TCU Football

Updates from Thursday, Aug. 14

Carlos A. Mendez of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on Devonte Fields' status:

Updates from Saturday, Aug. 9

Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports updated Devonte Fields' status:

Updates from Friday, Aug. 8

Stephen F. Austin, via CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli, has the latest twist in Fields' situation:

"After originally agreeing to grant a release to Devonte Fields, which would allow him to enroll and play football at Stephen F. Austin, Texas Christian University has since convened a committee and declared that Fields' violations of the student honor code has warranted his suspension from the school.

"The decision by TCU renders Fields ineligible, prohibiting him from participating in football related activities at SFA for at least one year. In light of these developments, Fields has decided not to enroll at SFA and will not be a member of the Lumberjack football team.

"SFA head football coach Clint Conque will have no comment, stating this a decision of Texas Christian University and is a matter involving Fields and TCU."

Updates from Thursday, Aug. 7

Devonte Fields' high school coach has confirmed where his former player will be suiting up in 2014 according to Travis L. Brown of the FW Star-Telegram: 

The Jacks official website later confirmed the news via a press release:

Stephen F. Austin head football coach Clint Conque announced the addition of a pair of defensive players to the SFA roster. Former TCU defensive endDevonte Fields and freshman defensive back Tarrin Mitchell will begin competing with the `Jacks as SFA is in the first week of fall camp.

"I'm excited to be able to work with both of these young men as they both bring a great deal of talent to our defensive unit," Conque said. "They both bring a wealth of experience and knowledge at their respective positions and will provide some quality depth."

Updates from Wednesday, Aug. 6

Devonte Fields is heading to Stephen F Austin, and can play right away according to Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News:

Travis Brown of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has more:

Updates from Tuesday, Aug. 5

Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports on how Tuesday's meeting between Devonte Fields and the TCU coaching staff went: 

TCU released a brief statement, via Chuck Carlton of The Dallas Morning News:

ESPN's Joe Schad added:

Updates from Monday, Aug. 4

David Ubben of Fox Sports Southwest reported on Devonte Fields and his status at TCU:

TCU's Devonte Fields will meet with school officials on Tuesday, a source told FOX Sports Southwest. They will discuss his status as a student. 

Fields has been "separated" from TCU since July 22, when Fort Worth police confirmed he was a suspect in a domestic disturbance call. Fields surrendered to authorities two days later on a misdemeanor assault warrant. 

Updates from Friday, July 25

The Associated Press reports that Fields has surrendered to an arrest warrant:

TCU defensive end Devonte Fields has surrendered to authorities on a misdemeanor assault warrant.

That's after TCU suspended the defensive standout earlier this week amid allegations he punched an ex-girlfriend in the head and threatened her with a gun while shouting, "I should blast you!"

Fields surrendered to Tarrant County authorities Thursday afternoon and was released a short time later after posting bond of $3,500.

The Big 12 preseason defensive player of the year hasn't been formally charged but has been accused of a Class A misdemeanor assault, which would be punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Updates from Thursday, July 24

ESPN's Brett McMurphy reports on TCU head coach Gary Patterson's assessment of Devonte Fields' situation:

Original Text

TCU defensive lineman Devonte Fields will be separated from the school following allegations by an ex-girlfriend, including assault and threatening the use of a gun.    

Scott Gleeson of USA Today reports the incident in question happened early Sunday when Fields allegedly broke a window, punched former girlfriend Haley Brown in the head and pointed a gun in her direction, according to the police report filed with the Fort Worth Police.

According to Gleeson's report, Fields had left before police arrived, and Brown ultimately decided against pressing charges. The pair dated for two years before breaking up earlier this summer, Brown told the police.

Chuck Carlton of The Dallas Morning News provided a statement from the university about the situation:

At this point, it's unclear the exact punishment associated with being separated from the school during the ongoing investigation.

It has been an eventful stretch for Fields after being named The Associated Press' Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year after an outstanding freshman campaign in 2012. He tallied 53 tackles (18.5 for loss) and 10 sacks to headline the Horned Frogs' defense.

Since that point, he was suspended for two games for a violation of team and university policy, suffered a foot injury in his first game back that cost him the rest of the year and was involved in an off-campus incident where he was reportedly robbed and shot at.

Now, he's dealing with the alleged domestic disturbance. Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports TCU head coach Gary Patterson had no further information to give:

The news comes shortly after he was named the conference's preseason defensive MVP based on his expected return to the field. It's hard to argue with the selection based on the potential he showed in his first season at the college level.

