Fisher gives 'Noles what they lack
Bobby Bowden has won 293 games in his 31 seasons at Florida State.
You do the math.
So when the Seminoles were a mere 7-6 last season, changes were clearly in order. Even living legends hear grumbling, and Bowden wasn't immune to his disenchanted fan base. The volume of displeasure was so loud that Bowden essentially fired his son, Jeff, as offensive coordinator.
In his place, Bowden hired a longtime family friend. Jimbo Fisher insists there's no quid pro quo, but it's clear that if he can help Bowden get back to the top of the college football world before Bowden finally hangs up his whistle, he just might be the leading candidate to take over the Seminole program one day.
"If that opportunity presents itself and we're able to be a part of helping Florida State turn and get its offense right -- they've always played good defense -- then that would be great," Fisher said. "But that wasn't a big factor in coming in. There were no promises made."
Fisher had other options. He could've stayed at LSU and worked with Matt Flynn, a quarterback he insists will one day make money throwing footballs on Sundays. Or he could have joined former boss Nick Saban at Alabama. There was something about Bowden's sales pitch, however, that won Fisher over.
"The thing about coach Bowden that I love is what you see is what you get," Fisher said. "He is who he is and that's why he's been so successful over the years. The first time I met him was probably 20-25 years ago and I saw the same look in his eye, the same pep in his step and the same spirit in his voice and actions. That excited me. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do it. He didn't win all those games by accident.
"It was a very tough choice because I have a lot of respect for Nick. I think he's a tremendous football coach and Alabama will be one heck of a program and he'll do a great job. I enjoyed my time with him. At this time, with where I'm trying to go and what I'm trying to do, I thought the Florida State thing was a better situation and a better fit."
Fisher inherited a mess when he got to Florida State. It's a talented mess, mind you, but a mess nonetheless. Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee, a pair of highly recruited players who have yet to live up to their potential, are battling for the quarterback job. Antone Smith has the potential to be the Seminoles' first 1,000-yard rusher since Warrick Dunn in 1996, and De'Cody Fagg and Greg Carr are a solid wide receiver combination.
Before Fisher could use any of those weapons, however, he had to change the mentality. Fisher was reunited with former Auburn colleague Rick Trickett, who spent the past several seasons at West Virginia. Call them Team Intensity, for Fisher and Trickett changed Florida State's culture in the spring.
"It was a significant change," Fisher said. "Trickett and I are both high-energy guys. I just don't believe you can play and compete at a high level unless you practice at a high level. That's what we were trying to bring to the table. Before we got into the Xs and Os, we were trying to improve the toughness, the commitment to excellence and the trying to play hard. If you don't have those things, no matter what the Xs and Os are, the results aren't going to be good."
Of course, Fisher is banking on good results. So is Bowden, and not just because the Seminoles have 14 starters back, the most veteran team in Tallahassee since 1999, when Florida State won the national championship. Fisher has brought energy back to the Seminoles. That just might have been the missing ingredient for a program that remains one of the nation's elite.
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