Eight
Member
pick a word to describe the frogs' football season last year, unforeseen, unexpected, unprecedented, unbelievable, unimaginable, unforgettable. heck, that is just a few of the words beginning with the letter "u"
starting with the second half against colorado, the return of max against smu, quite possibly the best half of offensive football played by a frog team against ou, the string of comebacks, the texas game, bazooka, the fiesta bowl, and yes, the title game i am fairly sure no one saw the frogs winning 13-games, playing 15, max making the award circuit how do you pick the right one word, pick one memory from the season?
tomorrow starts frog spring football 2023 and while a repeat for 2022 would be even more unimaginable than the 2022 itself, it isn't unbelievable to think that starting on monday this program reinforces the idea that the work is being done to move this program from one that competes from conference every few seasons to one that each year is on the short list as a conference favorite.
the opportunity to make this move is there with texas and ou headed to the sec, talent on this roster, and success had last season to build upon. yes, there will be big challenges for this team, texas and ou want to piss on the teams they are leaving behind, and a few other programs want to make the same claim the frogs are hoping to establish this year. what lessons were learned from last year, what changes have been made, and who is ready to take the next step in their career(s) started in january and takes root come monday.
two big lessons were learned last year. first, you can not have enough true depth. not simply names on a roster or a table posted on a website, but players who can truly compete in practice, who can play 20-30 quality snaps in a game, or step in when someone goes down. the frogs saw it last year and when you play12,13-14 games fatigue sets in, injuries pile up, and you must have depth.
second, the frogs were a more physical team last year, but they saw in the title game they have to become even more physical. not just in the lines, but in all areas. michigan showed it and georgia emphatically reinforced it that the frogs receivers must get more physical getting off the line, the frogs secondary must get physical, some will say that there is no way tcu could get as physical as that georgia team and i agree that georgia was the 1%. i would also point to the 2 games against kstate, the texas game, the baylor game, heck, the trend across the big 12 is teams getting more physical and that isn't going to change.
there are some things i hope to see happen this spring. we don't need to full blown answers, but would hope to see some signs. offensively:
quarterback - morris staying healthy and hoover showing he is capable of making the reads and the throws. still need to get another qb, but would love to see josh show some true potential
running back - bailey clean up his issues with ball security and pass protection, wren consistent signs of life, and sanders flash the 5-star potential before the wreck
receiver - don't expect savion to become quentin but he does need to get more physical, better in his short to immediate routes, the transfer receivers to adjust and show the potential for creating big plays, and someone else flash as the second big body receiver
offensive line - coker and colemen to stay health and take the next step in being pro prospects. both struggled against elite pass rushers and if they want to play on sundays there is enough film to show them they need to get better. more importantly who fills the spots left by steve and ali. can ezra can the center spot? do we finally see garrett hayes step forward? who else emerges as contributors in the offensive line rotation
defensively the frogs made a huge change last year and at times they struggled simply because they didn't really have the players at key positions. somehow though, the defense made key plays and this team won 13-games. with the changes on offense will the defense be ready to carry the weight a bit at the start of the year?
there are a number of players returning on defense, but the staff is still overhauling the talent on the defense so i wouldn't be surprised to see some changes and some surprises on defense this spring
defensive line - dam williams came in an unheralded recruit and made a significant impact on the center of the frogs' defense. who starts with him now that horton and cooper are gone? caleb fox was a late transfer who was an afterthought for me and he made big contributions in the second half of the season. does he continue to improve and take cooper's sport? ecu transfer d'abreu projects to be the guy who replaces horton, but what about two red-shirt freshmen? does ty mitchell get a shot to replace cooper or does he stay the primary back up for dam? we know that tcu will rotate 6-9 guys in their defensive line so how some of these red-shirt and true freshmen progress will be important
linebacker - the frogs return a great deal of experience in hodge and hodges plus the potential of marcel brooks. mix in banks and this is a very solid group, but who is ready to consistently make big plays to replace winters? who steps up in the second group?
cornerback - who replaces the nephew and lines up opposite of newton? the frogs return contributor ish burdine, added two very promising juco's, a top notch transfer, and return noah daniels so there will be bodies to compete not only for starting minutes but those important next two spots. what is really interesting is how the competition for minutes at corner in the spring impacts the development of the receiver's.
safety - frogs return a number of players who have started or been a contributor (perry, bradford, camara, obiazor, and clark), a trio of experienced players, and a number of young players who have great potential . who comes out of spring as a projected starter? who pushes into that critical rotation? as with cornerback, the competition at this position in the spring is also going to have an impact on the development at receiver.
thoughts on the spring?
starting with the second half against colorado, the return of max against smu, quite possibly the best half of offensive football played by a frog team against ou, the string of comebacks, the texas game, bazooka, the fiesta bowl, and yes, the title game i am fairly sure no one saw the frogs winning 13-games, playing 15, max making the award circuit how do you pick the right one word, pick one memory from the season?
tomorrow starts frog spring football 2023 and while a repeat for 2022 would be even more unimaginable than the 2022 itself, it isn't unbelievable to think that starting on monday this program reinforces the idea that the work is being done to move this program from one that competes from conference every few seasons to one that each year is on the short list as a conference favorite.
the opportunity to make this move is there with texas and ou headed to the sec, talent on this roster, and success had last season to build upon. yes, there will be big challenges for this team, texas and ou want to piss on the teams they are leaving behind, and a few other programs want to make the same claim the frogs are hoping to establish this year. what lessons were learned from last year, what changes have been made, and who is ready to take the next step in their career(s) started in january and takes root come monday.
two big lessons were learned last year. first, you can not have enough true depth. not simply names on a roster or a table posted on a website, but players who can truly compete in practice, who can play 20-30 quality snaps in a game, or step in when someone goes down. the frogs saw it last year and when you play12,13-14 games fatigue sets in, injuries pile up, and you must have depth.
second, the frogs were a more physical team last year, but they saw in the title game they have to become even more physical. not just in the lines, but in all areas. michigan showed it and georgia emphatically reinforced it that the frogs receivers must get more physical getting off the line, the frogs secondary must get physical, some will say that there is no way tcu could get as physical as that georgia team and i agree that georgia was the 1%. i would also point to the 2 games against kstate, the texas game, the baylor game, heck, the trend across the big 12 is teams getting more physical and that isn't going to change.
there are some things i hope to see happen this spring. we don't need to full blown answers, but would hope to see some signs. offensively:
quarterback - morris staying healthy and hoover showing he is capable of making the reads and the throws. still need to get another qb, but would love to see josh show some true potential
running back - bailey clean up his issues with ball security and pass protection, wren consistent signs of life, and sanders flash the 5-star potential before the wreck
receiver - don't expect savion to become quentin but he does need to get more physical, better in his short to immediate routes, the transfer receivers to adjust and show the potential for creating big plays, and someone else flash as the second big body receiver
offensive line - coker and colemen to stay health and take the next step in being pro prospects. both struggled against elite pass rushers and if they want to play on sundays there is enough film to show them they need to get better. more importantly who fills the spots left by steve and ali. can ezra can the center spot? do we finally see garrett hayes step forward? who else emerges as contributors in the offensive line rotation
defensively the frogs made a huge change last year and at times they struggled simply because they didn't really have the players at key positions. somehow though, the defense made key plays and this team won 13-games. with the changes on offense will the defense be ready to carry the weight a bit at the start of the year?
there are a number of players returning on defense, but the staff is still overhauling the talent on the defense so i wouldn't be surprised to see some changes and some surprises on defense this spring
defensive line - dam williams came in an unheralded recruit and made a significant impact on the center of the frogs' defense. who starts with him now that horton and cooper are gone? caleb fox was a late transfer who was an afterthought for me and he made big contributions in the second half of the season. does he continue to improve and take cooper's sport? ecu transfer d'abreu projects to be the guy who replaces horton, but what about two red-shirt freshmen? does ty mitchell get a shot to replace cooper or does he stay the primary back up for dam? we know that tcu will rotate 6-9 guys in their defensive line so how some of these red-shirt and true freshmen progress will be important
linebacker - the frogs return a great deal of experience in hodge and hodges plus the potential of marcel brooks. mix in banks and this is a very solid group, but who is ready to consistently make big plays to replace winters? who steps up in the second group?
cornerback - who replaces the nephew and lines up opposite of newton? the frogs return contributor ish burdine, added two very promising juco's, a top notch transfer, and return noah daniels so there will be bodies to compete not only for starting minutes but those important next two spots. what is really interesting is how the competition for minutes at corner in the spring impacts the development of the receiver's.
safety - frogs return a number of players who have started or been a contributor (perry, bradford, camara, obiazor, and clark), a trio of experienced players, and a number of young players who have great potential . who comes out of spring as a projected starter? who pushes into that critical rotation? as with cornerback, the competition at this position in the spring is also going to have an impact on the development at receiver.
thoughts on the spring?