s the most important thing.”

We only can be as best as we can be. If everybody gives 110%, 100%, that’s all we can ever ask for out of anybody.

With Clemson on the horizon and a bye week to prepare, those practice habits are more important than ever right now. That’s why it wasn’t surprising to see Florida State close most of its workouts to the media this past week. FSU is keenly aware that the old adage — ‘you play how you practice’ — is true. And the past few days have likely been spent reminding the players — especially the underclassmen — how FSU is supposed to practice.

But that’s even harder with a lack of veteran leadership.

After last year’s team was littered with seniors that stayed on top of the young players and made sure nobody was lacking focus on or off the field, this year’s team has far fewer players to step into that role.

Fortunately, Rashad Greene has embraced it.

“For me it’s just about going out there, competing, having fun and showing those guys the ropes,” said Greene. “That’s what I feel like my contribution for my last year is– not only get better but show the way. Show the way for the younger guys.”