With about two and a half weeks to go before the season opener against Alabama, Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White had a message for his players: Step up!
White has not been pleased with the progress his defensive players have made so far, and he let them know it.
White was not pleased about how his defense looked after the second scrimmage.
"There are some guys who showed, guys who are building the coach's trust and the confidence of their teammates. And there are some guys who need to, quite frankly, step their ass up," White said via the Tallahassee Democrat.
"It's unacceptable. We all need to make sure we are all on the same page and we understand what's asked of us and what the expectations are,” he said."Either guys do it or they don't, and it's not right if you don't. We had some guys go out there and play, and play hard, play physical, play fast, and do the things they were asked to do. It's fun to watch those guys continue to grow and make plays."
A significant reason why the Seminoles only won two games last season was that they had one of the worst defenses in the country, which didn’t even finish in the top 50.
They gave up nearly 400 yards per game, so it’s no wonder that White is not pleased with the progress of his defense, especially the leaders of the team.
"There are some guys who you are expecting more from that are not doing that, they are not doing what they are asked to do, what they are taught to do. Therefore, they won't play," White added.
This is the second scrimmage where White expressed his disappointment in his defense, and that’s not good news for Noles fans expecting big things from this team this year.