Patterson to Sign Extension at TCU
Fivestar’s favorite candidate looks unlikely to coach at ND:
TCU and coach Gary Patterson have agreed to terms on a long-term contract extension, according to two sources close to the situation. An official announcement is expected Wednesday morning.
The sources both said part of the agreement includes pay increases for his assistant coaches.
Patterson, in his 12th season at TCU and ninth as head coach, has an 85-27 record in his tenure. That includes TCU’s 12-0 record this season, the school’s first undefeated campaign since 1938.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:31 am
Damn, that sucks. Went to the TCU-NM game on Saturday (70 and sunny, thanks for asking). Agree, New Mexico is dogshit, but this TCU team reminds me of our teams under Holtz (particularly in the 2nd half of this game). Extremely disciplined, NO missed tackles, NO mental penalties, EVERYONE giving 110% on every play. Dominant defense, versatile offense and walk-on special team players that play like every snap will be their last… Leading 30-10 at halftime, Patterson was apparently livid and ripped his players and coaches a new one for looking ahead to the bowl game. He also MADE ADJUSTMENTS (note to self, many ND football fans may not know what this term means). The result was an absolutely dominating 2nd half.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, fans chanted “B-C-S! B-C-S!” They then stormed the field to celebrate, creating a sea of purple. Man, I miss those days (and, no, I didn’t storm the field and, yes, I did have an ND hat on).
This is not a discussion of how TCU would match up vs. Florida or Texas. I think they would give both a run for their money, countering inferior talent with more heart (think Navy or UCONN vs. ND this year). What I like about Patterson is:
a) He runs an extremely disciplined ship. As mentioned, his players don’t make mental mistakes on the field (and when they do, they sit).
b) His players don’t get tired and are tough. Off-season voluntary and mandatory workouts are notoriously extreme (I’d like to say 5-star tough certified). While AF players were grabbing their knees and puking in the 4th quarter this year in Colorado Springs in miserable conditions, the TCU defensive ran all over the field and dominated the 2nd half. Toughness, sacrifice and resilience. Reminds me of Brooks, DuBose, Zorich and BY.
c) Recruiting. Patterson gets mostly local recruits only once UT, OK, TA&M and TTech get done fishing (he likes to joke he has never stayed in a hotel on a recruiting trip). Think what he could do on a national stage. He also recognizes talent and character. All world D-end Jerry Hughes was a stud HS running back from Austin his Senior year, rushing for 1.400 yds and 19 TDs. Patterson told him to gain some weight. The rest is history.
d) Conduct. I haven’t read anything bad about player conduct in the year I have come down here, so I Googled “TCU Football Player arrested”. Only thing that popped up was in 2002. Not very scientific, but I live a block from the TCU campus and have never heard of negative conduct with any student athletes, let alone Football Players.
e) Academic standards. Tough for me to comment on this one. Average SAT score for ND freshman: 1379. TCU: 1172. ND graduates 98% of FB players, TCU 80%. Both are Christian schools. TCU grads who I talk to say it’s a good school, but so do Michigan alum… That’s all I’ve got. I have no idea how that translates to athletes. If anyone has a way to check on the standards for FB players, that would be useful – we sure talk a lot about it.
f) Weather: Advantage TCU. Except during Fall Camp when its 105 at 3:00 PM
g) Female persuasion. Advantage TCU, any month of the year.
Apparently Patterson is going to re-up here at TCU and is getting a raise not only for himself, but his assistants. Good for him. I think this community and school really enjoy what he has done with the Frogs since becoming head coach. As a side note, he lives three doors down and seems to be a good dude the few times we have spoken. Of course, we have never discussed football. When he asked where I went to school and I said Notre Dame, his reply was “Great school” not “Great program”, which I prefer to hear anyway. Anyway, glad he is sticking around as a neighbor.
Point is: I don’t necessarily want Gary Patterson, but I think we need a coach that can build a program based on the above criteria.
December 1st, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Thanks, 5*. Good stuff as always.
We’ll continue to play 10 teams a year with worse talent than us and 2 teams with equal to more. Just give me a coach that develops and cultivates that talent. Then we’ll win a minimum of 10 games a year regularly and every once in a while, the pieces will fall into place for a national title run. Is that too much to ask for?