Limey Frog
Full Member
Exactly. If you want to level-up on talent you need to level-up on coaches, too. We tried to do one without doing the other.
Zach Evans
- Thread starter Mr. Bigglesworth
- Start date
I think it might be better to have zero 5-star guys on the team than one or two. And I'm not necessarily trying to pile on Evans for not being a good teammate and all that (because by all accounts he is a good teammate in most respects) but I think when you have that dynamic where a kid or two are clearly just biding their time until they are draft eligible, it creates some awkwardness for the coaches. You gotta play them, because they are clearly your best players, but you can't really coach them very hard out of fear that they will leave, and you don't want that stain on the program. And that filters down throughout the team. It's still a team sport and you've got to have everyone pulling in the same direction.
It's a delicate thing to work around, because you really need those players to have sustained success. I just don't think GP is the guy to best figure it out.
cheese83
Full Member
I don't think Zach Evans has caused any problems, he seems to do everything we've needed and even helped win football games. Him being on the roster has nothing to do with guys missing tackles and getting burnt on deep posts or drag routes across the middle. Tons of programs have kids who were highly rated and hope to make the league.
I do believe that we have more of an opportunity to bring in kids like Zach but our coaching staff is limited to their pitch and style which hurts us in recruiting. Why else haven't we been able to land more higher rated defensive players when plenty of kids have made the league and even been drafted pretty high? I don't think kids like Patterson's style and demeanor. You could go play for someone where you get an INT and the coach does a chest bump or Patterson who will run up and yell at you b/c you didn't cover properly or missed an assignment. It looks like he's making things too complicated and also removing all the fun on D.
YA
Active Member
100% spot on!
I don't know if he's caused any problems or not, he seems like a good kid. All I know is he's made it plainly obvious he is in this to bide his time before he becomes draft eligible, and while he is clearly the star of the team and a great player, that team sucks and plays like they don't really give a [ Finebaum ]. Hell, just look at this week, team has been playing like crap and the biggest news of the week in the media is that he momentarily took down all his TCU mentions on his Instagram account. You don't think that kind of stuff is a distraction? I still think team chemistry and locker room dynamics are a thing.
jake102
Active Member
Perhaps the other players on the team should put forth the effort he gives. As long as a guy is producing at the highest level on the team, probably the last guy I'm concerned about.
Seems like team chemistry and locker room dynamics is probably impacted by Jenkins being an FCS level DT, or Wyatt Harris being slower than the average DE out there, or Caesar getting burned over and over and then celebrating like he won the SB anytime his WR doesn't catch the ball. Or maybe when our OL get confused by a basic stunt and a DL is untouched, or when a safety is covering 30 yards of blank field.
If they're bothered by Evans going for like 130 yards/game at a 7 yards/touch clip while providing top level blocking, then it's a lost cause anyways.
Limey Frog
Full Member
I don't think the point made was that Evans himself caused any problems, only that TCU's program culture is caught between being one of two things without being fully either: you can be what we used to be, a kind of upscale K-State getting by on coaching up overlooked guys with something to prove, or transition to a program that goes for and lands sought-after recruits. We've landed enough of the latter to make a start but the coaching staff and most of the players remain closer to the former thing. The point is that Gary knows how to create and maintain success in the former type of culture but not the latter. It's not really about Evans personally.
All this talk of lacking team chemistry and a good culture completely disregards the fact that all we heard coming into the season was how mature and together this year’s group was. Is our staff that out of touch or were they trying to talk themselves into it? Expectations keep getting lowered but they were sky-high at the beginning of September.
I don't agree with this. I think we've become kind of like UT, only with less talented players. I think a "country club" culture for lack of a better word has crept into the program because the coaches are now afraid of losing players, and you might say losing certain players.
One of our backup DE's was dancing on the sideline to some stupid song that was playing while we were getting our asses handed to us by a bad team, and his unit had a lot to do with it. And of course a teammate that was standing next to him was laughing. I'm like, seriously? That's all the more you care? That looked EXACTLY like what we used to laugh at UT about. Now it's us.
Never pay attention to what you hear, especially if its from GP. The truth is usually the exact opposite.
Limey Frog
Full Member
Isn't that the exact point, that we've picked up more talented players but not managed to foster the same level of cohesion and commitment that the staff consistently managed with less talented rosters? As you say, very UTish.
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This is far from new. ANY time GP is happy, or says things are going well, dark days have always been right around the corner. This has happened pretty much 100% of the time during his tenure as HC. It almost seems calculated.
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cheese83
Full Member
Come on he hasn't caused any problems and has videos repping TCU and showing him working out. If anything why isn't our coach giving him or other players time in front of reporters? Hell he was bragging about how people don't know about Evans which is so stupid IMO. Why not help lift the kid up and give him press (unless he doesn't want it)? He should be a huge recruiting tool about how TCU didn't give up on him when Georgia did and now he's getting 8 ypc in the Big 12.
The team is playing like crap and there have been reports of kids jawing back at the coach, maybe his message just doesn't work anymore? I think team chemistry and locker room dynamics are def a big thing but all Summer Gary was telling us how the kids have bought in and the chemistry was at an all time high. Now they're struggling and their coach is throwing them under the bus saying he's telling them what to do but they aren't doing it, or the system is too complicated for them (ie saying they aren't smart enough to pick it up). The kids pick up on this stuff and they aren't stupid either.
Here's another thing -- when GP was young, we constantly heard about him working 17 hour days, out working everybody, etc. Now all we hear about is hobnobbing with celebrities, African safaris etc. We never hear any more about how hard he or the staff works. Maybe the country club atmosphere has also infected the staff as well as the players? Anyone have any insight here?
Spike
Full Member
Eight
Member
put mirrors in all his rooms and hallways so everywhere he went in his house he could see that he was a walking pile of dog crap, but then i realized he is a soul less being roaming this board and highland park looking to devour the thoughts and minds of some poor individuals who place value in his posts......
Spike
Full Member
You show up in mirrors?
Spike
Full Member
surprised his dog didn't eat you alive.
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Eight
Member
the dog likes me better because i don't wear cargo shorts and teva sandals, have a soul, and bring him sausage kolaches from mustang donuts