His future is now a mystery. It's unknown if further information will be provided or when TCU will clarify his status with the team.

TCU lost its clutches on a key commit Tuesday, interrupting the Horned Frogs' impressive start to the 2015 recruiting cycle. Four-star cornerback PJ Mbanasor backed off his pledge less than two months after an initial commitment, according to 247Sports reporter Colt Barber.

The 6'2", 185-pound prospect received an offer from TCU during a January junior day and promptly accepted the scholarship. Mbanasor was the highest-rated player in the team's recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

His departure dropped the Horned Frogs' 2015 haul from ninth to 14th in national 247Sports class rankings. ESPN.com reporter Max Olson noted the team anticipated his recruitment to heat up despite the commitment.

Mbanasor collected offers from a wide variety of programs throughout the winter. Ohio State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ole Miss and Oklahoma are among the programs that joined his recruitment since February.

The Hendrickson High School (Pflugerville, Texas) standout is a late-rising recruit with a growing number of options. He plans to spend time surveying his options before pulling the trigger on another commitment, per Barber.

The first-team all-district selection possesses an ideal blend of size and speed. He has the ability to play multiple secondary positions at the next level.

His aggressive approach in the box balances with fluidity in coverage to create an impressive prospect. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPkcaBU-Ojo

Veteran Horned Frogs cornerbacks coach Clay Jennings left TCU to accept the defensive backs job at Arkansas last month. That may have ultimately played a role in Mbanasor's decommitment.

With his recruitment reopened, expect the offers to continue piling up. Meanwhile, TCU must look elsewhere for help in the defensive backfield while keeping tabs on Mbanasor.

It can be easy to point out what has gone wrong when times are tough, and times have definitely been tough for TCU football.

The Frogs are 6-12 in conference play since joining the Big 12 two years ago and are coming off a disappointing 4-8 season. The offense was statistically one of the worst in the league, scoring 25.1 points per game. 

Former quarterback Casey Pachall thinks he knows what the problem was: leadership, or lack thereof. 

In an interview with Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram—only a portion of the full interview was published—Pachall dishes on the state of TCU football. 

It's rough right now. There is zero leadership. Nobody wants to step up and take charge of anything. It's rough. That is why they have the stuff they did. I still love those guys. Maybe they made mistakes, everybody does. I'm not putting those people down at all. They are still my good friends. Things are going to happen and as a team they need somebody to step up.

Pachall doesn't explicitly state names, but it's clear he's talking about a lack of leadership from the players. The former quarterback continued: 

It's one of those things where every now and then you may say something to a teammate, and it may make them mad, but when they sit down and think about it they know it was sincere and it wasn't getting on your ass. A lot of these guys don't want to speak up, they just want to blend in with the crowd. They want to be cool with their teammates, instead of getting on them and getting something going.

While only the players and the coaches can vouch for leadership in the locker room, there are off-the-field examples that support Pachall's statements—including his own run-in with the law. 

In early 2012, four football players—defensive tackle D.J. Yendrey, defensive back Devin Johnson, linebacker Tanner Brock and offensive tackle Ty Horn—were arrested as part of a bigger, campus-wide drug bust.

Brock was quoted in his arrest warrant as saying that only about 20 people on the team would pass a drug test, though that number was never confirmed elsewhere. 

Pachall was later suspended one month into the 2012 season after being arrested for DUI. He then left the team to deal with substance abuse problems. He rejoined the Frogs in 2013 and went on to start in Week 1 against LSU. 

Though drug/alcohol problems are nothing to scoff at, they also aren't unique to TCU. The four players arrested in the drug bust were dismissed.

For Pachall, the bigger story is that he got his life back on track and was given a second chance at football. Engel himself admits that Pachall "is not the same guy who got busted for a DUI."

As for on-the-field leadership, the question is whether TCU's defense was exempt from Pachall's comments. If anything, defense was the reason the Frogs were in a position to win more times than not. 

(For that matter, did Pachall consider himself a leader?) 

Of course, defensive end Devonte Fields served a two-game suspension last season for a violation of team rules. With that said, guys like cornerback Jason Verrett played with an undeniable sense of pride despite the win-loss record.

According to Alex Apple of The Dallas Morning News, Verrett also played most of the '13 season with an injury. 

Verrett was named to several first- and second-team All-American lists, nonetheless. That seems like leadership. 

The full story on Pachall's comments would be interesting to read, as would any additional corroboration from players—current or former. Perhaps then a clearer picture of TCU's football program could be painted. Head coach Gary Patterson will undoubtedly be asked about this when spring practice starts as well. 

