FSU football: Three thoughts on how Adam Fuller coordinates his defense

Being Multiple

We’ve heard past defensive coordinators talk about being multiple on defense, but I’m not sure the Noles ever got to that point.

Fuller said, “We gotta make sure we can define what we want to be when we have that group on the field, but also have enough multiplicity that there’s always a first, second, and third pitch that could possibly be thrown on each play. It’s a fine balance of doing what you do best the most, and also having enough non-rhythmic calls that you can play offense more.”

You may have heard of offensive coordinators talk about “breaking tendencies” or setting up defenses by doing certain things. That’s what Adam Fuller is talking about here, except on defense.

Think of it as a mixed martial arts fight. If a fighter always throws the same combination, they become easier to defend. A fighter can’t afford to be one-dimensional in mixed martial arts anymore, and the same goes for football on offense and defense.

Adam Fuller seems to understand that concept better than the last two defensive coordinators, and I’m excited to see how this defense will perform when they take on Georgia Tech in a few weeks.

I expect to see some growing pains here and there as they did miss significant time in the spring, but overall I expect the defense to carry this team in 2020.