An Open Letter to the Viking

Dear Jimbo Ross,

In my time as a proud Texas A&M Football fan, I have never seen this program so evidently lost. To have one of the highest paid coaching staffs in the nation and one of the most talented rosters thanks to four consecutive years of elite recruiting... Does not add up to the results on the field.

Beyond the poor record, evidence exists to review some key aspects of the program. Spoiler alert - these are not all X's and O's.

Leadership by Example

I am not sure I recall a team with so many repeated disciplinary issues. But how can you expect young men to be respectful and professional when their coach cannot do exactly that during an interview? Since his arrival in Aggieland, Jimbo has interrupted every sports journalist that plays an important role in getting information out to fans like me. Not only is it a bad look, but it makes very clear that Jimbo has a problem listening to other people. If you are not listening, then you are not learning. Jimbo will make more money this year than I will make in two lifetimes. Yet he does not have the discipline to be polite in interviews with reporters that are actually being very polite and fair to him and the program. It might be time for the coach to get some coaching from his boss.

Player Health

It was disappointing to hear Jimbo dismiss questions regarding the strength and conditioning aspect of the program. Everyone may be more comfortable looking the other way, but the question I have not heard asked is this: Why is it so many players with multiple years in the program have been out due to injury while the group of freshmen who are now accounting for the majority of playing time have remained largely healthy?

Simplicity

I love the idea that Jimbo as a head coach, play-caller (de facto OC), and special teams coordinator offers stability and consistency. It's impossible to keep a good coordinator for very long these days so having an individual manage all these duties insulates a program from turnover, disruption in recruiting, etc. At the same time, no one else in football is doing this. No one else in football has the stack of papers on the sideline Jimbo has. If someone with Jimbo's impressive memory needs so much reference material to run an offense, how can players be expected to be successful on the field? These young men are also spending hours each week learning calculus, biology, political science, etc. At minimum, a simplified playbook would help getting plays in faster and the team may have some timeouts remaining at the end of a close game.

In reviewing my thoughts on the state of Texas A&M Football, the phrase that comes to mind is "Money is the answer, what's your question?" Everyone knows Texas A&M has the answer. Perhaps we have not been asking the right questions.