Mike Elko didn’t spent Monday trying to convince anyone that Texas A&M’s problems were smaller than they looked against Missouri. If anything, the Aggies’ coach went in the opposite direction, acknowledging that the offense has reached a point where the normal answers are no longer sufficient.
There was also a recognition that saying the right things after another loss won’t matter much if Texas A&M walks onto the field this weekend and looks largely the same.
“We're in a situation where we have to improve and we have to get better,” Elko said. “I think there's a tremendous amount of fight in our building, in our coaching staff and in our players to do that, but we've got to go do it and without doing it, words are just words.”
The Aggies can continue talking about improvement, but there has been enough football played up to this point that accountability has to become visible.
Texas A&M Has to Make Things Easier
The most obvious place to begin is with an offense that has made just about everything look difficult.
Texas A&M has enough talent that moving the football shouldn’t require Marcel Reed to achieve miracles. Yet the Aggies have struggled to establish any sort of consistency. Whether it’s the run game or the passing attack, the team has rarely created enough potency and explosiveness to compete at a high level.
Elko acknowledged Monday that Texas A&M has to rethink what it’s asking the offense to do.
“I think everything has to be on the table for sure,” Elko said. “I think we're at that point for sure.”
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Aggies will be installing a completely new offense in the middle of October. Elko made that clear, too, explaining that revolutionary changes can create their own execution issues. What Texas A&M can do is build more of the offense around what its best players have already shown they can handle.
For Reed, that should include using his legs more deliberately. The passing game hasn’t been reliable enough to continue asking him to operate as though it’s the centerpiece of the offense. Reed has been at his best when his mobility forces defenses to account for another threat, and Texas A&M has too often reduced that part of his game rather than leaning into it.
The same principle should apply elsewhere. If a concept continues putting the offensive line in difficult situations, simplify it. If a younger player gives Texas A&M a better chance to win, play him. Accountability can’t simply mean demanding better results from the same formula.
The team must change the things that need to be changed. There’s obviously no guarantee that a quick fix is found, but the Aggies have reached the point where it’s time to throw everything on the table.
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