Running Back Coach Eddie Gran a Major Upgrade for Florida State
by Bud Elliott on Feb 26, 2010 9:00 AM EST
in FSU Football
99 comments
Coach Eddie Gran (you should read that linked profile) is widely regarded as one of the best running back coaches in college football. When you combine his recruiting ability and his work as a special teams coordinator, there isn't anyone better. And he fit Florida State's needs to a "t". Yesterday, Gran sat down for his meet and greet with the media.
Here's part two (video).
Thanks to Noleinsider.com, Andrew Carter of the Orlando Sentinel, and Seminoles.com for providing video or recaps.
From Andrew Carter's writeup for those who cannot listen:
-Gran said that it seemed like a perfect fit at Florida State. FSU needed a running back coach and a special teams coordinator, and what do you know, that's exactly Gran's line of work.
-Mentioned Florida State's pro-style offense as a selling point to recruits. Pointed out that nowadays so many teams run spread style offense, and how that doesn't help prepare players for the NFL. Said you can see now that there are articles being written about "certain individuals" who are making the transition from a spread offense to the pros.
-Another part of the philosophy? Turnovers. Or a lack thereof. Gran says that holding onto the ball is of paramount importance. "If you don't hold on to the football, you won't play," he said.
-Also, don't expect to see FSU's running backs running out of bounds to dodge tacklers. "We're not going to run out of bounds," Gran said. "If you run out of bounds, it better be because we're in a two-minute drill, or the head football coach told you to. Other than that, you'd better not be running out of bounds. You'd better be dipping your shoulder and you'd better have some crud in you."
And from the Noleinsider.com free story:
"I've been fortunate to be around a lot of good staffs, and what we've done is we've evaluated well," said Gran. "I'm smart enough to know that great players make great coaches. You can be a part of... their nurturing, and you can develop them. But you've got to go and evaluate."
In what is his most heralded role, Gran will team with James Coley to recruit the hotbed of South Florida. According to Gran, he and coach Coley will mostly split up the region, with Coley taking West Palm Beach County and Gran taking Broward County. He said from there, they each take a part of Dade County based on local familiarity.
In his role with special teams, Gran mentioned the typical goals of minimizing penalties and changing field position. But he has been told he can chase those goals with the entire roster at his disposal.
"Our coverage team has to be relentless," said Gran. "I think it starts at the top. [Coach Fisher]'s made it perfectly clear to everybody on this football team that nobody is exempt, and that really excites me." Gran noted that he wants a 30-yard net minimum on punts.
When it comes to being a member of the Seminoles under Coach Fisher and himself, Eddie Gran has one central rule.
"You've got to be selfless." He said. "If you're a running back here and you get seven carries... then that's your role right now. Next year might be 22 carries, 15 carries. The next game might be 12 carries and you might be the guy. If you can't accept that, then you need to move on. That's my philosophy, and when I recruit a running back, he'll know that. You've got to be selfless for you to be successful, and for you to be able to have a winning program."
"In the fourth quarter, you don't want safeties and linebackers tackling you. That's the mentality. When people turn on the film, that's what they should see from the running back group from Florida State University."
Gran said the running backs will each take turns with the first-string offense when spring practice begins on March 16.
"We're going to find out who's the most productive," he said
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Me Likey
“You’ve got to be selfless.” He said. “If you’re a running back here and you get seven carries… then that’s your role right now. Next year might be 22 carries, 15 carries. The next game might be 12 carries and you might be the guy. If you can’t accept that, then you need to move on. That’s my philosophy, and when I recruit a running back, he’ll know that. You’ve got to be selfless for you to be successful, and for you to be able to have a winning program.”
I read that and shed a tear. This is going to be one heck of staff that, apparently, relies on accountability?! To that, I say Squad UP.
"I got a PBS mind in an MTV world"...Jimmy Buffett
by The Ryno and I Know on Feb 26, 2010 9:12 AM EST reply actions
It's About Time
Note to future opponent’s defenses: You better bring your best most physical effort. You will be intimidated and relentlessly pounded into submission. Better get the ice bath ready. Finally a return to Real Noleball. Now all we have to do is find the next Brandon Jacobs. Maybe we could give Luc a few carries. It will be sweet to turn off the TV midway through thr third quarter during the Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest games.
