FSU football: Observations from Tour of Duty workout

By Kelvin Hunt | Feb 14, 2020

CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 09: The Florida State Seminoles Cheer Squad celebrate with "NOLES" flags after a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the game against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jeff Gammons/Getty Images) /

FSU football allowed media to observe portions of its Tour of Duty workout Thursday morning. Here are some observations from the workout.

FSU football continues to put in work as they get closer to spring practice scheduled to begin March 7th.

Mike Norvell allowed the media to observe “Tour of Duty” Thursday morning, his version of FSU’s old school “mat drills” that took place while Bobby Bowden was head coach.

Norvell got exposed to the drills by Todd Graham who he coached with at Tulsa and Arizona State.

Graham observed the drills when he visited Tallahassee for a week when Bobby Bowden was head coach.

Norvell implemented his version of the drills while head coach at Memphis and now with FSU football where it originated.

It’s something former players have stated were a staple in helping the Noles become one of the best programs in the nation.

The drills are a test of physical and mental fortitude that simulate physical pain and emotions the players will experience in actual games. If they aren’t able to handle the Tour of Duty there’s a good chance they are not going to be able to handle what happens in actual games.

Here are a couple of observations from the workout.

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