The Agony and the Ecstasy

The next time a Florida State fan tries to tell me that Seminole fans want a well-rounded athletic program, one that celebrates the victories of its men's and women's programs, and their accomplishments off the field, I'm going to try not to laugh out loud.

Absolute, unadulterated hogwash!

Want proof?

Just check your heart.

Three profound events occurred within a span of six days that absolutely define the essence of the Florida State athletic program. On Monday, the Seminoles learned that shot putter Garrett Johnson had been named a Rhodes Scholar which is the academic equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Johnson is the first Florida State student in more than 30 years and the first student-athlete to earn that distinction.

Good for Garrett, who is not expecting the hoopla that surrounded Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke's awards.

On Friday evening, Florida State's women's soccer team defeated North Carolina, arguably the greatest dynasty of all time in any sport, to advance to the Final Four. To give you a degree of difficulty on beating the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, you have to understand that of the 24 national titles awarded in women's soccer, UNC has won 18.

Good for the women, who deservedly were rewarded with front-page sports section coverage in most markets.

Now if you are truly gender neutral in your sports tastes and genuinely take pride in the accomplishments of our student-athletes on and off the field, why did you feel so angry and heartsick when you woke up Sunday?

I'll tell you why.

Does 34-7 mean anything to you?

Next time a Seminole fan tries to tell you that the FSU fan base has a better perspective than other schools, just say 34-7.

As much as some FSU fans want to say they take pride in a Rhodes Scholar and a Final Four appearance, the collective ecstasy of those remarkable deeds was quickly lost in the agony of defeat in Gainesville.

Here's a news flash: Florida State is a football school.

Florida State fans are furious over the Seminoles' performance in Gainesville. They are up in arms about an offense that is incapable of protecting the quarterback, blocking for running backs, throwing or catching.

Whatever you say to them, do not offer injuries as a possible answer. Doesn't matter that 25 players have missed one or more games or that three starting offensive linemen are out for the season. Don't mention the fact that a freshman quarterback is trying to find freshmen receivers.

Excuses.

If you suggest injuries and youth are part of the problem, fans will quickly tell you that you are simply trying to protect the coaches. The problem, fans insist, is coaching plain and simple. The offensive scheme is unimaginative and the play calling predictable.

When their team loses, fans blame coaches and not players.

Here at Florida State, an offensive-minded fan base, that ire is usually directed at the offensive coordinator. Every coordinator I've known since 1982 has sat in that hot seat, from George Henshaw (1980-82) to Art Baker (1983) to Wayne McDuffie (1984-89) to Brad Scott (1990-93) to Mark Richt (1994-2000). That is particularly the case right now, as offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden the head coach's youngest son, is an absolute lightning rod for whatever goes wrong.

"It irritates me that as soon as we lose a ball game, it's let's fire Jeff Bowden. That is really cowardly to me," Bobby Bowden told the media on Sunday. "We didn't play good in any area. We played better in some than in others.

"I go back and watch the film to see where this bad play calling is coming from. I see that if we block our man, our plays are really going good. When we don't then you have a bad play. It doesn't have anything to do with the way the play was called. Yeah, I'm getting irritated over that. I think people are getting personal."

Florida State football is extraordinarily personal to the tens of thousands of people who attended the university or adopted it as a fan. Emotions are running higher than I have seen them since 1983, when FSU got spanked 53-14 in Gainesville. Getting beat by unranked Virginia, N.C. State and Clemson all in one year will do that to a fan base that cares so much about winning. And getting trounced by Florida has them literally jumping off the ledge.

Fans say they are sending letters to President T.K. Wetherell and athletics director Dave Hart, threatening to cut off Booster donations and surrender season tickets until change occurs. Fans need to know that cutting off the life support system is never a good idea because when change does occur there may be nothing left worth watching.

I have had phone calls from people telling me that Bobby Bowden needs to do what Joe Paterno did last year and that is demote his son and fire his whole staff. The fact is Joe did not fire or demote his son Jay, who is still the quarterback coach, and he certainly didn't fire his whole staff, which has been with him for years and years. Paterno did move his longtime offensive coordinator into the administration, however, and hired one of his former assistants -- Galen Hall -- who you might remember as that pumpkin-looking character who was Florida's head coach in the mid 1980s.

Penn State, which was struggling to break .500 in recent years, is now 10-1 with a Big 10 Championship and top five ranking.

While some Penn State fans viewed Hall as just another Paterno cronie, FSU fans' perception is that Hall brought a wealth of new ideas to the Penn State staff and that is what they wish Bobby Bowden would do.

Bowden said he knew what the offensive problems were last year and vowed to correct them. Chris Rix graduated and former offensive line coach Jimmy Heggins was replaced by Mark McHale, a man fans hoped would inject new ideas, but the offense is still struggling and fans are scared the program has slipped and needs profound change.

Bowden admits the team has slipped but does not want to pin it on just one thing.

"I think it is the whole team," he said on the Sunday conference call. "People like to put the blame on one guy, one area, but our whole team has slipped. I think injuries have played a part in it. We are playing good people and they are all fired up against us. We just are not as strong as we've been. There is nothing to panic over. It is something you can get back. It is a matter of recruiting and that is what we got to do."

If Bobby Bowden thinks profound changes – including coaching changes – are in order he'll tell T.K. Wetherell and Dave Hart. He surely won't say anything publicly at least until after the ACC title game and the bowl game are played. If he's going to make changes, he'll do it behind closed doors and outside of the public spotlight.