DOWN TO THE WIRE
No moral victories for the Aggies, but plenty was learned in loss to Crimson Tide
Oct 12, 2022, 4:19 pm
The Aggies are on a bye after losing to Alabama. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Jimbo Fisher
Going into Tuscaloosa last Saturday night, the Texas A&M Aggies were 24-point underdogs to the #1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Much was made of this matchup in the preseason due to the fireworks between Head Coaches Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban. Nick Saban accused Fisher of “buying” his #1 overall recruiting class, Jimbo went on to call Saban a, “narcissist.” The two teams were preseason top ten and expected to be undefeated going into week six. Unfortunately, the Aggies have not held up their end of the bargain, as the Ags had already dropped two games prior to Saturday night. Despite the considerable point spread and disappointing start for the Maroon and White, this game proved to be what the college football world hoped for.
From the opening kick, the Aggies came to play. More so on defense than offense to start, which has been a theme for the Ags all year. After a scoreless first quarter both the Tide and Aggies picked it up in the second, with Alabama striking first. A&M’s defense picked up the offense, forcing two fumbles and setting up the Ags in great field position. They were able to capitalize and went into halftime only trailing by three. This set up a spectacular second half which saw Texas A&M take Bama down to the final play of the game, only trailing by 4 points at the 2-yard line, with 3 seconds left on the clock. Jimbo Fisher and the Ags elected for a short pass at the goal line, which fell incomplete securing the Crimson Tides' win 24-20.
Jimbo Fisher would be the first one to tell you there is no such thing as a moral victory, however, if you're on that football team or a fan like me you find yourself asking, where has that been all season? If the Aggies play like they did this past Saturday in every game there's a good case to make for their record to be 5-1. The offense looked better, but still not great as they continued a streak of only scoring 2 offensive touchdowns against power five opponents. The defense was its usual self, forcing 4 turnovers and only allowing 24 points to the #1 team in the nation. If the Aggies could find a rhythm and find a way to show up with that intensity for the rest of the season, they could definitely salvage what has easily been the most disappointing season for Texas A&M since 2013.
At the end of the day, a 9-3 record in year 5 under Jimbo Fisher should not be acceptable. Every former student, donor, player and coach wants A&M to be a top-5 program in the nation, so 9-3 should not be acceptable. But in the context of what has already happened, that would be a hell of a coaching job by Fisher to take this young roster and have a chance to notch win number 10 in a decent bowl to cap off 2022. That would set up what many believe to be a make-or-break year in 2023, with an experienced, elite recruiting class leading the way, the Aggies definitely will be a preseason top-10 program. But in order to set that up, the Aggies need to take a moral victory from the Bama loss, play inspired and motivated the rest of the way and attempt to remain perfect in their remaining SEC schedule. With the Aggies hitting their bye week, now is a perfect time to heal up and prepare to make that run.
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Rich Eisen lays out how Stefon Diggs trade will impact Texans next season
Apr 19, 2024, 3:03 pm
Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear on Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo.
Allen made no mention of Diggs’ mercurial temperament or the occasional sideline flare-ups by expressing only praise in his first opportunity to discuss his now-former teammate being traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me, and (I’ll) always have a spot in my heart for him. I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best,” Allen said, in disclosing what he texted to Diggs. “My lasting memory of Stef will be the receiver that helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
Brought together in March 2020, when Buffalo gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Diggs in a trade with Minnesota, the duo went on to re-write many of Buffalo's single-season passing and scoring records, and lead the team to four straight AFC East titles.
Diggs, now 30, also brought an inescapable sense of drama with him in raising questions about his commitment to the Bills and whether his tight relationship with Allen had soured.
A day before being traded, Diggs posted a message, “You sure?” on the social media platform X in response to someone suggesting he wasn’t essential to Allen’s success.
Whatever hard feelings, if any, lingered as Buffalo opened its voluntary workout sessions this week were not apparent from Allen or coach Sean McDermott, who also addressed reporters for the first time since Diggs was traded.
“Stef’s a great player, really enjoyed our time together. Won a lot of games and he was a huge factor in winning those games. We’ll miss him,” McDermott said. “You never replace a player like Stef Diggs, and we wish him well.”
Allen turned his focus to the future and a Bills team that spent much of the offseason retooling an aging and expensive roster.
Aside from trading Diggs, salary cap restrictions led to Buffalo cutting respected center Mitch Morse, the breakup of a veteran secondary that had been together since 2017, and the team unable to afford re-signing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis.
“I don’t think it’s a wrong thing or a bad thing to get younger,” said Allen, entering his seventh NFL season. “I think it’s an opportunity for myself to grow as a leader. And to bring along some of these young guys and new guys that we’ve brought in to our team. And that’s an opportunity, frankly, that I’m very excited about."
Despite the departures, the Bills offense is not exactly lacking even though general manager Brandon Beane is expected to target selecting a receiver with his first pick — currently 28th overall — in the draft next week.
Receiver Khalil Shakir enters his third year and tight end Dalton Kincaid enter his second following promising seasons. Buffalo also added veteran experience in signing free agent receiver Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
While Beane acknowledged the Bills lack a true No. 1 receiver, he noted there’s less urgency to fill that spot now than in 2020 because of how much the offense has developed under Allen.
“Now that Josh has ascended to the player he is, is that a requirement? I don’t think so,” Beane said.
Diggs’ role also began diminishing in the second half of last season, which coincided with Joe Brady replacing Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Brady placed an emphasis on adding balance to a pass-heavy attack and getting more receivers involved, which led to an uptick in production for Shakir and Kincaid.
While Diggs’ numbers dropped, Buffalo’s win total increased.
With the Bills at 6-6, Diggs ranked third in the NFL with 83 catches, seventh with 969 yards and tied for third with eight TDs receiving. Buffalo then closed the season with five straight wins in which Diggs combined for 24 catches for 214 yards and no scores.
”(Diggs) meant a lot. You look at the statistics, they don’t lie,” Allen said, in referring to Diggs topping 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. “I don’t get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”