It makes us all sick. Tim said it, I know Boilerdowd is feeling it and probably can't bring himself to write about this debacle.... and I'm just angry. I'm angry that I invest in this team every year. And no, I don't mean monetarily.I mean, I INVEST in them. I really CARE what happens and it pisses me off. Sure, I've learned over the years (see: 2004) not to care TOO much because I know how sour the taste of disappointment and wholly unfulfilled expectations can be. But still, because of how connected I am to this University I cannot help but care in a major way. About the success of the program, about the respectability of the team and, yes, what others think of us. I hate some of the things that are said about the team but, as Boilerdowd often says, "let's face it." Yeah, we're middle-of-the-pack, and too many damn people are satisfied and maybe even PLEASED with that. Well, I'm not. It sucks.
Kansas can have an 11-0 start. Stanford can knock off USC. Navy can beat Notre Dame. Rutgers can have an 11-win season ('06). Northwestern -- NORTHWESTERN!! -- can have fleeting years of Rose Bowl-caliber success. Illinois can have a year where they upset OSU. Appalachian State can beat Michigan. Syracuse can beat Louisville when they're 41-point 'dogs.
What's my point?
Why doesn't this kind of stuff EVER happen to us? I mean, seriously... what did WE do? And if you're some dumbass anonymous poster who just wants to rip on Purdue because you've got a tiny ding-dong and it makes you feel good, don't bother. We've all admitted at various times that our program is a disappointment. That big, long word that, when you parents used it, made you feel worse than anything. A fricking major-league disappointment. Hell, we were saying that we'd tolerate 9-3 but deep down we all knew losing those three to UM, OSU and PSU would still sting because it would be more proof that we couldn't get over the hump against legit top programs. Well, we did our typical give-up routine and it appears nobody even cares anymore.
Boilerdowd has said in the past that he thinks the old alumni would tolerate almost anything so long as we kept pasting IU every year. Well, that has even stopped now, so maybe something WILL happen. I think something NEEDS to happen, either at the athletic director level or, more likely, at the head coaching level. I've defended our mediocrity for too long. 7-5 is absolutely unacceptable and it pains me to even SEE those numbers in print. We began 5-0 in September, then went 2-2 in October and 0-and-effing-3 in November. Simply UNACCEPTABLE.
That's it, I'm on board. It's time for change.
http://www.firecoachtiller.com/
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Postscript: The only good thing today was that Coach Hep's drive was fulfilled and the Hoosiers won one for their beloved coach. Can't help but feel good about that. A good man, taken too soon. Good on ya, boys.
13 comments:
why isn't the site that you reference a link?
I feel sick to my stomach today.
This is embarassing, just embarassing.
The worst part for me will be work on Monday (I work in Indy). IU fans that haven't been to an IU football game in years or perhaps ever will probably try to talk shit to me. My patience will be tested.
Hey guys:
I'll give my "opinion" more later, but this is absolutely spot on. I was at the game yesterday and a Purdue student said to me "How is possible to come out flat in a rivalry game?" While that mostly falls on Tiller, there's a number of breakdowns.
As for your analysis of it not being good enough, you're 100% correct. Again, more later but as an IU fan (and I rarely think people should be fired) I think a change is needed.
We had a few good years, a few years in which Tiller and his team thought they could beat every team. Don't know what happened. Doesn't really matter. I don't think Burke will do anything - I've never been that impressed with him. I don't think he has the stomach for it. The only thing that talks is money - when the JPC coffers start to dry up.
b-dowd: because I'm using my wife's Mac at home to post and when I bring up the box in blogger, the "create link" button isn't an option. And there ends my computer savvy. Feel free to edit to post to fix it.
J- use Firefox for Mac...that's what I use and all buttons work.
As a lifelong Purdue fan, I'm continually disappointed by Purdue's lack of ability to step up in big games (save the women's team with Figgs and White-McCarty). I still regard Gene Keady as one of the top 3 coaches in Big Ten basketball of all-time, but he could never get that team to advance in the tournament. Even with the best player in the nation. I see the football team at the same point. They are a tough team to play within the Big Ten schedule, but they will always make more mistakes than you will. Even when they played Washington in the Rose Bowl, they came out flat and didn't seem to "try" until the second half when it was all but too late.
I can only compare Purdue basketball and football to Syracuse (my alma mater). Syracuse was the same choke job that Purdue was until Carmelo Anthony. Now, Syracuse despite its horrendous football team, is on the map. They are attracting 4 and 5 star recruits to the Siberia of college locations. It's really all you can ask for.
But let's discuss the football team. The same thing happened to the Syracuse football team as what is currently happening to Purdue's. Syracuse was a solid team for 15 years under Paul Pasqualoni. They even had a couple years where they cracked the top 5 with Donovan McNabb (aka Drew Brees). But after those years, they couldn't get over the hump. Finally, Pasqualoni was down to going 8-4 and started to lose more and more games. They were middle of the pack to Miami, WVU, Pitt, and even BC. They were good enough to go to bowl games frequently and graduated athletes. Finally, they had to make a move and change the culture. Well, the only coach they could attract was a washed up pro coordinator in Greg Robinson. He's gone 7 and 26 as the head coach. Suddenly all we want is Pasqualoni back.
I should think a Purdue change of coach would energize the program, but it cannot come at a loss of recruiting and especially a drop in standards. As a life long Purdue fan, this is a very very tough dillema.
I was never on the fire Tiller bandwagon. .until yesterday. I'm just sorry I had to see that mess in HD. Heck, I even turned on the Iowa game to feel better. I think this falls in the lap of Cordova. She has to tell Burke this isn't working. But, sadly I think the people closest to her will tell her 7 and 5 is fine. Someone needs to tell her about this blog!
As I was browsing firecoachtiller.com, I came across this tidbit.
Lymon arrested AGAIN?!? WTF? Drowning his sorrows and trying to forget what a disappointment he's been? Now he probably won't even be available for the toilet bowl we get invited to... bah, probably won't matter...
Always remember this Boilerdowd... Hoosier rhymes with loser!
isn't that amazing???
Those types of things can't EVER happen to your team because you're Purdue.
Anonymous: What?
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