Debrale Smiley
I hope he can get into shape and ready to punish by the fall. We haven’t had the ability to pound people since the last time we were good.
by FloridaStateJay on Feb 26, 2010 9:34 AM EST up reply actions
If you listen to Jimbo's interview on Warchant TV
Debraley has already lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks. Amp has lost > 20…. thanks to the nutritionist, strength training & conditioning.
Nothing can stop us....
Not that I
could EVER turn off a Nole’s game, but yeah. I will be sweet.
A Texan humbles himself before God; there the list ends. - Gen. S. Houston
Love the potshot
at Tebow and Meyer (I assume). . . there are articles being written about “certain individuals” who are making the transition from a spread offense to the pros
I mentioned that in another post
I loved it and it’s clearly a message to recruits. We will get you to Sundays.
by FloridaStateJay on Feb 26, 2010 9:32 AM EST up reply actions
he cracked a subtle grin out of one corner of his mouth when he said it.
perhaps we need a Gran Twitter as well!?
Yeah, right!
He understands how to leverage our depth of talent....
vs. teams (that should be) at the bottom of the conference. One of the saddest developments of recent FSU football was our inability to make our 2nd string superiority count in these games. The days of losing to Wake are over.
I am really looking forward to enjoying some long overdue 2nd half runaways (the literal kind) with this new mentality.
Fwiw, we already quit losing to wake SOLELY BECAUSE of 2nd string depth (Manuel replacing Ponder).
We beat WVU because our 2nd string QB was better than theirs.
"Trick is right."
I can't pick which new coach I like best
Honestly the best part about the new staff is that every new coach “gets it”. Every time I hear any of them speak they all impress just as much. Can’t wait to see what these guys will get out of our players on the field this year. Thank god April 10th is coming up soon, I need a fix of Nole football and can’t wait till August for it.
Coach Rankings according to Marmaduke
A. Jimbo-I have a Jimboner (RIP Richard Stambone)
2. Trickett
D. Coley
4. Hudson
5. Gran
6. Stoopsy
7. Odell
8. The others
I love these new coaches
The reality of our coaching situation still hasn’t fully hit me. I sill can not believe we have all these great hires. Coach Gran is the man. I really hope we can keep this staff together for several years.
Special Teams
But he has been told he can chase those goals with the entire roster at his disposal.
Like to see that the best players will play on special teams. That should help…
Count me out on that. I don’t want to see a starting DB or WR returning kicks. That player should be more effective at their main position. We may need to dip into the starting lineups for a season or two but we need to build depth quickly to fill out our special teams spots.
Let's not forget
A) Deon
2) T Buck
D) Vanover
$) P Dub
by NolesOrNothing on Feb 26, 2010 12:15 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I don't know how I feel about the special teams comment
I guess it depends on the ratio of starters to backups on special teams. I don’t mind starters returning kicks/punts. I don’t really like the idea of a lot of starters being on the coverage teams though. It’s ok to have a couple of starters, but I don’t want him to get ridiculous with the whole “the entire roster at his disposal” idea, and have our special teams primarily composed of starters. I would hope we have enough capable backups at our disposal to keep the number of starters on special teams at a minimum.
But what if Greg Reid is a starting cornerback?
Are you saying you do not want him returning punts?
exactly..
last year I was against P. Rob returning kicks bc he was our best db & more importatly we couldn’t afford to lose him (+that wasn’t his specialty) but with G5….I mean, even if he proves to be our best corner which I doubt he will, he better be returning every ball punted to us next yr. now that we have a little more depth/talent & bc he is a differance maker & will make plays others can’t.
I also think the whole “I prefer straight line vision/returners on kick offs” Gran refers to will make Frankenstein another popular freshman.
"May the gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds."
Sure, let’s see what Joyner can do. What about AJ Alexander? I think there is normally enough talent on the roster to use a back up as a returner. Like I said we will probably have to have a few starters on special teams for the next year or two but after that we should be recruiting and coaching well enough to be able to use backups out there.
