Hazellball: Right Direction So Far

BS was on the scene at one of Coach Hazell's open practices last week and if you haven't read B-dowd's excellent write up on his observations, you should go do that. I'll wait.

Okay, you're back now.

The Spring Game is fast approaching (1 PM on April 13) and will be played rain or shine and will be four quarters. Well, no kidding, you might be thinking, but this sort of info is pertinent, as last year's Spring Game was on a day with lousy weather, so the Danny Hope Gestapo moved the proceedings indoors to Mollenkopf, and then Tom Schott's button men ejected interested parties from the premises. You know, the people who were so devoted to a mediocre program that they had made the trek to campus on a miserable day to get a little bit of a Purdue football fix. As was the norm at the time, solid PR work by the Purdue athletic department.

So Coach Hazell has decreed that the game will go on and will be a complete game. This is good. Click here for more information on the activities of the day surrounding the Spring Game. In addition, BTN has decided to grace the Boilermakers by streaming the game live via their BTN2Go app and the broadcasting it on real, actual television on April 15 at 9 PM. Unless Ohio State hires a new strength and conditioning coach or something, presumably.

You also see the photo above marketing the upcoming season. The marketing folks responsible got this one right, in our opinions. They also did well back when Danny Hope started at Purdue (the "ONE" campaign, which, at 1-5, scared us because, well, what if Purdue went 1-11?), so maybe all it takes to wake up marketing is a new coach. Let's hope winning soon follows and the program markets itself on the football field.

In addition to the Spring Game, this Saturday is another chance to see your Boilers on the field at Ross-Ade, as they'll put on a "Jersey Scrimmage" for all interested parties to attend. Purdue faculty and staff get to come onto the field beforehand with the team and then will be addressed by Morgan Burke and Coach Hazell -- this outreach is another nice touch. You can find the rules to the Jersey Scrimmage here -- it will be offense versus defense and while these rules may a seem a bit cumbersome, you can bet the players will know how to keep score and this will be competitive. Check it out if you have the chance.

One more item to note that you can find on the Purdue football page of Purduesports.com is Purdue Football 212, billed as a "behind the scenes look at Purdue football." I watched the first YouTube video they have up there and I already feel like I've seen more of Purdue football behind the scenes than I did in four years of General Hopeissimo.

Obviously, none of this means much once the games begin. However, it seems clear to us that Darrell Hazell is making the right moves in his early months on campus. There's a discipline and an intense work ethic already coming across, while at the same time welcoming us outsiders in to see what's going on.

The Hazell Era is off to a good start.