FSU football: Does Mike Norvell value offense more than defense?

Parting Thoughts

Mike Norvell is a former wide receiver and offensive coordinator, and I’m sure he has some bias toward the offense. He understands teams must score points to win, and that’s done by the offense.

I don’t necessarily agree with the narrative Mike Norvell only wants to outscore opponents, or for the defense to barely get enough stops, that the offense has to score every possession to win in shootouts. If anything, I believe Mike Norvell values different positions more than others. The quarterback position will also be a priority in every recruiting cycle.

The offensive and defensive lines will always be priorities(why they brought in so many defensive trench guys in the portal in the last recruiting cycle).

They value the running back and receiver positions for sure. I think they value good secondary play. It’s why they are in the mix with so many high-quality 2024 defensive backs and will probably land five-star Charles Lester III. I don’t think they value linebackers. I discuss why here, and that’s probably why some folks believe the narrative these guys put out there.

I don’t think the staff believes the position has enough impact to use the resources there. They only use two linebackers usually in the Nickel defense they run most of the time. Is there really that much difference between the No. 13 linebacker nationally and the No. 104 linebacker nationally?

Those were the rankings of Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune out of high school. Now, look at the production of those two players over their careers.

If they can be stout up front and great in the secondary? I think they can be good enough at linebacker to easily have top 20 defenses. If the offense is elite, that’s good enough to win a national title. Nowadays, teams with blue-chips all over the field get torched each year by good offenses.

I think Mike Norvell wants the best defense possible, but also understands it doesn’t make sense to use resources at certain positions based on team needs. They want top guys on defense, and I think they’ll start getting them if they have the season everyone expects in 2023.