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Mavs Championship Ring Facts

2012-01-26T13:51:00.001-06:00

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Two Former Frogs Headed to Super Bowl

2012-01-24T10:34:00.000-06:00

From TCU Media Relations: TCU will be represented in Super Bowl XLVI by New England Patriot rookies Marcus Cannon and Malcolm Williams.

Cannon and Williams, who both saw action in the Patriots' AFC championship game victory over the Baltimore Ravens, give the Horned Frogs 23 former players who have been on Super Bowl teams.

This will be the fourth straight season that TCU has been represented in the Super Bowl.

Former Horned Frog Jared Retkofsky was the Pittsburgh Steelers' deep snapper in their Super Bowl XLIII win over the Arizona Cardinals. Former TCU baseball player Greg Meyer was the side judge in Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Last year, Marshall Newhouse was a rookie offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers in their victory over Pittsburgh.

Cannon, a three-year starter and all-conference selection at offensive tackle for the Horned Frogs, was selected by his Patriots' teammates as the recipient of the team's 2011 Ed Block Courage Award. After beginning the season on the reserve/non-football injury list, he played in New England's final seven games of the regular season and the opening two playoff contests.

Williams, a defensive back, has seen action on special teams in four games, including both playoff wins.

Former TCU Football Players on Super Bowl Teams

Lyle Blackwood - Miami (Super Bowl XVII, XIX)

Larry Brown - Dallas (Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)

Norm Bulaich - Baltimore (Super Bowl V)

Marcus Cannon - New England (Super Bowl XLVI)

Tommy Joe Crutcher - Green Bay (Super Bowl I, II)

Kenneth Davis - Buffalo (Super Bowl XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII)

Norm Evans - Miami (Super Bowl VI, VII, VIII)

Sherrill Headrick - Kansas City (Super Bowl I)

Gaylon Hyder - St. Louis (Super Bowl XXXIV)

Cedric James - New England (Super Bowl XXXIX)

Bob Lilly - Dallas (Super Bowl V, VI)

James Maness - Chicago (Super Bowl XX)

Mickey McCarty - Kansas City (Super Bowl IV)

Guy Morriss - Philadelphia (Super Bowl XV), New England (Super Bowl XX)

Marshall Newhouse - Green Bay (Super Bowl XLV)

Bobby Pollard - Seattle (Super Bowl XL)

Jared Retkofsky - Pittsburgh (Super Bowl XLIII)

Barret Robbins - Oakland (Super Bowl XXXVII)

Bo Schobel - Indianapolis (Super Bowl XLI)

Michael Toudouze - Indianapolis (Super Bowl XLI, XLIV)

Greg Townsend - Los Angeles Raiders (Super Bowl XVIII)

Ryan Tucker - St. Louis (Super Bowl XXXIV)

Malcolm Williams - New England (Super Bowl XLVI)

Gary Patterson to Oregon Rumors Already Heating Up

2012-01-22T21:29:00.005-06:00

There are reports that Oregon’s Chip Kelly is on his way to Florida to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers new head coach. As TCU fans are accustomed to, Gary Patterson is already being mentioned as a possible target to replace Kelly.

Adam Jude, a sports reporter at The Register-Guard who covers Oregon football tweeted that Oregon would immediately target Boise State’s Chris Petersen. He followed that up with “we're also hearing Ducks will target TCU's Gary Patterson.”

I could see Chris Petersen being a fit for Oregon. Gary Patterson? Not so much. I don’t see him taking a job that far from the fertile Texas recruiting grounds. Maybe my purple tinted shades are blinding me, but I don’t think Patterson would be interested in that position, especially with NCAA infractions still being a possibility. TCU has a great recruiting class coming in, a new stadium, and their first season in the Big 12 on the horizon. Patterson still has work to finish in Ft. Worth.

I'm really not worried one bit. No TCU fan should lose any sleep over this. I am curious to see who Oregon will hire though and how their program will be without Chip Kelly.

**Update** Apparently Chip Kelly is NOT leaving Oregon...

Tank Carder Draft Diary

2012-01-20T10:14:00.001-06:00

I posted a couple of comments on Wednesday from WalterFootball.com talking about Tank Carder’s performance in practice for the East-West Shrine game. WalterFootball.com is also doing a “Draft Diary” with Tank where he shares his experience with the fans. Check it out HERE.

Tank Carder Impressive in East-West Shrine Game Practice

2012-01-18T10:42:00.002-06:00

The East-West Shrine game is a showcase for the next generation of NFL greats and TCU’s Tank Carder is attendance and turning heads. Practice for the game is underway and Tank has been impressive according to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com.

