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Dear Garrett Johnson: Speak up or shut up

Garrett Johnson is FSU's Rhodes Scholar athlete and a guy we can all be proud of. But he didn't have to go to Oxford to learn a painful lesson about speaking to the media: Much like the Miranda Rights statement, anything you say can and will be used against you. And maybe some things you only imply.

See, it's the political season, and sportswriters are eager to keep up with their hard news colleagues. Can you blame 'em for asking questions the answers to which might ignite a media-frenzy?

Garrett was a victim of that zeal. And in a weak moment he was clueless -- unaware that a casual long distance chat with a cagey reporter might end up on page one back home.

Now Johnson is backpeddaling and Bianchi is sticking to his story.  One guy has egg on his face and perhaps stirred up new problems for his school. The other is basking in the limelight of journalistic "Gotcha."

So, Garrett, in case you're reading this:  If you have actual first-hand evidence (and can name names) of systematic wrong-doing that involves the upper echelons of FSU, speak up. If not, please just shut up.

The 411 on Tavares Pressley and Corey Surrency from their offensive coordinator

FSU's offense is counting on two heralded junior college stars to juice up Jimbo's attack this fall. But first, running back Tavares Pressley and wide receiver Corey Surrency have to graduate from El Camino College in south L.A.

Stung by two JC recruits who missed on grades last year, some Nole fans are a little anxious about the progress of Pressley and Surrency. Which is why we talked to their offensive coordinator, Gene Engle, who gave us an update on these two native Floridians -- as well as what FSU faithful have to look forward to when they suit up in Garnet & Gold.   

Coach, what makes Tavares and Corey special players?
"With Tavares it's speed. He has phenomenal speed and acceleration. He can stop, change direction, then hit full acceleration very fast. He's like a dragster, getting to top speed in seconds. I wouldn't say that he's an overly physical runner but he's doesn't avoid it -- he'll take things on when he needs to. 

"With Cory it's a combination of things: His height, jumping ability, and he has good speed too. But I'd say with him it's the total package of what you want in a wide receiver. He can go up and get the ball, make the difficult catch, out-jump people, block, and is very conscientious.

"When Pete Carroll, USC's coach, was down watching practice last spring, he said that Corey could make the roster of about 75 percent of NFL teams right now."

Are they on track to graduate, and do they have the grades to get into FSU and play this fall?
"As far as I know they're on track. They're taking the classes they need to get their AA degrees, with enough units to be able to transfer and be there for the fall. Is that going to happen? With 26 years doing this, I've learned you never know."

So when is graduation?
"In June. But I think they might also need some summer classes. They may not be ready til the end of July. I don't know that for a fact, but that may be the case."

What kind of guys are they off the field?
"We haven't had a problem with either one of them. They seem to be solid guys who do what they're supposed to do."         

FSU recruit shows his speed -- and his backside to the competition

Last week we compared A.J. Alexander to Wes Welker. Today we're comparing him to the Roadrunner.

Saturday A.J. ran the fastest 60 meter time among Pennsylvania prepsters -- a blazing 6.87 seconds. It was also the sixth fastest time in the nation this year, and set a meet record at the high school track invitational.

Interestingly, the meet was held at Penn State, a school that came oh-so-close to getting Alexander's name on a National Letter of Intent. What a sweet irony if A.J. should be instrumental in helping one Bobby Bowden maintain his winningest-coach lead over rival JoPa.

It feels like the first time: FSU finally beats BC in hoops

by Bill from Tampa

With Leonard Hamilton calling it a “typical ACC blowout”, Florida State held on at the end of the game to beat Boston College 66-63. It was the first time this season the Seminoles had won back to back conference games. For the Eagles it was their eighth loss in nine games.

Matt Zitani’s backdoor layup on a nice bounce pass through the lane from Julian Vaughn gave the ‘Noles their largest lead of the game at 53-39 with 8:40 remaining in the game.

But following Bilko Paris’ three ball to cut it to 56-47 at the 4:42 mark, FSU found ways to almost lose the game. First, Jason Rich launched a three pointer with more than twenty seconds left on the shot clock. Hamilton then decided to air the ball out with more than four minutes on the game clock. That possession ended with an air ball from Toney Douglas.

A botched pick and roll play saw Douglas lob the ball over the head of Ryan Reid. Paris converted that turnover into a quick layup at the other end making it 60-55 with 1:22 left.

The Seminoles followed that with a shot clock violation and BC continued to chip away when a rebound sailed just over the outstretched hands of Rich and Ralph Mims right into the hands of Shamari Spears. The putback and the foul made it a two point game, 62-60, with 23.5 seconds remaining.

