Shorter practice today. Did some situational stuff ... two-minute still, etc. Also a lot of special teams.
Special teams drills went well. Lots of competition and he sees ownership.
On punt returns, Keyshawn Helton and Meiko Dotson have looked good. Mentions DJ as well, and says Asante Samuel has gotten some looks.
On the schedules changing ... they had gotten a real jump start in West Virginia planning but didn’t go overboard. Once they heard possibility of conference only, they backed off on that.
on 11th game, says it’s still being finalized. A lot of moving pieces. Hopefully resolved soon.
On the OL, talks about how important communication is, and it takes repetition. Would love to have 10 or more guys who can play, but would be happy with eight. Looking for the best 5 to start.
Says Baveon, Boselli and Maurice Smith are all battling at center: Good competition. Says they could be possibilities of other positions if don’t win job.
Again points out that Thomas Shrader and Robert Scott are real contenders for job.
On conversations about opting out, says he has had a couple of conversations but none have opted out. Says one was pretty close but changed his mind and feels comfortable staying.
That comment along with him mentioning DJ earlier leads you to believe he is still with the team and moving forward.
On Chubba’s injury, says he doesn’t want to get into specifics about surgery on collarbone. Did say he feels “very confident” with how it’s going to turn out for him this year.
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Odell Haggins is the assistant coach of the day
Says his knee replacement surgery went great. Feeling better than he has in over 10 years.
Says the defensive linemen love Fuller’s defense.
On Jackson: "he's made improvements since the spring. Like I always tell him, you're big and long and the key to you is playing low. ... And he's working hard and taking the coaching. He understands the game. That's the great part. He understands the position. .. He's also learning more about the linebackers."
On Cooper: "You can tell, losing weight has helped Robert out a lot. I'm really enjoying seeing Coop grow as a football player. ... Now he can get out there and play football. The thing about him is he's developing better fundamentals. ... I tell him every day, he can be unblockable if he gets great fundamentals."
On depth: "The way we practice with Coach Norvell is we practice 100 miles per hour. You're running from drill to drill. And that's great for a big man because it keeps you alert." Says it's great for mental and physical conditioning.
"When you have a certain amount of guys you want to stretch the reps out. ... You want to minimize some of the reps you're giving the guys (in practice)." Said you also want to stress them in practice and see how they handle that, too.
Looks like Quashon Fuller will be the first player.
On body transformation: "I feel like me being with this much weight makes it harder for offensive linemen to move me off the edge. I'm very comfortable with my weight and ready to work."
On 4-3 defense: "I'm very excited about this defensive scheme. I've actually been in this for a long time, so I can't wait."
On handling 2019 season: "Last year when I noticed I was going to redshirt, at first I was down about it. But then I realized maximizing your opportunities is key in life." Says he concentrated on getting bigger and better. --- Good idea!
"I'm going to be working on the edge. And my job basically is to go get sacks."
On Papuchis: "The energy is there every day. My coaches always emphasize the little things. They're always stressing to let today be your best day." Says trying to get one percent better. We've heard that before!
On young O-linemen: "This year's offensive line, they're just so focused and they're committing to everything, from the weight room to the playbook. Darius Washington is picking up the younger guys." Said he's trying to help them get better, get ready to see the field.
On Kaindoh: "He's been very solid. Me and him are both coming off the edge. I'm just so blessed to take mental reps and watch him on the field as he does his thing."
On camp: It's been very intense. Being held to a high standard you have to live up to every day." Said he feels like the team is coming together.
And it looks like Travis Jay will be the next player
On having to sit last year: "It was a bit of a turnaround for me. Coming in my freshman year, talking to my last coaching staff said I was going to be able to make an impact, .... it was just a big obstacle. I just had to evaluate the things and what was going on and work."
"I talked to my mom and my dad every day. ... They said to think positive and make the most of every day. Every day I practiced hard, gave it all my all ... I used that as fuel to encourage me to want more, do more."