WalterFootball.com:

TCU linebacker Tank Carder played well and did a quality job of staying with backs out of the backfield. It was impressive to see Carder closely cover quick, smaller running back Bobby Rainey from Western Kentucky. Later on in the nine-on-nine run scrimmage, Carder blasted a fullback in the backfield to blow up a run. Carder also flowed down the line to make a good stop of Tyler about three yards downfield. Carder had a few mistakes in practice, but overall, he looked improved.

Also…

A defensive prospect who stood out was TCU linebacker Tank Carder. In the nine-on-nine scrimmage, he started strong by popping the back for a good tackle near the line of scrimmage. A play later, Carder fired through the line to bust a run at the line for a slight tackle for a loss. He did a quality job of taking on blocks and shedding offensive linemen. Carder came close to an interception on the team scrimmage, but the ball flew just past his hands. A tough linebacker, the 6-foot- 2, 236-pounder plays bigger than his listed measurements. Carder could surprise some observers on Draft Day and in the NFL.

I know a lot of people have been bringing up Tank’s size, but I agree with what Charlie Campbell said. Tank will surprise a lot of people once you get him on the field. I have no doubt he will succeed in the NFL.

Frogs in the League: Playoff Update

2012-01-16T13:59:00.001-06:00

The number of Frogs still playing in the NFL playoffs is quickly diminishing. After the Packers were knocked off Sunday afternoon, the Frogs are now down to three.

Safety Colin Jones had two tackles and a fumble recovery for the 49ers in their dramatic win over the Saints. Jones has now totaled eight tackles in special teams duty this season. ESPNDallas.com says the Cowboys missed on Colin Jones. San Francisco faces the Giants on Sunday.

The New England Patriots have offensive tackle Marcus Cannon and defensive back Malcolm Williams. Cannon was selected by his Patriots' teammates as the recipient of the team's 2011 Ed Block Courage Award. After beginning the season on the reserve/non-football injury list, he played in New England's final seven games of the regular season.

Williams has seen action in two contests.

Fourteen former Horned Frog players were active in the NFL this season.

Chad Glasgow Back Where He Belongs

2012-01-13T09:34:00.000-06:00

From TCU Media Relations: TCU head football coach Gary Patterson has announced the return of Chad Glasgow as safeties coach with Trey Haverty and Rusty Burns having new assignments on staff.

Haverty will move from safeties to wide receivers coach, while Burns becomes co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Glasgow was TCU's safeties coach for 10 seasons (2001-10) before serving this past year as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech.

The Horned Frogs led the nation in total defense each of Glasgow's last three seasons at TCU and four times overall during his first stint in Fort Worth.

In addition to total defense, TCU also topped the nation in 2010 in scoring defense (12.0 points), pass defense (128.8 yards), pass defense efficiency (94.9 rating), opponent third-down conversion percentage (24.1), fewest first downs allowed per game (12.0) and defensive three-and-outs per game (6.0). The Horned Frogs were fifth in run defense (99.7 yards).

Glasgow, a 2010 National Defensive Backs Coach of the Year by FootballScoop.com, has coached 14 all-conference selections at safety at TCU, including 2010 consensus first-team All-American and Jim Thorpe Award finalist Tejay Johnson. Seven safeties coached by Glasgow at TCU signed NFL contracts.

Haverty returned to TCU last season after previously serving as a graduate assistant with the Horned Frogs.

Haverty was an All-America wide receiver at Texas Tech. As a senior in 2004, he led the Big 12 in receptions (77) while placing second in receiving yards (1,019).

Haverty had 110 receptions for 1,326 yards and seven touchdowns in his Texas Tech career (2001-04). In his final collegiate game, he had eight catches for 147 yards in a 45-31 Holiday Bowl victory over California.

Burns, who has been TCU's wide receivers coach the last three seasons, will share the offensive coordinator duties with Jarrett Anderson.

Burns and Anderson were the co-coordinators in TCU's 31-24 Poinsettia Bowl victory over Louisiana Tech.

TCU marks the seventh school that Burns will have served as an offensive coordinator. He also held that role at Springfield (1978-79), Connecticut (1980-88), Memphis (1996-98), Wyoming (1999-01), Cincinnati (2002-03) and SMU (2004-07).

