Coach Tiller Thinks Maryland Doesn't Know How To Paint Their End Zones

No word on what Coach Tiller thinks of their helmets.

Mike Carmin of the Lafayette J&C has a piece up today about Joe Tiller's 20 minutes of "I can say anything I want because I'm an old man who won a lot of games here"-style comments at the National Football Foundation Dinner this week.

Tiller, when talking about the Big Ten's expansion, remarked than whenever he talked about it to Commissioner Delaney, the general rule was that any expansion had to make the conference better. Tiller clearly doesn't see how the Terps make the Big Ten better:

I’m thinking to myself, ‘Maryland?’ They don’t even know how to paint an end zone. How in the heck are they going to make the Big Ten a better conference?

I don't know if a 70-year-old former coach making such comments qualifies for the #shotsfired hashtag, but regardless of if it does, Maryland won't even have a chance to throw a punch in this one until at least 2016. (That is, unless the Boilers and Terps meet in the Big Ten Championship Game, which I think we'd all be fine with.)

Tiller also talked about his dislike of kickers, which is an interesting contrast to his successor, Danny Hope, who called one of his kickers "the most exciting kicker in America."

Tiller also discussed the future expansion of college football playoffs, disappointingly hopping on the "players should get a share of the pie" bandwagon. One assumes Coach Tiller means a bigger share of the pie than a full ride, lots of ancillary benefits, playing football on TV and being able to forever include "Division I college athlete at Purdue University" on their resumes.

Check out the rest of the always-solid Mike Carmin's article and learn more about Tiller's opinion on starting freshman quarterbacks, whether he would be part of the college football playoff selection committee, and more.

Purdue Football's CEO

I've been a Purdue fan my whole life...but can't remember a coach like Darrell Hazell being hired. I was born in '75 and brainwashed early to love the black and gold...I don't remember Agase...and sadly, recall very little of Jim Young's short time in God's country...but we're in a new era of Purdue football.

Leon Burtnett was hard-nosed on the field, but likable off of it...and while he might be a football genius, he's far from a clinical genius. He was a bit of a nutty professor, if nothing else.  His "junk defense" earned him the job in the wake of Jim Young's premature departure...And while he had limited success in the form of a bowl game and one really exciting team under his watch at Purdue, his 21-34-1 record as Purdue's head football coach was nothing to write home about.

Fred Akers was a bit of a splash, as a hire.  But, the former UT coach had just come off of his worst season at Texas, when hired by Purdue.  He won a ton of games at UT; was 60-19-1 while in Austin...but the cloud of NCAA violations and the subsequent final, lousy season did him in.  He had a Texas drawl and swagger to match, and his team also had that swagger.  Black unis from head-to-toe is what many Purdue fans remember about Akers' thumbprint on the program...I remember a bunch of blackeyes on the program...problems off the field and a dismall 12-31-1 record.

Pretty pitiful.

After Akers, Purdue wanted to clean the program up, so they hired a long-time OL coach, and former aOSU OC, Jim Colletto.  Aker's swagger was gone and a lunchpail mentality entered the program...but football simply wasn't much fun during this era.  Purdue gave Colletto a ton of time to implement his plan, install his run-first offense.  Purdue had some NFL talent pass through the program during Colletto's years- mostly in the trenches on either side of the ball...but his most noteworthy player, of course, was Mike Alstott. There wasn't a QB that stood out during Colletto's era...and I think many Purdue fans struggled with that as much as the losing.  But as a student during that time, I struggled with his whining.  Colletto's post-game comments were nearly as maddening as what happened on the field as he'd constantly complain about guys lining up incorrectly as the culprit for that week's loss.  Oh yeah, he also had two ties in one season...and one of those, versus Iowa I believe, could have easily ended in victory for Purdue...but helped Colletto to his one non-losing season; a 5-4-2 season.  Nice.  Colletto's teams were forgettable, but his 38-80-4 record is tough to expunge from my memory.

The brightest days of my life as a Purdue fan...by A LOT...were those in which Joe Tiller was the head coach.  Tiller wasn't the first choice for Burke, but he was the right fit and the right guy for the job.  He did more with less, in less time than any coach in the modern era of college football.  He took a bunch of players that didn't believe they could win and made them a bowl team year after year after year...  Tiller was funny and a bit cagey.  He gave great answers to questions, but sometimes seemed to hate talking to people...and in his last few seasons at Purdue, he seemed to dislike a lot about the job.  Sadly, a brilliant run from '97 to '04 is a bit tarnished due to the last four seasons of his time at Purdue. Purdue went from a team that could beat anybody to a team that could only beat bad or mediocre teams.  The offense that Tiller brought to the Big Ten, that really turned the conference on its ear had become ho-hum...and while Purdue lit up scoreboards v. MAC opponents and IU, they were no longer competitive against ranked foes.  All of that said, many of Tiller's seasons felt magical...especially for someone like me who only really remembered one winning season before Tiller's hire.

