Given Florida State's current situation at quarterback -- having only two scholarship signal-callers available at practice due to an injury to senior Sean Maguire and a suspension for freshman Malik Henry -- many fans have asked if Jimbo Fisher will "play it safe" when the Seminoles open the 2016 season against Ole Miss.
By playing it safe, of course, they're wondering if Fisher will keep starting quarterback Deondre Francois in the pocket and resist the temptation to use his legs as a weapon.
It's an interesting debate.
Francois, who was rated the nation's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback during his senior season of high school, is extremely mobile and perhaps the most dangerous runner of all the starting QBs during Fisher's nine seasons at FSU.
While there is no denying that Francois is a talented passer -- just last week Fisher proclaimed that the redshirt freshman could "make all the throws" -- it also is a given that the Seminoles were planning to tap into his athletic ability as well. Fisher loves to run his quarterbacks because it creates a numbers advantage for the offense, and that would only enhance what already is expected to be a very explosive group.
But can he really afford to do that early this season?
Regardless of what happens with Henry, who has been suspended for a violation of team rules, the bigger issue is the recovery time for Maguire. The fifth-year senior isn't expected to be back until the second or third week of the season, meaning the Seminoles currently have no proven backup for Francois.
Sophomore J.J. Cosentino is FSU's only other scholarship quarterback available right now, and his last three appearances in front of fans have been a struggle. He looked lost in the Peach Bowl, he went 0-for-4 passing in the spring game, and then he a rough go of it during FSU's full open practice two Sundays ago in Doak Campbell Stadium.
And even if Henry is back from his suspension by then, there's no reason to believe he would be a much better option. While he is a more accurate passer -- Henry completed 15 of 22 passes for 205 yards in the spring game -- it doesn't appear that he has a firm grasp of Fisher's entire offense.
So what will Fisher do?
Will he call the plays he believes will give the No. 4 Seminoles the best chance to defeat the No. 11 Rebels, even if that means using Francois on designed runs? Or will he "play it safe" by depending on FSU's running backs for all of the yards on the ground?
From a philosophical standpoint, the feeling here is he'll lean more toward the former than the latter. Football is a physical game, and Fisher likes it that way. He coaches aggressively.
Just think back to the ways he has called games in the past.
For starters, he has never been shy about running his quarterbacks, even if there was a major dropoff from starter to backup. Second of all, he is always quick to put his best players on special teams. If you're willing to have Rashad Greene return punts and have Jalen Ramsey return kicks, then you're not exactly an overly cautious coach.
And recent history suggests there's not exactly a significant chance of injury in the first game or two of 2016.
During Fisher's first nine seasons at Florida State -- six as head coach and three as offensive coordinator -- he has directed FSU's offense in 121 games. During that span, only five times has a Florida State quarterback been injured during a game -- and one of those was Ponder trying to make a tackle following an interception.
In five of Fisher's nine seasons, the Seminoles' quarterbacks have missed no time at all due to injuries.
So, from a statistical standpoint, there's not exactly a strong likelihood of something going wrong. But at the same time, it's worth noting that running the ball has proven more dangerous than absorbing hits in the pocket -- at least in this small sample.