TCU Announces Season Ticket Prices for New Stadium

2012-01-10T21:21:00.004-06:00

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TCU announced season ticket prices for their new stadium Tuesday night as they prepare to head into the Big 12. I expected a huge increase in price, but really it’s very affordable and I commend TCU for not pricing the regular fan out of the stadium. There are a lot of affordable seats and the stadium should be great. TCU football is by far the best value of all Big 12 teams.

To get more information and to see the power point presentation from Tuesday night, check out GoFrogs.com.

TCU Football Posts Fourth Straight Top-15 Ranking

2012-01-10T11:49:00.002-06:00

Well, the college football season has come to an end and the final polls have been released. The Frogs finished ranked 13th by the USA Today and 14th by the Associated Press. TCU is one of just four schools (Alabama, Boise State and Oregon) to finish in the top 15 of both major polls over the last four seasons. That is impressive.

I think most TCU fans expected a rebuilding year this season, and that is what we saw early on. This team played better down the stretch though and for them to finish in the top 15 of both polls is really something to be proud of. Gary Patterson did a good job of growing this young team up and they will head into the Big 12 with an eight game winning streak, the second longest in the nation.

The Horned Frogs will return 13 starters (seven defensive, six offensive) when they begin Big 12 play this fall and it should be very interesting. New stadium, new conference, but the Frogs will continue to do what they do best. WIN.

Tank Carder Invited to NFL Combine

2012-01-08T19:50:00.002-06:00

From TCU Media Relations: TCU linebacker Tank Carder has been invited to the 2012 National Football League Combine Feb. 22-28 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The last four starting linebackers to leave TCU all made NFL rosters (David Hawthorne, Robert Henson, Jason Phillips, Daryl Washington). Hawthorne and Washington led the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, respectively, in tackles this season. Phillips is still active as well, playing for the Carolina Panthers in 2011.

A two-time All-America selection, Carder was also the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons. He was the 2011 Rose Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player after TCU's 21-19 victory over Wisconsin. He broke up the Badgers' potential game-tying 2-point pass with exactly two minutes to play while recording six tackles in the contest, including three for loss with a sack.

Carder tied for second on TCU with 70 tackles, including 4 1/2 for loss, this season. He returned both his picks for touchdowns and is TCU's career leader with three interception returns for touchdowns.

Carder’s 228 career stops were the most by a Horned Frog since Phillips (315) and Henson (272) concluded their TCU careers in 2008.

TCU went 47-5 in Carder's four seasons while leading the nation in total defense three times.

As the Horned Frogs' head coach, Gary Patterson has had 29 players drafted with a total of 60 in NFL camps.

Jimmy Young to the Steelers

2012-01-04T02:57:00.000-06:00

I knew there would be a lot of TCU players on NFL rosters this season, but one that didn’t catch on was Jimmy Young. It didn’t surprise me that he didn’t get drafted, but I was surprised he didn’t end up on anyone’s roster after being cut by Chicago. It looks like he will finally get his chance…next season.

According to Young’s twitter account and a report on SteelersDepot.com, Jimmy Young will be a Steeler when training camp for the 2012-2013 NFL season gets underway. This is great news and hopefully with a full offseason and training camp, Jimmy can become a productive part of Pittsburgh’s team.

2012 Rose Bowl Ratings Down

2012-01-03T20:47:00.001-06:00

You have heard it before, “nobody watches/cares about TCU.” It typically comes from a fan of one of the traditional powers in college football. If that is the case, then how do you explain these Rose Bowl TV ratings?

SBNation.com:

Even though the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers put on an offensive show in Oregon's 45-38 win in the Rose Bowl, ESPN's numbers compared to last season's TCU-Wisconsin game were down. The Rose Bowl overnight rating was 9.9, which was down 15% from last season's game.

Down 15% huh? You mean Oregon with its flashy uniforms couldnt pull in more viewers than TCU? I know the game was on the 2^nd this year instead of the 1^st, but is that an excuse for a 15% drop off?

Frogs in the League: Regular Season Wrap Up

2012-01-02T15:54:00.002-06:00

The NFL regular season has come to an end and it was a pretty good year for former Frogs in the NFL. Some are in the playoffs, others aren’t, so let’s recap.

- Andy Dalton led the Bengals to a 9-7 record and a berth in the playoffs. Dalton threw for 3,398 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. It was a solid rookie season for the Red Rifle and he was one of the main reasons Cincinnati had success this season.

- Marcus Cannon started the season on the sidelines due to a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis but started earning more and more time as the season went on. Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston says Cannon could be one of the big steals of the 2011 NFL draft.

- Drew Coleman played in all 16 games for the Jaguars and racked up 46 tackles and 2 sacks.