But, I wasn't excited about Tiller being hired until I met him in person.  When I was an RA at Tarkington Hall, Tiller came to talk to the boys of Tark in the Spring of '97.  Someone asked Tiller about the importance of getting the team prepared to play and possibly beat Notre Dame the next fall. He responded, "I'll have to check if the guys have to squat when they pee, if they're not up for that one."  As I said, the guy was funny, and even when he wasn't answering questions directly, he was entertaining.

Tiller was 87-62 at Purdue...and is Purdue's winningest head coach after taking the record from "Fat" Jack Mollenkopf.

Next up, of course, is Danny Hope.  I'm not going to talk about his era too much because we've done that waaaaaaaaaay too much on this site the past few years.  But one thing I will share is an account from a friend of mine- He says that back when Hope was on Tiller's staff, he'd see him pacing the halls around/in Mollenkopf.  He said he'd always kind of be muttering something under his breath and always looked a bit crazed...and continued that when you saw him coming, you'd make sure to get out of his way because he was always moving at a fast pace and seemed frantic (kinda like his offenses at the end of close games).

Details and order clearly weren't Hope's highest priority...and his teams showed it.  Costly penalties, bad decisions in crunch time and teams that looked ill-prepared became the norm during his four seasons at Purdue.  His 22-27 record, a winning percentage of .375 isn't as bad as a few other coaches on this list, but that sure as hell doesn't make it good...especially when you taken into account the fact that unlike Burtnett, Akers and Colletto, he had a D-IAA each season to help nudge that record up.

Morgan Burke made an awful hire when he chose to listen to Tiller and hire Danny Hope; we've talked about that a few times too.  That hire had the potential to burn down much of what Burke had built as Purdue's AD.  Purdue's athletic department was simply hemorrhaging money during home game Saturdays the last few years. Ticket sales were way down and morale was as well...But in what might be Burke's last big hire as AD, he got it right when he listened to a committee who told him to pick Darrell Hazell.

Before the Hazell hire, Burke looked like he was chasing Butch Jones...after Jones removed himself from consideration, it looked like Purdue might be in trouble.  After the Hazell hire and Jones' theatrics while flirting with other schools, it was clear that Purdue had the right guy.

CEO-type

If you've ever met a CEO of a big company who's really good at their job, you've probably witnessed what I have- you can tell within a few seconds that this guy demands respect...and you want to follow him. This is Darrell Hazell.

While CEO types are comfortable and effective in front of large rooms, the greats are extremely engaging in one-on-one situations as well...Purdue football's CEO has this skill.  While Tiller as a good communicator, Hazell has been succinct and crystal clear in his belief that Purdue will win with the parts that are in place, will alter schemes and plans to use the talent they have and will do things the right way the first time.

A great CEO gives off confidence that he can do any job within the company...but allows his people to go out and do what they were hired to do.  Haze is already done this with his recruiting strategy by allowing players and coaches to be accessible to the media.

One thing that all good CEOs do is yield results.  There are only a few that we can see at this point- he shored up the recruiting class last Spring, has helped raise money for the athletic department and has helped season ticket sales go up a bit.  BUT, his success as coach and CEO will be measured by his wins and the manner by which he wins at Purdue.  In this case of course, the verdict is still out.

J and I will discuss this in the next few months, but we have a disagreement on just how much success Hazell will have in his first season at Purdue. But we are unified in our belief that he will prove to be a great hire for our fair Alma Mater, regardless with whom he's being compared.

Those Who Don't Learn from the Past Are Destined to Repeat It

The win in Iowa was fun for a lotta reasons...Purdue broke a 20 year drought in Iowa City, the offense played like a different unit at times, the Special Teams came through in the clutch for the first time this season and finally, Purdue won its first B1G game in 6 tries while breaking a five-game losing streak...and most of the reason the Boilers have a game in the left column is because the Senior class carried their teammates; well-played, gentlemen.

All that said, the damage on this season seems to be done.  I've heard from a few sources that the wheels are already in motion for Purdue to find a successor for Danny Hope.  Shellackings at the hands of good and not-so-good teams have led many fans to stay home on Saturdays...and the lack of enthusiasm in the fanbase is crushing the bottom line of the Athletic Department.  If the rumors of a transition away from Hope and his staff are true, ticket sales probably have everything to do with it.

Morgan Burke has hired two head football coaches during his tenure at Purdue...and the most-recent was supposed to be a smooth transition from the winningest coach in the history of the program to a hand-picked successor that would take Purdue back to being one of the best teams in the conference.

But let's be real honest about Burke's first hire before we move on to the second- Burke lucked out with Joe Tiller.  Burke's first choice was Bob Davie, but UND stepped in before Purdue could pull the trigger.  Davie's traditional style of play didn't work with well even with UND's soft schedule and deep talent pool.  But, Cowboy Joe's basketball on grass was the perfect antidote for Purdue's 13 year bowl drought.  Until nearly a decade into his time at Purdue, much of the B1G couldn't catch up with Purdue's pass-happy offense that put pressure on defenses to stop 4 or 5 receivers nearly every down, and put pressure on the opposition's offense to try to keep up.

