• The KillerFrogs

Former Players - Your Thoughts

Moose Stuff

Active Member
Oklahoma went conservative. They were running the ball near the goal line on 3rd and 5. Unheard of for OU...but at no time did they feel threatened to need to score. Gary is getting off easy by people not challenging his defense. He knows this, which is why he tells the OC's to just do a QB option run on 3rd and 11 so he can play defense and hero.

The problem may not be squarely on the defense, but it is on the HC who is coming up with the crappy overly conservative coaching philosophy of running the ball rather than at least throwing the ball deep into the end zone. He has given up, and it's a joke to watch.

We have wasted 25 scholarships on WR's...and we're running the ball on 3rd down so we can punt on fourth down. Trying to punt is not a coaching philosophy, but Gary has been doing it for the past three years when his defense has sucked. He blitzes and gives up monster plays. I could be down with this punting philosophy, if he knew how to call the stack 3 defense and he's spent his scholarships on linemen rather than WR's.

OU could have beaten us by 40+ yesterday if they wanted to. That game was over after 1 drive and everyone involved knew it.
 

Putt4Purple

Active Member
So our defense is basically dead last in the country in allowing big plays and that's the offense's fault?

It takes a balanced team to win. I have to actually educate you on this? No one side of the team can be weak.
How strong is our offense that our defense can relax on occasion? Enough said.
 

Travis Trucks

Active Member
Did you have any interaction with Jarrett Anderson? Should he still be there? Am I wrong in thinking he's the wrong guy coaching any unit for TCU?

He was my position coach when I first started. Good guy, I think his style is better suited for a receivers or RB coach than DL or OL coach. It's not that he doesn't know what he is doing, but just his demeanor and coaching method is a little bit more laid back and analytical rather than the tough IN YOUR FACE GET AFTER IT style of coach.
 

Travis Trucks

Active Member
well during Travis’ “time” Jarrett was co OC with Fuente so it’s interesting to hear that Fuente had full autonomy. I think we can certainly agree Justin’s offense seemed to work well and seemed to sit well with Gary. If for some unforeseen reason Justin is no longer employed at Va Tech, bringing him back as OC/head coach elect may be the only way we lay the groundwork for Gary to leave gracefully. I don’t see JD forcing this issue.

Anderson was OC in title only. Fuente completely ran the show and it wasn't even a question.

I think we look back on our late MWC year offenses with rose colored glasses. They were efficient, but not great or explosive. There were the occasional games where it didn't work even against MWC teams. Were they better than what we have now? Absolutely, but we were able to do what we did since our defense were so great we never had to really take any risks.

I have never been a fan of a retread hire. Name one retread hire that has ever worked. I define retread hire as a coach who failed at a P5 school who gets picked up by another one. They failed at their initial P5 school for a reason. If we got Fuente it would be a retread hire.
 

Eight

Member
You keep on Travis Trucks! All you have posted has resonated with me. The offense is the primary problem. If TCU had a legitimate consistent offense the pressure on the defense would disappear. I for one appreciate what you post. Some old posters who never played football and people who are TV coaches and never played football make a lot of unknowing comments on this board. FYI, I played football a long, long time ago.
Go Frogs!

the frogs run defense is giving up 5.2 ypc and that jumps to 6.5 ypc when you look at the adjusted numbers

we are talking historically bad against the rush for a gary patterson defense and i agree with moose that after scoring on the first three series of the game riley back off.

the offensive scheme is bad, the play calling is bad, but the defense is a problem
 

Wexahu

Full Member
He was my position coach when I first started. Good guy, I think his style is better suited for a receivers or RB coach than DL or OL coach. It's not that he doesn't know what he is doing, but just his demeanor and coaching method is a little bit more laid back and analytical rather than the tough IN YOUR FACE GET AFTER IT style of coach.

FWIW, I was told by a former player that Anderson probably knows more about football than anyone else on the staff. Not exactly sure what that meant, but I think it was strategies, techniques, etc. And I know that doesn’t really make someone a good coach, but he’s not some idiot that has no clue what he’s doing.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
Because Oklahoma totally just stopped trying you know, they just laid down on offense. OU offense players just quit, Lincoln Riley told them to go 50%.

