Can Bobby Petrino And Jimbo Fisher Co-Exist In Texas A&M Offense?
COLLEGE STATION -- The first whistle of spring practice blew Monday afternoon just outside of Texas A&M's practice facility. Usually, training would be held indoors amid the less-than-ideal weather conditions, but the Aggies are undergoing renovations to their practice facilities.
That's not the only thing being worked on in College Station this spring.
As players broke off into individual drills, there stood Jimbo Fisher. In previous years, Fisher's attention would be focused on the quarterback room, arguably the most crucial position to success in not just the Southeastern Conference, but college football.
This time around, the sixth-year Aggie coach looked different. Throughout drills, he acted with a CEO approach, visiting with each position group while letting his coaching staff do their job.
And working with the quarterbacks? Bobby Petrino, A&M's new offensive coordinator that's slated to add a different foundation to a personnel group that ranked just outside the top 100 (101st out of 133 FBS programs) in scoring and outside the top 90 (92nd) in total yards.
Well, at least that's the expectation on paper.
“We’ll go through that as we go,” Fisher said when asked if Petrino would be calling plays during Monday's press conference. “Plan on him making calls. Plan on him calling plays. I have no problem with that at all.”
Fisher fired offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey after finishing below .500 for the first time since 2008. In terms of production, the firing was warranted.
In terms of his role, was it?
Dickey, who joined Fisher's staff in 2018, never served as the primary play-caller and acted more so as a consultant rather than executioner.
Since his time at LSU, Fisher has called plays. It was his job under Nick Saban in Baton Rouge that translated to a tenure below Bobby Bowden in the late 2000s. And when promoted to head coach in Tallahassee, Fisher kept the hands-on approach with his "baby".
The problem? Fisher's offense has lost its identity. Last season's 5-7 finish was a testament to the lack of veteranship at crucial positions, but the offense was stale in 2021 as well. It's been losing its touch gradually over the past five seasons.
Enter Petrino, who has been a driving force of consistent offensive production at Louisville, Arkansas, Western Kentucky and Missouri State since 2003. And while the off-the-field baggage is a tough pill to swallow boosters and fans will turn the other cheek if winning appears to be on the other side.
“I’ve known him a long time,” Fisher said of his relationship with Petrino. “We have great respect for each other. After meeting and talking with him, we thought it’d be a very good fit for what we’re trying to do.”
Everywhere Petrino has been, the offense has been a constant. He revitalized with the Cardinals twice (2003-06, 2014-18) and posted a 77-35 record in Conference USA, the Big East and the ACC. In 2016, he helped Lamar Jackson win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and orchestrated an offense that averaged over 42.6 points per game.
Last season at Missouri State, the Grizzlies ranked 65th among FCS programs in total offense (366 ypg) and 57th in scoring (27.4 ppg). And during his time with the Hogs, consistent quarterback play from Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson helped Petrino post a 34-17 record with a pair of top-25 finishes in the AP Poll.
“Bobby is an experienced guy who has called plays and done a great job and he’s got a really good foundation in fundamentals in football, which have great balance — whether it’s running the ball, throwing the ball — and has been very productive in the things he’s been able to do,” Fisher said.
One practice in and Fisher seems to be welcoming a change. During drills, Petrino conducted the play-calling among quarterbacks and skills position players. Fisher looked on idly, offering input but never overstepping or trying to seize control.
Fisher declined to say how much of a role Petrino would have with the personnel, but all that could change in the coming months. For now, the plan this spring is to focus on the fundamentals of the sport rather than schemes or concepts.
“At the end of the day, we believe in one thing, execution,” Fisher said. “So at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about. An over route is an over route and a dig is a dig and how you get there and what you do. We get so caught up — it’s not scheme, it’s execution. That goes back to, how do you execute? Fundamentals, alignment, assignment and technique, no matter what you do.
"Go watch film. If you sit down and watch film, there’s not a hill of beans between anybody, as far as what goes on.”
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