Florida State football coach Mike Norvell showing optimism about resilient team

The Florida State football team needed to take it easy.

The Seminoles entered this week coming off a physically demanding stretch of six consecutive practices, which included a three-day trip to Jacksonville and a scrimmage. And this Wednesday, FSU reached the three-week mark of its preseason camp.

So head coach Mike Norvell understandably installed what looked to be the lightest practice of preseason camp Thursday. The Seminoles practiced for approximately half of their usual allotted time. They also only donned helmets, permitted minimal contact and focused heavily on special teams.

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FSU’s previous two practices were busier and longer than Thursday’s session but felt less intense than last week. Norvell clearly wanted to ramp down the physicality to prevent future injuries and burnout during the team’s final week of preseason camp.

The confidence Norvell has in this team –  one with the identity he has characterized as tough – afforded him that luxury.

“Seeing guys who are playing here at the back part of camp and playing faster through hard workloads is something that excites me,” Norvell said.

Like wide receiver Malik McClain and defensive end Dennis Briggs Jr., two of the best athletes on the Seminoles who hit camp-high speeds in practice earlier this week. They also aren’t the only players who have progressed throughout the last three weeks.

Running back Lawrance Toafili, receiver Johnny Wilson, safety Jammie Robinson and linebacker Tatum Bethune are among players who are practicing better now than they did when camp started on July 27.

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To be a team that handles adversity, recovers from injuries and succeeds in November, FSU must have players who can be resilient. Norvell believes his team is full of them.

“It shows that the recovery is really on point,” said Norvell on the players hitting their top speeds. “Obviously we see the work they are doing out here on the field. But the work they are doing in the training room, the work they are doing with (director of football strength and conditioning Josh) Storms as we lift in our fall camp, they are continuing to get stronger.

“That is something that we will continue throughout the course of this season. So at the end of the year, we are playing as fast as we possibly can play. And we are playing stronger there at that point of the season.”

On Saturday, the Seminoles will wrap up preseason camp. Then FSU begins its game-week preparations for its season opener against Duquesne next Saturday. That game begins at 5 p.m. ET and can be seen on ACC Network.

Once the Seminoles cross that game-week threshold, Norvell knows how he wants his team to handle it.

“If you just go through the motions of fall camp, and then you get to game week and it’s like, ‘Here we go,’ you are going to be a pretty sorry team,” Norvell said.

“And there have been a lot of teams that have gone through it with that mindset. And then in the moment of having to make the play or when things get hard in the game, they are not prepared to respond there.

“And that’s where for us, it’s a daily focus of having that mindset. Having that approach. And yes, as each day goes by, I want more. These guys know how far it is until we get to kicking it off in there.

“When they play in that stadium, I want it to be better than they’ve ever played in their entire life. But if we don’t take care of it between now and then, we will miss an opportunity.

“I don’t have to let them know that it’s game week. But I let them know that today, they better be their best.”

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Norvell confident in kicker Ryan Fitzgerald

Ryan Fitzgerald consulted with New York Giants kicker Graham Gano earlier this offseason.

Gano, the former Lou Groza Award winner who was inducted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in April, gave Fitzgerald a few pointers from a technical perspective.

“I changed to a two-step approach, which is exactly what he’s doing,” Fitzgerald said. “It takes out the jab, so it’s more consistent with my plant foot. Which is one thing I’ve been trying to lock in. If your plant foot is all over the place, then obviously the kick is going to be all over the place as well.

“So I implemented that before spring practice, worked on it through the spring and now it’s coming along really well. I’m excited to see how that progression keeps going with that.”

The result has been somewhat of a work in progress. Fitzgerald struggles with his accuracy at times, though Norvell appeared to be pleased with what he has shown in camp.

“He has made some really good strides,” Norvell said. “He has had a really good camp. His accuracy, his leg strength, kickoffs – that is in all phases. Ryan is a specialist who embraces the training.

“And really all our guys, it’s an impressive group when it comes to the offseason conditioning and what they do. And then you see them get bigger. You see them get stronger.

“The leg strength, the consistency of that and the endurance that they have with the amount of kicks that they are able to take.”

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Plans for Friday, Saturday practices

Norvell plans for Friday's practice to mimic what a Wednesday practice would look like during a game week.

Which means FSU should have more of an active practice before decreasing the intensity level again Saturday.

“It’s a low-impact day,” Norvell said of Saturday's practice. “We go through pregame so everybody knows where they are going. What it needs to be. I want everybody to be organized in pregame. I want everything to be sharp. …

“We have newcomers coming into the program. So just so they have a sense of what to expect when we come out. Where we stand. Where we sit. In between possessions.

“Everybody has a very specific assignment from where they are going to sit in the chair if you are the starter, if you are the backup, if you are standing behind. We want to have that organizational approach so that the efficiency of our communication, guys have that overall understanding.

“Scrimmages are a little bit tough. We will get an introduction to it. But it’s hard to get the realistic flow. We will be able to do that here on Saturday.

“And we will bring up all different situations – whether it’s two-minute, two-point situations, whatever. We will get it all.”

2022 FSU football schedule

Aug. 27: Duquesne, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)

Sept. 4: vs. LSU, New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sept. 16: at Louisville, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Sept. 24: Boston College

Oct. 1: Wake Forest

Oct. 8: at N.C. State

Oct. 15: Clemson

Oct. 29: Georgia Tech

Nov. 5: at Miami

Nov. 12: at Syracuse

Nov. 19: Louisiana

Nov. 25: Florida, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football coach Mike Norvell likes his team's resilience before 2022 season