Florida State Seminoles

[Jungle Rat]

GENIUS!

[KeviNole]

Good win over a decent NCSU team...even with 5 turnovers the offense (especially under a banged-up Maguire) was able to put points on the board and the defense continued to play very well. We'll lose Ramsey to the draft, and our LBs to graduation, but Hoskins looks to be an upgrade at MIKE and if we can have better injury luck, this should be a Top 10 defense next year. If the OL can stay healthy and get stronger in the offseason, they should give Maguire/Francois a much better pocket to throw from next year and the offense should be very good as well. If we can get competent QB play and beat Clemson at home, we should be in the hunt next year.

[billy bob bocephus]

true, true but it would also help to pick up a couple of 6'5"ish receivers, at least 2 more stud OL at a minimum

Derwin James got ACC DB of the week for his play against the pack - I'm sure in the next two years he will get several more


congrats to Gholson for taking the chance to transfer and learn a new system - I doubt he will get drafted as a QB but may get a shot as some sort of specialty receiver

thank God we have no more noon games - 3:00 for the mocs and 7:30 for uf - much more civilized ies

[Dr. Nostron]

is 7:30 for Gaytors for sure? I was hoping 3:30

[KeviNole]

true, true but it would also help to pick up a couple of 6'5"ish receivers, at least 2 more stud OL at a minimum

Won't help much next year. Very few receivers pick up Fisher's system well enough to play significantly as freshmen (Rashad Greene being the obvious exception, and Rudolph got a good amount of PT last year). And the talent on the OL is by far the most ever assembled under Jimbo, if you choose to buy the recruitniks' stories. I think Ermon Lane will take a big step forward next year (he's 6'3") and Auden Tate (6'5") was starting to see the field a lot more before he hurt his foot. George Campbell (6'4") is a phenomenal athlete but has the dropsies (ala Mike Evans at Tampa Bay).

The problem with those tall guys is they don't always have the shiftiness to get a lot of separation. Jameis didn't care, he'd throw it on a dime and lead his receivers open. We don't have Jameis any more, and Maguire likes to see more open space or shorter distance, so he's been throwing a lot of crossing routes to the slot.

[billy bob bocephus]

Kev, I realize that anybody signed this coming Feb. would probably red shirt for 2016. I just meant that we need to have that in line to step up in 2017

[billy bob bocephus]

Happy Turkey Day to everyone!

I think this game is a toss up. UF has the better D, the Noles have the better O (even though it is away for the Noles) A lot depends on how tired and beat up the gators D is. If the Noles D can give Smag and Cook some short field opportunities Aguyao should be the difference. Noles 17, gators 10.

[AlabamAlum]

A toss up? I think the Noles win by 14.

[Jungle Rat]

Agree with the old grumpy guy.

[KeviNole]

I think we should, but we've been so unbelievably bad offensively on the road. It's like two different teams. Of course, two of the teams have been Boston College and Clemson, both of which are in the Top 5 defensively (using opponent adjusted stats). UF is sixth. And I feel much better with Maguire at the helm than Golson though he is inconsistent. Our best ally is the UF injury report - they have a great DL but several of them are banged up and "questionable" (not sure McElwain knows what that means).

[SuperGator]

Good game, guys. I'm in Brazil and didn't get to see it, but reading about it this morning lets me know that you had our number, again. I won't even make excuses for the injuries or Treon. We've been playing that way all year. Sheer luck on offense and defensive talent that wasn't going to save us in this game.

[KeviNole]

Treon was horrific. Taylor and the defense were excellent, but the offensive ineptitude led to the defense giving up in the 4th quarter which is when Cook got all his yards.

That's the first time we've won 3 in a row in the Swamp. We are a QB away from being a playoff contender in '16...maybe Maguire takes the step up, or maybe Francois takes the reins. The defense should be special ala 2013 - Derwin James is an unbelievable player. While it won't happen, if Walker, Ramsey, and Aguayo all stay for their senior year we will have a really strong team.

[billy bob bocephus]

Kev, are you hanging out at TN? I saw a post there from a guy who said he lived within an hour of ATL but would miss the Peach bowl because his son had a baseball conflict in FL.

[KeviNole]

Ya that's me. Fort Myers bound, baby! We may end up doing a mini-vacation in FL before Christmas that will make the drive more palatable but there's no way we can be back for the Peach Bowl unless we leave Fort Myers in the middle of the night.

This whole baseball recruiting thing sucks anyway.

[Jungle Rat]

Yeah but it's also a shot at early retirement if he makes it.

[hedge]

I wish you would take an early retirement. To the graveyard...

[KeviNole]

Yeah but it's also a shot at early retirement if he makes it.

Yeah but making it is such a long shot. He doesn't have generational talent by any stretch - elite speed, above average arm, slightly above average hitting, average power. He has some local contemporaries who do have such talent - the older brother was drafted early in the 2nd round last year and the younger brother is a SR this year - lefty who throws 95mph and has committed to LSU. He'll never make it to campus as he will almost certainly be drafted in the first round this spring.

My son has been coached by three brothers here locally as well. The older brother was a solid player but never got a sniff. The middle brother is the biggest and most talented - great pitcher and hitter - he had 69 career home runs in HS which is one short of the national record, had a solid college career and was drafted in the 3rd round. He played for several MLB teams in a good career. The youngest brother set his HS's HR season record, was drafted in the 17th round, but never could make it out of the lower minor leagues. He'd always talk about how political the whole system is.

My niece is a sophomore who plays softball. She received several full-ride scholarship offers this spring and fall (full rides are uncommon for baseball and softball because they only get 11.7 schollies to distribute amongst 25-30 players). She has already committed to LSU, and that's without doing all these expensive camps and showcases.

[hedge]

How much does the average minor league player make?

[AlabamAlum]

Median or mean?

[KeviNole]

How much does the average minor league player make?

Very, very little - like $1500-$2000/month (only while playing). They have to live off their signing bonus to an extent, side jobs tutoring and coaching, etc. They get a per diem while on the road that helps but they generally have to live together, several to a home, just to make ends meet. It's almost like being an actor...unless you strike it big, you struggle financially for a long time.