Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher did not agree with the premise of a question he faced at SEC Media Days on Monday regarding new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.
Fisher, who has Petrino and several other former head coaches on his staff, was asked if “up-front personalities” like Petrino’s could create a tricky balance or a volatile situation in the coaches’ room.
“Volatile? Why would it be in a volatile situation?” Fisher said. “… Have you ever been in any staff room that doesn’t have arguments or disagreements? Every coaching staff in America has an argument or a disagreement. That’s part of it.
“But no, I’m the boss, we’re the boss, we’ll do it at the end of the day, but you listen to everybody’s opinion. Everybody can voice their — I want guys with opinions. I want guys who have knowledge. I want guys who make you think. I want guys to create different narratives that brought to the table that can help us. I think it’s the best thing you have.”
Petrino, 62, had worked as a head coach since 2002, when he was Auburn’s offensive coordinator.
That memorable history included less than a year with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and an unceremonious departure from Arkansas after a motorcycle accident and an inappropriate relationship with an assistant.
Most recently, Petrino left the head-coaching post at FCS Missouri State to accept the offensive coordinator position at UNLV — before ditching UNLV weeks later when Fisher offered Petrino the same position.
Fisher did not want to reveal if he was giving up the Aggies’ offensive play-calling to Petrino full-time but said “hopefully (Petrino will) call the game.”
“Listen, Bobby was hired for a reason, and he’s a tremendous coach and tremendous guy and tremendous football mind, tremendous recruiter,” Fisher said. “He’s done a great job recruiting since he’s been there, everything he does.”
Fisher later told ESPN that he and Petrino “get along as well or better than anybody I’ve coached with.”
Fisher also spoke about the loss of defensive ends coach Terry Price, who died last month at age 55.
“My dad always had a saying that he called him ‘real people,'” Fisher said. “A guy who never judged you. You could take his word, whatever he said, how he did it, and you knew when you give him a job it was going to be done the right way. He was a selfless staff guy. He was a selfless husband. He was a selfless father. Whatever needed to be done, nothing was too little or too big for Terry Price to handle.
“Our program and our family at A&M and the whole college football world lost a great man.”
–Field Level Media