TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Lee Responds To Fisher's Challenge

ADVERTISEMENT

By SCOTT CARTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 5, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - There are no promises or guarantees. If Xavier Lee doesn't produce as Florida State's starting quarterback, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jimbo Fisher won't hesitate to put him back on the bench.

Lee, who will make his first start of the season today against N.C. State, fully understands that now. But before Fisher arrived at FSU, Lee didn't always grasp why he was usually on the bench while Drew Weatherford was in the game.

Then, one day after practice during FSU's bye week last month, Lee finally got the message when Fisher, in man-to-man fashion, told Lee he hadn't taken a snap all season because Fisher had been unable to trust him up to that point.

'He tells me everything straightforward,' Lee said. 'There is no sugar coating.'

So, while FSU's offense struggled to find consistency in the first three games, Weatherford continued to play as Lee watched and wondered why he let Fisher - not once, but twice - talk him out of transferring.

But during that same conversation last month, Fisher encouraged Lee by telling the fourth-year junior that he was beginning to emerge the way Fisher envisioned.

'He really started practicing better, making plays, making more consistent plays,' Fisher said. 'And like I say, there are good mistakes and bad mistakes. Even his mistakes in practice were for the right reasons and the right way - he was thinking the right way, which is the first sign that things are going the right way.'

Lee's 2007 coming-out party came in last week's 21-14 victory against Alabama. Coming off the bench to provide a spark, Lee threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns, including a 7-yarder to De'Cody Fagg to cap an eight-play, 67-yard drive to open the second half. Lee was 5-for-5 on the drive, providing an instant shot of energy.

'The confidence jumped sky high,' FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. 'He goes into that game and you're wondering: Is he going to play like he did against Wake Forest last year or play like he did against Maryland?'

Fortunately for the Noles, Lee resembled the quarterback who at Maryland last season, hit 22 of 36 passes for 286 yards in his first career start. Two games later, Lee was back on the bench after throwing two costly interceptions in a 30-0 loss to Wake Forest.

Lee says not to compare the two quarterbacks, giving much of the credit to Fisher, who played quarterback under Terry Bowden in college.

'When he says he can finally trust me, he means it wholeheartedly,' Lee said. 'I took it to heart and thought about it and I looked deep inside myself - is this what I want and if it is, I shouldn't hold anything back and just practice like I want to play.'

'I told him the truth - I didn't promise him anything,' Fisher said. 'I told him exactly what I thought of him as a player and what he's capable of doing. And he sucked it up and he got better.'

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT