FWST: TCU football coach Sonny Dykes said it: ‘I don’t know how good we were last year’

[vicarfrog]

I think 2022 was significantly better than 2017, but they both would have been whacked by 2010 and 2014.

That I can agree with. I think 2022 would eek out the win, but 2017 would keep it tight for 3 quarters.

 

[DeuceBoogieNights]

I would rank them:

2014
2022
2010
2017

I think 2017 was a good notch below the other three, and that the other three are pretty close.

The 2014 team was very good but those P5 teams they were crushing weren't near as good as what the 2022 team faced. Not even close.

There were a lot of players on the 2010 team who had chances in the NFL. I think 2010 was better than last year's team, especially on the offensive line with Kirkpatrick, Cannon and Dooley.

Defensive line wasn't bad either.

Dalton, Kerley, Cannon, Kirkpatrick, Ed Wesley, Josh Boyce, Maponga, Tank, Colin Jones, Greg Mccoy.

Pretty impressive for a G5 team.

 

[TopFrog]

2014 could have won the NC.

 

[Wexahu]

There were a lot of players on the 2010 team who had chances in the NFL. I think 2010 was better than last year's team, especially on the offensive line with Kirkpatrick, Cannon and Dooley.

Defensive line wasn't bad either.

Dalton, Kerley, Cannon, Kirkpatrick, Ed Wesley, Josh Boyce, Maponga, Tank, Colin Jones, Greg Mccoy.

Pretty impressive for a G5 team.

That's fair. I think the 2010 defense was definitely more solid. Not sure I agree about the OL though, I think last year's was pretty darn good. And I realize that team had quite a few guys that had chances in the NFL, but last year's team is going to have a lot more I believe when it's all said and done. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Wesley, Boyce, Maponga, Tank, and McCoy were all underclassmen on that 2010 team. So you gotta add Newton and some others (Coker? Coleman? Wiley? Clark?) to last year's haul to really compare apples to apples.

And admittedly, some of my opinion is skewed by the G5 vs P5 thing.

 

[Sangria Wine]

Last years team was no better than the 3rd best team we’ve had since Gary Patterson became head coach. Sports work how they work and we all know that. The system was better for us last year with a playoff situation. The team was incredibly aware of the finish line and pulled off some miracle wins that we didn’t really deserve to win. But again, sports work how they work. We won games and we advanced. HCSD is spot on…if we had pulled rabbits out of hats and won the games we’ve closely lost this year we are in the top 10 and yet, we’d still be the exact same team with the exact same strengths and weaknesses. Last year things went our way and this year we lose the close ones. Last years team won games and thus was a National Championship contender. This years team loses games and thus is a Bowl Game contender.

 

[LSU Game Attendee]

2014 could have won the NC.

 

[Hemingway]

This sounds like Sonny is making excuses for this year's team and assistant coaches.

Yes, the 2022 TCU team won a bunch of close games. But Max and Dee and their teammates made the big plays week after week to win them. They played with heart and guts and willed themselves to wins. Period.

This year's team is not doing that. In particular, Chandler has had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game in the 4th quarter against CU and WV. He did not deliver and the Frogs lost those games. I know a lot of posters here who blast Garrett Riley about some things, but our new OC (Briles' boy) has not called the right plays in the key moments. Worse, we have looked unorganized in key moments of our losses. That is on him and Sonny. They should fix those late-game issues instead of making excuses.

Remember when the Frogs rallied to beat KSU at home last year? Does anyone believe that this year's team has the guts and will to come back and get a tough win now?

The play calling feels like those weird 2 years after the Peach Bowl. Trying to hit some old plays out there and going through the motions on some other things. The team doesn’t have an identity like last year. It’s just meh. I don’t think anyone can really point to a consistent strength. Right?

 

[ShreveFrog]

if we had pulled rabbits out of hats and won the games we’ve closely lost this year we are in the top 10 and yet, we’d still be the exact same team with the exact same strengths and weaknesses.

All we needed were TD drives on our last possessions at home against underdogs in both games. We controlled our fate. Hardly a magic trick. And we wouldn’t really be talking about a weakness of offensive execution had we gotten those wins.

 

[Sangria Wine]

All we needed were TD drives on our last possessions at home against underdogs in both games. We controlled our fate. Hardly a magic trick. And we wouldn’t really be talking about a weakness of offensive execution had we gotten those wins.

And if we had made literally 2 to 4 more plays in total this season we would be undefeated and in the top 10. But my point is we would be the exact same team even with that scenario unfolding. And that team would still not be a legitimate national title contender even if undefeated and in the top 10.

 

[ShreveFrog]

@Sangria Wine - Ok well, we make those plays and we are winners and therefore not the same team. Natty contender? Nah. But winners and in the conversation for Big XII title game.

 

[FrogBall09]

This is all very true, but also very hard for people to accept.

I think we were better last year, but not by as much as what it seems right now IMO.

