Quote book, video: Adam Fuller on FSU's first scrimmage

Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller discusses Florida State's first scrimmage of preseason camp on Saturday night.

Coach Norvell said the defensive line was disruptive. What were they so good at doing?

It was good to get out there. A lot of different combinations of people in there, especially in the back seven between the linebackers and DBs. They’re all necessary reps. I thought for the most part execution was good. I thought our tackling was sloppy. We made a lot of costly penalties. I don't think we were very disruptive in the pass rush. I thought we were better in the run game. It was important in this scrimmage to not only get certain people the right reps, but we were going to push with what we're doing. In the spring, you just try to keep it as vanilla as you can and making sure everybody understands the concepts and they play hard and they tackle. We were going to try to push what we're doing today and the execution to make sure all this second group of line of players, the linebacker group that haven't played much for us yet, we were trying to give them multiple calls and just push all that on to make sure the execution level was where we want. So I was happy with the execution part of things with the amount that we tried to get looked at — and run. But really sloppy in tackling. I thought we could rush the passer better than we did. And then we had a lot of costly penalties.

Do you have an idea of the defense’s identity through nine practices?

We play hard. I know that. I never take it for granted because effort is hard for all of us. But through the winter, through the spring, the summer, through now I do feel like they will go out there and they'll put a really good effort out there. And that is a big identity right now. I think the details of this group continue to have to be pushed. And that's not because they don't want to. It's just trying to create some intensity with the reps to gain some experience with some of that next group, whether you call them 1B or 2s. We play hard and we practice hard and it's part of our program and our identity. But I am seeing that and I am proud of them for that.

Did some of the sloppy tackling or penalties show up in the first eight practices?

We don't tackle and there's not refs there. But we try to coach the PIs (pass interference). It's one thing, you know, when you coach them in 7 on 7, it’s different when the ref marks off 15 yards and you feel it. But we're coaching it. And I think it is something that you see some of those wide hands that we got to improve on. We try to be very disruptive in coverage. But you got to do it with discipline and with technique. With tackling, I'm a true believer that there's only so many opportunities to fully bring guys to the ground. I embrace that though. That's part of how you got to build your team and practice against the offense. So we try to be as creative, as constructive with the drill work that we do. We try to continue to find ways to coach it. I thought Sam ran really, really hard tonight. Singleton. I was really impressed with his leg drive and running through tackles. But we always got to believe that we control the end result when it comes to tackling no matter who we play against. It's our job to knock them back and get them on the ground and we got to make strides.

Coach Norvell mentioned the known guys were a little limited tonight with the rep count. Who among the younger guys took advantage of that and how does it influence decisions?

I told the defense, we're looking for effort, we're looking for execution and then we're looking for consistency. And that gives us the best idea of what we're going to get in the middle of the third quarter on a game day from week 1 to week 15. And so those are things, I tell (players), ‘If you want to get on the field, play with great effort, execute. Part of execution is not only doing your job but tackling and making plays on the ball. And then consistency with them, on and off the field. We know what we’re going to get. And so those are the things we put forward for them. And you said the young guys, but there are guys like Cam Riley got a bunch of snaps tonight because he needs it. Earl Little. Kevin Knowles. Guys like that who aren't really young, but guys that need the reps with us. Tomiwa (Durojaiye). Darrell Jackson. So it wasn't just a young group. The young guys for sure. Juice (Cryer), Blake (Nichelson). They get needed reps. Quindarrius Jones. Edwin Joseph. Basically the entire safety group outside of Shyheim (Brown) all needed reps. Ja’Bril Rawls. We’ve got a lot of guys that I think can help us. We've got to hit on making sure that we play in those three categories that I named.

Communication is key in the secondary, but also overall in the defense. How was the communication in the scrimmage as well as camp?

It could be better. You can't take anything for granted. Communication, even when you have returners playing together, in the summer is great, we try to push it. You work on individual skills, but we play so much connected coverages and within the run fits that guys have to be on the same page. We work every day, the intensity when you get out there in Doak. I like where we’re at with it. I think our guys respect it. They don't take it for granted. It's something that comes more natural to some. We have some elite communicators. And then we have some guys that got to get better with it. And we just got to make sure the guys that need to get better with it don't rely on the elite ones, because sometimes those guys aren't in the game and we got to make sure we play together.

