'It's not about me': Maybe the oddball Bobby Petrino-Jimbo Fisher pairing will work after all

Maybe this strange matchmaking will actually work out in the end.

Maybe?

Bobby Petrino found the words that Jimbo Fisher has struggled to muster throughout the offseason, confirming Sunday that he will indeed call plays for Texas A&M this fall. 

And while that revelation was noteworthy, particularly because Fisher has been so cagey discussing Petrino’s precise role on the offensive staff, the more interesting takeaway from the Aggies’ preseason media day was the humility shown by the longtime headstrong head coach. 

“I’ve read or heard, or I’ve had people send me things about, ‘Are you and Coach Fisher getting along?’ That’s not really how it works,” Petrino said. 

The words “happy” and “Bobby Petrino” aren’t typically uttered in the same sentence, yet the former Arkansas head coach was all smiles Sunday, and he seemed to have a very keen and comfortable understanding of his role on A&M’s staff. 

Bobby Petrino on his relationship with Jimbo Fisher:

“(Jimbo) is the boss, alright. My job is to keep him happy and make sure everything works the way he wants it to work.”

(via @MichaelWBratton)https://t.co/A2vL96G968pic.twitter.com/ZAXtHDzjeu

— On3 (@On3sports) August 7, 2023

“Coach is the boss. My job is to keep him happy and make sure everything works the way he wants it to work.”

Petrino has been the boss for the last 20 years of his coaching career, and he’s renowned for his stubbornness, so the skepticism of him pairing with another ornery personality in Jimbo Fisher was more than warranted. 

But sometimes strange bedfellows work, right? We do live in a world where Angelina Jolie once walked around wearing Billy Bob Thornton’s blood, so. 

This doesn’t have to be a forever union at Texas A&M. In an ideal world, Bobby Petrino infuses the Aggies’ offense with some fresh ideas, helps Fisher modernize and moves on to another head coaching role in a year or two. 

For the last several seasons, the Aggies have had an Xs and Os problem. They have the dudes (guys like quarterback Connor Weigman, wideouts Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart) — and guys like sophomore wideout Noah Thomas and freshman tailback Rueben Owens are already creating lots of early buzz in fall camp — but their talents weren’t being maximized. 

Despite 4-and 5-stars up and down the depth chart, Texas A&M averaged just 22 points per game during its 5-7 season in 2022. The Aggies ranked 99th or worse in explosiveness and third downs. They struggled just to move the chains at all at times, finishing 88th in the country in success rate. 

Petrino is tasked with changing all that — but not by himself. 

Even in a perfect world, it was never going to just be Petrino’s show in Aggieland. Fisher has too much history and too much pride to totally give up the offensive reigns, yet Petrino seems to be openly embracing — rather than pushing against — the collective approach. 

During his lengthy media session, he openly discussed what all he’d learned from Fisher, and how he was enjoying the newfound freedom he had as an assistant for the first time since 2002. He gets to teach again. He really gets into the weeds with the rest of the offensive staff. 

“It’s been a lot of fun. Coach [Fisher] is a ball coach. The ability to go into the meeting room and watch video and listen to his philosophies and his techniques and fundamentals, I’ve improved a lot as a coach, and my knowledge has improved a lot as a coach in just the short amount of time I’ve been here,” Petrino said.

All this kumbaya talk could change when Texas A&M is facing a critical third down against Miami in Week 2 if Fisher decides to yank back the play-calling duties, but for now, the vibes are surprisingly strong in College Station.

Petrino seems content with his role and he’s not chasing acclaim or credit if he is indeed the one who triggers an offensive renaissance.

“It’s not about me. It’s about the offense,” he said. 

“The input that you get from all the assistants and coach (Fisher), we mold it together. We work hard on game planning then I get to go out in the game and decide what play to call. When they boo and it’s a bad call, that’s my fault. But I’m excited about it. It’s been fun. Our assistant coaches are great, too. The amount of input and effect they have on what we’ll end up doing on offense is tremendous.”