Bowden, overhauled 'Noles staff eager for '07 season

	In the wake of Florida State's worst season since Bobby Bowden's debut in 1976, the Seminoles have brought in five new assistant coaches. John Medina/WireImage.com
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Sitting in the Florida State offensive meeting room on a recent afternoon, Jimbo Fisher was in high spirits as (in between pausing a tape, scripting a practice and eating a tuna sandwich) he talked about the progress his players have made this spring learning a completely new offense.

"Guys aren't looking at you like you're talking Chinese all the time," said the Seminoles offensive coordinator. "Just half the time."

This day, however, fell into the "other half." When I ran into Fisher sometime later after practice -- a practice in which he became so frustrated that he temporarily relegated one of his co-starting quarterbacks to the third team -- his mood had changed considerably. He was fuming. "Why'd you have to come today?" he lamented to a visitor.

Ups and downs have been the norm this spring for a Florida State program in the midst of the most radical transformation of head coach Bobby Bowden's 31-year tenure. Following their worst season since Bowden's first year in Tallahassee, 'the Noles have spent the spring getting acquainted with five new assistant coaches -- four of them, including Fisher, on the offensive side of the ball.

"It's like starting over again," said the 77-year-old Bowden, whose program had long been known for minimal staff turnover. "The only difference is you've got better players now than when you came in."

For FSU, a fresh start had long been overdue. Following a staggering run of dominance during the late '80s and '90s, including 14 straight seasons (1987-2000) ranked in the top four of the AP poll, the 'Noles had sunk deeper and deeper toward mediocrity the past six years, culminating in a 6-6 regular season record in '06, including a 3-5 ACC mark.

While longtime coordinator Mickey Andrews' defense remained fairly consistent throughout, FSU's once-powerful offense fell all the way to 70th in the country last season, including 103rd in rushing yards (96.5 per game). Following several years of intense criticism, Jeff Bowden -- despite continued public support from his father -- took a $537,000 buyout from 'Noles boosters.

Quarterbacks coach Daryl Dickey, running backs coach Billy Sexton and offensive line coach Mark McHale left shortly thereafter. Executive head coach/linebackers coach Kevin Steele left on his own accord to become defensive coordinator at Alabama.