FSU Seminoles

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – When the decision was made for linebacker Christian Jones to make the move, he figured he should prod his former teammate for some advice on playing the weak side.

Nigel Bradham had played the role to some acclaim during his tenure at Florida State, racking up more than 300 tackles in his career, but he wasn't interested in detailing the Xs and Os. He didn't think Jones would need it.

"The one thing he told me," Jones said, "was, 'Get ready, because you're going to like it.' "

On the other side of the field, senior Nick Moody is quickly acclimating himself to a new role, too.

For four years, Moody was a safety, where he started 16 games during his career. But when Jones was moved to the weak side, coach Jimbo Fisher began pondering a switch for Moody, too.

Again, the change wasn't born of desperation, but of logic.

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Florida State heads inside Doak Campbell Stadium for its second scrimmage of the fall today, with the season opener just nine days away.

On one hand, there are few major questions still looming for coach Jimbo Fisher as FSU closes in on the start of the 2012 season. On the other hand, there's precious little time to find answers for the handful that still remain.

So, with that in mind, here are five particularly interesting storylines that today's scrimmage might help answer.

1. How healthy is EJ Manuel?

The FSU quarterback hasn't shown much discomfort since rolling his ankle Aug. 15, an injury that caused him to miss the first scrimmage of the fall. But given Manuel's history of injuries, it'll be nice to see him get on the field under game conditions and test the ankle out.

After the last scrimmage, Fisher said he was happy to get some extra work for backups Clint Trickett and Jacob Coker, but at some point getting Manuel and the offense ready for the season will take on more significance.

2. Who's going to win the field corner job?

Ask a coach or player about FSU's secondary, and odds are you'll hear the name of Ronald Darby come up quickly.

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Only nine days remain before Florida State opens up the regular season against Murray State, and Jimbo Fisher said he's still in evaluation mode when it comes to a handful of spots on the depth chart.

"There's two or three positions -- maybe more -- that we're still evaluating," he said.

Start with right tackle, where Daniel Glauser and Menelik Watson -- both junior college transfers in their first season at FSU -- have split reps with the first-team offense throughout fall practice.

Glauser appeared to have the edge early, then Watson stepped in with the No. 1 unit for much of last week. A minor shoulder stinger kept Watson off the field Sunday and Monday, however, and Glauser used the time to stake another claim to the starting job.

It's an open competition still, Fisher said, but he's closing in on what he expects will be his starting five.

"I think we're pretty close to it," Fisher said. "I think we're pretty close to having eight or 10 guys we can put into the ballgame without worrying about -- maybe more."

Beyond right tackle, the starting cornerback job also remains up for grabs, and there's a chance sophomore Nick Waisome and freshman Ronald Darby could continue battling for reps even after the season begins.

Wide receiver Rodney Smith said both players have looked solid during fall practice, and he believes both will be on the field against Murray State.

"Both of them -- the job's open," Smith said. "Darby's something new and different, and everybody wants to see the new guy on the field. But Nick's a good player, too, and you'll see him out there, too."

Greene sits out

Wide receiver Rashad Greene missed most of Wednesday's practice with a stomach flu but should return within a day or two.

Greene was a full participant in Tuesday night's practice, but the earlier start time and lingering illness proved too much Wednesday.

"He was throwing up and all that good stuff," Fisher said. "The flu bug's got him, and he was just getting drained in the heat."

Joyner returns

With two freshman track stars added to an already healthy mix of options at kick returner this fall, there was some buzz that Fisher might dial back the workload for Lamarcus Joyner on special teams, particularly given his significant role at safety.

As it turns out, Fisher is sticking with what works -- at least for now.

"Kick returner will be the same," Fisher said. "We've still got Karlos (Williams) and Lamarcus right there. But we've definitely got a few options."

Florida State was tops in the ACC in kickoff returns last season, averaging nearly 25 yards per return with Joyner and Williams sharing duty. Joyner led the way with 397 kickoff return yards last season, averaging better than 30 yards per return.

Onside drills

Florida State's special teams worked on kicking and covering onside kicks Wednesday, giving senior Dustin Hopkins a chance to work on his technique after college football tweaked its rules on executing the play.

The new rule requires onside kicks to hit the ground twice before it can be recovered by the kicking team -- a rule designed to minimize the risk of injury.

Fisher said he likes the rule, but admits it will make it far tougher to execute the play in key situations.

"I don't think there's any doubt (it's tougher)," Fisher said.

