FSU football: Explaining player departures and team leadership

Mike Norvell’s Challenge

Mike Norvell has been telling people from the jump these players have to learn how to win and must learn how to put in the work to see the results they want.

I tweeted, Norvell didn’t list a single player when asked in February 2020 who were the emerging leaders. It’s November, and Norvell said after Tuesday’s practice, he’s still looking for leaders to emerge to meet the standard consistently.

The standard Norvell is trying to set is difficult for a myriad of reasons. The biggest issue is these players are not used to being disciplined or accountable by coaching staff. Some fans have asked why should these players trust Mike Norvell?

Well, what they’ve done up to this point hasn’t gotten them anywhere. Mike Norvell has a track record of improving a program year-by-year and developing three-star players into NFL Draft picks. He had won 72 percent of his games as a head coach coming into the 2020 season, and former players have nothing but good things to say about him.

The place he left to come to Tallahassee share the same sentiments. Who would you trust? A coach with those accolades or players that don’t understand accountability or how to win?

Think of it this way. What if you had a teacher that allowed a classroom to operate with little to no rules, then hired a teacher that didn’t let stuff slide and had consequences for breaking the rules?

There would probably be some resentment from the rulebreakers in the class right? If those students that were distractions or troublemakers left the class, how much would the opportunity to learn increase for those students that wanted to make good grades?

That’s what’s happening with FSU football right now. Mike Norvell has assessed the roster and what each player is capable of. Some players have gotten more chances than others, but at the end of the day, if a player isn’t pulling in the same direction it’s detrimental.