Cowboy Joe was brilliant at keeping players positive and changed the outlook of the program.  Right away his Boilers seemed to believe that the improbable would happen and they could win games that they had no business winning. Early on, he said there was no reason that his program should strive for anything less than championships...and within just a few seasons, Purdue was in contention for the Big Ten title regularly.  Tiller had changed the culture of Purdue football.

As he did, his pay began to reflect that his program was one of the best in the league...and many programs tried to copy the offense he had learned out West.  And get this, as Purdue beat the best, Purdue fans changed.  They began planning their vacations around the bowl season, traveling to road games and filling Ross-Ade. The ticket sales fueled a renovation of the stadium that made one of the dogs of the conference into a stadium that had a big time feel...and Morgan Burke thought there might be more in store.  Burke eyed Purdue reaching ticket sale marks they had never seen...and talked about expanding Ross-Ade...but we all know now, that never happened.

Tiller got older and Cowboy Joe was replaced by Fisherman Joe.  Tiller was sick of the difficult recruiting battles and sick of disciplining the guys on the team.  Arrests went up, overall discipline went down and the program stopped believing that it belonged among the elite.  I knew things had changed with Chaney and Tiller both began saying that all Purdue needed to do was win by one point...and the next season, Tiller openly admonished fans who wanted to see more out of the program, as he famously warned them to "manage their expectations."

As Tiller's outlook changed, he became looser-lipped with his tact in the media. Tiller was once a master of the room during press conferences, but he became increasingly-annoyed by the grind of jumping through their hoops and trying to please a fanbase that wanted more innovation from a guy who had turned a conference on its ear.

But as it happens for many, as Tiller turned 60, he didn't want to focus on details as much on the job, and the product suffered from it.  The culture that he had changed began to fade back into its old ways. Jan. 1 bowls were replaced with cold weather bowls...then those were replaced by no post-season play at all.  The program that Tiller re-built had slipped back into habits of old.

From 1956-2012, Purdue has had nine head football coaches.  Three of them won more games than they lost- Mollenkopf, Young, and Tiller.  That's it...that's the list.  Jim Young is the only coach to win 10 games...and Mollenkopf and Tiller each took Purdue to one Rose Bowl...Purdue's record in the Grand Daddy of them all, is of course, 1-1.  The point of this quick look back over our shoulder is to remind us that Purdue's football culture, especially in the modern era of football (let's call that from the early 1980s forward), is generally an unsuccessful one.

Purdue's favorite coaching son is currently coaching at Texas A&M.  And while he learned the college game in God's Country, and cut his teeth as a coach for some mediocre and fair programs, he really learned how to run a program from a traditional power: Oklahoma.

Traditional powers have some inherent advantages over programs like Purdue.

Before I go any further, make no mistake that I'm not making excuses for why Purdue doesn't succeed with regularity, but I'm trying to offer a solution that will allow my alma mater to do so.

Traditional powerhouse programs have coaching trees with deep roots.  If they want to rectify a problem, they can often look within their own ranks...I don't think Purdue can say that.  Even if Purdue wants to go back a few decades for advice and help on a change of direction, there just aren't many options that have the resume that garners respect.

This might be why Purdue is in the shape it is right now.  From what we understand, Tiller and a committee of ex-players and coaches helped Burke decide on Hope as the coach of the program in 2009.  But Purdue's philosophy wasn't the only hinderance, obviously...the boss was a factor as well.

We've talked about what we think of Burke's philosophy for his athletic department ad nauseam...so we're not going to rehash that here.  Burke answers to the President of the university and the board of trustees.  This cabal has never made championships their number one priority.  I'd wager a guess that championships are actually pretty far down on their list.  But Purdue is what it is because of these pillars...and like the columns of the Parthenon, these aren't budging either.  So as fans, alums and boosters, we all have to strive to change the culture within these parameters.

I had the chance to speak to a parent of an ex-Purdue football player...and he presented a solution that might change the trajectory of the football program: the next coach needs a mentor.

This idea works well in business and the sports world alike...but Danny Hope and most Purdue coaches before him haven't had anything like this while trying to build their program.  Who can Hope go to as things get out of control? Burke hasn't given him the budget to hire assistant coaches with a ton of experience, and, outside of Joe Tiller, there aren't many coaches within the Purdue family that could/would present ideas and critiques...The next guy, whether it's Doeren, Kingsbury, Dykes, Helfrich, Sumlin (one can dream) or someone else, should be given the tools to succeed...and one of the most cost-effective ways of finding success might be a Director of Football Operations.

(That's right Mr. Burke, I said cost-effective...listen up, won't you?)

This Director could be a CEO-type of guy. He wouldn't need to recruit, he wouldn't need to be on the sidelines on game day...heck, he wouldn't even have to be on campus most days. I'd see this guy having an office that was occupied a few days/month...and he'd also have great seats for each game in a comfy glass-walled box.  His responsibilities would be simple, but significant: offer guidance and expertise based on a wealth of knowledge that few could counter and fewer can match.  Purdue couldn't afford to pay him what a head coach would make, but would help lessen his load by flying him in and out of West Lafayette with one of the university's planes.

