Those were the days, my friends. Those were the days...

[ShadowFrog]

I hope this team rips off 11 straight wins so I can bring this string back from the deep and save a couple of you from jumping off a building.

That reminds me….when was last time someone checked on BostonFrog?

 

[LSU Game Attendee]

I don't buy into this post-departure argument that he was a glorified DC. Quite frankly, that's insulting to the players he coached to what were at the time unimagined heights. He also took our program to unimagined heights by instilling an us-against-the-world, chip-on-our-shoulders attitude that permeated the entire program. Only an astute head coach could have built that kind of culture.

Yes, his last few years were not pretty. But when you look at how GP reached peaks, it was always after a period of re-evaluating and evolving. So to say he isn't capable of changing and evolving is nonsense, and he did that as a HEAD COACH, not as a DC.

Looking back, 2001-2002 was him learning to be a HC and building a culture. 2003 was a breakout year with him finally getting his footing and his players buying into a complicated defensive scheme with excessive, almost obsessive, game planning.

2004 was a setback, especially the 70-35 game, which led to some soul searching and a re-built 4-2-5, and 2005-2006 showed great improvement, with the 12-3 Tech game in 2006 being a watershed moment. 2007 was a minor setback, but then we got 2008-2010 -- three consecutive top 10 finishes and a Rose Bowl victory.

2011 kept the train going and we were on a good path. Then the drug bust in 2012, and despite that, we were in a lot of one-possession games our first year in the B12. 2013 was a disaster. So what happened? GP evolved again, brought in an entirely un-GP like offensive philosophy with Meachum and Cumbie, and we got 2014 and 2015, probably the two best teams, top to bottom, we've ever fielded. Injuries to Boykin and Doctson derailed 2015, but that was an incredible squad. He pieced together another top 10 in 2017 as well.

At the end, GP got stubborn, made some bad QB decisions, but most importantly, made some bad coaching personnel decisions. I'd be willing to bet he has, once again, self-evolved and could do special things with a team as a head coach.

In my opinion, I think in the era of having General Managers, he may thrive. Leave the football coaching to GP, and let the GM build the roster and handle all the NIL nonsense. As long as he doesn't default to his old cronies as assistants, I think he would be a great head coach again.

Agree, like I wrote, incredible HC, and prefect for evolving the program post Ann Richards banishment from a major conference. But an even better DC, IMO. No way to prove it, but I’m confident the current concentrated Patterson-led defensive talent at USC would beat his best TCU team. Lincoln Riley handed him his ass head to head.

 

[BrewingFrog]

The QB that SD recruited left for the school that just won a NC. Our fans [ Finebaum ] on him, didn't raise enough money to keep him, and let his OC go to an SEC school. And you complaining about the mess that was left?

Did you watch that mess last week?

None of the things you bring up matter a whit. It was over and done with before the Bowl Game, and yet we somehow managed to win that one with 1.) A QB that had never taken a snap, 2.) An OC who had never formulated a game plan or called plays, and 3.) An O-Line that desperately needed help. Funny, that...

The FNG at OC has had all Spring to work with his players, and all Fall Camp, as has Mr. Harvard. Gazing at the calendar, that's just as much time as Hoover has had at his new nest or The Whelp as his new gig. One would expect similar results out of the FNG and Mr. Harvard, after all the gaslighting we have been fed for the last six months. Yet...

 

[An-Cap Frog]

Did you watch that mess last week?

None of the things you bring up matter a whit. It was over and done with before the Bowl Game, and yet we somehow managed to win that one with 1.) A QB that had never taken a snap, 2.) An OC who had never formulated a game plan or called plays, and 3.) An O-Line that desperately needed help. Funny, that...

The FNG at OC has had all Spring to work with his players, and all Fall Camp, as has Mr. Harvard. Gazing at the calendar, that's just as much time as Hoover has had at his new nest or The Whelp as his new gig. One would expect similar results out of the FNG and Mr. Harvard, after all the gaslighting we have been fed for the last six months. Yet...

You seem to think we’re operating on an equal playing field, but we’re not. There are the haves, and then there are the have‑nots, and TCU is firmly in the latter category. Yes, we had a downgrade at quarterback, but let’s be honest: you cheered for it, you hated on the previous QB, the previous OC, and even the current head coach. We replaced two of the three, and now we’re living with the reality that without spending real money, success becomes a crapshoot.

So what exactly are the advantages you think TCU has over the competition? Because I don’t see them. The gaslighting comes from pretending that, with our level of support, we can compete with the big boys. We’re a tier‑2 program in a tier‑2 conference. I’m not sure how you expect us to land anyone other than the Gordon Sammis and Jaden Craigs of the world.

Would I like to see more? Absolutely. But it’s not going to happen under the current level of support, so I’m left backing the reality we have until people decide to open their pocketbooks.

 

[Wexahu]

First off, show me where I said he would be a good coach at TCU again. It's very rare to catch lightning in a bottle twice. I think he could go to the SEC or B10 with a program that does have money and do very well. He's only got about 6 or 7 years of tread left on those tires, though. He's a Hall of Fame coach for a reason, he did amazing things here that nobody else could have done, and I'm tired of people [ Finebaum ]ting all over him and his legacy.

But to your point, yeah, let's just throw in the towel, disband the program, and focus on women's volleyball and rifle.

I'm hopeful that this NIL / transfer portal / paying players thing will get sorted out. We can hate on Cody Campbell and Nick Saban all we want, but at least they are trying to put some guardrails on this insanity. Unfortunately, they enlisted the help of politicians to solve the problem. It's 50/50 that they might actually make it worse.

Well, I’m tired of people pretending like before SD got here that we were a consistent national contender. Gary did great things here, but he got fired because we were no longer that. I’ve stated the facts. It seems like a lot of people still have it in their heads that we were winning at about a 70% clip in the Big 12.

And in this day and age, it’s pretty much impossible to be a national contender without being willing to outbid major programs for players. I’m still waiting for an answer to my question. And then we apparently have a bunch of former donors who are still butthurt about how the firing went down (like how was Donati supposed to fire him, he gave GP a chance to bow out gracefully and he threw a hissy fit), and who obviously never even wanted SD to succeed.

 

[Wexahu]

And I’ll add, we have one particular “fan” who thinks he’s real smart that sits on his fat ass on a couch somewhere in south Texas and sarcastically refers to our QB as “Mr. Harvard”. Won’t call him by his actual name. What a POS.

 

[BrewingFrog]

You seem to think we’re operating on an equal playing field, but we’re not. There are the haves, and then there are the have‑nots, and TCU is firmly in the latter category. Yes, we had a downgrade at quarterback, but let’s be honest: you cheered for it, you hated on the previous QB, the previous OC, and even the current head coach. We replaced two of the three, and now we’re living with the reality that without spending real money, success becomes a crapshoot.

So what exactly are the advantages you think TCU has over the competition? Because I don’t see them. The gaslighting comes from pretending that, with our level of support, we can compete with the big boys. We’re a tier‑2 program in a tier‑2 conference. I’m not sure how you expect us to land anyone other than the Gordon Sammis and Jaden Craigs of the world.

Would I like to see more? Absolutely. But it’s not going to happen under the current level of support, so I’m left backing the reality we have until people decide to open their pocketbooks.

Funny. I rather liked Hoover and defended him right up until he bolted. Even then I didn't really blame him. I pinned his issues on the incompetent Whelp, who I detested before he ever got Nepoed onto the TCU Payroll, and who could not coach his QB nor design an offensive scheme to work to the strengths of his players. Sonny ramrodded that hire past opposition, and destroyed a great deal of goodwill in the process. His first game after this ghastly hire was the Colorado debacle, where he got his underwear pulled over his head and his face stuffed in a toilet by a sideshow clown. This did not help relations with donors...

As to the rest of your post, I believe that you mistake something vital: money=success. It does not. Talent=success, and you can sometimes buy talent, but it doesn't always pan out (See: Mr. Harvard). The key, as I have stressed over and over, is talent evaluation. This stretches from the lowliest walk-on to the top of the Coaching food-chain. Can they spot talent? Can they develop that talent? Can they scheme around that talent to put it in a position to succeed? Sonny benched a guy who should have won the Heisman, and carried a team on his back to the MNC. I'd say Sonny is gravely deficient in this vital area, and it trickles down to his picks for playser just as much as staff, which seem to be based more on Old Buddies and their kids than a cold analysis of what a particular player is capable of and what his strengths actually are.