The ‘Noles did an excellent job getting the ball into the hands of Mims on the inbound pass, who was immediately fouled.

After converting the free throws, FSU made the biggest defensive play of the game when Uche Echefu stripped the ball, handing it to Douglas who was then fouled. The subsequent free throws with ten seconds left essentially put the game out of reach.

But just to make it exciting Spears nailed a three at the buzzer for the final margin.

The victory marks the first win over Boston College in four tries with the total margin for all four games just ten points.

FSU's great White hope for putting teeth back into the Noles pass rush

Markus White may become the guy mentioned in the same breath as Peter Boulware,  Reinard Wilson and Jamal Reynolds. Signed earlier this month, White was the National Junior College Defensive Player of the Year. His 12-game stats from '07 should be music to the ears of FSU fans eager for a game-changing pass rush:

• 24.5 Sacks
• 97 Total Tackles
• 15 Tackles for Loss
• 6 Forced Fumbles

Originally from Peach Beach Gardens, White had signed with Rutgers, then transferred to Butler Community College in Kansas.

The 6-4, 245 lb. White credits Butler's coaching staff for his development, especially legendary defensive line coach Steve Braet, who has three former players on NFL rosters and has coached 24 All-Americans.

“Markus is very deserving of the honor. He is one of the best defensive players we’ve ever had here at Butler and was a main player in the best defense we’ve ever had here,” Butler Coach Troy Morrell said of White. “His ability to play the run and rush the quarterback is outstanding. He could take over and dominate a game at any point.

“He’s got a tremendous work ethic and his character and attitude are the main reasons why he was able to excel on the football field."

White isn't resting on his laurels, knowing he has something to prove to make an impact on the D-1 level. “As long as I keep playing hard, and I never lose the motor I have, people tell me the sky is the limit,” White said. “I don’t plan on losing anything. I plan on increasing my size and my speed and my strength.”

Carbon Copy? FSU recruit looking like a Wes Welker clone

FSU signee A.J. Alexander and All-Pro Wes Welker have much in common: multi-tasking offensive threats who can zip underneath coverage and turn a quick toss into big yardage. Of course, there's no guarantee where Alexander will end up -- maybe even at DB. But with his speed and hands, A.J. could become the Welker-like threat who gives the Noles a dangerous weapon in years to come. Here's a comparison of the two:

How will FSU compare to in-state competition 10 years from now?

This is the first in our series with Florida sportswriters and broadcasters. We're asking them to project how FSU football will compare and compete over the next decade with bigger state schools in major population centers. Leading off the series is Terry Norvelle from Sun Sports and 1010XL Radio in Jacksonville.

Q: With the rise of USF and UCF -- and even younger programs like FAU and FIU -- do you see FSU keeping a competitive edge over younger rivals? Or will those schools in larger markets pull even with or surpass the Noles in strength of program and ability to recruit Florida's best?

Terry Norvelle: The other schools in Florida outside of the big three of Florida, FSU, and Miami still have a long way to go to equal or surpass the football program at Florida
State. Only one, USF, is in a BCS Conference. FSU also rattled off a 14 year dynasty that include two national championships,numerous close calls, two Heisman winners,etc. There are issues facing FSU that if not handled/corrected will hinder the Noles chances of getting back to the elite in college football.

First and foremost is getting the right people in place on the Coach Staff, AD, Academics, etc. The next pressing issue is the incredible amount of attrition that has plagued the program the past several years. In a cumulative recruiting study from 2002-2006 FSU finished 4th in the nation. Getting the kids to sign in February has not been the problem. Getting them on the field is the issue. I have pulled those classes and it is amazing the number of 4 and 5 star recruits that have not made it to the field or were only there for a cup of coffee. Are they recruiting the wrong type of kid? Is it bad luck, combination of the two, or other factors?

New Tight Ends coach to be FSU's next Offensive Coordinator?

We asked the Miami Herald's Pete Pelegrin, the guy who covers FIU sports, about James Coley. This statement jumped out at us: "I am hearing that he will become FSU's offensive coordinator when Jimbo becomes head coach."

Well, Coley is tight with Jimbo, as Pelegrin confirms.

Next we asked just what makes Coley, a guy who didn't play college football, such an offensive mastermind?

"The innovative part was his play calling last year," says Pelegrin. "When you expected a certain type of play, he would call something completely different. With the poor talent Coley had to work with, he improved the FIU offense across the board statistically by keeping defenses guessing. A big loss for FIU and a tremendous gain for FSU."

Pelegrin reports Coley's '07 offense more than doubled FIU's rushing yardage from the previous year, and pumped up per game total offense by over 37 yards.

Is time running out for Hamilton?