The ideal candidate would either be out of football in retirement or would be out of football due to unusual circumstances...but still wanted to be involved in the sport.  Here are a few that might fit the bill:


Jim Tressel
I wouldn't want him running the program, but I do believe his attention to detail and understanding of the game would help about any head football coach.  Mentioning his name to recruits surely wouldn't hurt either. Plus, we know he's willing to take lower-paying jobs as he was a paid consultant for the Indianapolis Colts in 2011...Midwestern guy.

Bill Cowher
Cowher has a job in broadcasting that pays him well...he could keep that job and take this one as well. He understands organization and is a winner.

Tony Dungy
A guy of high character who is also a tremendous motivator.  He has heavy connections to Indianapolis, another form of income as a broadcaster and is humble, but extremely successful.

Bobby Bowden
He's intentionally stayed away from FSU as to not overshadow Jimbo Fisher...he's the winningest coach of all time and he's still a knowledgeable football guy.

Dick Vermeil
Knows how to change mentalities for teams...ridiculously-deep resume...retired, well-respected, lives in the Midwest.

Phil Fulmer
Currently an analyst, but has expressed interest in getting back into football.

Jon Gruden
He's a perpetual top candidate for every job that comes up...but very few entities, pro or college, are willing to match his hefty MNF salary.  By taking the position with Purdue, he could still be a broadcaster, but would be able to get directly back into football...which he's said he hasn't ruled out.


Joe Tiller
Not nearly as successful as many on the list, but a tremendous judge of talent and, as we eluded to above, he's the winningest Purdue football coach ever.  If nothing else, he understands the job.

Coach Tiller Thinks About A Comeback

Grass don't grow on a busy street!

Oh, did that headline get you excited? Or worried?

Turns out, Cliff at Indy Sports Legends wrote a piece on how Joe Tiller thinks about coming back quite a bit, but then remembers how tired and disinterested he was by the end of his time at Purdue. Only he doesn't quite use those words.

Tiller is 69 now and is loving the life of a retiree, traveling the country, fishing, eating waffles at the local diner in Wyoming and, of course, giving his analysis on the Big Ten Network. And why wouldn't he? He probably enjoys reminding DiNardo and Mason that he's the reason they are in a studio now and not on a sideline. Who wouldn't enjoy that?

Tiller also thinks Coach Hope is doing a good job, so we'll know how his vote is cast when we set up our next Hope Satisfaction Poll sometime after Purdue's first hard-to-stomach loss in the fall.

Joe Tiller Fears Change and Good Football Teams

For those who didn't see it, our old pal Joe Tiller weighed in with his disconnected, fearful-sounding opinion on Big Ten expansion and, specifically, what the addition of Nebraska does to Purdue.

"You're adding an elite program that Purdue can't match from a financial point of view, and I don't care what the revenue sharing says," said Tiller, the program's all-time winningest coach who retired following the 2008 season.

It comes back to fannies in the seats, ability to generate money outside of gate receipts with alumni and friends of the university. Purdue doesn't have the same ability that Nebraska has.

In my candid opinion, it moves Purdue down a notch."

Fantastic! Thanks for the downer opinion, Coach! Thanks for finding a turd in the punchbowl!

Joe doesn't care what the revenue sharing says! He can see a financial loss all the way from his Wyoming porch rocking chair! Dag-nabbit, those Nebraska fans are trouble, I tell ya!

I also simply don't get the second paragraph of the quote. So Purdue can't generate as much from alums for their athletic programs as Nebraska can? Okaaaay, so what? So the increased revenues Purdue will see as the conference expands and can now have a title game aren't a good thing? Why? Because Nebraska sells out a lot? I fail to make the connection here.

It may move Purdue "down a notch" in the standings if Nebraska football continues their current trend of improving, but let's continue to keep in mind that this is not 1995 Nebraska football. They had a good year last year, but had fallen into disarray just a couple of years ago.

And even if you buy's Curmudgeonly Joe's stance on this, what about other big-time sports, such as basketball? One could argue Nebraska's weak-sister hoops program suffers by joining a better basketball conference than the Big 12, right? Is this microphone on? *tap tap*

Also, is this a dig at Purdue fans/alums who sell off their tickets to opponent fans?

"Very hard to get a seat there. It's always sold out," Tiller said of Memorial Stadium, which has sold out every game since 1962. "Nebraska people are fiercely loyal and unlike other institutions, it's hard to buy a ticket from a Nebraska fan."

Zing, John Purdue Club members! Suck on that!

Seriously, though, what's the point of Joe's commenting on this? Does Gene Keady do these kinds of things? No, he does not. He just visibly supports the program and stays out of it.

These kinds of comments reminded us of the reasons we were ready to see Cowboy Joe go. He was a breath of fresh air in 1997 for a program that desperately needed it. And we'll never forget what he did for us as fans/alums and for guys like Drew Brees. But this defeatist mentality and negative commentary is something we do not need.

