Mike Norvell stays on message in his first press conference since fallout from Stanford loss

Mike Norvell held his bye week media session this afternoon, and it's safe to say it was the most tense one of his five-plus years as the head coach of FSU football.

If you were looking for a change in Norvell's message, this wasn't the press conference for you. At this point, Norvell knows all the keywords he has to say and, through seasons of disappointing results, the coach has the "we'll bounce back" message down to a science.

Does Norvell have support from the administration?

It appears that Norvell is on pretty solid ground with athletic director Michael Alford right now. Even though Alford didn't hire Norvell, he did give him this massive extension and one of the biggest buyouts in college football history, so the two are tied together for better or worse. 

On Sunday, Alford made a statement expressing full support for Norvell and, since then, the FSU fanbase has expressed little support in Alford's ability to help FSU football recover from this malaise.

"Obviously, I'm always in constant communication with Michael and the President... I understand the expectations and, for all things, there's no higher expectation than what I have, and I know it's not been good enough," Norvell said. "I know we have to win games and I take great ownership in our results. It's not good enough."

Will self-reflection lead to answers?

Again, Norvell went back to how hard the staff is working and how hard the players are working and how much everyone is tackling the challenge. He did say that the coaches are looking into different things they can do to help right the ship. Does that mean Tony White will change up this defensive scheme that puts an already talent-challenged roster into a more traditional look? Who knows. 

"As coaches, we're continuing to evaluate ourselves and where we can make the changes to be able to put our guys in the best position. The team, the staff, we're working extremely hard to get it right, and we're going to get it right."

Mike Norvell

​Norvell continues to articulate belief that this year's Seminoles have better in them and will bounce back from this disappointing stretch of games. Whether he really believes that or if the team even cares enough, remains to be seen. 

"I've been through hard, challenging times and the results are not where anyone wants them to be. But I do believe this team will rise up and overcome," Norvell added. "I do have a lot of belief in what we'll be able to do and continue to move forward to get this program where it deserves to be."