Will Jimbo Fisher turn over play-calling duties to Bobby Petrino? "I'm not going to get into that" the Texas A&M HC issues a non-denial denial
One of the major points of conversations this offseason is if Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher will relinquish his play-calling role. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is in his first year with A&M, and it will be interesting to see if he will be calling the plays.
At the 2023 SEC Media Days, Fisher gave a strong non-denial denial about the issue.
"I'm not going to get into what we're doing from a schematic viewpoint," Fisher said. h/t Sports Illustrated
However, he did give more of an answer later during the question-and-answer portion of his media availability. He said that even if Petrino has the play-calling abilities, Fisher would still want to be involved and on the headset every week.
"But every head coach does," Fishe said. "Let me ask you this: Does Nick (Saban) call the defense (at Alabama)? But he's involved. Any head coach is. That's what a head coach does. In situations, they make decisions. Are we going for it? Are we not going for it? Is this the time to take a shot? I mean, every head coach does that." h/t ESPN
Even with the noncommitment either way, Jimbo Fisher kind of gave the answer that people were expecting.
How did the offense do with Jimbo Fisher calling plays in 2022?
In 2022, Jimbo Fisher called plays and did not really help the offense do well. The team finished 5-7 (2-6 Southeastern Conference), and the offense held a lot of the responsibility as it averaged 22.8 points per game. The only team in the conference to average fewer points was the Kentucky Wildcats.
A big reason was the Aggies struggled on the "money downs" as they converted only 36% of their third-down tries. That was tied with the Auburn Tigers for the second-worst in the SEC.
Their fourth-down numbers were even worse as the Aggies went a conference-worst 4-for-11 (36.4% success rate). Their four fourth-down conversions were only better than the Nebraska Cornhuskers (three) and tied with the New Mexico Lobos in college football.
It’s clear that Jimbo Fisher doesn’t want to talk about much.
Will the offense be more pro-style or spread?: “I’m not going to say exactly what we’re going to do.”
Who is calling the plays?: “I’m not getting into that.”
Who will be the starting QB?: “I think it’s very close.”
Maybe handing the play-calling abilities to Bobby Petrino might not be so bad of an idea. If Jimbo Fisher wants to have some say in the calling of plays and situations, so be it. However, he should oversee everything for the program and trust his coordinators.
What do you believe will lead the Texas A&M Aggies to the most success in 2023?