Mike Norvell: Coaches need to set the example for players

Florida State dropped its first game of the season on Saturday, losing a tough one to No. 22 Wake Forest 31-21. There’s not a lot of time to wallow in self-pity over that one, though, not with a road trip to No. 14 NC State up this week followed by a date with No. 5 Clemson a week later.

For coach Mike Norvell and his staff, it’s all about moving forward. That means continuing to set the right example for his players, something he has been emphasizing with his assistants since he first took the job in Tallahassee.

“There’s a need every day. I want to be better than I was yesterday, so that’s it,” Norvell said. “If we’re not bringing it every day then there’s major issues. But hopefully I was better today than what I was last week, and the plan tomorrow is to be better than what I was today. But that’s the expectation.”

After winning three games in Norvell’s first season, Florida State improved to five wins last year. Already with four wins in the bag in Year 3, the Seminoles have their sights set on actually competing for an ACC title.

That goal will likely either be realized or let slip in the next two weeks.

So Norvell is as dead set as ever on making sure players keep pushing forward in their pursuit of improvement. He’s had to step his game up as a result.

“Coaches are no different than players,” Norvell said. “And ultimately it is our obligation and responsibility that our players need to see growth in us. I know I talked yesterday about ownership. There’s not one coach that had a perfect game there Saturday. I don’t think I’ve ever had a perfect game.”

Mike Norvell evaluating how staff can improve

The first step in bettering yourself is usually a brief look at the past. Where did you come up short? How can you fix it?

Norvell outlined the litany of questions he asks himself after his team loses a game. Or wins one.

“I can look at the things that were done, decisions that were made, some of the things even throughout the week,” he said. “Did I like how that played out of what I pictured it being and were we able to execute it? All right, if we weren’t able to execute it, why? Was it how I was teaching it? Was it some of the details? Was it maybe lack of focus from the players’ perspective? Was it just a missed opportunity?

“All those things go into it, but you have to be able to take the ownership and then you have the awareness of what are the steps that need to go into fixing it? So it’s energy, it’s focus, it’s thoughts, schematics, the overall execution and consistency of that that all play into it.”

The good news for the Seminoles is that effort certainly didn’t seem to be a problem in the loss to the Demon Deacons.

A slow start was certainly costly, but Florida State did manage to battle back after giving up 28 straight points to go down 28-7. The Seminoles managed to cut it to a one-score game before stalling out. Norvell kept harping on that being a reflection of what the staff is setting out as an example.

“I thought as a football team we had good energy,” Norvell said. “Our coaches need to be an example. It’s one thing if I sit back and cross my arms and do nothing for the whole practice but want guys to bust their ass for everything they’re doing, I would be cheating them. But if I’m going to come out and I’m going to put everything I’ve got into it, I’m dang sure going to make sure they are too.”

Coaching staff, players all in it together

Norvell, who played his college football at Central Arkansas, isn’t unaware of the pressures players face day to day.

There are a lot of responsibilities heaped upon them. The sport can be brutal in its demands.

“For players, it is hard to play college football,” Norvell said. “Nobody’s body is feeling good right now. You get into it, you get bumps, you get bruises, there’s distractions all around the world, things that are going on.

“But they get to make a choice, and every one of our players, they want to achieve at the highest level. There’s not one player that steps onto the field and, ‘Hey, I want to mess up on this play.’ They don’t. But it is that constant push of, ‘Every day, can I come here and can I just be my best? Can I get better from the lessons that I’ve learned? Can I be there? Can I be supportive for my teammates?'”

That sense of community is something that has to exist not just between different players in the locker room, but between the staff and the players, as well.

Norvell hopes to keep building those bonds going forward.

“That’s what it’s about, when you see players helping encourage players, when you see that energy, that excitement, when guys are supporting each other,” he said. “I’m going to challenge them on the field. When I see something that needs to be better, I’m going to let them know it needs to be better. When I see something that’s done to the standard, I’m going to let them know that, man, I’m going to celebrate with them. I’m going to show that excitment.

“I want them to feel the good just as much as they understand the corrections and the things that we need to get better at. That’s what makes this game awesome.”