Then We hired the wrong guy

 

[Wexahu]

Then We hired the wrong guy

Nah, the guy we hired took over a team that was 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 and 5-7 in the four seasons before he came on board and is now 17-4 through his first 21 games. Hasn't been all great all the time but where has it?

He's doing fine.

 

[FrogBall09]

Nah, the guy we hired took over a team that was 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 and 5-7 in the four seasons before he came on board and is now 17-4 through his first 21 games. Hasn't been all great all the time but where has it?

He's doing fine.

And just admitted he doesn’t know why and it was basically luck

It was a fluke and everyone not a frog fan knows it - this year is what kind of coach he has been his whole career

 

[Wexahu]

And just admitted he doesn’t know why and it was basically luck

It was a fluke and everyone not a frog fan knows it - this year is what kind of coach he has been his whole career

No, you're being ridiculous.

It was a season where we had a lot of things go our way, but still arguably the GREATEST SEASON in TCU FOOTBALL SINCE OVER 80 YEARS AGO. It's almost like that bothers you.

Now, five games into the next season and you're done with the guy. SMH. Where were you last year?

 

[Limey Frog]

Nah, the guy we hired took over a team that was 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 and 5-7 in the four seasons before he came on board and is now 17-4 through his first 21 games. Hasn't been all great all the time but where has it?

He's doing fine.

We absolutely hired the right guy, then he went out and hired a whole bunch of also the right guys. Then inevitably one of those guys was hired away. He was replaced by... well, someone who may not prove to be the right guy.

 

[Frawg]

This is all very true, but also very hard for people to accept.

I think we were better last year, but not by as much as what it seems right now IMO.

Special exams and consistent OL play won multiple games we easily could have lost last year. The exact same has cost us 2 games this year. I feel like both will be fixed by the time OUUT roll around (I think). I hope they are looking past us.

 

[Wexahu]

We absolutely hired the right guy, then he went out and hired a whole bunch of also the right guys. Then inevitably one of those guys was hired away. He was replaced by... well, someone who may not prove to be the right guy.

I think if you're putting much if any of the blame on our OC you're kind of being ridiculous. How's the former OC doing at his new job?

On offense we had to replace our starting QB, our three most productive WR's, our two best RBs who are both playing in the NFL, and our entire interior O-line. To not expect some growing pains and a little bit of a step back is just dumb.

Even then, we're like 14th in the country in total offense. You must not watch many other teams play because if you did, you'd realize what we are doing on offense isn't bad.

 

[tetonfrog]

Even then, we're like 14th in the country in total offense. You must not watch many other teams play because if you did, you'd realize what we are doing on offense isn't bad.

Rewatch the second half of the WV game. What would you call that? Our offense - the play calling and the execution - was certainly not good. And we will face better defenses as the season progresses.

 

[Wexahu]

Rewatch the second half of the WV game. What would you call that? Our offense - the play calling and the execution - was certainly not good. And we will face better defenses as the season progresses.

It was a bad half, I get it. But the overreactions, and who the blame is placed on, is such a beating.

Our O-line was having a hell of a time blocking anyone, did you not see that? What's the right play call for an OC when your line is getting dominated on almost every play? Plays tend to not work when you're O-line can't hold up to what the other team is doing. We used to blame the O-line coach when that would happen, now it all falls on Briles? WVU held Pitt and Texas Tech to one TD and four FGs on a combined 24 drives, that might have been a pretty stout defense we were up against.

You can take about any team and I could say, go watch such and such half, what do you call that?

 

[Limey Frog]

I think if you're putting much if any of the blame on our OC you're kind of being ridiculous. How's the former OC doing at his new job?

On offense we had to replace our starting QB, our three most productive WR's, our two best RBs who are both playing in the NFL, and our entire interior O-line. To not expect some growing pains and a little bit of a step back is just dumb.

Even then, we're like 14th in the country in total offense. You must not watch many other teams play because if you did, you'd realize what we are doing on offense isn't bad.

I didn't like the Briles hire for reasons we needn't re-litigate. And, yes, the offense was inevitably going to take a step back (though that wasn't the narrative pre-season: it was going to fast--whizz, bang! Tempo, tempo, tempo!!! And very productive). As I've said in several posts, the Briles scheme is not my preference. Yes, it can work. When it works it does it puts, as its partisans like to say, great stress on the other team's defense. But when it doesn't, it puts more stress than necessary on your own defense. I don't like that.

I don't think it's ridiculous to point out that if (as Briles types like to say) time of possession is "the most meaningless stat in football," then by the same measure total offense is also meaningless. What do we have to show for all of our yards right now, except two home losses in games we were favored to win? Fair enough, the Colorado loss wasn't on the offense, but we've failed to finish drives against everybody and the best teams on our schedule are yet to play, and we absolutely laid an egg vs. WVU. I never expected to go 12-0 with the losses we had in player personnel. I do reserve the right to rag on Briles if the offense doesn't appear to do the most possible with who we have available.