I keep hearing that Xavier Lee is inconsistent but makes big plays. I keep hearing Drew Weatherford is consistent but lacks big play ability. I see an offensive line that cannot protect a pocket passer because they are learning as they go. I see a running game that needs every advantage it can get to gain yards, possess the ball and give the defense some time to rest and adjust.
I keep hearing that Drew Weatherford has the experience. Perhaps that is why he shouldn't be the starting quarterback. He's had the better part of three seasons to improve as a starting quarterback at Florida State but because of various reasons, some of which are definitely out of his control, he hasn't done it. When Drew throws a pick 6 early against UAB he is allowed to continue playing. When he fails to complete passes to open recievers he is allowed to continue playing. If not for Jimbo Fisher, Drew would have played throughout the Alabama game and Xavier would've been kicking himself for not transferring sooner. Oh by the way, FSU would've lost to Bama.
I've heard a lot of people wondering if this is a race issue. I don't want to believe that. I've heard this is a political issue. Possibly. All I know is the playing field isn't equal for whatever reason. Against Wake Forest, Xavier passed for over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half. To start the second half he led the offense to four straight 3 and outs. Exit Lee. Enter Weatherford. What?!?! How can he get better if he isn't allowed to play through his mistakes?! How many times has Drew done the same if not worse with no consequence?! Did Lee's first half show you nothing?! This guy has "it" but he must play to cultivate "it".
At the point the QB change was made I surrendered. I knew Wake was going to win and that was that. The team seemed deflated to me. Their collective demeanor changed dramatically for the worse both on offense and defense. It was no shock that Wake went up top for 6 shortly thereafter. As a true fan I want to win every game every year. As a fairminded person, I want to show improvement from the previous season, previous game and previous series.
(Not to knock Drew because he's just a kid. He would be a very good quarterback if he had a good offensive line and a good running game. I don't want it to seem as if I'm jumping on him at all but the current situation at FSU does not play to his strengths. The coaches have to see this.)
This is a brand new offense for FSU and for many of these players it's the second offense they've had to learn. There are new coaches across the board and there will be growing pains as a result. When you consider the schedule two things jump out: you're not going undefeated and next season they all come to you. Next season all the road games becomes home games at Doak Campbell with a veteran FSU team waiting. An FSU team in it's second year of Fisher's offense. None of that will matter if you don't begin to improve now. It's obvious to anyone with sight that Xavier Lee has the best skill set of the FSU quarterbacks. The problem is he has less than half of a season of starts over his career. Six games to be exact. How can he be consistent with six starts?
If Xavier Lee is allowed to play the game, make his mistakes and learn from them he will lead Florida State to national relevance again.
If this season is nothing else, it is unpredictable. Who could've foreseen App State over Michigan, Stanford over Southern Cal, South Florida number 2 in the first BCS Poll, Nebraska getting hammered like nails, Illinois beating Penn State and Wisconsin but losing to Iowa who lost to Penn State and Wisconsin and Indiana and Iowa State or LSU destroying Virginia Tech who demolished Clemson who dominated Florida State who beat Alabama who outlasted Arkansas who nearly took one away from Auburn who beat Florida in the Swamp but lost to Mississippi State who got destroyed by LSU. I don't want to mention Louisville.
With all that said can anyone honestly believe an undefeated team will make it to the Sugar Bowl? Who's to say a 2 loss team won't play for the national championship?
You can't look at the schedules and say Team A has the easiest road to New Orleans because their remaining games are (fill in the blank). Anybody can beat anybody. Ohio State can lose any of their last four. South Florida's not playing high school teams either. They can lose.
What if Florida runs the table? With four more nationally televised games, three of which against teams that are currently ranked 6, 7 and 20 and the SEC championship against, say, top 5 LSU and the memory of what they did last season they have an excellent shot at getting the chance to defend their title.
Arizona State, Oregon, Cal and USC are 8, 10, 12 and 14 respectively. A State is the only undefeated. They won't finish that way.
Was Virigina Tech's loss too humiliating to recover from or did they lose early enough to right the ship, win out and get into the top 2 with some help? They're number 11 and a win over third ranked Boston College will obviously catapult them into the top 10.
I dont know what the second half of this season will hold and neither do you. But I do know being and undefeated champion is so 2005.
And I know Florida State needs to let Xavier Lee play through his mistakes instead of pulling him from the game, which leads to Lee, his teammates and the fans to all question the coaching staff. He's not Rex Grossman. He is the answer! Go Noles!