So, thanks, Joe, but please keep your macabre comments to yourself. We've moved on. You should, too.

Joe Tiller, Game Changer?

Was this man partially responsible for changing the game?

This is a bit off the current topics of the season, but since it's Super Bowl week, I thought it might be appropriate. I was listening to the radio today and every radio show in America is being done from "radio row" at the Super Bowl and Tiki Barber was on. He was discussing the current state of the game and, of course, the upcoming game this weekend. And a point he made really resonated with me and made me wonder if it was possible that Joe Tiller had some hand in changing the way the game of football is played....nationwide.

Tiki was discussing the Super Bowl combatants and he commented on how Indy's rushing offense is 29th in the league -- and how that doesn't matter at all, because of how surgical Peyton Manning is. Fair point. He went on to talk about how the position of running back is quickly becoming less relevant to the point where he expects it to soon be less relevant than ever. This is because everyone runs some variation of the spread offense and bubble screens and quick outs and slants -- when done precisely -- are just as effective as a first down run play that used to be the bread-and-butter of every offense out there. You always ran on first down unless you were some wild-ass, Bill Walsh offense. And he was considered kind of kooky when he first ran it in the NFL.

So yes, the West Coast offense existed -- and succeeded -- for a number years, starting with those '80s Forty-Niners teams. But it's safe to say everyone else mainly relied on the tried and true method of success (and the "conventional wisdom" of many football lifers): run on first down, run on second down, maybe pass on third down. Oh, and the quarterback spent almost all of his time under center. The shotgun was a gimmick, sort of, and something that good defenses felt they could use to their advantage because it was almost always a sign of a sure passing down.

Then something funny happened over the past ten years or so. Spread offenses took over. They say football is a "copycat" sport (see the ridiculous proliferation of the dumb-ass, 1940s Wildcat offense) and so as spread offenses began to succeed more, more teams began to institute them. This spread (no pun intended) like wildfire, burning through the college ranks and down to high school, to the point where the guy currently referred to as maybe the best college football player ever can't get comfortable taking a snap from center. Crazy.

Joe Tiller came to Purdue in 1997 and immediately implemented a spread offense, infamously called "basketball on grass," a term that is still used by know-nothing commentators today, even when Purdue is running more plays on the ground than in the air. But think back -- Cowboy Joe's system in 1997 was a lot more revolutionary than it would be in 2010. Now, everybody runs a version of the spread. In 1997, approximately zero Big Ten teams ran such an offense. For years (up until his retirement, in fact), Tiller was cited as the reason that the Big Ten's offensive statistics and approach changed. Tiller began passing on first down and frequently "using the pass to set up the pass." We all loved it, of course, because it completely baffled Big Ten defenses (remember, that 1997 team was coming off a 3-8 1996 and didn't even really have the personnel for such an offense) and allowed the Boilers to race to a 9-win season. It was amazing.

Before long, more offenses in the Big Ten opened it up, as did many offenses around the country at that time. Just prior to that, what kinds of teams won national titles in college football? Teams like Nebraska, running the effing OPTION. Now what kinds of teams win it? Teams like Florida and Alabama and USC. Sure, they're not all overly pass-happy teams, but the threat of their passing attack is one of the keys to making them successful. Nebraska used to win titles with quarterbacks who had no business even being referred to as quarterbacks.

Whereas winning Super Bowls at the NFL level used to be done with running game and crushing defense, the St. Louis Rams of '99-'01 showed that you could be very successful (and win a Super Bowl) by passing the sh-t out of the ball and playing defense once in a while. The Rams did what nobody had ever been able to do -- outscore everyone.

So the question I ask you is this: Did Joe Tiller play some significant role in changing the way the game is played? Clearly, I'm not silly enough to think he was the cause, but is it fair to say that what he brought to the Big Ten helped make the pass-happy, spread approach more mainstream?

Well, the 29th-best rushing team in the NFL is playing against Joe Tiller's first big recruit and the man who ran his offense better than anyone.

BREAKING NEWS: Joe Tiller Talks To An Interwebnetter

Okay, okay, so it's not all that breaking. But you may recall, Joe doesn't think too highly of the series of tubes.

Anyway, he must have softened in retirement, as he did a Q&A with Illini HQ. (Who wants to tell Joe he didn't coach Illinois? Nobody? Okay.)

Turns out, Joe Tiller thinks last year was "horrible." At least he admit it. And as Boilerdowd's brother said to us via email, "Having two head coaches on the same staff is not a good idea....There's a news flash."

Other tidbits include the fact that Joe's out landscaping, shooing deer off his new sod, trying to get his satellite dish hooked up to the RV so he can watch the Big Ten Network on the road, and planning a couple of visits to Purdue this year, starting with this weekend.

There's also a feeling among at least one of your BS staff that Cowboy Joe may be coaching somewhere next year. We'll see.

Enjoy.

A Lot to learn

I'll be honest- I don't know what's going to happen in '09 to Purdue's football team. A lot has changed...and the coaching staff and players both have a lot to learn before they can be considered a cohesive unit.

