SEC Coach: Aggies Have 'Nightmare On Elm Street' Marriage With Jimbo Fisher And Bobby Petrino
Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino could be a match made in heaven at Texas A&M that becomes a nightmare for SEC coaches to prepare for on Saturdays.
It also could be hell on earth if the two closed-minded gentlemen are willing to be open to listening first and speaking second.
Multiple SEC coaches spoke with Lindy's Sports for preview magazine season and brought up their opinions on some of the hottest takes in the conference. Naturally, A&M's woeful 5-7 finish after bringing in the top recruiting class in the sport's history was a significant subject of conversation.
Fisher fired longtime offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey and hired Petrino just weeks after the Missouri State head coach took the job at UNLV for the same position. On paper, Petrino's up-tempo passing offense persona should be welcomed after mundane play in 2022.
It only works, however, if Fisher relinquishes the reins and gives Petrino full power of the playbook.
"The Jimbo Fisher/Bobby Petrino marriage: Sounds like a Nightmare on Elm Street scenario, doesn't it? I know 'em both and they're both single minded," one SEC coach said. "It'll be interesting to see if Jimbo will keep his butt out of the way. Petrino is not a feel good, Mr. Happy type of guy, but he's a great offensive mind."
Petrino's track record speaks for itself. He put Louisville on the map with a pair of double-digit win seasons in the early 2000s. His persistent play-calling kept Arkansas at the forefront of SEC West title chatter from 2008-12.
Petrino's relationship with quarterbacks has been the calling card wherever he's gone. Tyler Wilson and Ryan Mallett were different passers than Brian Brohm and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, but instead of changing the style of play, Petrino fortified the playbook, taking out plays that failed in practice to keep the offense persistent each drive.
"He's one of the best play-callers in the country," an anonymous SEC coach said. "His body of work as a play-caller in the SEC and out of the SEC speaks for itself. If Fisher doesn't leave him alone, it'll be interesting."
Fisher, who's called plays as a head coach since being hired by Florida State in 2010, said at the start of the spring practice that Petrino was expected to call plays, though he was hesitant to give a direct answer.
“We’ll go through that as we go," Fisher said. "I plan on him making calls. I plan on him calling plays. I don’t have a problem with that at all.”
Last season, A&M ranked 93rd in total offense, 84th in passing and 101st in scoring (22.8 points per game). As a head coach, Petrino's offense never averaged less and 24 points per game and often led the offense in total yards per game.
Talent isn't the problem as A&M is set to return quarterback Conner Weigman, receivers Ainias Smith, Moose Muhammud III and Evan Stewart and running back Amari Daniels. Experience on the offensive line should also be a plus in the right direction.
Everything comes down to the marriage of Petrino and Fisher. Each coach has a differing offensive ideology that could differ from the other. And while Fisher has always taken an input in his staff's opinion, he has had the final say.
When in motion, Petrino has brought offenses to new heights. Will Fisher allow his first-year coordinator to work in peace, or will it be a Freddy Kruger vs. Jason Voorhees bloodbath behind closed doors?
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