What Does Bobby Petrino Look For In Aggies Starting Quarterback?

COLLEGE STATION -- Conner Weigman is all about speed. From his release to his decision-making when surveying the field during a five-step drawback, the up-tempo play design works in his favor. 

Max Johnson is about the "wow" plays. He possesses the ability to let one rip deep, especially when targeting receivers in one-on-one coverage. Experience is his selling card, given his 22 appearances going back to his time at LSU. 

This is how first-year Texas A&M offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino views his two quarterbacks gunning for starting reps as fall camp ensues in the sweltering heat in College Station. But Petrino and sixth-year coach Jimbo Fisher won't decide which option deserves the nod Week 1 against New Mexico. 

There are other facets the longtime offensive mind looks for in his starter. 

"The first thing you got to do is be a great leader," Petrino said in his first press conference since being hired by Fisher this offseason. "You got to make the guys around you better... as a leader is you your your your ability to make the people around you play at a higher level. Both guys have been working hard at that and they're doing a good job." 

Leadership comes in all forms, including taking ownership of one's mistakes. None face more scrutiny than the maestro of the offense, so having a short mind and thick skin aren't recommendations, but requirements to stay in Petrino's favor.  

"There's a lot of occupational hazards as a quarterback and one of them is that when things don't go good to blame is coming on your shoulders. You gotta be able to just brush it off and forget about it." 

Regarding on-field mistakes, it's hard to find the flaws in Weigman or Johnson's production from a season ago. Weigman, who started four of A&M's final five games, tossed eight touchdowns against zero interceptions, leading the Aggies to a monumental 38-23 upset over then-No. 5 LSU in the season finale. 

Johnson, who took over for Haynes King following a Week 2 loss against Appalachian State, mirrored similar results. He threw three touchdowns and didn't record a turnover in his three starts. The redshirt junior likely would have retained the role if not for a broken thumb suffered in Week 5's loss to Mississippi State. 

Petrino, who joins the Aggies after a three-year stint as Missouri State's head coach, follows a similar mindset to Fisher; the more experience, the more chances for mental mistakes. It's why the first-year coordinator is honing in on the little aspects first, followed by the big-play mentality second. 

"You gotta be accurate, you gotta be able to make the throws, you know, and we've got the talent to do that, which is a great thing," Petrino said. 

Fisher's hiring of Petrino marks a new era in Aggieland in multiple facets. Well before he touched down at Kyle Field, Fisher prided himself on his innovative offensive play-calling, dating back to his days as Cincinnati's offensive coordinator in the late 1990s. 

But while Fisher, 57, bolstered an offense to a national championship while at Florida, the play-calling has lost its eminence. Last season, A&M finished 101st in scoring with 22.8 points per game, and lost five contest by an average of less than four points. 

"Sometimes you can do your best job of coaching and the winds still don't add up to where you would like to be," Petrino said. 

The "best you can be" mantra won't cut it in 2022. Fisher, who'd be owed a payout of $77 million if boosters tire of falling short, needs to have it click this season, so relinquishing the play-calling duties could be a step in the right direction. 

So could his role with the quarterbacks. While Fisher, a former gunslinger during his playing days, still is involved with the position, he floats from room to room, letting the position coaches call the shots. 

"We've mainly met with Coach Petrino in all the meetings," said Johnson. "That's who we've been learning from. He's talking to us on the side in workouts in summer and he's been teaching us the whole system." 

While the offensive concept, when boiled down to its roots, is the same for both passers, Petrino said his goal over the next two weeks was to have Weigman and Johnson ready to go if called upon. Each quarterback owns strengths the either doesn't, so Petrino plans to cater the personnel packages to what works instead of pigeonholing a concept for all to follow.  

Petrino compared the situation similar to his time at Arkansas. When Ryan Mallett commanded the huddle under his watch, every play was up for grabs. With Tyler Wilson, Petrino noticed the mental limitations, so he shortened the playbook to around 25 plays. 

Mallett went on to lead the Razorbacks to a 10-3 record in 2010. A year later, Wilson would help the program claim its first 11-win season since 1964. 

"They're a little bit different," Petrino said on his quarterbacks. "Right now, we're looking on finding out more and more about them each day."