I just don’t see special teams being improtant enough to risk an injury to a player (or tire him) that is scheduled to see the field for 30-40 other plays.
I agree that there's some special talents hidden among the players of this team..
guess all we can do now is wait to find out who has what.
"May the gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds."
Yeah, CJ Spiller as a return man was stupid.
What was Clemson thinking? Or maybe DeSean Jackson at Cal? Reggie Bush at USC? Ted Ginn at Ohio State? Arenas at Bama? The list is huge.
"Trick is right."
Anyone remember Pat Watkins' senior year?
He was out best punt coverage guy. If you had the choice of Recardo Wright (not raggin’ on him, got his degree, never caused trouble) and Nigel Bradham on kick coverage, who would you choose?
"Trick is right."
Best Players on Special Teams?
I would worry about the increased risk of injury when you have your best players running an 80 yard sprint into another teams 2nd stringers who would love nothing more than to blow up a big name, guys like G. Reid are too valuable to risk on a coverage team, (IMO) but soon our 2nd stringers will be superior athletes to just about anyone’s special teams players.
by NationWideNole on Feb 26, 2010 11:27 AM EST up reply actions
I don't think he's sending G. Reid to his death...to small for kick cover.
I think he means those with the best combo of speed, tackling, etc for the jobs.
I haven’t noticed an inordinant amout of people getting hurt on kick and punt cover or return compared to offense and deffense.
Yeah, right!
Point Taken
You’re right G. Reid probably wouldn’t be on kick-off coverage that was not a great example by me, but do people agree with me not to risk some our our top defensive players on special teams? I really only see this as a temporary issue until we get our quality of depth up to where it needs to be.
by NationWideNole on Feb 26, 2010 11:41 AM EST up reply actions
Projecting kick and punt coverage and return teams
Is something I’ve been interested in looking into. I think I will wait until after spring ball, though, because it’s just too unpredictable with injuries, attrition, etc. right now.
>>---l>
Remember guys like Deion, TBuck, Warrick, Vanover...
all returned punts and were invaluable stars at their respective positions as well; I think you have to take a little risk with guys like that who have a good chance of putting 7 on the board anytime the have a run back.
Don't even have to look at just FSU
Reggie Bush, Percy Harvin, McFadden, Teddy Ginn, Spiller all returned punts or kicks or both and all of them were not only the biggest stars o their team but some were the biggest stars in college ball period.
The best should return kicks but not cover them IMO.
I will not be a fan of Bradham (just to mention one) on K&P coverages.
by FloridaStateJay on Feb 26, 2010 3:01 PM EST up reply actions
I think we DO have the depth as of this year...just need experience.
I can name half of dozen kids I would be thrilled to have returning kicks at this point.
Yeah, right!
I don't agree with you
Special Teams is such a huge part of the game that can have a major affect on momentum and the outcome of the game. We need our best tacklers, etc. on the field to give us the best possible field position by pinning our opponents deep in their territory. I’m not willing to sacrifice tackling on ST with the thought of “Well hopefully so and so doesn’t get banged up”. This is why you need quality depth at all positions, incase of a few bumps and bruises.
Non Mollare, non mai mollare!
ItaliaNole A.K.A. SavvysNole
In 2009 and there were about 135 plays (offense and defense) run per game. There were about 18 special teams plays (minus FG attempts) per game. I don’t see how special teams are a huge part of the game. I will grant you that a big play on special teams can change the momentum of a game but a big play on any given play can do that.
If you put your best tacklers on the field for special teams you are likely to have to take them out for another play in your base defense.
Note: Data extracted from here
Depends on your conference.
In the ACC it was far fewer IMO. Some of those all-spread conferences jack up the numbers.
And I agree, Special Teams are not a huge part, but you can still grab an advantage there.
I'm not in favor of G. Reid on kick return coverage, but size has nothing to do with it.
Louis Givens has been our best on kickoffs, at 5’8 170 lbs. Remember, KE = 1/2 Mass x Velocity squared.