In the meantime, a portion of Pachall's quotes is all anyone has. Still, there are examples on both sides of the spectrum. For every story about guys like receiver LaDarius Brown, who was recently dismissed from the team after reportedly being busted for marijuana, there are players like Trevone Boykin. Boykin filled in twice as a backup while Pachall dealt with personal and injury issues.

Boykin may be bound for a position change, but no one watching him could question his effort. 

So for Pachall to say there was no leadership at TCU? That looks like it can be easily debunked. 

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. 

Not unlike two top defensive players picked in the first round of last year's draft, TCU defensive back Jason Verrett will enter this upcoming draft recovering from a shoulder injury, specifically a torn labrum.

According to Rob Rang of CBS Sports, Verrett used the NFL combine to announce he battled the injury for much of last year:

"I had a torn labrum, the back of my labrum," Verrett said about his shoulder injury. "But I played the rest of the season."

Verrett is scheduled to have surgery after his on-campus pro day March 21, following a similar path as New York Jets' cornerback Dee Milliner, who had labrum surgery after his pro day a year ago.

If all goes well, Verrett should be able to complete his rehab before the start of the 2014 NFL season. A closer look at the labrum sheds some light on what lies ahead for the highly regarded prospect.

The Shoulder Labrum

Generally speaking, the shoulder makes up the joint where the arm meets the chest. Many different structures—bones, muscles, cartilage, blood vessels and nerves—come together within it.

The labrum helps keep everything in line by providing additional support where the humerus—or upper arm bone—meets the shoulder blade, or scapula.

How?

At the outside edge of the scapula lies a concave "socket" known as the glenoid. The labrum encircles its outer rim, thereby deepening the pocket and allowing the head of the humerus to sit more snugly within it.

In football, labrum tears commonly occur when an outside force sharply moves the head of the humerus within the glenoid—or dislocates it entirely. The movement stretches or places increased pressure on the cartilage labrum, damaging it.

For Verrett, that blow happened sometime during TCU's game against Texas Tech.

Labrum Injuries and Surgery

Many acute labral tears fall into one of two broad categories: SLAP or Bankart injuries.

SLAP tears—short for "superior labrum anterior to posterior"—involve the top portion of the labrum, near the location where the biceps tendon attaches to the cartilage ring. SLAP tears themselves can come in one of several different forms, each with its own unique characteristics and repair technique.

On the other hand, a Bankart tear involves the detachment of the front portion of the labrum from the glenoid. Conversely, a reverse Bankart injures the back.

Some significant labral tears can lead to easier shoulder dislocations—and thus further damage. Others can cause locking or catching within the joint, producing pain and decreased range of motion.

Unfortunately, labral cartilage—like other cartilage in the body—does not carry a very robust blood supply relative to tissues such as the skin. Blood transports the body's healing and repair cells, and as such, labrum injuries generally do not heal well on their own.

That's where surgery comes into play.

Using tiny instruments and a small camera, an orthopedic surgeon can visualize any labral damage that exists and repair it. For instance, he or she can directly suture the detached labrum back onto the glenoid.

Jason Verrett's Case

As always, exact medical details are not available to the public. That said, Verrett played through his injury for much of last year, suggesting his shoulder retained its stability after the tear. It also suggests the surrounding bone did not sustain severe damage.

As the former Horned Frog prepares the NFL, his medical team determined the time to definitively repair the nagging injury is now. His recovery time will depend on the extent of damage within the joint—which, despite MRI imaging, will not be precisely known until his surgeon directly observes the inside of the joint while in the operating room—but it can approach three or four months.

Fortunately, Verrett will surely work with some of the best surgeons and physical therapists out there. As long as no complications arise—and there is not yet reason to think any will—his draft stock will likely remain intact.

For Matt Miller—Bleacher Report's NFL draft lead writer—that means a high pick:

"Verrett excels in man coverage and has the ball skills to be a player off the ball," Miller said. "The injury is a concern but reminds me of Dion Jordan in that he can rehab and be ready to go by Week 1. The fact that he played through the injury means I won't knock his stock at all."

Nevertheless, NFL teams will certainly watch Verrett closely, and it is important to remember that anything less than an optimal recovery will draw concern. For instance, Dee Milliner's delayed labrum rehab raised some eyebrows early last year.

However, barring similar developments, it seems likely Verrett will find himself walking to the draft podium as early as the evening of the first draft day.