Sonny and his Crack Staff spent over $2,000,000 (I've seen as much as $2.8 million. I do not know the actual number, but it has been claimed to be "in excess" of $2 million.) on a QB who can't find his ass with both hands and a search party, and this after both Spring and Summer Camps. For that kind of money, we should have a winged-footed Titan back there taking snaps. But, they blew the wad on a lemon...

Now, tell me honestly, what person who has been successful enough in life to have amassed enough money to be comfortable in their later years to write a check for talent acquisition to a guy who can't evaluate talent? I damned well won't. I was one of the first to jump on the NIL funding bandwagon. Gave thousands to Flying T. It wasn't long before I quit, for the very reasons I have just laid out. Evidently I am not the only one who has reached this conclusion. Imagine the few remaining NIL donors being gaslit by Sonny: "No, this time I've got the guy! He's everything we wanted in a QB and more! Just write me another check, and you won't be disappointed again, I promise!"

 

[Potlicker]

Funny. I rather liked Hoover and defended him right up until he bolted. Even then I didn't really blame him. I pinned his issues on the incompetent Whelp, who I detested before he ever got Nepoed onto the TCU Payroll, and who could not coach his QB nor design an offensive scheme to work to the strengths of his players. Sonny ramrodded that hire past opposition, and destroyed a great deal of goodwill in the process. His first game after this ghastly hire was the Colorado debacle, where he got his underwear pulled over his head and his face stuffed in a toilet by a sideshow clown. This did not help relations with donors...

As to the rest of your post, I believe that you mistake something vital: money=success. It does not. Talent=success, and you can sometimes buy talent, but it doesn't always pan out (See: Mr. Harvard). The key, as I have stressed over and over, is talent evaluation. This stretches from the lowliest walk-on to the top of the Coaching food-chain. Can they spot talent? Can they develop that talent? Can they scheme around that talent to put it in a position to succeed? Sonny benched a guy who should have won the Heisman, and carried a team on his back to the MNC. I'd say Sonny is gravely deficient in this vital area, and it trickles down to his picks for playser just as much as staff, which seem to be based more on Old Buddies and their kids than a cold analysis of what a particular player is capable of and what his strengths actually are.

Sonny and his Crack Staff spent over $2,000,000 (I've seen as much as $2.8 million. I do not know the actual number, but it has been claimed to be "in excess" of $2 million.) on a QB who can't find his ass with both hands and a search party, and this after both Spring and Summer Camps. For that kind of money, we should have a winged-footed Titan back there taking snaps. But, they blew the wad on a lemon...

Now, tell me honestly, what person who has been successful enough in life to have amassed enough money to be comfortable in their later years to write a check for talent acquisition to a guy who can't evaluate talent? I damned well won't. I was one of the first to jump on the NIL funding bandwagon. Gave thousands to Flying T. It wasn't long before I quit, for the very reasons I have just laid out. Evidently I am not the only one who has reached this conclusion. Imagine the few remaining NIL donors being gaslit by Sonny: "No, this time I've got the guy! He's everything we wanted in a QB and more! Just write me another check, and you won't be disappointed again, I promise!"

Brewing, you hit the nail on the head..........thanks.

The following is about Cigs first recruiting class at Indiana:
However, thanks to statements from Cignetti himself and reports evaluating roster values following Indiana's historic national title run, we do know the macro-level spending and the strategic approach used to build that first class:

• The Total Roster Value: Industry insider reports and roster evaluations note that Indiana's initial championship-caliber roster cost between $15 million and $21 million in total NIL spending. This was considered a massive bargain compared to elite programs spending $40 million to $50 million. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• High School vs. Portal Allocation: For his true freshman class (the class of 2026), Cignetti spent under $1 million total (roughly $860,000) on high school recruits. He explicitly noted that high school market rates had become "scary", choosing instead to funnel the vast majority of the budget into proven, older transfer portal veterans who could immediately execute his system.
• 
  
• WE are doing the opposite. I am not saying Sonny's style won't work but I think Cigs is better.
  
  
  [1, 2, 3, 4]

 

[gohornedfrogs]

Well, I’m tired of people pretending like before SD got here that we were a consistent national contender. Gary did great things here, but he got fired because we were no longer that. I’ve stated the facts. It seems like a lot of people still have it in their heads that we were winning at about a 70% clip in the Big 12.

Who cares? Why is it so important to you to attempt to silence people who may have overinflated views of what GP did?

He’s in the Hall of Fame! There’s a freaking statue of him outside the stadium!

You’re not going to change that.

As for GP vs. SD -- when GP was here, we knew he was in charge and had his fingers on every lever of the program. He also consistently showed us he was willing to change, adapt and evolve (at least until the end). I can't speak for you, but I always had faith that he would figure out a way. I think most people believed that. Dykes has not shown us he has these abilities. He seems to be the opposite -- from the outside, it appears that he is completely out of touch with what's going on and whatever changes to the program he makes are reactive rather than proactive. It's not only our fans who see this. It manifests in small ways with the media, who show him very little respect (even before the Star-T fiasco).

Thanksgiving day is going to be brutal. Tech is seeking revenge for the Sorsby comments Pullin and Dykes made. 82-24 may seem merciful before that day is over. If Dykes can't figure out a plan for that day, he may get left on the tarmac in Lubbock.

 

[BrewingFrog]

Brewing, you hit the nail on the head..........thanks.

The following is about Cigs first recruiting class at Indiana:
However, thanks to statements from Cignetti himself and reports evaluating roster values following Indiana's historic national title run, we do know the macro-level spending and the strategic approach used to build that first class:

• The Total Roster Value: Industry insider reports and roster evaluations note that Indiana's initial championship-caliber roster cost between $15 million and $21 million in total NIL spending. This was considered a massive bargain compared to elite programs spending $40 million to $50 million. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• High School vs. Portal Allocation: For his true freshman class (the class of 2026), Cignetti spent under $1 million total (roughly $860,000) on high school recruits. He explicitly noted that high school market rates had become "scary", choosing instead to funnel the vast majority of the budget into proven, older transfer portal veterans who could immediately execute his system.
• 
  
• WE are doing the opposite. I am not saying Sonny's style won't work but I think Cigs is better.
  
  
  [1, 2, 3, 4]

Cignetti is very much like Patterson: Old School taskmaster who demands results and will not tolerate slackers. He has quickly established a strong and effective culture of discipline and achievement that stands out among others. The esprit de corps shown by that team last season was beautiful to see, and the poise and mental toughness they displayed should be an inspiration to all. And, it must be remembered, Cignetti did this in three years, with players no one else wanted, at a school that hadn't known success since dinosaurs walked the Earth.

It can be done.

 

[Chongo94]

First off, show me where I said he would be a good coach at TCU again. It's very rare to catch lightning in a bottle twice. I think he could go to the SEC or B10 with a program that does have money and do very well. He's only got about 6 or 7 years of tread left on those tires, though. He's a Hall of Fame coach for a reason, he did amazing things here that nobody else could have done, and I'm tired of people [ Finebaum ]ting all over him and his legacy.

But to your point, yeah, let's just throw in the towel, disband the program, and focus on women's volleyball and rifle.

I'm hopeful that this NIL / transfer portal / paying players thing will get sorted out. We can hate on Cody Campbell and Nick Saban all we want, but at least they are trying to put some guardrails on this insanity. Unfortunately, they enlisted the help of politicians to solve the problem. It's 50/50 that they might actually make it worse.

Sure wish NIL on fan boards was a thing, cause then maybe some team would pay Wex to leave this board. He’s already an Ohio State fan anyway.

They’d get another scheissbag of a fan and this board would be much better off. Win win all the way around.

 

[Wexahu]

Who cares? Why is it so important to you to attempt to silence people who may have overinflated views of what GP did?

He’s in the Hall of Fame! There’s a freaking statue of him outside the stadium!

You’re not going to change that.

As for GP vs. SD -- when GP was here, we knew he was in charge and had his fingers on every lever of the program. He also consistently showed us he was willing to change, adapt and evolve (at least until the end). I can't speak for you, but I always had faith that he would figure out a way. I think most people believed that. Dykes has not shown us he has these abilities. He seems to be the opposite -- from the outside, it appears that he is completely out of touch with what's going on and whatever changes to the program he makes are reactive rather than proactive. It's not only our fans who see this. It manifests in small ways with the media, who show him very little respect (even before the Star-T fiasco).

Thanksgiving day is going to be brutal. Tech is seeking revenge for the Sorsby comments Pullin and Dykes made. 82-24 may seem merciful before that day is over. If Dykes can't figure out a plan for that day, he may get left on the tarmac in Lubbock.

I kinda get the feeling you’re hoping it’s a massacre on Thanksgiving.

If we get our ass kicked, it certainly won’t be the first time. And it’ll be against a team that certainly paid its way to the top.

 

[allclearforfrogs]

Amon G. Carter Stadium Re-Dedication Ceremony. 13 years ago today... (Edit: 14 years ago today. Maff is hard...)

View attachment 19370

The glory days.

 

[An-Cap Frog]

Funny. I rather liked Hoover and defended him right up until he bolted. Even then I didn't really blame him. I pinned his issues on the incompetent Whelp, who I detested before he ever got Nepoed onto the TCU Payroll, and who could not coach his QB nor design an offensive scheme to work to the strengths of his players. Sonny ramrodded that hire past opposition, and destroyed a great deal of goodwill in the process. His first game after this ghastly hire was the Colorado debacle, where he got his underwear pulled over his head and his face stuffed in a toilet by a sideshow clown. This did not help relations with donors...

As to the rest of your post, I believe that you mistake something vital: money=success. It does not. Talent=success, and you can sometimes buy talent, but it doesn't always pan out (See: Mr. Harvard). The key, as I have stressed over and over, is talent evaluation. This stretches from the lowliest walk-on to the top of the Coaching food-chain. Can they spot talent? Can they develop that talent? Can they scheme around that talent to put it in a position to succeed? Sonny benched a guy who should have won the Heisman, and carried a team on his back to the MNC. I'd say Sonny is gravely deficient in this vital area, and it trickles down to his picks for playser just as much as staff, which seem to be based more on Old Buddies and their kids than a cold analysis of what a particular player is capable of and what his strengths actually are.

Sonny and his Crack Staff spent over $2,000,000 (I've seen as much as $2.8 million. I do not know the actual number, but it has been claimed to be "in excess" of $2 million.) on a QB who can't find his ass with both hands and a search party, and this after both Spring and Summer Camps. For that kind of money, we should have a winged-footed Titan back there taking snaps. But, they blew the wad on a lemon...

Now, tell me honestly, what person who has been successful enough in life to have amassed enough money to be comfortable in their later years to write a check for talent acquisition to a guy who can't evaluate talent? I damned well won't. I was one of the first to jump on the NIL funding bandwagon. Gave thousands to Flying T. It wasn't long before I quit, for the very reasons I have just laid out. Evidently I am not the only one who has reached this conclusion. Imagine the few remaining NIL donors being gaslit by Sonny: "No, this time I've got the guy! He's everything we wanted in a QB and more! Just write me another check, and you won't be disappointed again, I promise!"

Honestly, the biggest piece you’re leaving out is that TCU simply didn’t have the money this offseason to go get anyone better than Craig.

The market for transfer QBs has gone insane. The top‑end guys were pulling $4–6.5M, and even the mid‑tier starters were landing $2–3M. TCU wasn’t operating anywhere near that level. The program’s total NIL market value is around $36M, but that’s modeled value, not spendable cash, and the actual donor‑driven pool for football ($23M) was nowhere close to what schools like Miami, LSU, Indiana, or Oregon were throwing around. Indiana spent $51M with $33M for football. Craig is the lowest QB in the top 100 players in NIL value. That puts him 34th in QB rankings.

So when you say “they blew $2M on a lemon,” the reality is that $2M was the ceiling. That’s what TCU had, not what TCU chose. The staff didn’t pass on a $5M superstar. They were never in the room for those guys.

And that’s the core issue: TCU wasn’t choosing Craig over better QBs. TCU was choosing Craig over nobody. It was either Craig or youth.

You can criticize Sonny’s evaluation, that’s fair, and a lot of people agree with you, but the idea that TCU could have landed a winged‑footed Titan for the same money just doesn’t match the current NIL landscape. The donor base shrank, Flying T slowed down, and the program didn’t have the financial horsepower to compete for the top of the portal.