- It was a tough season for Aaron Brown. Brown started the season on the Lions roster in preseason before being released, then picked back up, then released once again just five days ago. The former TCU RB appeared in one game, carried one time and caught one pass for nine yards.

- David Hawthorne played in 15 games for the Seahawks and had 115 tackles, only 2 shy of the career best 117 he had back in 2009. Hawthorne also added 2 sacks and 3 interceptions.

- It was another disappointing season for Jerry Hughes. The former all-American hasn’t had a good start to his NFL career. Hughes only played in 12 games this season and had 15 tackles, which is up from 6 last year. There is a good chance this is Hughes’ last season in Indianapolis.

- It was a weird season for Colin Jones. He started out the season playing some special teams for the 49ers, but was released then picked back up. Then, to make things even weirder, Jones played some WR for San Francisco last week because of a lack of receivers. Jones finished the season with 5 tackles.

- Jeremy Kerley’s season started a little slow for the Jets, but it really picked up near the end of the year. Kerley finished the season with 314 yards on 29 receptions with 1 touchdown. Kerley also had 28 rushing yards, 317 returning yards, and 41 yards passing.

- Marshall Newhouse really came on in his second season with the Packers. Newhouse started 10 games for the Packers this season while Chad Clifton was out. Hopefully he will continue to see time in 2012.

- Jason Phillips appeared in four games for the Panthers this season and had 4 tackles. It was an up and down season for Phillips as he battled injuries for most the year. He finished the season on injured reserve.

- The legend LaDainian Tomlinson moved into 5th place on the all-time rushing list Sunday as he went for 56 yards against the Dolphins. Tomlinson finished the season with 280 yards rushing, 449 receiving and 3 total touchdowns. It is still up in the air whether L.T. will come back for another season. If not, you can count on seeing him in Canton, Ohio in a few years.

- Daryl Washington tallied a career high 106 tackles for the Cardinals. D.W. also added 6 sacks and 3 interceptions. This was only Washington’s second season in the NFL and he showed huge improvements from his rookie year. He will only continue to get better.

- Malcolm Williams spent most the season on the Patriots practice squad, but did play in two games for New England this season.

Now it’s time to root on those Frogs that are still playing and get ready to add a few more names to this list in 2012. I am looking forward to seeing Tank Carder and some of the other seniors in the NFL next year.

TCU/Texas on Turkey Day? Yes Please.

2011-12-29T08:44:00.002-06:00

We have been hearing the rumors of TCU versus Texas on Thanksgiving Day for a couple of months now, but that rumor could be turning into a reality.

DallasNews.com:

The Big 12 schedule hasn't been finalized yet but everything points to Texas hosting TCU in 2012 as a Thanksgiving replacement for Texas A&M.

"That is the one that I've heard," Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said, cautioning that next year's schedule was still tentative. "It looks like we're going to have a Thanksgiving day or night game in Austin."

Dodds said Texas has reviewed two schedules and returned them with comments to the Big 12 as part of the process. TCU, expected to contend for the Big 12 title next season, might make the best TV matchup.

Count me in as one who hopes this happens, at least for one season. It will be great exposure for TCU and a good time for the Frog fans. Personally, I think just as many college football fans will tune in to watch Texas/TCU as they did for Texas/A&M. Especially if both teams are playing well.

I also think this could turn into a very nice rivalry game as long as Texas and TCU continue to play at a high level. This is a win/win for the Frogs no matter how you slice it.

CFN.com Ranks 2011 Rose Bowl #6

2011-12-27T09:40:00.001-06:00

TCU’s 2011 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin was a classic. It was a close, competitive game, and more importantly the Frogs won. CollegeFootballNews.com recently put out their all-time top 10 list of BCS bowls, and TCU vs. Wisconsin comes in at number six.

CollegeFootballNews.com:

6. 2011 Rose Bowl
TCU 21 … Wisconsin 19
What Happened: TCU held on to win a thrilling Rose Bowl as LB Tank Carder tipped a two-point conversion attempt that almost certainly would’ve been completed to a wide open receiver. With only two minutes to play and with just one time out left, UW tried the onside kick, but the Horned Frogs recovered and ran out the clock. The two teams traded punches in the first half with Andy Dalton finding Bart Johnson for a 23-yard touchdown and ran for a four-yard score, while the Badgers started off the scoring with a 30-yard Philip Welch field goal and added a one-yard John Clay scoring run. UW owned the second quarter holding on to the ball for 13:30, but appeared to lose track of time and settled for a Welch field goal to pull within one going into halftime. TCU increased its lead to 21-13 on a one-yard Luke Shivers run in the third, but the Badger defense stiffened up the rest of the way and the offense marched on a ten play, 77-yard drive culminating in a five-yard Montee Ball touchdown run to set up the critical two-point attempt.

