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FSU Football: Fans not feeling Derwin James returning punts and kicks

By Kelvin Hunt

ORLANDO, FL - SEPTEMBER 05: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts in the first half against the Mississippi Rebels during the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on September 5, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - SEPTEMBER 05: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts in the first half against the Mississippi Rebels during the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on September 5, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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FSU football needs an upgrade on special teams something serious.

We’ve talked about how FSU football needs to improve their special teams play for the past year, and it looks like All-American Derwin James wants to throw his hat into the ring to help.

He recently talked about how he felt he wanted to make plays with the ball in his hands on special teams, courtesy of Noles247.

“I feel like I bring a lot to the field when I have the ball in my hands,” James said. “My presence there alone speaks for itself.”

The punt return game has been non-existent with FSU football since Greg Reid was kicked off the team over five years ago.

Must Read: How FSU Can Go Unbeaten In The Regular Season

They’ve averaged just 5.5 yards per return over the past two seasons, and that number gets worse when looking solely at conference stats.

Of course one of the first things that comes to mind is the risk of injury with James returning punts and kicks. The fact he missed basically all of his sophomore season with a torn meniscus doesn’t help confidence levels with that either.

While FSU fans want to see that phase of the team improve, they are not supportive of sticking Derwin James back there to field punts or return kicks.

We conducted Twitter poll Saturday to gauge the temperature of the fanbase and the results were conclusive.

Thoughts

As others said, I trust the staff will make the right decision in doing what’s best for the team. If they feel Derwin is the best option, they’ll put him back there.

It’s a similar situation to when Lamarcus Joyner returned kickoffs when he was the most valuable player on the defense. If you’ll recall, Joyner made several game changing plays in the return game during his time with FSU football.

As one of our followers pointed out on Twitter:

That’s true, but FSU returners called fair catch like 70 percent of the time too. Derwin James has the make a play mentality, so he’d likely take more chances in trying to return punts while taking a few more hits than normal.

If it helps the team, I say let’s do it. There’s no replacing Derwin James on defense, but FSU football has better depth in the secondary this year compared to last.

Next: Derwin James and O-Line Key to National Title?

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