You can't worry about injuries
If you start playing or coaching to avoid injury (think 2009 Colts), then you’re not longer playing the game. Your job as a coach is to play your available best players at a given position. Period.
Nothing can stop us....
Disagree
Injuries play into a lot of decisions. RBs don’t get as many carries because of injuries. Smaller/more fragile WRs won’t run as many routes across the middle. Fear of injuring your QB dictates what kind of protections are used. I’m not worried about who we have returning kicks and punts or even who most of the coverage team will be going forward. Florida is loaded with quick skill guys and fast LBs every year. With competent recruiting we can have 4-6 good return men every year and talent all over the coverage team.
by osceolafan850 on Feb 27, 2010 9:58 AM EST up reply actions
I am not sure about on coverage, but on the other side, attacking they used veterans also
I remember Peter Warrick still returned punts even after he became a big threat at WR. Tommy Polley and Lawrence Timmons were used on punt block teams even after they were starters, Tony Carter on field goal block units even when he was a starting CB.
love the whole no running out of bounds deal
That will make our guys tough for sure… should be interesting
by LETSGONOLES on Feb 26, 2010 10:48 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I feel tingly all over
These guys are da bomb yo! Can you imagine that kind of intelligence, insight, direction, focus, and work ethic from any of our previous staff? I am pumped up about next year!
Staff Direction
As a matter of fact, yes I can….the staff of the late 80s and 90s exhibited that kind of intelligence, insight, direction, focus, and work ethic.
Probably so
but I was referring to our recent staff of the lost decade
I think they just had better talent than most squads they played.
See Amato, Richt, Andrews recent decline. They were average coaches with above average talent. The playing field in CFB is a little more level than it used to be.
Yeah, right!
A Good Concern
I am concerned that with the level of success we will have and how quickly it will be achieved that many media types will say “it sure looks like Coach Bowden and his staff were really holding FSU back” while we all know its true it will sadden me and further tarnish BB’s greatness but at the same time it is his fault for letting slip to mediocrity.
by NationWideNole on Feb 26, 2010 11:36 AM EST reply actions
With our schedule it will take a year or two. Enough of a buffer zone.
by Bud Elliott on Feb 26, 2010 11:54 AM EST up reply actions
yea but if we pull out 9 - 10 wins
WITH our tough schedule people will definitely notice and you bet it will get mentioned. Although I believe Fisher will be the first to comment against it and praise Bobby for all he’s done.
I'm not saying we WILL
But is there any reason we can’t win 9-10? Reasonable losses: UF, OU, Clemson, UNC, UM. We should probably win the other seven games – and we could grab 2-3 of the “reasonable” losses (plus 1-2 more shots: bowl, maybe ACC CG).
With our offense (and I have to think it will be better with Gran onboard), and a moderately improved defense, I think we could grab 9-10. Am I being too optimistic here?
As long as could and should are different
I won’t say you’re overly optimisitc. An 8 win regular season seems to be the most agreed upon number. If you want consider the bowl game, then 9 becomes likely.
by FloridaStateJay on Feb 26, 2010 3:05 PM EST up reply actions
I think FSUuncensored wants to be cautiously optimistic
This is smart. As great as everything is on paper, we have to see the new staff working together in action, see how fast the defensive players can absorb the new plays and how quickly new players can make meaningful contributions Remember the offense did not turn around overnight.
There is also injuries that can ruin a team’s chances of lots of wins.
Remember, many fans were optimistic going into this past season, at least expecting more wins that the team came out with.
A thought about the O
I don’t think people should expect our O to be any better statistically in ‘20 than in ’09 b/c our O was forced to score almost every time it was on the field b/c our D was so horrible and couldn’t stop anyone. If our D improves, and decreases the ppg that it allows, then our O won’t need to score every time on the field.
Nothing can stop us....
Not too optimistic
I am a long time Saints fan and a friend (who is a Dolphins fan) and I said at the beginning of last season if the Saints d could get just a bit better they would be much more successful….Offense was fine in the 08-09 season but d could stop nobody. Little did I know how much more successful they could be with some improvement on d. I think FSU is in a very similar position….just some improvement on defense should add a few more wins.
