Questions surrounding Fisher-Petrino dynamic remain unanswered

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Do you remember Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs and Cobi Hamilton?



Of course, you don’t. Few would recall an obscure group of NFL fourth-round draft choices from a decade ago.

That foursome compromises the entire list of drafted receivers to play under Bobby Petrino at Arkansas. That alone should excite Aggies about possibilities for the Texas A&M 2023 football season.

As Texas A&M offensive coordinator, Petrino may have four better receivers this season.

Of the four previously mentioned Arkansas receivers, the only one that had even marginal NFL success was Wright, who caught 224 passes in eight seasons (that’s 1.75 catches per game).

Yet, Petrino’s Arkansas teams posted 10 wins in 2010 and 11 in 2011. The Razorbacks did that largely by utilizing a creative series of crossing routes which enabled receivers to get advantageous matchups and turn short passes into big gains.

In 2011, Arkansas led the SEC with 54 pass plays that covered 20 yards or more. In 2010, the Razorbacks had 62 plays of at least 20 yards.

Could Petrino create a similar abundance of big plays at A&M, which last season frequently struggled to find big plays in the passing game?

That’s an emphatic “YES” if you’re asking A&M receiver Ainias Smith.

“The biggest difference is how many explosive plays we’re going to have, whether it’s a long pass or a short pass,” Smith said on Monday at SEC Media Days. “I believe we’re going to turn 1-yard catches into 75-yard touchdowns.”

That’s not out of the realm of possibility with the creativity Petrino brings and the talent Jimbo Fisher has brought.

Praises of Petrino often involve the old cliche that he’s playing chess while defensive coordinators are playing checkers.

Hey, in college football’s version of chess, you want the combination of Bobby and Fisher.

Petrino — who has an eidetic memory — is an offensive mad scientist. No doubt, he can’t wait to experiment with the speed of Smith, Moose Muhammad and Evan Stewart and the size of 6-foot-6, 200-pound Noah Thomas.

It doesn’t take a photographic memory to recall what he did at Arkansas. Those who watched Petrino at Arkansas predict A&M’s offense will take flight.

Long-time Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Wally Hall said A&M’s offense would be “at least 25 percent better.”

But Hall added a caveat: “If Jimbo (Fisher) will let him run the offense.”

There’s the rub.

Whether Fisher will fully relinquish control of the offense to Petrino remains a point of debate.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Auburn coach Hugh Freeze all stated they were entrusting play-calling duties to newly hired offensive coordinators.

Fisher often seems to have difficulty making that statement when asked directly whether Petrino would call plays.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The oldest of A&M’s offensive weapons in 2023, Ainias Smith allows Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino to get creative in how they give “Sub Zero” the ball.

“He'll call a lot of — hopefully he'll call the game,” Fisher said. “We'll have suggestions on things we do, whether it's offense or defense. Every coach is always involved.”

Hopefully?

Fisher later clarified to SEC Network host Paul Finebaum and told ESPN writer Chris Low that Petrino indeed would call plays. Still, the mixed messages stoke the flames of doubt.

To be fair, as head coach, Fisher should have input. He’s wearing the headset for a reason. A head coach can tell the play-caller to work the clock, increase tempo, use the running game or throw downfield.

Lane Kiffin was heralded as a great play-caller when he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama. Yet, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban once chastised his play selection. Asked about an on-field argument with Kiffin, Saban famously growled: “There were no arguments. Those are called ass-chewings.”

There will be incessant arguments about A&M’s offense until the season starts.

Can Fisher and Petrino coexist? Will the offense really be more productive? Who will get credit for success?

Discussions surely will continue deep into the season.

However, Smith predicted the discussions will be much different by November.

“I believe they’re going to say, ‘Wow, where did this come from?’” Smith said. “All the questions are going to come out.”