Best TD Ever?

2011-12-26T09:41:00.000-06:00

TCU Survives LaTech 31-24

2011-12-22T10:25:00.003-06:00

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Frogs were lucky and managed to pull out the 31-24 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl to reach the 11-win mark for the seventh time in the last nine years. With the win, Gary Patterson tied Dutch Meyer as TCU’s all-time winningest coach with his 109th victory. Let’s break this one down.

- The entire team looked off. There were way too many penalties and mistakes. The Frogs had 7 penalties for 66 yards and a couple of them were costly.

- Casey Pachall wasn’t great, but he was decent. Pachall finished 15-29 for 206 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception. Pachall also broke Andy Dalton’s single-season TCU records for completions (228) and yards (2,921). Dalton had 222 completions in 2007 and 2,857 yards passing last season. It’s amazing that Casey broke those records in just his first season as a starter.

- The Frogs rushing attack looked good I thought. Ed Wesley led TCU with 77 yards rushing on 16 carries and also added a touchdown. Waymon James had 51 yards and Pachall had 31.

- Kenny Cain, Tekerrein Cuba and Ross Forrest tied for the TCU team lead with five tackles. Forrest equaled a career-high set earlier this season against BYU.

- Skye Dawson was the offensive player of the game. Outside the one dropped pass, Skye was solid making 4 receptions for 85 yards and also scored the winning touchdown.

- As I mentioned above, Gary Patterson tied Dutch Meyer as TCU’s all-time winningest coach with his 109th victory. Patterson’s ledger now stands at 109-30 (.784), fourth-best among active coaches nationally. Meyer was 109-79-13 from 1934-52, including national championships in 1935 and 1938.

- Did anyone notice the custom headsets the TCU coaches were wearing?

- It’s great that in a rebuilding year, the Frogs still managed to get 11 wins. It really speaks to the type of coaches TCU has and the job they did this season.

- Goodbye Mountain West Conference, you will not be missed. TCU now heads to the Big 12 and I can’t wait word to Bart Scott.

TCU Coaches Get Custom Headsets

2011-12-21T18:34:00.002-06:00

Here is a cool piece of news before the Poinsettia Bowl gets underway. HGI Graphics who does the frog skin pattern for TCU’s helmet, has taken it a step further for tonight.

HydroGraphicsInc.com:

Not only will the Horned Frogs be wearing their HGI Purple Frog Skin Pattern helmets against Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl on December 21st, but the coaching staff will have new head gear as well.

HGI has teamed up with Bosch/Telex to create custom headsets with the Purple Frog Skin Pattern for the coaches to use during the Poinsettia Bowl. Assembled by Marvac, these headsets are identical in finish to the players helmets on the field.

Pay attention to the headsets tonight and see if you notice the difference.

TCU vs. LaTech: Preview and Predictions

2011-12-21T09:02:00.000-06:00

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

#18 TCU (10-2) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

7:00 PM- ESPN HD

Qualcomm Stadium

Current line: TCU -9.5

The day has finally come. It has been a long wait, but the Poinsettia Bowl is here. TCU and Louisiana Tech are ready to face off and if the Frogs do what they are supposed to, they will emerge victorious. The only thing standing in TCU’s way at this point is themselves.

Why TCU Wins: The Frogs have more talent and are better coached. As long as TCU doesn’t take this team lightly, they win easily. I think Coach Patterson will have the team ready to go. The Frogs need to build off this game as they head into the Big 12.

Prediction: TCU over Louisiana Tech 42-20
Offensive Player of the Game: Casey Pachall
Defensive Player of the Game: Tank Carder

Antoine Hicks Out for Poinsettia Bowl

2011-12-20T13:47:00.003-06:00

Well, this certainly isn’t good news. According to the Star-Telegram, senior TCU WR Antoine Hicks will not be playing in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Star-Telegram.com:

TCU receiver Antoine Hicks will not play in today’s Poinsettia Bowl for violating school policy, coach Gary Patterson said.

Patterson said the matter was not academically related and that Hicks is still scheduled to graduate in May.

It’s good that the issues aren’t related to academics, but that also means it could me numerous other issues. Hopefully Antoine gets everything situated. I appreciate his contributions to the program.