At the same time, we as fans have a lot to learn about what type of football will be played, offensively and defensively, what type of mentality this team has and who is going to rise to the occasion as opportunity presents itself to a slew of new players who will be starters or in the two-deeps for the first time in their careers.

There are a few people out there, myself included, who have thought of the parallels with Tiller's first season that we're going to see in Hope's first campaign.

-The starting quarterback will likely be a Senior who is coming off of a shoulder injury. In 1997, it was Dicken, this time, it's Elliott...both had rotator cuff injuries.

-Last season's team finished near the bottom of the conference with just four wins. The 1996 team did too, with just three wins.

-In 1997, expectations were that Purdue would finish near the bottom of the Big Ten, it's once again the case in 2009.

It seemed pretty bleak then, and it has that feel now. But there are some differences that are noteworthy, some are positive, others are negative.

-Billy Dicken had started a few games at QB...and at DB before his final year in West Lafayette. Joey Elliott has not started a game.

-Tiller's coaching staff was nearly completely in-tact coming from Wyoming. Hope's staff is a bit of a patchwork of Tiller guys, EKU and some transplants from other programs still.

-Tiller's hire came with very few votes of confidence within the Purdue family. Conversely, players like Rosey Colvin, Drew Brees, Matt Light and others seem to think Hope is exactly the right guy for the Purdue football program.

A few friends of mine are already cynical because of the age of Hope's coordinators and the fact that Hope's teams at EKU were never great...they're bothered that so much is being asked of so many underclassmen and that so many skilled players will be starting who have never done so before. All those things are true. But really, none of it can't be changed at this point. Furthermore, while there are parallels and contrasts to the last coaching transition, none of those matter either.

I think the best and fairest thing we can do is wait until we see the product on the field before we make our decision about this team and the level of success they might have. Give Hope, his players and coaches the chance to succeed or fail on the field of play before making a judgement call.

At this point we all have a lot to learn.

Holiday Greetings From Purdue Athletics

You know how sometimes you see a movie and it has such an amazing cast and you think to yourself, "Self, how did they get all those cool people into the same movie?"

Well, that's sort of happened here, as some of the most prominent figures in modern-day Purdue athletics managed to take time out of their busy schedules to perform a little holiday dance for you all. I'm not sure how long they worked on this, but the smart money says this is many hours of dedication. Inside sources say Boilerdowd is responsible for the choreography. Enjoy.

[Okay, screw the embedding. Let's try just a direct link -- for the (now too-built-up) hilarity, please click this link.]

Happy Holidays From Purdue Athletics.

Matty Painter seems to be particularly enjoying himself. Not sure why Brock wasn't willing to take off his headset.

Joe Tiller Train Crashing To A Halt This Weekend

Yes, yes, Joe, we know -- ten bowls in twelve seasons.

It's hard to believe it, but suddenly it's here -- we're careening quickly towards the end of the Joe Tiller Era at Purdue and in just five days, Joe T will coach his last game as head coach of the Boilermakers.

What do we do to mark such a truly mixed emotion event? Clearly, we have to say something... or a few things, as we'll try to do during the week. But we really are at a strange place right now. This is one of those anticlimatic times where you kind of feel like you want to give him a proper sendoff, but after the debacle the season -- and, some say, the program -- has become, many simply want him to be sent off. Period.

So what has Joe Tiller meant to you? I'm genuinely curious. I know there are Tiller defenders who, by and large, are loyal to the man to a fault. They will say nothing bad about him because of the darkness he brought the program out from. However, it's also hard to ignore the complete full-circle nature of Tiller's tenure at Purdue.

The 1996 season, just before Joe's arrival, saw the Boilermakers go 3-8 and finish up losing the bucket to a truly terrible Indiana squad. And here we are, just twelve short years later... and the Boilers are 3-8 and facing a truly terrible Indiana squad again this weekend.

You can certainly point out all the success Joe has brought to us, and yes, he can hang his hat on any number of things, including being the winningest football coach in Purdue history (though with a program history like ours, isn't that kind of like being the prettiest girl in Wisconsin?), having taken the Boilers to a BCS bowl game (2001 Rose Bowl), nine wins three times, eight wins another three times, and just generally making Purdue football relevant for a fairly decent period of time.

However, Joe's also had only one season when he lost fewer than four games -- and that was his 9-3 first season at Purdue. The last two seasons prior to this one were inexcusable whiffs on opportunities for ten-win seasons (something that has completely eluded Tiller), with 5 and 6 losses, with more cupcakes than a Boilerdowd birthday party.

Yes, we've been "spoiled," one could say, by having a quality product on the football field for the better part of a dozen years. But just because things got better doesn't mean we're not entitled to expect more success. Improving, by its very definition, means you continue to get better, and the Purdue football program, quite frankly, has not gotten better since about 2004. We've more than once mentioned that we firmly believe the 2004 Wisconsin game effectively ended the upward swing of the program under Tiller. Whether you agree or not, and no matter who you blame, it's a hard fact to deny. The program has never been the same, and those of us at BS tend to think that game irreversibly broke Tiller's spirit.