On playing scrimmage: "It felt great. With me going out there, even with no fans, it felt great playing in Doak. Even though it was a scrimmage. The chance to put the pads on, go live and have a chance to play there ... any chance I get a chance to play in Doak I'm going to give it all my all."
On moving to safety: "Me and Coach Fuller and Coach Woodson already talked about the position. They asked me what I wanted to play ... my answer was it didn't matter, I'll play either one of them. ... I said Coach, if you need me to play it to help the team out, I can play it ... He just felt my skillset could work at safety so that's what I'm doing."
"Having Zane here, it makes me want to do more, makes me even want to go harder for the chance I have. ... Keep striving, just keep stacking days, like Coach tells us. You're here for a reason. Show em why you're here."
"My first play was a breakup. When I broke it up, it was natural, but it was excitement in my body. Like I'm free to play. I'm not on lockdown anymore. I'm free to play football and just have fun. ... So it started something for me."
On new coaches: "When they first got here, when we first talked to Coach Norvell, he told us from the jump ... He came here and told us what it was. It was a buy in for me. It wasn't hard for me. Because I want to win. I'm not used to losing. ... It's not hard for me. I want to work, I came here to win, I came here to turn Florida State around, so that's what I'm here to do."
He was asked about playing for Madison County. He says kids will run up to him and be excited about meeting him when he goes back home, so he wants to give them an example. He wants to set an example for them. To show them that can do it, too.
That's a wrap on Jay.
Looks like Aussie punter Alex Mastromanno will be the last player of the day.
On scrimmage: "It was a great experience. It's been a goal of mine to kick on Doak Campbell Stadium for a while now ... I guess a lot of credit has to go to the whole punt unit to be able to execute to the best of my ability."
On what he did during pandemic: "It happened pretty quickly. It was during spring break. ... I tried to make it a positive out of that situation and control what I can control." Said he did go back home and went back to the school where he learned how to punt ... "I ended up being back in Australia for four or five months" Said he worked on punting and his "university studies" before heading back to Tallahassee.
"I sort of had good faith I was exempted to come back because it was for my studies. ... I'm grateful to be able to be here now and I guess the rest is sort of history."
"The biggest difference ... is probably be ready to come on and just execute your job in the space of 10 seconds. You really need a good mindset, to have a good mind, to execute your job. ... You really just aim to stat positive, be mentally sharp ... and not overthink it too much. ... Trusting myself and knowing I just have to kick a ball at the end of a day."
"The rush is something I need to get used to. I'm feeling more and more comfortable every time being in those high pressure situations." Said it amped up a little bit more in the scrimmage, but he's just trying to stay "cool and calm ... and not get too caught up in the moment."
Says he hasn't had to tackle anyone yet. Which is a good sign.
"The coaches and myself we know it's fairly new to me, this sport. ... My goal is to get the respect and trust of my teammates and coaches and that's not changing. ... I'm starting to get more confident. ... I think the fact that I was able to execute my role to a decent level on Saturday ... was really special for me and gained some confidence for me."
Says he had to isolate before he got tested when he got home. So, the jet lag was still pretty tough, but easier than the last time. So, he was able to catch up on sleep. ... Says they're not allowed up to the coaches floor anymore, so he's drinking expressos now because his mom bought him an expresso machine. Can't drink their coffee anymore.
Said Ryan Fitzgerald has had the worst Aussie accent he's heard on the team.
That's a wrap for Mastromanno and that's a wrap for today.
I'd like to apologize for not being here for Norvell and part of Haggins. It was supposed to be at 11, they started it 45 minutes early, so Ira had to take over. And look, Ira tried his best. Don't be mad at him. Be mad at me. You guys deserve better than that, and it won't happen again (he asks questions, and frankly, still types like he's learning what a keyboard is). Apologies, folks.
Now get out there and attack the rest of this day. Go get it. This is your time. It's not THEIR time, it's YOUR time. So go out there and shine, be great, be a captain, be a soulmate, be a great parent, be a great sibling ...and go represent your family's name in an honorable fashion.
Also, of course, keep it right here on Warchant.com. We'll be updating throughout the day with all your football content needs!
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