FSU football: Understanding Mike Norvell’s attention to the standard

FSU football coach Mike Norvell spoke with the media after Monday’s practice and shed some light on how things went after the players had an extended break.

One the thing the former regimes would preach is the word accountability, but it seems Mike Norvell obsesses with the application of it.

I saw a video of Nick Saban at one of his practices a while ago, and his team was running sprints.

The players got to the final sprint and ran faster than they did the previous five or so, and Saban asked how that was possible?

If they had given their all in the sprints before the final one, there’s no way they could have ran the final one faster than the previous ones.

That’s where Mike Norvell is with this FSU football program. Norvell was not happy with how practice went Monday but admitted the practice was far better than what the players brought to the table last year.

However, last year is no longer good enough. It’s disappointing to hear the players had six days off and came back to practice without the burning desire to get better.

Norvell mentioned they challenged the players and the players responded, but the goal is to get the program to where the players don’t have to respond because they are ready to get better.

That’s the difference between mediocre and greatness. However, it’s also great to have a coaching staff that will call the players out when they don’t meet the standard. Players that want to be great will take responsibility for the work required.

They’ll respond, and the players that don’t will fall by the wayside. I love that Norvell is more candid than most when talking about the team. It’s not all everything’s great, and we’re going to be a great team just because we wear garnet and gold with a spear on our helmet.

There’s a lot of real work to be done between now and the next couple of years. Will the players eventually understand the standard asked of them? I’m not sure, but Mike Norvell isn’t afraid to call them out when it’s not met.