Q: Do you personally believe Kiffin has it out A&M? Is it jealousy, Jimbo, or why do you think he acts the way he does towards us? (MC9008)

A: First off, he’s a jerk. I think he is jealous of the resources, fan base and money spent by A&M and he thinks Jimbo is both undeserving of it and underutilizing it. He also knows his comments will get under Jimbo’s skin, which can get him off his game. It’s multi-level chess, and not a bad, if not extremely obnoxious, way to operate. But it seems like this time it’s also pissed off A&M’s players and not just their coach. Will that make one iota of difference? I guess we’ll see Saturday.

Q: I’ve seen posts about Jimbo’s record with and w/o Winston. And his record at A&M is not elite. What are your thoughts on this? Terrible time to make a coaching change. I think we’d have mass exodus via the portal and could lose a lot of current commits if Jimbo is fired The players seem to really like him. With CW back next year, he’ll have his elite QB. (GMalone)

A: I think both sides have very valid arguments, but this is a performance-based business and, like you said, the results are not there. It’s very true that next year could be very good for A&M, but this year should be better than it is. If Jimbo wants to shut up the haters, beating Kiffin and Ole Miss would be a very good start.

Q: What’s the situation with Moose? You mentioned he might not be back next year. (Jascco73)

A: Moose is running out of time to make an impact and a DNP-CD (did not play — coach’s decision) is not a good way to make one. But, if you look at the film, the effort sure seems to be below average. Micah Tease and Jahdae Walker weren’t out there Saturday because they’re better players; they’re out there because they’ve put in the work, they know what they’re supposed to do and do it. If the A&M coaches feel like he’s not putting in the effort in practice, games or the film room and he thinks he should play a bigger role, it seems reasonable to think that a parting of the ways could be coming. I would like very much for that not to happen and for Moose to have another late-season surge, but there have been no signs of it so far.

Q: How are the head coaches using the history of the bad blood between these teams to prepare them for Saturday.

Kiffin seems to be the master of manipulation but Jimbo might have more to work with. (Richard23)

A: I don’t know what Ole Miss is doing, but A&M has definitely used it as motivation.

Q: Did you watch any of the World Series games? (H273)

A: No.

Q: Ok, let’s beat the special teams dead horse. Seriously, how is it coached? Does Robinson, Craig, Rushing just take turns over seeing the punts, kicks, etc? (Tsmith3001)

A: No, each coach has a certain are of responsibility, and you also have advisors who aren’t on the sidelines or in the booth playing roles as well.

Q: Fatheree is just a mystery … have we ever found out what the injury is ? Or is just discontent and ready to hit the portal once the season is done ?? (gatillero_76)

A: It’s no mystery. He had a knee injury late in the spring and he’s just not 100%. It sure would be nice if he was. They could use him.

Q: Durkin has proven his ability to be a good position coach. He coached DB last year and that position was a strength this year he’s with LBs and they are so much better.

What’s the issues with O-line? Is it poor coaching? Is the coach not connecting or is it that he doesn’t understand the scheme. He seems to recruit well. Can another coach step in and help with connecting with players or help them understanding the scheme? (Spar2cus)

A: He’s got another coach helping him — his son. But let’s look at it this way: you have four guys back up front who were there last year. They still don’t work as a group, they still make fundamental mistakes and still get beat up physically by quality opponents. They sometimes don’t seem motivated. Same stuff, different year. If you don’t see some kind of improvement, you either did a lousy job of evaluation or the coaching job is not good. Considering what some of those four players did under the previous offensive line coach (freshman All-American, All-SEC), I think you have your answer.

Q: what is really going on with the O? Only due to an incredibly poor OL and coaching? Jimbo letting Petrino call Jimbo's plays or game plan? Max has no vision or decision-making ability? RBs not named Moss not hitting the holes that are produced? Although Daniels had some nice runs Saturday and Owens had his TD run.

Is there a concerted effort to run the ball to protect RTs and Robinson therefore taking the air out? (Rooster77)

A: First, the offense is still largely Jimbo’s scheme. Petrino is operating around it. But I don’t think the play calls or scheme are the real issue here, save for the refusal to put in more quick passes. The problem here remains the inability to control the line of scrimmage. You give Max time and he’ll make throws. But if he doesn’t have time, he’s not.

Q: Now that the Rangers are WS champions, how do you see your Orioles and the rest of MLB in 2024? (Doctore-20)

A: Fascinating question — and one that free agency could alter significantly. But here’s how I see it right now.

Top of the heap and likely to get better: Astros, Orioles, Rangers, Braves. The Astros will get some pitching back, have Verlander for a full season and will figure out left field. The Rangers will be healthy and should get DeGrom back at some point. The Orioles will be a year older, some of their stud youngsters (Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad) should be up and they’ll probably add an arm in free agency. The Braves are just loaded offensively.

Not going anywhere: The Phillies and Rays. Philadelphia could be better next year. The Rays might make the jump and be a 100-plus win team if they can stay healthy.

I have doubts: The Dodgers. They have to rebuild their pitching staff, almost from scratch.

Up and comers: D-Backs, Twins and Cubs. Arizona could be in the “not going anywhere”, but their run was kind of fluky. The Twins need offensive consistency. The Cubs may still be a couple years out.

Whatever: The Yankees. They’ll get a ton of hype, probably sign a free agent or two, but are they going to be better than the Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays? Unlikely.

So the teams I think have the best shot next year are Houston, Baltimore, Texas, Atlanta and Philly. And I’ll probably be wrong.

Q: I was at the SC game last weekend and the players were busting tail. However, it seems like apathy is creeping into the fan base. Also, I'd say the in-stadium game day experience is stale and needs a refresh. Is the AD and football program leadership ok with just being, ok? We need some swagger! Any thoughts? (Aggie1983)

A: I’d like it if the product on the field was so good people didn’t worry about the in-stadium game day experience.

Q: Please share thoughts of 3 primary things ATM defense must do well to limit Ole Miss offense. (RacerRod)

A: Control the line of scrimmage. In other words, slow down the running game. Apply pressure but do not allow Jaxson Dart the edges. Don’t get caught inside. And finally, don’t get beat deep.

Q: Is T Chappell healthy and a go for the ole miss game? (Superag1000)

A: I have not hard any rumblings that he isn’t. He told me as we walked off the field that he was going to be ok, so I’ll take him at his word.

Q: Your thoughts on backup QBs getting snaps for the remainder of the season? I thought Henderson might have gotten in for a series at the end of the SCar game. We kind of know what Max can do so maybe prepping another QB might be in the plans for the remainder of the season. Maybe some action versus Miss St and Abilene Christian? Not sure we'll have enough breathing room against Ole Miss or LSU. I recall him already playing in one game so far but I could be mistaken. (Pebbycree)

A: I sense that you may be thinking of a possible QB change this year, and trust me, you don’t want that. Now, if you want to get Jaylen Henderson out there to get some reps in case of an injury, I could go for that. Henderson has a good arm but is very inconsistent. He can run, though. Think of him as a left-handed, more accurate Robby Ashford.

Q: How aggressive will the D be against Ole Miss?

A: Personally, I’d be coming after them. Ole Miss’ offense has had its most trouble against defenses who played them aggressively. That should play right into A&M’s hands.

What's the offensive scheme look like for this weekend? (Tip despiser)

A: Probably much the same, but hopefully with some bootlegs and shorter passes to keep the pass rush off of Max. Ole Miss will bring it.