You mentioned some of the younger or newer linebackers like Cam, Juice, Blake, how have those guys been doing throughout camp?

Really good. Excited about that group. Really looking forward — Omar Graham is in that group theory. He's just been with me for a couple of years now and he played a role last year. Excited about the group. I think they've all got a chance. I think we'll be deeper, but we got to continue to push the high-level play out of that group.

Coach Norvell said there were some missed opportunities tonight, particularly with one long drive. Is that a matter of learning how to finish or are you encouraged that there are opportunities to make those plays?

It was a long drive. It was a really long drive. There were multiple third downs. And we got to get off the field. It might have been a 19- or 20-play drive. Sometimes you'll look up and the next thing you know, it's a first down. You're trying to, quarterback here, quarterback there. It was just one of those drives, early in camp, where you’re rolling guys in and out because you're trying not to get guys playing extended minutes. But anytime you have that long of a drive, you got to think you have enough playmakers that you got to get off the field at one point. I think that was the drive that they get the ball down on the 2. We hit them four yards in the backfield and Sam (Singleton) broke about three or four tackles and rolled in the end zone. That's how that drive finished. There was a scramble, there was a nickel and dime play. Anytime you go a 19-play drive, there's probably not one time to get an opportunity to get off the field but probably multiple. I don't want to say it was a third-down issue. But drives like that you have multiple opportunities to get off the field. I've always said if you can limit big plays against us, we're going to make more than we don't, we're gonna get off the field. That was one of the drives that we didn't. And, yes, thank you for bringing that drive up. I really appreciate that.

The depth in the defensive tackle group, what do you see from guys behind Josh Farmer and Darrell Jackson?

We're putting that together now. I've been going through with Odell (Haggins). I do think we have six guys that can play for us at D-tackle. There's times Josh and Darrell will play together. That's good. There'll be a healthy rotation. As you guys know how we like to do it. And so there's 2 deep, there’s 3 deep, there’s 1 deep, there’s third-down groups. I think any of those six can play together. I'm not too keen on trying to lock into the D tackle rotation yet as much as just trying to get them playing together. There are certain skill sets that are better in certain scenarios. But I'm not going to be that specific yet. We're just trying to get them all ready for first through fourth down. But the healthy part is we have six guys in there that will play. Obviously the reps will be varied a little bit. But don't be surprised when you see Josh with one of the other four and Darrell with one of the other four. And then sometimes obviously, Josh and Darrell can be together. There will be a healthy mix of that the D tackle room where we're trying to do some things front-wise to try to really take advantage of some of those skill sets that we have.

The younger DBs like Quindarrius, Ja’Bril, Edwin have closed the gap on some of the veterans in the group.

I would say this: I would say you go to 1-on-1 drills, probably very similar. A lot of skill there, a lot of skill with tackling. A lot of skill with cover guys. The maturity of Azareye’h (Thomas). The game knowledge of Shy (Brown). Fen (Cypress), (who) is one of our most improved players, they just bring so much confidence, maturity, execution. Every year we usually play at least three corners. I think between Earl (Little) and Kevin (Knowles) and then either Ja’Bril (Rawls) or Eddie (Edwin Joseph), I think we've got depth at nickel,(five DBs on field) which will help us in dime (6 DBs on field). And so you know Quindarius and Ja’Bril, those guys specifically, at corner and nickel, they’ll play. How much will still to be determined. They’re impactful. I say this: Every team in the country has 16 to 18 DBs on scholarship. When you don't make any mistakes and every one of them play, you end up being really good. I think we've done that at defensive back. I think everybody from Ricky Knight to Charles Lester to Cai Bates to the group that you just mentioned, Ashlynd Barker and KJ Kirkland. Every one of them are not All-Americans yet. But I think we can get winning football in certain roles out of all of them. And that's exciting to me and to Pat (Surtain) and to our entire defensive staff.

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