Has GP lost his fastball?

[Travis Trucks]

So sounds like coaching is the culprit.

Mental lapses on defense are going to happen, you can't eliminate them 100%. I think over the past few years the defensive breakdowns have become more apparent because our offense has been so bad that it gives our defense zero margin for error to work with and pretty much needs to pitch a perfect game just to give us a chance.

We had defensive lapses in the Mountain West, but we were so much better than the other team that over the span of 4 quarters those one or two plays didn't matter, but in the Big 12 where each game is decided by 2 or 3 plays, they stand out a lot more.

I'll chalk today up to first game rust without having the tune up game to work out the kinks, but if it continues for the rest of the year I don't think changing coaches is the solution but I do think we will have to go back to the drawing board. Perhaps GP will be in a position in his career where he doesn't have the will power or desire to do such a thing.

I played for Patterson, I know how demanding mentally his defensive schemes can be. Lots of things you have to do right and execute right. I saw plenty of talented players not see the field much during my tenure because they could not grasp the defense from a mental standpoint. The issue is Big 12 offense are way better than MWC offenses so where in the Mountain West if you had a mental breakdown usually we could overcome it. In the Big 12 mental breakdowns lead to 75 and 49 yard touchdown runs like Iowa State had today. If mental breakdowns are that damaging to our defensive scheme we either need to simplify the defense to limit mental breakdowns OR change the defensive scheme to limit the opponent's chance of a big play.

Iowa State's first 75 yard TD run today was the direct result of our defense running the wrong defensive play call, at least from what I could tell. At the time I said "Oh well, it was just one play" because up until that point our defense was playing well. And even our elite defenses of the past have given up a play or two like that in games. But then the mental lapses kept happening at critical moments.

 

[Bruce Berry]

The mental gymnastics I have to jump thru to only attribute the defense to Gary and the whole team to someone else pains me. Gary is paid 6 million dollars to win football games. That’s it. He’s not paid to have the least amount of yards given up on defense, but instead 6 million of those dollars go to him to win games. He ain’t winning them

And the younger coaches in league own him.

 

[ifrog]

The amount of games that we lose to teams by less than a TD is going to be key this year. Last year we failed in that category miserably.

It seems after week one there isn’t one elite team in the B12. Team It’s up for grabs. Iowa State was fortunate to have one game under their belt.

 

[Pharm Frog]

Mental lapses on defense are going to happen, you can't eliminate them 100%. I think over the past few years the defensive breakdowns have become more apparent because our offense has been so bad that it gives our defense zero margin for error to work with and pretty much needs to pitch a perfect game just to give us a chance.

We had defensive lapses in the Mountain West, but we were so much better than the other team that over the span of 4 quarters those one or two plays didn't matter, but in the Big 12 where each game is decided by 2 or 3 plays, they stand out a lot more.

I'll chalk today up to first game rust without having the tune up game to work out the kinks, but if it continues for the rest of the year I don't think changing coaches is the solution but I do think we will have to go back to the drawing board. Perhaps GP will be in a position in his career where he doesn't have the will power or desire to do such a thing.

I played for Patterson, I know how demanding mentally his defensive schemes can be. Lots of things you have to do right and execute right. I saw plenty of talented players not see the field much during my tenure because they could not grasp the defense from a mental standpoint. The issue is Big 12 offense are way better than MWC offenses so where in the Mountain West if you had a mental breakdown usually we could overcome it. In the Big 12 mental breakdowns lead to 75 and 49 yard touchdown runs like Iowa State had today. If mental breakdowns are that damaging to our defensive scheme we either need to simplify the defense to limit mental breakdowns OR change the defensive scheme to limit the opponent's chance of a big play.

Associating defensive mental lapses to our offensive struggles is a full blown cop out IMO. Even more so when our O does get clicking and the D immediately gives up big plays. I get the feeling that neither unit gives a [ Finebaum ] about the other unit.

