Texas A&M Football: Post-Week 1 edition of Tired vs. Wired

Take: Haynes King is not the guy

Saturday’s game featured a downfield passing game the likes of which A&M fans had never seen under head coach Jimbo Fisher.  New (well, sorta new) quarterback Haynes King was slinging it downfield all game, and that came with both good and bad.  He did end with 364 yards on 11.74 yards per attempt – both great numbers – but he also threw 2 picks.  This led to a lot of criticism online, both from Aggies and rival fans.

So, is this criticism fair?  Does Haynes deserve the label of “trash” or “mid” or whatever phrase that Twitter users lurking in the replies of every Aggie-associated account run into the ground?  After all, 11.74 YPA is an elite mark, and he made the Aggie offense look more explosive than it has since a certain Heisman-winning QB was shredding SEC defenses from the Aggie backfield.

At the same time, however, two interceptions thrown against an FCS defense – no matter which FCS defense – that doesn’t look good. So what mitigating factors might there be on either side?

Upon review of the film, Fisher seemed confident in Haynes, as did his teammates. After going over the game again myself, there are a lot of things to feel good about. King’s accuracy on crossing and out routes was refreshing to see – on one often-discussed throw to Ainias Smith (8:56 left in 2Q) that many people say was a bad decision or “should’ve been picked”, Haynes actually placed the ball in the exact right position for Ainias to make a play on it rather than either DB that bracketed him.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1566103342681554945?s=20&t=u72Q11eBBX6RkvUWbQVuxw

The three deep touchdown throws were right on the money – but there were a few that were risky, and two of those were picked. The first (picked by BJ Foster, 8:26 2Q) was the right read – Stewart had his man beaten – and could’ve been avoided had King led Stewart more to the outside.

The second (3:33 3Q) was a bad read due to the SHSU safety’s positioning and should’ve been checked down (according to Fisher in his presser on Monday). Still, the Aggie QB was very close to a four touchdown and one INT day, which would change the complexion of this discussion substantially. The fact remains, however, that it was three TDs and two INTs.

In my opinion, though, there is plenty of reason for optimism. Haynes is still new to game action, and it’s entirely possible if not probable that, under Jimbo’s tutelage, he begins to see the field better and better as his experience grows. In any case, it’s way too early to write him off – and that’s why I’m rating this take as TIRED.