Dr. Dave Siebert is a resident physician at the University of Washington who plans to pursue fellowship training in Primary Care (non-operative) Sports Medicine. Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow @DaveMSiebert

TCU didn't waste much time dismissing wide receiver LaDarius Brown. 

According to Jake Harris of TCU360.com and Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Brown was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession Sunday night. By Tuesday afternoon, Brown was no longer on the official online roster. 

A statement from TCU obtained by the Star-Telegram said Brown was dismissed for violating team rules. 

Due to a violation of team rules, LaDarius Brown has been removed from our football program. This is very unfortunate. We provide our student-athletes with all the guidelines and principles to be successful on and off the field. At some point, they have to govern themselves. It’s a sad day for everyone.

Two years ago, TCU and head coach Gary Patterson came under the microscope when four players were expelled after being arrested on drug charges. Later that year, quarterback Casey Pachall left the team to seek treatment for substance abuse issues. 

Whether this was Brown's first offense is unclear. Per Stevenson, however, the tone around the program has changed since two years ago.  

As far as football is concerned, where does Brown's dismissal leave the Frogs? A big-bodied wideout at 6'4" and 220 pounds, Brown tied for first on the team in receptions (36) and was third in receiving yards (393) last season. Losing him is no minor hiccup. 

Still, the Frogs are well-stocked with young, big receivers. Of the 12 different wideouts who caught a pass last year, including quarterback/athlete Trevone Boykin, 10 are returning. Add highly-touted incoming freshman Emanuel Porter and TCU has plenty to work with at the position. 

TCU's receivers underperformed in 2013, as did the Frogs' offense as a whole. Brandon Carter had an especially tough year with drops. But things began coming together for the wideouts toward the end of the season. Hopefully for the Frogs, it was a sign of things to come. 

With a new Air Raid offense being installed, the ceiling is high for this group. There's good size at the position—11 receivers on roster measure 6'0" or taller—and plenty of depth. Even with Brown, there was expected to be plenty of competition at wide receiver this offseason. 

Will TCU miss Brown? Of course, but his absence should not be insurmountable. 

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. 

A returning anchor for TCU's defense is hanging up the cleats and shoulder pads. 

Matt Jennings of Rivals.com reported on Tuesday that senior defensive tackle Jon Lewis had left the team simply because he was done playing football. 

Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Alex Apple of The Dallas Morning News later confirmed the report, though TCU has not commented publicly on it. 

Why Lewis is reportedly walking away from football is unknown, but reasons hardly seem important now. 

It's a tough blow for the Horned Frogs defense, which was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing 4-8 season in 2013. Lewis started the final five games last season, recording a team-best 11 tackles for loss. His 4.5 sacks were second on the team. 

Lewis also started four games as a sophomore in 2012 and played in all 38 games in his collegiate career. 

Other than the departures of Lewis and defensive end Jon Koontz, TCU's D-line will return mostly intact next year. That doesn't make Lewis' loss any less substantial, however. Only defensive tackle Chucky Hunter had more tackles along the D-line (43) than Lewis (39) in '13. 

The Frogs ranked No. 13 nationally last season with 98 tackles for loss. Lewis and Koontz combined for 20 percent of those. 

Stopping the run and getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks with a defensive front seven (in TCU's case, a defensive front six) is a simple recipe for success, but not every team does it well. TCU did.

The Frogs also had an excellent secondary last season, probably the best in the Big 12. Filled with talented players like All-American cornerback Jason Verrett, the secondary actually made the defensive line look better. 

“We lead the league in sacks," head coach Gary Patterson said last October (via The Dallas Morning News), "and I’d probably tell you at least 50 percent of them have been coverage sacks.”

But the opposite is true, too. 

Consider the following quote from Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who writes periodically for Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback with Peter King. Here's what Sherman had to say last month about being, in his mind, the best corner in the NFL: 

When I say I’m the best cornerback in football, it’s with a caveat: There isn’t a great defensive backfield in the NFL that doesn’t have a great front seven. Everything begins with pressure up front, and that’s what we get from our pass-rushers every Sunday. 

The same logic can be applied to every level of football. Next year, two members of TCU's secondary will be gone: Verrett and safety Elisha Olabode. The Frogs should still be good at that level of the defense, but having a stout D-line will only help. 

Now, two of the major statistical contributors along that line from a year ago are gone. 

Defensive tackle Davion Pierson, who started the first seven games last year, is the early favorite to replace Lewis. Pierson has plenty of experience, so there shouldn't much of a dropoff from a production standpoint.

