The Florida State Process...

SBNation has a very good piece on Jimbo Fisher's rebuilding program at Florida State. I like that they acknowldge that FSU caught lightening in a bottle with Winston, but also recognize how important keeping their players healthy this season has been. (And no, this isn't some sort of swipe at Georgia's strength and conditioning program, as I don't have any knowledge of our program or how it compares to other schools' programs.)

I was most interested in it due to the information about Jeremy Pruitt and his approaches. Sure, they wordfellate over his coaching tree (hint: Saban), but there is one thing that really stands out to me:

He can see what is coming and adjust in a game.

One of my major complaints, even in Granthams' good years, is the inability of his defenses to recognize and adapt to changes that offenses make through a game. One other thing that caught my eye:

Pruitt would throw the whole defense at the players, dial it back and work on parts, and then see how much of the whole the group could handle. This was done masterfully.

Pruitt was implementing Saban's defense on the fly at FSU. There was only one game they really struggled in during the season. That was against Boston College. Instead of throwing a full defense at them and just expecting them to get it, he was adapting his scheme to fit the players he had.

I that is a big part of our defensive problems this year, especially early. And I believe it is directly related to the way Grantham approached teaching his defenses, his substitution patterns in years past (and this year), and how those schemes fit together, particularly in pass coverage.

Jeremy Pruitt isn't coming to Athens. I just don't see why or how he would. However, I hope our next DC is better at doing those two things than Todd Grantham was, because we have talent to be a top tier defensive team. The key is getting that talent coached up and in a position to do the things it takes on the field to be a top tier defense.
TD

Tweet