Nice article
and absolutely loving the attitude and philosophies of Gran. The guy has a proven track record and I am eager to see his makeover of our running staff. Heck most recently he turned Montario Hardesty into a 1,300 yard back at Tennessee after the guy never rushed for more than 400 previously. The cupboard is full at that position and I expect everyone to get some looks. Special teams are crucial and I expect to see big improvements in that area as well. It’s a no-brainer that field position can impact the game’s score. Can’t wait for kickoff this season. By the way are there any other assistant coach press conferences scheduled?
Striker: "Surely you can't be serious!" Rumack: "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley."
Hudson is scheduled for Monday and DJ on next Thursday
by Quentin C on Feb 26, 2010 12:26 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Gran is probably
the most well-known and most respected of all of our coaches b/c of his proven record, e.g., listening to Phil Steele the other day and the only assistant he mentioned was Gran.
Nothing can stop us....
Special Teams talk had me thinkin....
I assume we likely don’t need another PK until 2012 at the earliest if we target another elite high school kicker, but do we go after a punter this cycle?
by The K-Man on Feb 26, 2010 12:03 PM EST via mobile reply actions
About Dexter Carter
I think it needs to be said that Dexter Carter is a great Seminole, as anyone who saw him play back in the day can attest. Unfortunately Bowden put him in an untenable position by hiring him to coach running backs at a major D1 program with absolutely no previous coaching experience. I felt at the time that this was a terrible hire and a sign of how out of it Bowden had become, but none of that is any reflection on DC or his character.
Look at the kinds of jobs someone like Gran had before he became a position coach at a D1 school: that is how things are supposed to work, and I just can’t comprehend how Bowden thought that it would be reasonable to just skip that whole process. I hope that DC gets another opportunity to gain some experience and to try rise up through the coaching ranks in the normal way.
I imagine the interview went something like this:
Bobby Bowden in his office, feet up on the desk.
“Now ol’ Dexter, if you can get them boys runnin’ like you did against Miami in ‘89, we ain’t gonna have no problems!” (Deep laughter and huge smiles)
“The job’s yours!”
by The K-Man on Feb 26, 2010 1:26 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Agreed
I like Dexter Carter, and he’ll always be a Seminole – but he should have had more experience before getting hired by a D-1, BCS program.
Bowden wanted Edgar Bennett
Who did have experience, but because of that also had a better job (think he was a coach in the NFL.
Some former players turn into good coaches and have to get a start somewhere. As FSUun pointed out many schools just use the RB spot for a top recruiter. It was probably thought that Carter might turn out to be a good recruiter since he should have been able to relate to the players. There is no experience you can get to prepare you for recruiting against other DI schools other than doing it.
Instead, he failed to pass the recruiting certification exam
Which makes me cringe and shake my head to this day
>>---l>
Bennett would have been a much better hire
Well, first I would say that I don’t think you can take BB wanting him as much of a recommendation. But like everyone else, I was strongly in favor of hiring Edgar because A) I thought that his NFL experience would speak volumes to recruits; 2) his longer NFL career meant that he had more exposure to great coaching himself; and D) he had been head of player development for the Packers and was coaching running backs for them.
D) is basically all you need to know. Carter hadn’t been involved with football at all since he left the NFL. I agree that coaches have to get their start somewhere, but I don’t think you’ll find many collect coaches who got their start as a position coach in a major D1 program, and I think there’s good reason for that.
What abut Odell Haggins?
I do not see anything stating he coached anywhere between his NFL stint and his coaching at FSU.
Oh and forgot to add
It is ironic to me, that you mention FSU fullbacks that became good halfbacks in the NFL, but I never understood how Jones went from being a halfback at FSU to a fullback in the NFL. I know he does a good job at it for the Jags, but I do not understand why he was not allowed to get carries.
Me neither
But I do trust most NFL teams to make pretty good use of their personnel, by which I mean that there is usually at least a pretty good argument for what they’re doing.