Still, Lewis was a player who found himself in the backfield a lot. He's going to be missed, there's no doubt about that. 

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. 

All-purpose running back Varshaun Nixon, a 4-star prospect and one of the top 200 players in the country, committed to TCU on Tuesday afternoon, just two days after decommitting from Texas A&M.

Max Olson of ESPN.com tweeted the news:

Nixon, who typically goes by "Shaun," originally committed to the Aggies on Nov. 27, according to his 247Sports timeline. But he took his official visit to TCU on Jan. 31, and apparently loving what he saw, released himself from Texas A&M just two days later.

Now signed on to join the Horned Frogs, Nixon goes from being "just another recruit" in College Station to the highest-ranked recruit in Fort Worth. He's the only 4-star player in this TCU class, per the 247Sports composite, and the only pure running back it will bring in this cycle.

This is remarkably good news for Gary Patterson and TCU, who are coming off a disappointing 4-8 season. Expected to contend for a Big 12 title, the Horned Frogs failed to meet expectations and lost a number of close games, struggling to establish a consistent rushing attack the entire year.

Nixon is only 5'9'' but he's quick and shifty enough to compete for early playing time, perhaps as soon as next season. TCU's leading rusher B.J. Catalon returns as a junior in 2014, but the team as a whole finished No. 111 nationally in yards per game last season, so there won't be much loyalty in the backfield.

What's more, Nixon is a home-run threat every time he touches the football, and TCU had only two rushes of 30-plus yards last season. He is just what the doctor ordered.

As for Texas A&M, the loss surely hurts, as Nixon is the No. 5 all-purpose back in the nation and would have fit nicely with Kevin Sumlin's spread-offense concept. The Aggies have the nation's No. 1 receiver (Speedy Noil) and No. 1 quarterback (Kyle Allen) committed this cycle, but Nixon was their only running back of the class.

Nixon's defection moved the Aggies down one spot from No. 3 to No. 4 in the 247Sports team rankings, behind conference rival LSU. 

TCU moved up from No. 46 to No. 40. 

If offenses were generally down in the Big 12 in 2013, then TCU's was in the gutter. 

The Horned Frogs finished tied for 87th in scoring offense, averaging 25 points a game. There were plenty of reasons why: offensive line problems, the injury to quarterback Casey Pachall, an underperforming group of wide receivers and so on. 

Ultimately, though, TCU missed former offensive coordinator Justin Fuente; TCU's offense just hasn't been the same since he left to become Memphis' head coach following the 2011 season.

Frogs head coach Gary Patterson tried shaking things up midseason (mid-game against Oklahoma State, in fact) when he gave play-calling duties to co-offensive coordinator Rusty Burns over Jarrett Anderson.  

That was a temporary change. Patterson has since brought on new offensive coordinator Doug Meacham from Houston and Sonny Cumbie from Texas Tech to be the team's new quarterbacks coach. The hires are already stirring interest, including from ESPN's Jake Trotter.

In his only season at Houston, Meacham directed an offense that finished 35th in the nation in scoring, averaging 284 yards passing a game. His offensive philosophy has Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy's fingerprints all over it, having served as an assistant for the Cowboys from 2005-12. 

Though Cumbie will oversee the quarterback spot at TCU, he focused on wide receivers at Texas Tech under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. A former Red Raiders quarterback, Cumbie has a background in Mike Leach's Air Raid offense. The Red Raiders finished second in passing offense in 2013. 

Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Cumbie could still have a say in the Frogs' offensive game plan even if his title doesn't reflect it: 

Cumbie, who had the co-OC title in 2013 at Texas Tech, will help Meacham run the TCU offense even if it’s not part of his title, the source said.

It could be a matter of semantics. Cumbie wanted to work directly with quarterbacks and have a bigger say in the offense in Lubbock, but his role on Texas Tech’s staff was limited by head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s focus on quarterbacks and calling plays.

Between Meacham and Cumbie, TCU's offense should be improved in 2014. If nothing else, it can't get much worse.

The Frogs will have to replace several starters along the offensive line, but if they can get some continuity up front and not have a revolving door like they did this year, there's room to grow. TCU is young everywhere else, so theoretically, it can only get better at spots like wide receiver and quarterback. 

It will be interesting to see if TCU goes with redshirt freshman Tyler Matthews or Trevone Boykin as the starting quarterback next year—or, potentially, one of two true freshman coming in. Boykin has started 14 games over the past two seasons, but he regressed significantly this year. Once Pachall returned from his broken arm against Texas, Boykin looked more comfortable as an athlete. 

