CSNbbs

Quote:Early Sense Of Urgency For 'Noles
By DOUG CARLSON
Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 9, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - There will be no time for dipping a toe in the water when Florida State opens preseason practice this afternoon.  The Seminoles, ranked sixth in the ESPN/USA Today coaches preseason poll, return a balanced and experienced team that has Coach Bobby Bowden willingly talking about chasing a national championship.

But the schedule and the addition of Miami into the Atlantic Coast Conference brings a sense of urgency.  The Seminoles open against the rival Hurricanes (No. 5 in the coaches poll) on Sept. 6 in Miami.

"This year we're in a sprinter's block toward the first game.  There's no building up to it,'' FSU director of sports medicine Randy Oravetz said Sunday after a test to measure how well-conditioned the Seminoles are for opening day.

The numbers were to Oravetz's liking. In particular, he was pleased that only 32 players - veterans, freshmen and walk-ons included - had to participate in the drill, which included 16 110-yard sprints for the returning players and eight sprints for the newcomers.

The other 73 or so players who will go through preseason practice were excused from running because of their participating in voluntary summer workouts, in which they demonstrated to Oravetz's staff a level of physical conditioning that shows they're ready for the rigors of August practice.

In past years, incoming freshmen have been exempt from the annual conditioning exam, for various reasons, including a cautious approach to their ability to handle the stress it presents.

Oravetz and Bowden met and decided the freshmen needed to be tested this year, in part because they won't get a head-start on returning varsity players through freshmen- only practices.

Also, the highly regarded incoming class may produce a record number of freshmen who play rather than redshirt.

"We think they're going to be working with the varsity right off, the first day,'' Oravetz said.  "We needed to check these guys out, push these guys.''

One who got to watch on Sunday was former Land O' Lakes quarterback Drew Weatherford, whose participation in summer workouts earned him an exemption.

"It still hasn't sunk in yet that I'm here,'' he said.  "I think once I strap on the helmet and get out on the field with everybody and actually go through a routine practice I think it will all sink in.  I'm really excited and I feel prepared. I'm ready to go.''

Only two members of the 26-person 2004 signing class didn't qualify to enroll and won't be around this season: Deerfield Beach defensive lineman Emmanual Dunbar and Ocala wide receiver Greg Carr.

Weatherford is unfazed by recent comments from Bowden that Chris Rix and backup Wyatt Sexton are going to hold down the top two spots on the depth chart this season.

"It kind of drives me more,'' said Weatherford, who will compete with freshman Xavier Lee for the third-team spot behind Rix and Sexton.

"I want to do the best I can do and if the best I can possibly do is third string, then so be it.  It kind of lets me know where I stand and I have a long way to go before I'm the guy.''