FSU Seminoles

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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Heather Dinich talks to FSU defensive end Brandon Jenkins about the depth on the defensive line and how the players are handling the hype of being a preseason top-10 team.

Center Bryan Stork and right tackle Menelik Watson both missed Monday's practice, but Jimbo Fisher both players should return by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Stork, who opened camp at right tackle but has been at center since the second day of practice, has a minor neck injury, Fisher said, while Watson, the junior college transfer is dealing with a stinger near his shoulder.

"They should both be able to go (Tuesday)," Fisher said. "It's typical two-a-day stuff."

The circumstances aren't dire, but the injuries to two potential starters on the offensive line were still eerily reminiscent of the drama at the position that helped sink Florida State's 2011 season.

Fisher was forced to use 10 different linemen a year ago, including four freshmen in FSU's bowl game against Notre Dame, but all the attrition in 2011 has proven to be a blessing in 2012.

"Our depth is so much better," Fisher said.

So as Austin Barron took reps with the first-team offense at center and Daniel Glauser got work at right tackle, the unit looked no worse for the changes.

That's a good sign, Fisher said, and competition for the starting roles at both positions remains open -- at least nominally.

Stork's veteran experience -- which includes 14 starts, more than the rest of the projected starters combined -- and bulky frame have him the favorite to win the job at center.

At right tackle, there's likely a little more wiggle room, as Glauser has come on strong the past few days with Watson injured.

"(Watson) has been doing some good things and Glauser's been doing some good things," Fisher said. "Those two, I feel very comfortable to have them there right now."

Redshirt for McDaniel

Senior defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel will likely redshirt the 2012 season, Fisher said after Monday's practice.

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Nothing creates a few hours of panic quite like an injury scare for the starting quarterback, but the worst fears of Florida State fans were soothed quickly last week as EJ Manuel's ankle issues proved little more than some minor swelling.

Manuel missed FSU's first scrimmage of the fall, but he was back in the practice field in full pads, taking every rep the following day. No harm done, Jimbo Fisher said.

But the fleeting concerns about Manuel's health did manage to shine some light on just how deep Florida State's QB ranks are at the moment.

Sure, an injury to Manuel would certainly damage the Seminoles' hopes for a national title, but behind him on the depth chart, FSU is still in pretty good shape.

Clint Trickett has bulked up during the offseason, and he's throwing the ball well so far this fall, including a relatively good performance running the first-team offense in Manuel's absence during last week's scrimmage.

Redshirt freshman Jacob Coker continues to progress, too. While he's still clearly behind Trickett on the depth chart, his progression throughout the past few months has made it a battle for the No. 2 job.

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