For someone who actually played football at TCU recently you have some bizarre observations (or lack of). There is no doubt in my mind that if they needed to score 50 yesterday to win they would have. You didn't find anything odd about the drive that ended in them going up 20-7 when they went with three vanilla runs at 1st and goal from the 8 before kicking? You think those are the plays they would have run had Riley truly thought they needed 7 there? He treated us like GP used to treat the bad MWC teams when the only way we could lose was to gamble on defense and turn it over all day on offense.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
FWIW, I was told by a former player that Anderson probably knows more about football than anyone else on the staff. Not exactly sure what that meant, but I think it was strategies, techniques, etc. And I know that doesn’t really make someone a good coach, but he’s not some idiot that has no clue what he’s doing.

That's the most damning indictment of this staff I've heard yet. Our worst coach knows more about football than anyone else..... JFC.
 

steelfrog

Tier 1
Nobody here really knows what the hell in detail is going on, but one thing's for sure; we're 30-26 in the last 5 seasons, with one "good" season out of the five. One good season in 5 ain't good. One season in 5 isn't what you pay a multi-million dollar staff for. This staff probably gets close to 8-9 million, and puts dogcrap on the field, and has done so for years without any accountability at all. And meanwhile the HC is all over social media with his foundation, making country albums and going on safaris. He used to have the reputation of being a guy who outworked other coaches -- 18 hour days and all that. No more. Now he's hobnobbing with the rich folk, and his teams litrally look clueless.
 

2themax

Active Member
To blame Meachum for the dismal play of the offense is wrong.
Think about having to work with that offensive line when making calls.
His play calling is very limited. Not to mention he has to protect Duggan when they clearly can't.
The reshuffling of the oline wasn't the best idea heading into a game against OU's defensive front.
I would love to see the offense use more 2 te sets to run and pass.
More blockers at the point of attack is needed.
 

Wexahu

Full Member
I would love to see the offense use more 2 te sets to run and pass.
More blockers at the point of attack is needed.

You say don’t blame Meacham and then say you’d love to see two TE sets and more blockers at the point of attack?

We’re more likely to see 4 OL and 6 WRs on the field than two TE sets with Meacham calling the shots. More blockers at the point of attack is not his thing.
 

Tumbleweed

Active Member
Great thoughts but is Gary gonna give up control?

Would you give up control as HEAD coach after twenty some odd years as top executive... at 65 years of age? NOT likely. .....Remember your name is on that contract, at the very top! Stock holders are looking for positive results etc. Ask those who gave a few million toward the new east renovation, if they are pleased with past and current results.
 

Eight

Member
To blame Meachum for the dismal play of the offense is wrong.
Think about having to work with that offensive line when making calls.
His play calling is very limited. Not to mention he has to protect Duggan when they clearly can't.
The reshuffling of the oline wasn't the best idea heading into a game against OU's defensive front.
I would love to see the offense use more 2 te sets to run and pass.
More blockers at the point of attack is needed.

agree with wex as meacham is the guy calling the plays and yet he isn't using formations and play calls that protect max, make the most of what this offense can do, and reduce the pressure off the offensive line

your comment is akin to saying gary isn't accountable for the offensive problems because he primarily works with the offense. if anyone can make a change in the offensive play calling it is meacham just as gary is the guy who can make staff changes
 
FWIW, I was told by a former player that Anderson probably knows more about football than anyone else on the staff. Not exactly sure what that meant, but I think it was strategies, techniques, etc. And I know that doesn’t really make someone a good coach, but he’s not some idiot that has no clue what he’s doing.
The man has coached football for twenty some years and coached about every position beside kickers so you would expect that he has some level of knowledge about the game. The problem, as we have seen time and again, is that for whatever reason he is not effective at communicating that and preparing and developing players which results in whatever he is coaching being the worst performing unit on the field. How many times does this happen before it is something other than coincidence or bad luck?
 

Putt4Purple

Active Member
the frogs run defense is giving up 5.2 ypc and that jumps to 6.5 ypc when you look at the adjusted numbers

we are talking historically bad against the rush for a gary patterson defense and i agree with moose that after scoring on the first three series of the game riley back off.

the offensive scheme is bad, the play calling is bad, but the defense is a problem

I agree the defense is a problem especially if the opposing coach is stealing your signs. You are very exposed. Why that supposedly continues to happen year after year is another topic. If Gary had the same secret tactics or hidden signs before he and TCU became famous then the Frogs would continue with success. Sadly now, not happening
 
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