As Boilerdowd has said before, we think we'd love to have Joe Tiller as our neighbor. He seems like a nice man. And he definitely made the Purdue football program something to be proud of again, after years of true embarrassment. And for that, I know we all thank him.

As I asked though, what is YOUR take on ole' Cowboy Joe?

You know what else? He's a good team mate too!

You've heard us singing the praises of Purdue's quarterback of the future, Justin Siller...He has the ability to sense pressure as the pocket collapses...He can throw a wide array of passes...he can run the ball...and his ego doesn't reflect any of it.

While Curt's shoulder heels slowly and Tiller calls him a girl for not playing, the coach still isn't ready to say Siller is the starter. I'd love to give Coach Tiller some credit and say this is gamesmanship, but I don't think it is. I think Tiller feels loyalty to Curtis; and loyalty is a good thing, but Siller has earned the starting job (and Painter has lost it)...for the rest of the season.

When Siller was asked about his wishy-washy status as the starter, he responded,

"Curtis is a fifth-year quarterback and he's proven himself. I understand that if he's healthy Coach Tiller would go with him."

You know what? That's precisely the right thing to say in this situation. Much like Painter, Siller seems to be a very good team mate in the fact that he doesn't disparage his brothers-at-arms in public. Part of the reason might be the fact that Siller has been watching and learning for the past year...and I mean soaking it up. Every timeout during the '07 season, you could see #5 ducking his head into the Coaches' sideline meetings with Curtis. So, while his delivery might be a little unorthodox and Z says he has a lot to learn, he seems to be mentally prepared to lead our Boilers. It seems that right now, the kid can do no wrong...Let's hope this trend continues in East Lansing on Saturday. Whether it's another sterling performance or not, his time on the field is yet another learning opportunity.

I Don't Think Joe Tiller Reads Boiled Sports

I know, crazy talk, right? But I don't think he's paying attention to us. As evidence, let's take a look at this quote from today on ESPN.com's Big Ten "blog":

"I haven't heard anybody say, 'You've got to be crazy if you're not [starting Siller]!'" Tiller said. "Mind you, it's only Tuesday."

Ahem. Joe, you've got to be crazy if you're not starting Siller. Does that change anything?

Also from that same post:

Backup quarterback Justin Siller won Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors for his impressive performance against Michigan, but Painter's experience could be beneficial against No. 18 Michigan State.

Really? Beneficial how? You mean all his experience beating ranked teams? Because I think Siller guiding the Boilers to 48 points was beneficial and that sort of firepower might also be beneficial against Sparty.

Michigan Week -- Purdue Coaches Room

Coach Hope: Men, thanks for assembling. I know we're having fewer and fewer coaches meetings because A) the season is a loss and B) Coach Tiller is often very sleepy, so I genuinely appreciate you showing up. Here's the thing -- we have the maize and blue this week, who are also 2-6 and whom everyone is beating up on. We need to beat them. Brock, what do you think for this week's defensive game plan? You must have something up your sleeve.

Brock Spack:



Coach Hope: Ah, I see. You're truly a defensive wizard, Brock. But see, here's the thing -- we want to keep Coach Tiller in the dark on our opponent this week -- Shh! Don't say the name! -- because Joe is very... scared of this squad.

[Tiller begins to enter room]

Coach Legg Rock: You mean Michigan?

[Tiller freezes mid-stride, eyes widen]

Coach Hope: Dammit.

[Tiller runs from the room, grabbing Curtis Painter by the arm and fleeing]

Tiller: Come with me, Curtis! I'll save you, my little buckaroo!!

Purdue Takes Control!

Bench Celebrates another big play

In a race for the hotly-contested basement of the Big Ten, Purdue took a commanding lead. Placing space between themselves and IU, Michigan and Wisconsin, the Boilers were able to not score an offensive touchdown for the third time this season. Kory Sheets backed up last weeks talk by rushing for 73 yards and a fumble (inside the Gophers' 20). The passing game did its part as two Purdue QBs combined for an eye-popping 109 yards passing and an interception each. One of those was noteworthy as Senior Joe Whitest placed the ball on his shoulder and presented it to a Minnesota DB. Whitest commented, "Not everybody can fumble the ball...I got an opportunity to help, and I did my part. We have one goal this year, and we're all focused on that."

"The entire offense really wants this..." Curtis Painter said. He continued, "We're trying to do something that hasn't been done by a Purdue team since many of us were in pre-school..." The offensive line, now a patchwork bunch of players that have been moved around all season, all seem to know their role. Each time Painter or Siller received the snap, it seemed there was a Golden Gopher there to greet him. Purdue Senior Cory Benton said, "Coach Z had the perfect gameplan today...we're right in the position we want to be...We loved what we saw on both sides of the ball last week. Hopefully, the defense can get on the same page versus Michigan next week."

