Last week I wrote about why A&M will be a much better team this year. This article, however, will be a skeptic's guide to the 2016 season. There are undoubtedly some questions about the upcoming season, and what the result of the upcoming season says about the state of the football program.
Lets start with the small questions. First, how will new quarterback Trevor Knight perform? His last season with the Oklahoma Sooners was not very inspiring. While Knight played brilliantly in the Sugar Bowl, leading his team to an upset of Alabama, his statistics for the 2014 season were hardly impressive. Will a new system and an elite supporting cast help Knight improve his game? Does Knight need to pass for over 250 yards per game or simply act as a game manager and avoid mistakes, and can he accomplish either task?
Second, will the offensive line improve? For several years, the unit has underperformed considering the NFL talent it has produced. Both pass blocking and run blocking has been subpar, and the offense has struggled to convert short yardage situations. Help seemed to be on the way with the arrival of legendary line coach Jim Turner. However, he will miss the first week or so of training camp after being suspended for his role in the "Chalk Talk" scandal. Turner can I'll afford to miss practice time considering his line is filled with inexperienced players who need plenty of time to develop under his teaching.
Finally, can the defense actually stop the run? This is another question that has plagued the Aggies for years, and the answer has been a resounding no. While the defense did improve slightly in John Chavis' first year as defensive coordinator, running backs like Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette still had no problem gouging A&M on the ground. While the pass defense was among the nation's best, that's partly because opposing teams simply never felt the need to throw the ball. Much of the blame lies at the feet of A&M's linebackers. Too often last year, mental mistakes caused the admittedly young players to be out of position. Otaro Alaka returns after missing all of last year with an injury, so his presence should improve the group, but recent recruiting misses have severely hurt the unit from a talent standpoint.
It's fair to say it's been a rough off season for the Aggies. After five-star quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray transferred away from A&M, many people had serious questions about Kevin Sumlin's job security. Things only got worse when Tate Martell, another five-star quarterback recruit, announced his decision to decommit from the A&M, and wide receivers coach Aaron Morehead sent out a string of tweets about loyalty. After months of scrutiny, the story died down and it seemed like people were beginning to realize that the Aggies might have a pretty good year. Then A&M made national headlines when coaches Jim Turner and Jeff Banks were suspended for their role in a sexist presentation during a charity event. The national news surrounding the football program hasn't been exactly positive recently. Most of that blame, fair or not, is pinned on Kevin Sumlin. So the biggest question may be what does the head man need to do in order to save his job. Nine or ten wins should make most Aggies happy, especially if Sumlin can finally beat Alabama, LSU or Ole Miss. If A&M beats one or more of those teams on the way to an eight-win season, then his job will probably be safe. I personally think a seven-win regular season is unacceptable and at that point its time to do what it takes to steal Tom Herman away from the University of Houston. I think many A&M fans will agree.