Because some safey out of the unviersity of Cinn was trying to make the Bucs
During the preseason and hit Jones in the knee with his helmet and blew his knee out. Lost some explosiveness after that.
I like this Gran fella
and I’m really impressed with our current coaching staff— can’t wait to see what kind of results they can get.
Some of the stuff he’s saying probably shouldn’t be taken too literally— we all know we’re not going to see Ponder or EJ out on kicks on either side, and don’t expect to see a kicker on the return team either— even in practice.
I think that will be Fisher's call anyway
He might have some trick plays that they will practice for when Fisher calls it but it won’t be his decision that you can be sure of.
IDK for sure
but from what I’ve heard from our staff (Jimbo, Stoops, Gran) it doesn’t sound like they’re big believers in trick plays, stunts, etc. But… this is Florida State!
Nothing can stop us....
Final call, but Gran will have to have it ready and offer the option over head set during the game...
that’s how it works.
Yeah, right!
You'd better be dipping your shoulder and you'd better have some crud in you."
OMG! I think I have a man-crush…
I cannot envision Smiley running out of bounds anyway
The running back in this coming class, Beverly from all we have read here is the kind of back who will also try and run over you. His coach I believe indicated he was usually unstoppable inside the five. Going for the smash mouth type runner is going to a little different.
I have to admit when Gran was coaching Cadilac Williams that guy seemed to pick up yardage no matter what.
" Fisher’s approach to building a winner is lifted from Saban’s playbook. Right down to the terminology such as becoming more "process oriented" as opposed to "results oriented."
" Nick and I are friends," he said. "That guy is one of the best football coaches I’ve ever been around. God knows he’s brilliant. … A lot of the things he believes are a lot of things I believe. We’re very similar!
The process begins!
No kidding
For some reason Bowden seemed to think that only a scat back could be a “difference maker”. At FSU Edgar Bennett was mostly used for blocking and as a pass receiver out of the backfield, but went on to be one of the best running backs in the NFL (I’ll bet that Bennett would have had multiple thousand yard rushing seasons in college if he had played in Miami’s one back offenses). Marion Butts hardly ever saw the ball at FSU (outside of goal line situations), but was a thousand-yard rusher in the NFL and had a very nice career as a running back. And more recently, I never understood why the offensive coaches couldn’t recognize that Leon Washington was by far the best back on the team, even if he wasn’t a “scat back” like Booker. For me we have a very frustrating history in this regard, and I’m happy to have someone like Fisher (and Gran) overseeing the running game, just because I think that they “get it”.
Washington was a little back
But I guess even after seeing the success Greg Jones had despite not having great Olines is that after so many years of success using smaller backs that it might have been hard to get away from what worked. That, or since they had few large running backs other than Jones to show off to how they used them, it may have been harder for them to recruit any more good ones.
After four years Tebow working on a new delivery
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4935535
" Fisher’s approach to building a winner is lifted from Saban’s playbook. Right down to the terminology such as becoming more "process oriented" as opposed to "results oriented."
" Nick and I are friends," he said. "That guy is one of the best football coaches I’ve ever been around. God knows he’s brilliant. … A lot of the things he believes are a lot of things I believe. We’re very similar!
The process begins!
by DocHoliday2 on Feb 27, 2010 2:17 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Ah.
Good to see St Tebow keeping busy when he isn’t charging $160 for autographs to bring “hope and faith” — $10 worth of it, anyway — to people who need food and shelter.
Tebow’s failure has been predictable, but no less delicious. My wife’s got a better arm than this d-bag, and she can’t even fully grip a college ball.
by Drew J Jones on Feb 27, 2010 9:03 AM EST up reply actions
ESPN Highlights
I can see it now on the highlight reels, “Debrale Smiley runs laying bone crushing blows onto the opposing team’s secondary for a 60 yd TD.”
“Jermaine Thomas was nothing short of excellence as he racked up over 100 yds of rushing for himself today as well.”
“It would appear as if the FSU backfield has Crud, Jim back to you.”
Paddle faster boys!
by Eat_more_gater on Feb 27, 2010 11:42 AM EST reply actions
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