 

[netty2424]

I don’t get the perpetually bad o-line play year after year, rotating coaches in and out. And we seemingly still put 1-2 guys in the league per year. It just doesn’t translate on the field. So what does that mean?

Just a weird deal to me.

 

[Bruce Berry]

I wonder if his music career has become too much of a distraction for him?

 

[Mean Purple]

In the Fuente/Bumpas days, you could rely on TCU to play pretty disciplined, tight football. There were still breakdowns here and there, always are, but you rarely came away from a game thinking that TCU was outcoached.

The last four or five seasons I feel like we’ve been outcoached more often than not. Our team play is sloppier and we don’t seem to have a strong identity on either side of the ball.

We have two or three coaches on our staff that couldn’t get work at any other P5, and even when we have openings, Gary seemingly doesn’t even try to get new blood that might actually improve the unit. Putting Anderson back in charge of the OL after firing him from that position a few years ago is probably the worst personnel decision I’ve seen a head coach make.

Gary is a legend, and I don’t want him to leave, but at the same time, something’s gotta change. His staff and his team are not getting it done.

This is the biggest issue. I don't think we got outcoached on offense today. The scheme was good. If it was not for sloppiness of the O-line, I think we win today.
Don't know if the defense issue was part of being outcoached or not. But when you build a game plan, you do base a lot on tendencies. And there were some plays where you can pretty much bet GP will attack and the counter is left open for a long one. And they are hitting on that more and more. It is a first game, so there are going to be some wrong moves due to the players forgetting/choosing on execution.

Other than O-line, the offense looked like it was executed well when Max was in there. Downing handled it fairly well to0, but did hesitate in the pocket a little at first. As the year moves on, maybe a better offense helps the D. The D was playing solid for much of the first half. But they need help from the offense and not having QB 1 in there is a rough go.

I think Travis hit on the fact that we returned a pretty good number and, even more important, the amount of time they had to prepare.

Obviously, a repeat of last year is not gonna sit well. Or even a repeat of the year before.

 

[TRF51]

Honest opinion, GP is a great X and O coach. His approach is not working as well as it did. I don’t know anyone who would think the most talented team won today. They capitalized on their talents, which was their Dline. We made some corrections in the second half which was nice. We have a ton of talent but I think we are lacking talent at OT and DE which is where we need it the most. We are loaded everywhere else. Plus our super star DBs sucked today.

 

[Pharm Frog]

This is the biggest issue. I don't think we got outcoached on offense today. The scheme was good. If it was not for sloppiness of the O-line, I think we win today.
Don't know if the defense issue was part of being outcoached or not. But when you build a game plan, you do base a lot on tendencies. And there were some plays where you can pretty much bet GP will attack and the counter is left open for a long one. And they are hitting on that more and more. It is a first game, so there are going to be some wrong moves due to the players forgetting/choosing on execution.

Other than O-line, the offense looked like it was executed well when Max was in there. Downing handled it fairly well to0, but did hesitate in the pocket a little at first. As the year moves on, maybe a better offense helps the D. The D was playing solid for much of the first half. But they need help from the offense and not having QB 1 in there is a rough go.

I think Travis hit on the fact that we returned a pretty good number and, even more important, the amount of time they had to prepare.

Obviously, a repeat of last year is not gonna sit well. Or even a repeat of the year before.

We already had a repeat of the year before. It was called 2019.

 

[Mean Purple]

Offensively I think we played really well in the 2nd half. The pass protection was bad in the 1st half but once Duggan got in and started running the offense we looked like we had a purpose and direction for the first time on offense in 3 years.

Defensively things were mental breakdown city today. This is why we play SWAC teams to start the year, to get the kinks worked out. Outside of the 2 pass plays where Hodges-Tomlinson got beat 1-on-1 their big plays were all because we had a guy out of position or blow an assignment. It just seems to happen a lot more over the past few seasons for whatever reason.

Their last TD was actually a result of a good defensive play call, but we just didn't make the play. GP knew that if they didn't get the first down but moved the ball past the LOS, they were going for it on 4th down, so we sold out trying to stop them for a loss and left no plan B if they broke the line of scrimmage, which they did. I don't fault him for that one.

