Texas A&M Football: Will Jimbo Fisher give up playcalling?

Will Texas A&M football head coach Jimbo Fisher hand over playcalling?

So, all that said, the question remains: will Jimbo relinquish playcalling duties?

I won’t claim to be inside his mind. I don’t know him personally, but my gut feeling, at least for this season, is no.

I think I’ve watched every press conference with Jimbo since he arrived at A&M. Is that a little much? Maybe. Possibly. Who can say? It does, however, make me feel like I understand the guy a little better, because, let’s face it— he definitely has a very particular way of talking and phrasing things.

How this comment came off to me was less “yes, that’s currently on the table and being considered heavily” and more “if and when I decide this should happen, then it will happen.” I do not think that Jimbo currently feels as though his playcalling is to blame for the loss to App. Let me give an example here of the call versus the execution.

One of the most scrutinized decisions was the bubble pass to Ainias Smith on 3rd-and-1 in the third quarter. App State had overloaded the box, and Haynes tossed it outside right after the snap rather than handing it off to Devon Achane and trying to convert by running into a numbers disadvantage. However, Chase Lane runs far upfield to block someone other than who he is supposed to, and his man makes the open-field tackle against Smith for a loss of two, leading to a punt.

Was this getting too cute? No. It was the right call, Lane just did the wrong thing, as Jimbo very demonstratively let him know right afterwards. Is it a problem that Chase was confused enough/checked out enough to block the completely wrong guy? Yes. Does that fall on the coaches? Yes again. Is it a problem with the scheme or the play call? Not in this case.

This is not to say, however, that Jimbo will never give up playcalling duties.  I could see him doing so eventually, but I don’t think there’s a high chance that it would happen this season, even if things go completely sideways. In any case, there’s not anyone currently in-house who’s philosophically distinct enough from Jimbo for a significant departure to be made from what he’ll do anyway.

The team has issues that need to be figured out, and quickly. They need to hold one another accountable for the App State result. Changes must be made, but those changes have to address the actual problem; and scheme, at least so far, is not the actual problem.