Colleges

Weatherford: Tough to resurrect a dynasty

By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published September 13, 2007

TALLAHASSEE -Drew Weatherford is getting tired of looking to the past or, worse, being asked to summon the past.

"We're not responsible for bringing Florida State back," the redshirt junior quarterback said.

Don't misunderstand him and don't blast him for blasphemy. Rest assured. Weatherford and the rest of his teammates want to win and win big, as big as FSU teams did from 1987-2000, the "Dynasty Years."

But at times in recent years, the "Down Years," if you will, the expectation that the Seminoles would win at least 10 games and finish in the Top 5 - as FSU teams did for an unprecedented 14 years in a row - has been like dead weight.

"I feel like in the past that's been the problem; we've been carrying this burden trying to bring this program back instead of focusing on what it takes to play well," Weatherford said.

Again, don't misunderstand him. He's not making an excuse nor is he underplaying other factors such as coaching issues, recruiting deficiencies and injuries.

What he's saying is this: FSU's past success is the pink elephant in the room and when you try to live up to such a lofty standard and don't, for whatever reason, it takes a psychological and physical toll.

You don't play loose. You don't brim with confidence. You fret so much about making a mistake, you do just that and botch a read or miss a tackle or whiff on a block. You press more and the results become more depressing.

That's the recipe for a 7-6 season.

New offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jimbo Fisher said he and the revamped staff have been trying to get the players to stop worrying about "results" and focus on the "process" - doing the right things the right way each and every day, which incidentally is how you often get the results FSU enjoyed in the past.

"They can't worry about things they can't control. All they can control is how they prepare, how they play, and the way they play," Fisher said. "It's what I keep saying, 'Changing the culture; changing how they think.' It takes time."

Back in the day, FSU coaches played on the past as a means to continuing the success. It was part of the pitch to lure the top prospects and a challenge to the players on Saturdays. Back in the day, it was a blessing.

"Every program's at a different stage," Fisher said. "Do you tell a 10-year-old what you tell a 3-year-old? You can't think the same. Where we're at now, we're not winning 10 a year. We haven't been. We have to learn to win one, then two, then three, then four, then five. One at a time, not eight at a time. That's not where we're at right now. And they can't worry about that."

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: Coach Bobby Bowden said he won't pay any attention to the altitude in Boulder 5,430 feet compared to that of Tallahassee (167 feet). That's more than a mile difference.

"My second year of coaching (at Howard), we went down to Mexico City and played the University of Mexico ... and that's much higher (by about 1,900 feet) than whatever Colorado is," he said. "They kept telling us about the (thinner) air and I guess it is true, but we never noticed it. ... We can't let that get in our head."

Still, the Colorado Convention and Visitors Bureau suggests taking a few steps to have a more enjoyable stay there: Spend two nights adjusting to the altitude and take it easy during that time (oh well, that won't work for the Seminoles who get there Friday); drink more water; and reduce the intake of caffeine, alcohol and salty foods (oh well, bad news for any FSU tailgaters).

"We'll breathe whatever they give us," Bowden quipped.

NUMBERS GAME: The defense, which missed 31 tackles in the Labor Day loss at Clemson, reduced that to 15 in the home win Saturday against UAB.

DID YOU KNOW?: A win at Colorado will give the Seminoles back-to-back victories for the first time since they beat Miami and Troy to open last season.

HE SAID IT: "Surprisingly, he's much different in the game. More calm. I don't know what he says when I'm not on the headsets." - Weatherford on Fisher, who has been an in-your-face yeller in practice.

Brian Landman can be reached at landman@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3347.

[Last modified September 12, 2007, 23:37:00]