I'll wait until we play another game or two before making a knee jerk reaction. Every team in this league has looked bad in their first real game this year. But the mental breakdowns on defense are starting to get old. If it continues maybe we need to simplify our defense. You can blame the players missing assignments or being out of position only for so long until it becomes a pattern too much in which you have to take a step back and make it easier to where those things don't happen as much.

Travis, what do you think got the O line to perform a little better in the second half? Was it just having 2 quarters of play and knowing a little more of what to expect? GP said earlier this week that they had been hitting enough, so I wouldn't guess that it was the need to get used to folks flying around their legs as much.

 

[Hoosierfrog]

You don’t understand. This is a continuation of what we saw last year besides much improved qb play in the Second half. If you like going .500 in the big 12 then by all means continue with this perspective. GP is 39-34 since 2012 when we entered the big12

GP is also not coaching in the WAC, CUSA nor MWC. People also don’t take TCU as lightly as they did prior to 2012. Hitting .350 in AAA, doesn’t guarantee you’ll do it in the majors. Utah hasn’t done as well Over all in a weaker conference.

I understand that people have started whining after one game in a year when nobody has looked very good after their first game. I also understand that no program wins forever and never takes a step back. No one. We’ve had one of the best if not the best 20 year runs in our history.

Further what I like, expect, want or dream for will never have any effect on the outcome of any game or program’s future. And neither will your utter and complete understanding of the complexities of sustaining a winning program. I’ve been riding this roller coaster for a lot of years and our history has many more steep down hill runs that uphill climbs. We are all just along for the ride whether I like .500 seasons or undefeated seasons. Neither your perspective nor mine isn’t going to do squat, unless you have building donor money and buy out our winningest coach. Maybe the grass would be greener, but are you sure TCU is going to attract a big name or some whiz kid. Even if we did, they’d make their mark and go to a state school, like they always have. We’ve been very fortunate to have GP who has been loyal to the school that gave him a shot.

As a small private school it will always be harder for us. We’ve done better than most privates, but I’m afraid it is never going to be all roses, unless we go completely thug like Miami, and they eventually went in the toilet.

So, for all that is holy, can we at least get a few games into the season before all the whining starts?

 

[Mean Purple]

Honest opinion, GP is a great X and O coach. His approach is not working as well as it did. I don’t know anyone who would think the most talented team won today. They capitalized on their talents, which was their Dline. We made some corrections in the second half which was nice. We have a ton of talent but I think we are lacking talent at OT and DE which is where we need it the most. We are loaded everywhere else. Plus our super star DBs sucked today.

I would raise the question of what constitutes most talented team? Can you base it on skill players ... or do you need the long proven approach of having your best play the closer you get to the ball at snap? Which means line play included. It does seem odd that the line play has not been sharp for years now.

 

[Hoosierfrog]

Oh I’m sorry, is Gary the head coach or the defensive coordinator. The loss falls on the team. Imagine Lincoln Riley walking up to the podium my offense played well but defense sucks this loss isn’t on me. That’s trash man

And I’m sure you’d be calling for his head?

 

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

And I’m sure you’d be calling for his head?

I’m sure they would at ou if he had Patterson’s record in the big 12 buddy

 

[Travis Trucks]

Associating defensive mental lapses to our offensive struggles is a full blown cop out IMO. Even more so when our O does get clicking and the D immediately gives up big plays. I get the feeling that neither unit gives a [ Cumbie’s red zone playcalling ] about the other unit.

I am not attributing our defensive mental lapses to the offense - they are independent. It's just that you notice them more when our offense is constantly playing from behind. Anyone remember the San Diego State game in 2010? We had several breakdowns in that game defensively but we were so much better than SDSU it didn't matter in the end. If we had those same breakdowns against a Big 12 team that year we lose that game by 28.

