Willie Taggart, FSU football coaches address ‘loafing’ for fans

In the waning years of Jimbo Fisher’s tenure with Florida State football, the term “loaf” became all too ubiquitous, both within the program and among its supporters. After the Seminoles’ 2016 home loss to North Carolina that was marred by substandard effort, I asked Fisher if he worried about losing the locker room. He called the question asinine and moved on. Shortly thereafter, FSU players were required to sign pledges to give their all on the field. Huh.

The new ’Nole staff, led by head coach Willie Taggart, obviously wants to nip any possibility of loafing in the proverbial bud, and you can rest assured that it’s been addressed with players. But Taggart and company went so far as to even bring up the issue with fans, doing so during his first FSU Women’s Clinic this past weekend.

The event was open to public registration and served as an instructional platform for female fans of the program. And evidently, loafing was a topic of conversation. One attendee of the clinic was good enough to pass along to Tomahawk Nation the image below, captured from the proceedings, in which Taggart and company clearly define the type of effort — or lack thereof — that constitutes a loaf. No. 4 and No. 6, in particular, caught my eye, as they seem rather reminiscient of former FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews’ philosophy of playing through the echo of the whistle.