2014 Big 12 Football Media Days: TCU Horned Frogs

The first important thing out of Gary Patterson: TCU's going to have a changed offense, shifting to more of a passing attack. He mentioned that, in some talks with the Texas A&M staff, they had some frustration with that switch.

"We have a lot more depth," Patterson noted, mentioning that TCU was down to only 55 players by season's end last year.

Asked about the quarterback competition, Patterson didn't show his hand. Though he only mentioned Trevone Boykin in his comment, he was very clear that he still hasn't settled on anyone yet. At least as far as he's willing to tell anyone.

Patterson downplayed Devonte Fields' return somewhat, suggesting that they did just fine without him. That shouldn't be taken as Patterson claiming Fields wouldn't be an improvement, just that he's sanguine about the whole deal.

Asked about Boykin moving to receiver, Patterson joked, "Trevone Boykin would be better if he had a hundred Trevone Boykins to throw to."

Patterson is intent on winning at home this year. When asked about whether he likes finally getting five conference home games, Patterson noted that TCU has ten games in the state of Texas this year -- but also noted that TCU played better on the road last year.

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Patterson was also asked a question about practice contact and safety, and pointed out that once the season starts his team really only practices in pads one day a week. Despite that, they're still one of the most physical teams in the nation.

The next question related to TCU playing in close games. He mentioned that his teams in the four years before joining the league would have fared better. "It's always gonna come down to the last two or three series in the game," Patterson said to close his answer.

Patterson's next answer was a bit disjointed, but the upshot of his comment was that he's extremely pleased to be in the Big 12 even with the team's struggles in the first two years.

When asked about the changes likely coming to college athletics, Patterson said that he thinks the players get value for what they provide, but he's also not opposed to increasing their compensation; he did express the logical point that abuses are still a possibility. "Jason Verrett was a first-round draft pick last year, all the other seniors had to go get jobs."

Finally, Patterson was asked about whether playing against Bill Snyder is different for him. It was sort of an odd question, since Patterson never worked under Snyder; Patterson expressed respect, and said he didn't think he could put in the hours Snyder does.