Still, Hopkins drilled his first attempt Wednesday about 12 yards on two hopes, and Kelvin Benjamin raced down the sideline to grab it.

"(Hopkins) is doing a real nice job of it," Fisher said. "I think we have some guys that can get it and when they kick it to us, we got some guys with some really good hands and good size."

While Jimbo Fisher has been quick to stoke the fires of Florida State's preseason hype, he has adopted a more reserved slogan for the team inside the locker room: Just play.

The buzz among outsiders is heating up, with talk of a national title and a potentially dominant defense, but the simplistic approach has resonated with FSU's veteran defenders.

"At the end of the day, I don't really care about what people expect of our defense or our coaches or our organization," safety Lamarcus Joyner said. "At the end of the day, we've seen what happened last year. If you ask me, it's actually manipulating you to fail -- the high expectations, to be ranked high, to be built up. Because when you're at the top, the only thing to do is to fall."

Perhaps that's why Fisher was quick to dismiss lofty projections for his defense last week, noting that, at some point, expectations become so immense no team could meet them.

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ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit became the latest pundit to jump on the Florida State bandwagon Tuesday, when he picked the Seminoles to win the national championship. It's a prediction shared by writer Phil Steele, who chose FSU to win it all earlier this summer.

That's a bit more enthusiasm than the voting populace has displayed, but Florida State nevertheless will open the season ranked seventh in both the AP and Coaches' polls, and coach Jimbo Fisher isn't doing anything to temper the enthusiasm.

"I love being up there," Fisher said. "The higher up you start, the less you have to climb."

But while Fisher's point might have merit, FSU's problems during the past decade have had little to do with where the Seminoles have started the season and much more to do with where they've ended it.

FSU hasn't finished the year ranked in the AP top 10 since the end of the 2000 season, twice finishing unranked. The ugly finishes have never seemed to dampen hope among AP voters, who have continued to assume things would turn around virtually every summer.

Since 2000, Florida State's average preseason ranking is 12th, but it's only finished a season that high once.

In just three of the past 11 seasons has FSU wrapped up the year ranked higher than where it began, including 2008 when the Seminoles opened the season unranked but finished 21st.

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Senior Chris Thompson has looked sharp during Florida State's fall practice, and, 11 months after breaking two bones in his back, he continues to get the majority of the first-team reps.

While Thompson appears set to hold the nominal role of starter at tailback, sophomore James Wilder Jr. believes it'll be running-back-by-committee throughout the season for FSU.

"I think [the coaches] are going to keep us on the field, everybody," Wilder said. "We're going to be a team that rotates."

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Florida State is the popular choice to win the ACC, so it comes as little surprise to see ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit go with the Seminoles as his choice as well.

Herbstreit unveils his Herbie Awards tonight at 7 on ESPN but we got a little sneak peek this afternoon. There are plenty of ACC players featured prominently.

Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas is Herbstreit's choice to win ACC player of the year; and Thomas is also listed as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback. A Florida State duo makes the list for game-changing defensive ends: Brandon Jenkins is ranked No. 2, while Bjoern Werner is ranked No. 5.

Kevin Reddick, set for a more productive year getting after the quarterback at North Carolina, is Herbstreit's top choice at inside linebacker. No surprise here: NC State's David Amerson tops the list of cornerbacks, with Xavier Rhodes of Florida State right behind at No. 2. Though folks in ACC country know all about Amerson, Herbstreit ranks him as the No. 1 player in the country in search of more respect. Werner checks in at No. 5 in that category, also known as "Rodney Dangerfields."

Clemson's Sammy Watkins checks in at No. 4 among the most exciting players in the nation.

How about a best kept secret? North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard ranks No. 2 in the category. Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller leads the way on the "Don't Turn your Back: Backyard Football" list. Virginia Tech running back Michael Holmes is also No. 3 in the "Ahead of the Curve" category.

And who made the All-Herbie team? Thomas is on at quarterback; Rhodes and Fuller at cornerback; and Virginia's Oday Aboushi at tackle.

Jimbo Fisher thinks he has found his replacement for the departed Greg Reid -- at least on special teams.

While there's still a battle for the starting field corner job, Fisher said sophomore Rashad Greene likely will take over Reid's role as Florida State's top punt returner.

"Rashad would probably be at the head of the pack right now," Fisher said.

Reid was perhaps the top punt returner in the country, having racked up 1,117 yards in his three years at FSU -- just 313 shy of Deion Sanders' school record. When he was dismissed on Aug. 1, the Seminoles were left with a handful of talented options, but few with Reid's expertise.

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