That’s why Hoover left. That’s why the staff ended up with Craig. And that’s why the whole thing feels like a step backward.

It wasn’t just evaluation. It was budget.

 

[Wexahu]

Honestly, the biggest piece you’re leaving out is that TCU simply didn’t have the money this offseason to go get anyone better than Craig.

The market for transfer QBs has gone insane. The top‑end guys were pulling $4–6.5M, and even the mid‑tier starters were landing $2–3M. TCU wasn’t operating anywhere near that level. The program’s total NIL market value is around $36M, but that’s modeled value, not spendable cash, and the actual donor‑driven pool for football ($23M) was nowhere close to what schools like Miami, LSU, Indiana, or Oregon were throwing around. Indiana spent $51M with $33M for football. Craig is the lowest QB in the top 100 players in NIL value. That puts him 34th in QB rankings.

So when you say “they blew $2M on a lemon,” the reality is that $2M was the ceiling. That’s what TCU had, not what TCU chose. The staff didn’t pass on a $5M superstar. They were never in the room for those guys.

And that’s the core issue: TCU wasn’t choosing Craig over better QBs. TCU was choosing Craig over nobody. It was either Craig or youth.

You can criticize Sonny’s evaluation, that’s fair, and a lot of people agree with you, but the idea that TCU could have landed a winged‑footed Titan for the same money just doesn’t match the current NIL landscape. The donor base shrank, Flying T slowed down, and the program didn’t have the financial horsepower to compete for the top of the portal.

That’s why Hoover left. That’s why the staff ended up with Craig. And that’s why the whole thing feels like a step backward.

It wasn’t just evaluation. It was budget.

Stop it An Cap. Sonny just sucks. Look at all the other coaches out there with limited funds turning their programs into national contenders.

 

[An-Cap Frog]

Stop it An Cap. Sonny just sucks. Look at all the other coaches out there with limited funds turning their programs into national contenders.

I stand corrected. Fire that son-of-a-[ hundin].

I seem to remember the short list of coaching candidates back in 2021:

Deion Sanders (16-21 record at Colorado)
Billy Napier (23-23 at Florida and now James Madison)
Jay Norvell (18-26 at Colorado State)
Jeff Traylor (35-19 at UTSA)
Kellen Moore
Justin Fuente

 

[Sangria Wine]

I stand corrected. Fire that son-of-a-[ hundin].

I seem to remember the short list of coaching candidates back in 2021:

Deion Sanders (16-21 record at Colorado)
Billy Napier (23-23 at Florida and now James Madison)
Jay Norvell (18-26 at Colorado State)
Jeff Traylor (35-19 at UTSA)
Kellen Moore
Justin Fuente

Exactly… This is precisely why I was screaming about what a mistake. It was to part ways with Gary Patterson.

And if the thread above pointing out that TCU only had $2 million to spend on a quarterback is accurate then obviously they should have gone the route of recruiting a superstar level high school player and guaranteeing them the starting job if that’s what they needed to do. There is more than one way to skin a cat. The head coach coaches job is to figure out how to win games with the resources and players that he has. Bob Stoops is famous for saying that he always believed he could take his players and beat your players or he could take your players and beat his players. Great coaches are great coaches.

 

[An-Cap Frog]

If it helps, allegedly, SD's QB for the 2027 class is Trevone Boykin 2.0.

 

[Chieves]

Stop it An Cap. Sonny just sucks. Look at all the other coaches out there with limited funds turning their programs into national contenders.

Such as?

 

[Wexahu]

Exactly… This is precisely why I was screaming about what a mistake. It was to part ways with Gary Patterson.

And if the thread above pointing out that TCU only had $2 million to spend on a quarterback is accurate then obviously they should have gone the route of recruiting a superstar level high school player and guaranteeing them the starting job if that’s what they needed to do. There is more than one way to skin a cat. The head coach coaches job is to figure out how to win games with the resources and players that he has. Bob Stoops is famous for saying that he always believed he could take his players and beat your players or he could take your players and beat his players. Great coaches are great coaches.

Gary did himself in, it was time. His staff was almost an embarrassment, full of nothing but yes men. His team quit on him.

Regardless of your opinion of SD, I don’t know how anyone could’ve thought Gary at TCU hadn’t run its course. Zero chance ‘22 happens with him still here.