Commentary by Bill from Tampa

Normally I am one to catch every single Florida State basketball game whether it is on television or not. Unless I have a job (gig in musician’s terminology), I’ve got the radio on. I’ve got the internet on gametracker. And if it is on TV I’ve got the sound turned down with the radio and the internet on to catch the first second of the pre-game all the way to the last second of the post-game show. That’s how much I follow FSU basketball games.

So on those occasions there is a conflict I have to resort to catching what I can of the game anyway I can.

Such was the case Thursday night in our game against Wake Forest. I only was able to catch the last eight plus minutes. We were down 53-47 at that point.

As I listened to Gene Deckerhoff it did not take me long to ascertain what had transpired up to the point I turned on the car radio.

Stop me if you’ve heard this scenario before.

We come out and play flat without much intensity. We get behind in the first half by double digits. We come out in the second half playing like we should have in the first half and actually make a game of it pulling to within single digits. However, fatigue and a few key errors here and there in the closing stages of the contest lead eventually to a loss.

Does this sound familiar?

It should because it would describe at least eight of Florida State’s eleven losses this season.

And that is exactly what happened in the FSU/WF game. We get down by 21 points, play much better after intermission, pull to within three points, and then the ceiling caves in, and its another check mark in the loss column for the Seminoles.

And this was after an eight day layoff!! Against a team that had not won an ACC road game in about ten games.

What really struck me were Hamilton’s post game comments. This was as public example of calling out the players as I think as I have ever heard from any coach. He chastised them  for their effort and accused them of not “selling out” from the start of the game. “I felt that they paced themselves," was one comment he made several times.

All that is true. From his point of view.

From my point of view, here’s what I see. I see a team that was short-handed with Isaiah Swann out with a knee injury and Ryan Reid tossed for a very bogus flagrant foul. Add in the other injuries and transfers that have been well documented.

And Leonard wants them to sell out and not pace themselves?

Look at the boxscore, please! You had your starting point guard playing 39 minutes. Two others played 37 minutes with one other playing 33. Is it any wonder they paced themselves? They would have been dragging their tongues by the end of the game.

This is not new. Florida State’s starting five have logged huge numbers of minutes this season.

And that is where I just don’t understand some of Hamilton’s coaching moves.

The four fouls he picked up against the Deacons aside, Jordan DeMercy could have been more prepared for this game had he gotten more time on the floor. That would have given at least one of the starters some more rest.

But that is not in Leonard’s makeup. He just won’t play freshmen just like he didn’t play Julian Vaughn (13 minutes). Again, another lost opportunity for a starter to get some rest.

He obviously won’t play the walk-ons either, no matter how short the bench is. Brian Hoff is the example of that. Here’s at least a threat to hit a three pointer that might have opened up someone else that has instead languished on the bench. And oh yes, give a starter some needed rest.

Okay, defense could be an issue using walk-ons and freshmen?

Or could it?

Wake Forest shot 56% from the floor and 61% from the three point line!!!! This was a team that was shooting 38% from the floor and 31% from behind the arc. Could it have been any worse with walk-ons and freshmen on the floor? I highly doubt it.

If Leonard wants his players to sell out, you can’t play them un-godly minutes and expect to get that kind of effort you are looking to get for 40 minutes without making some adjustments to your coaching. Those are apparently some adjustments will not make and we’ve seen the results of that.

Something has to change.

Strategy? Probably in terms of how players are rotated in this up-and-down the floor system.

Motivation? Definitely because it’s now obvious the players are not buying into whatever the coaches are telling them and have stopped listening to what he wants them to do on defense.

The coaches themselves? Well, there are a whole bunch of people thinking that would be the way to go right now. It won’t happen, I guarantee you. But when I have a friend who is a good FSU fan tell me that on Thursday night his wife asked him if he wanted to watch the rest of the game and he said why bother and she says “Good  point," that’s an issue for the FSU administration. Apathy is THE worst thing you want in your fan base. And unfortunately Hamilton has seemingly lost that excitement and momentum from his first two seasons in Tallahassee.

FSU named #1 in Junior College Recruiting

The mission: get immediate help by landing the best impact players from Junior College.

Mission accomplished says the leading authority on JUCO players. JCGridiron.com has awarded FSU the third annual JUCO Cup  for signing the top junior college recruiting class of 2008. Two of those ready-for-prime-time players -- DE Markus White and WR Corey Surrency -- were rated No. 1 at their respective positions.

Tavares Pressley, the third JC player headed for Tallahassee, made PrepStar's Junior College All-American team.

As a reminder that junior college guys can contribute right away, former Noles Javon Walker and Walter Jones are prime examples. Both went on to earn spots in the NFL Pro Bowl.