Mike Norvell Should Stop Calling Plays, Become a “CEO” Coach
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Yes, Florida
State (1-1) is only two games into this season, but what a difference a year
makes.
This season, the Seminoles have gained 743 yards of total offense and
scored 58 points. This time last season, Florida State gained 1,100 yards of
total offense and scored 108 points under offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
The
Seminoles offense was one of the best in the country, as they averaged 472
yards of total offense and ranked No. 6 in the FBS. They were No. 1 in the ACC.
At the
conclusion of last season, Malzahn called it a career. He hung up his whistle
and broke out his gold clubs. Tough break for Florida State.
So far,
the Seminoles are headed down that well-worn path to mediocrity, or worse,
irrelevancy. Few teams reload and play winning football on a consistent basis every
year. The Seminoles have failed to reload with consistent talent in key
positions, especially at quarterback, over the last three years. They certainly
have not played consistent winning football. In the last 26 games, Florida State
has posted a losing record of 8-18.
This
season, coach Mike Norvell is calling the plays. With a passing offense about
as exciting as watching paint dry, Norvell should abdicate those duties to
someone else on the staff, and become more of a CEO-type of coach. Who could do
a better job of play-calling, while working with the quarterbacks at the same
time? How about Tom Herman?
Herman is
a quarterback whisperer and knows a thing or two about coordinating
championship offenses. The former head coach at Texas from 2017-2020, Herman
posted a 32-18 record with the Longhorns and 4-0 in bowl games. Herman coached
quarterback Sam Ehlinger to become No. 2 all-time at the school with 11,436
yards, 94 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. In two seasons at Houston, Herman led
the Cougars to a 22-4 record.
Before
that, Herman was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Ohio
State Buckeyes, under head coach Urban Meyer, from 2012-2014. In 2014, on
Herman’s watch, the Buckeyes’ offense was essentially unstoppable during a
championship season.
Ohio State
averaged 511 yards of total offense per game that season, which was tops in the
Big Ten. In the passing game, the Buckeyes averaged 247 yards through the air
and 44.8 points per game. Ohio State scored 66 points in one game, scored 50 or
more five times, and scored 40 or more points five times. The trigger man for Herman’s
offense was quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Under
Herman’s tutelage, Barrett quarterbacked the Buckeyes to the first national championship
of the College Football Playoff era. Barrett passed for 2.834 yards, 34
touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also added 938 rushing yards and 11 more
scores. For his efforts, Barrett was named first-team All-Big Ten, third-team
All-American, and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Whoever the
quarterback will be for Florida State moving forward, whether it remains Ashton
Daniels or a change is made to elevate Malachi Marshall to QB1 status, Herman certainly
has assessed what changes would benefit Florida State going forward. Currently,
the assistant to the head coach for the Seminoles, Herman’s talent could be better
utilized as offensive coordinator and coaching the quarterbacks.
The
barbarians are at the gate. With the pressure on Norvell at an all-time high,
and his fan approval rating at an all-time low, now is not the time for inflated
egos or vanity run amok. Norvell needs to hand over the keys to this Ford Pinto
offense to coach Herman so he can fine tune it into something much faster and a
lot more furious.
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