FSU defensive coordinator Tony White spoke with the media following Tuesday night's scrimmage.
There were a lot of takeaways from the obvious opening statement, where he said some guys didn't meet expectations, and some guys who didn't have those expectations exceeded them.
I love the fact that he blantantly said some guys they expected to make plays didn't. He also said he guys are not making plays, they won't play. It's a tale as old as time, something called accountability.
However, these two statements told me all I need to know about what type of guy FSU has running its defense. When asked if the young guys in the secondary have something to prove:
White said, "ALL of'em on defense have something to prove. I got something to prove..the coaches got something to prove...everybody on defense got something to damn prove around here."
I love it. That's the chip-on-the-shoulder attitude this team needs after playing soft last season. Playing soft isn't something that's gonna be tolerated in this defense either:
White said, "When you turn on the lights and just let guys play ball, you see the guys who are truly going in there to use dominant contact and to go get'em some...you see the guys who are ducking away, turning their head at the last second or trying to run around blocks...that ain't gonna cut it. Again, it's on film, so there ain't no talking, no yapping, or no nothing. It is on film...either you're gonna go do it or you're gonna be sitting down watching."
I can't tell you how upset I'd get watching guys trying to run around blocks or coming downhill and then running beside a guy for 15 yards before trying to make a tackle. It's a breath of fresh air to think FSU might get back to the bone-jarring hits that had teams afraid as soon as they stepped off the bus. Tony White has a track record of physical defenses, so I don't think he's blowing smoke. Maybe that's why we haven't heard some of the names of a few veterans on the defense as much as one would think?