 

[Mean Purple]

GP is also not coaching in the WAC, CUSA nor MWC. People also don’t take TCU as lightly as they did prior to 2012. Hitting .350 in AAA, doesn’t guarantee you’ll do it in the majors. Utah hasn’t done as well Over all in a weaker conference.

I understand that people have started whining after one game in a year when nobody has looked very good after their first game. I also understand that no program wins forever and never takes a step back. No one. We’ve had one of the best if not the best 20 year runs in our history.

Further what I like, expect, want or dream for will never have any effect on the outcome of any game or program’s future. And neither will your utter and complete understanding of the complexities of sustaining a winning program. I’ve been riding this roller coaster for a lot of years and our history has many more steep down hill runs that uphill climbs. We are all just along for the ride whether I like .500 seasons or undefeated seasons. Neither your perspective nor mine isn’t going to do squat, unless you have building donor money and buy out our winningest coach. Maybe the grass would be greener, but are you sure TCU is going to attract a big name or some whiz kid. Even if we did, they’d make their mark and go to a state school, like they always have. We’ve been very fortunate to have GP who has been loyal to the school that gave him a shot.

As a small private school it will always be harder for us. We’ve done better than most privates, but I’m afraid it is never going to be all roses, unless we go completely thug like Miami, and they eventually went in the toilet.

So, for all that is holy, can we at least get a few games into the season before all the whining starts?

I even have questions about UT right now. You mentioned Miami. Everybody is on that bandwagon so far this year, but they have had some rough goings in the secondary. L'ville exposed that in their game with the Canes.

I don't know if I put as much weight in being a small private school. We have pumped a ton of money into the program and we are upper tier in the "arms race" for facilities.

I know last year there were some previous players at the Rail Head and they indicated the felt GP was not as hard on players as he was with the Rose Bowl classes, etc.

 

[Travis Trucks]

Honest opinion, GP is a great X and O coach. His approach is not working as well as it did. I don’t know anyone who would think the most talented team won today. They capitalized on their talents, which was their Dline. We made some corrections in the second half which was nice. We have a ton of talent but I think we are lacking talent at OT and DE which is where we need it the most. We are loaded everywhere else. Plus our super star DBs sucked today.

I thought our DBs played fine. Hodges-Tomlinson got beat twice but that was it. And the second time he got beat I would say it was more of the receiver adjusting and making a great catch than him beating Tomlinson straight up.

Even Gladney and Verrett and our other good corners of the past got beat, law of averages says you will when you are playing 1 on 1 man every single play. The idea is to limit the number of times you got beat.

The weakness of our defense started and ended with the defensive end position today, just like last year. Last year, the position got much better as the year went along.

 

[Travis Trucks]

Travis, what do you think got the O line to perform a little better in the second half? Was it just having 2 quarters of play and knowing a little more of what to expect? GP said earlier this week that they had been hitting enough, so I wouldn't guess that it was the need to get used to folks flying around their legs as much.

Quarterback play. We ran more plays to get rid of the ball quicker. Less slow developing plays. We also were able to watch 1st half film, adjust and exploit their Tampa 2/Cover 3 in the 2nd half down the seams.

That Barber drop INT was just really bad luck. If that doesn't happen I think we march downfield and win because whoever was calling plays had their number at the time.

 

[Hoosierfrog]

I’m sure they would at ou if he had Patterson’s record in the big 12 buddy

TCU is not OU and never has been. But yet they got embarrassed by a team that got embarrassed by a nobody the week before. Buddy? Ooh, sounds threatening!

 

[Pharm Frog]

I thought our DBs played fine. Hodges-Tomlinson got beat twice but that was it. And the second time he got beat I would say it was more of the receiver adjusting and making a great catch than him beating Tomlinson straight up.

Even Gladney and Verrett and our other good corners of the past got beat, law of averages says you will when you are playing 1 on 1 man every single play. The idea is to limit the number of times you got beat.

The weakness of our defense started and ended with the defensive end position today, just like last year. Last year, the position got much better as the year went along.

I agree with this. Had very little issue at all with DB play.