Five months might feel like an eternity in some situations. For the old guy sitting in a prison cell or the young child lying in a hospital bed.

Judging by the stress on the face of Florida State football coach Mike Norvell, five months might feel like an instant.

As the Seminoles' new head coach spoke with the media following Tuesday's practice -- the team's second of the spring -- you could almost feel his concern about how much ground they have to cover before preseason camp opens in August.

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And we're not talking about how much information the players have to learn about his offense or Adam Fuller's defense. We're not even discussing all of the fundamentals the coaches have been harping on during these first two days -- how to properly carry the football, how to attack blockers and shed defenders, or how to play press-coverage.

Before any of that becomes the primary concern, it's pretty clear that Norvell's staff first has to teach this football team how to practice again. How to compete. How to really push themselves.

The good news, at least from everything we've seen and heard so far, is the vast majority of FSU's players WANT to get on board with the new regime. They know they haven't been coached well or pushed hard the past few years. They are tired of losing, and they are buying in to what Norvell's staff is selling.

The problem right now is they don't know what they don't know. They have no clue what they're going to look like a year from now.

"Good energy. Good intentions," Fuller said, when asked to evaluate what he's seen from the first couple of practices. "A lot of people with a high care factor right now. ... Our intentions have been really good right now. Collectively and individually. So it's a daily process."

That's about as close to a, "Bless their heart," as you're going to get from a college football defensive coordinator.