Jimbo Fisher defends Haynes King: 'You'd rather say woah than giddy up'

After fracturing his leg, Haynes King returned to the football field this weekend. King won the quarterback competition again at Texas A&M this fall and started in the Aggies opener against Sam Houston State. However, his debut came as a mixed bag of good and bad based on his stat line.

Jimbo Fisher shielded King’s play style during his press conference on Monday. He said he’d much rather have to teach King to let off the gas than have to tell him to step on it.

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“You keep molding. You’d rather say woah than giddy up. You can see the interception but you can also sit there and not make plays. (He) made a ton of plays,” said Fisher. “We had how many balls down the field, long balls, big plays? That’s what you gotta do. Would they say woah to Brett Favre? And ask him to not throw so many rocket balls?”

On the good side, King finished 20/31 for 364 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 35 yards. On the bad side, though, he threw a pair of interceptions. Both came once the game was well within hand, but turnovers have plagued King in his limited time as a college QB.

Fisher says it’s all about learning when it comes to King. He says his redshirt sophomore has to realize what he can and can’t throw and how to make the right read for his team.

“He took a chance down the field at the safety that spun out. He’s got to learn, at that depth, he can’t do it…That was a little bit on our part,” Fisher said. “As a quarterback, you’re their mother. What their mother does is clean everything up around when some guys make a mistake and, when things aren’t right, you’re getting out of that play. You go to the next read and that takes some time to see.”

There’s nothing wrong with a risky quarterback. It’s just that these turnovers from King could prove even more costly once he gets a better taste of SEC competition. In Fisher’s opinion, his starter just needs to get more reps. His experience will only help him grow and mold his offensive style into a more well-rounded focus.

“He’s gotta get game experience. He’s got to be in the saddle and see it. At the same time, he made tons of plays…We still have to be aggressive. We have to play with aggressive intelligence in what you do.”