Patterson has shown a willingness to make necessary changes. The combination of Anderson and Burns was born out of a need to replace Fuente, but the experiment didn't work.

The combination of Cumbie and Meacham should yield significantly better results.

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All stats courtesy of the NCAA. You can follow Ben on Twitter @BenKercheval. 

Following a 41-38 loss to Baylor on Saturday, TCU coach Gary Patterson took the podium for his press conference. He was asked a straight-forward question. 

"Was there anything [else said] other than a 'good game' to [Baylor] coach [Art] Briles afterward?" 

It was a reasonable question for an obvious storyline. Baylor safety Ahmad Dixon was ejected from the game for targeting TCU's Trevone Boykin on this hit:

And, afterward, Patterson and Briles had what looked like a testy exchange in the postgame handshake. 

Patterson took that reasonable question and went on a five-minute tirade about Dixon, Briles, class and highways (don't ask; it was a metaphor). Here's video of Patterson's comments via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: 

With that kind of raw emotion, it's easy to see why Patterson would come across as whiny or a poor sport, but it's who he is, and something he'll never apologize for—and he shouldn't. Veiled behind shots at Briles and Dixon (more on that later) was Patterson doing what every coach should do: standing up for his player. 

That may make him sound hypocritical, but that's a coach for you. They're always going to argue for what's in their teams' best interest. 

Boykin took a nasty hit to the head and was clearly dazed. Patterson wasn't happy about that, and he definitely wasn't happy with what he says transpired afterward. Patterson claimed numerous times that the "head coach," presumably Briles, "came across the field" at him. There's no video evidence to support this apparent back-and-forth, so it's Patterson's word versus Briles'. 

For what it's worth, Briles said Monday on the Big 12 coaches teleconference that he hadn't paid attention to Patterson's rant. 

"I grew up in West Texas, and was taught that if you don't have anything nice about somebody, don't say anything at all," Briles said. 

Dixon was also seen laughing on the sideline and blowing kisses to the crowd. There is video evidence of that, although in fairness, Patterson is assuming—reasonably—that Dixon is acting out in response to the ejection. 

Where Patterson makes the mistake is redirecting that anger at Briles and how he runs his program. That's what Patterson's critics are choosing to focus on, and frankly, it weakens Patterson's point about the incident. 

Patterson noted that Dixon was arrested in September related to a misdemeanor assault charge, though he was not suspended by Briles. It's simply not best practice to attack how another coach handles his players because, in turn, the same logic can be pinned on Patterson:

Coupled with the accusations about Briles and Dixon is the timing of Patterson's rant. Briles tragically lost his brother, Eddie, last Wednesday to a head injury he sustained in his home. That doesn't make Patterson's frustration any less valid, but it has resulted in third-party members, like John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, to take Briles' side:

There appears to be something deeper brewing between Patterson and Briles. Although the cause of that rift is unclear, it influenced Patterson's tirade in some way. Now, Patterson's catching flak for it. 

Patterson's stance on the Dixon hit isn't unwarranted, but the extracurricular criticism of Briles detracts from an otherwise understandable point. 

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. You can follow Ben on Twitter @BenKercheval.

TCU's offensive attrition began before the season did when the Frogs lost offensive linemen Tayo Fabuluje and Michael Thompson. Then, for several weeks, starting quarterback Casey Pachall was out with a broken arm. Wide receiver Brandon Carter has also taken a leave of absence for personal reasons. 

Now TCU will be without one of its running backs for the foreseeable future. 

TCU Sports Information Department confirmed to both TCU360.com and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that running back Waymon James has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. The exact nature of the violation wasn't revealed, and it's unknown how long James will be out. Head coach Gary Patterson has not commented on the suspension yet. 

James' playing time was limited during the Frogs' overtime loss to West Virginia last Saturday, and he was benched for the first quarter against Texas for another violation of team rules. 

James, a senior, is third on the team this year with 242 yards and four touchdowns. He led the team in 2011 with 875 yards and six touchdowns. In 2012, James had his season cut short because of a knee injury. 

His loss, for however long, is tough since he had the second-highest number of touches among running backs this year. TCU's running game hasn't taken off in part because of offensive line problems and the fact that the Frogs have played from behind in a number of games. 

If James misses any playing time, Nebraska transfer Aaron Green should be expected to see more touches along with Trevone Boykin, who has since moved from the quarterback spot with Pachall's return.