Jimbo Fisher Call-In Show takeaways/updates: Syracuse week

With this week's edition of the Jimbo Fisher Call-In Show all wrapped up, here are some key questions that Fisher was asked, as well as his responses:

Is James the starting strong safety?

One caller in the middle of the show applauded the play of true freshman Derwin James and asks Fisher if he has earned the starting strong safety spot for the remainder of the season. Fisher praised all that James has done in his increased role in the weeks that the secondary has been dealing with injuries before stating that he has been working with the 1s for the past few weeks and that he will likely serve as the starting SS for the remainder of the season. Going on, Fisher raved about James' intelligence on top of how well he has been playing this year.

Would a faster tempo benefit the offense?

Regular TN user and weekly caller Crawdad wondered if an increased tempo on offense would be beneficial in multiple aspects including a decreased chance for offensive line penalties and better possible performance for Everett Golson. Fisher started off by saying that he believes the increased tempo may be beneficial for the aforementioned issues but then counters by saying that a faster tempo means that the offensive possessions are shorter and the defense has to face more drives and plays and that he doesn't think that FSU has enough defensive depth ready to handle more time on the field. However, he didn't entirely count it out for the future.

Could more option plays work in the red zone?

Late in the show, an audience member if option plays could increase the red zone efficiency for the Florida State offense, referencing the play where Golson handed off to Cook on the goal line against GT when he likely could have kept the ball and walked into the endzone. Fisher repeats what he has said in weeks past by saying that those plays are read options and that Golson has the option to keep the ball on those plays, as well as a screen pass option to a receiver as well. Fisher also mentioned that they occasionally run speed options play, which worked to great success against Miami on their first touchdown of the game and was significantly less successful in the Louisville game. Nevertheless, Fisher wrapped up by saying that option-type plays are definitely a part of the red-zone offense.

For a complete recap of tonight's show, check the comment section at the bottom of the page for my updates.