Much of the early season, the defense was razor-sharp earning an overall ranking in the 100s...Now, it seems, it's just not the case. Brock Spack said, "I have no idea what our linebackers and DBs are doing. I sent in the prevent nearly every down...and on other downs utilized the vaunted 5-2 that we used v. UND in the third quarter...But nobody was listening. From Ryan Baker stunting to Joe Holland persuing Minnesota's running backs, they just weren't executing. I feel like I've lost control of this unit." He continued, "I have no idea why Kerrigan intercepted that ball in the fourth. Thank God the offense and its play-calling was so crisp when it got back on the field."

Coach Tiller was his typical hilarious self during the press conference afterwords. "Justin Siller scrambled a lot today gaining big chunks of yards as the protection broke down. We'll work on keeping him stationary in the coming week. Let's just say he's got a long way to go."

"We're looking forward to seeing a healthy Curtis Painter versus Michigan...he doesn't do sh*t like that."

Purdue shot past both Michigan and IU to 11th place in the Big Ten Network's power rankings on the shoulders of its "Basketball on Acid" offense...and now holds a one-game lead on Wisconsin, IU and Michigan in the battle for the cellar of the conference (0-4, 2-6).

The Ross Ade Homecoming crowd of a MAC-esque 45,000 quiet fans ooohed and ahhhed at the preparedness of this Boiler squad. Senior in the school of Engineering, Ryan Van Lashen said this as he left the stadium (with 6:00 left in the fourth), "Not everybody was here during the '05 season...I was lucky enough to be in this student section that season too. So what we're watching is the culmination of four and a half seasons of thinking and playing right on the edge of poorly..."

He continued, "My older brother was here back when Brees played here- He never got to see this type of football. It's great because now I can talk to my Uncles about those great teams in the late-80s and early and mid-90s...I keep telling them, 'there's no way this team could beat the Purdue team from 1996'...I think everyone can see now that I was right."

Next up, Tiller's team faces a Michigan team that is playing the same type of football.

Tiller ended the presser saying, with a cigar in his mouth, "It's going to be my type of game- two poorly-prepared, finesse teams battling for 5-7 minutes and calling it quits after the first quarter...That's how we used to do it in the Mountain West."

A Typical Day For The Purdue Football Coaching Staff

[Joe Tiller enters room where assistants are already waiting and sits down.]


Tiller: Hello, men. Sorry I'm late. I was just talking to a satellite plate installer out in Wyoming. Can you believe what they can get on those plates now?

Danny Hope: Coach, I think you mean satellite “dish,” not “plate.”

Tiller: Fourteen kinds of porn! It's amazing.

Danny Hope: Um, well, coach, shouldn't we talk about the team?

Tiller: Oh, Danny, when you're head man you can do whatever the hell you want. But you're not. You're my underling for five more games. Plus the bowl.

[silence, Hope grits teeth]

Tiller: I'll tell you what. I think we should talk about the team. Here we are, 2-5. And I'll tell you what I want -- I want two trick plays for this weekend and I want them decided on in the next ten minutes.

Hope: Oh, I see, cool. You're giving the staff a time limit so that they bear down and focus. Good tactic.

Tiller: What about Tic Tacs? No, I have a frozen pizza in the oven and it only has twelve minutes left on it. And then I'm taking a nap and watching Captain Kangaroo.

Hope: I see.

Tiller: Brock! What do you have for me?

Spack:

Tiller: Same as usual, eh Brock?

Hope: Do you think Curtis could handle a flea flicker?

Tiller: A what?

Hope: [calls Curtis Painter up, tells him to come to coaches room]

Painter: What's up, coach?

Hope: Can you throw a flea flicker?

Painter: hmmmmm.....

......no, coach, I don’t throw fleas. I don’t even think that’s possible. I throw footballs.

Hope: [sighs] A flea flicker is where you hand off to Kory and then he tosses it back to you…

Painter: Oh.

Hope: …and you then look downfield and go through your progression, pick out the receiver, and let fly.

Painter: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. What’s a progression?


Tiller: That’s mah boy!

Hope: Curtis, it’s when you look at each receiver in the order of whom you’d like to throw to and decide on the best option.

Painter: Oh, right! I always just settle on the first guy. I’m that freaking good. I just laser it in there no matter what.

Hope: Yes, we know.

Painter: Watch me thrown a dead-accurate pass!

Hope: Hold on, let’s go to the aquatics center – I want to try something.

[at aquatics center]

Hope: Okay, Curtis, your target is there:

Curtis: [lets fly]

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

[ball sails over pool]

Hope: [sigh]

[back to coaches room]

Hope: Curtis, you need to work on your game.

Tiller: It’ll come around.

Hope: No, coach, it won’t. It’s more than halfway through his senior season – when do we begin to coach him?

Tiller: Do what now? I sure do like fly fishing. Curtis, you need to promise me you'll come visit in Wyoming and go fly fishing with me.

Painter: Of course, Coach. [looking at Hope] Look, I don’t need to be coached. I’m a Heisman candidate AND and a bowl-game MVP!

Hope: Argh. The bloggers you're afraid of are right, Joe. We have to do something about this team’s mindset and the culture we’re letting develop here.

Tiller: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Defend That, Tiller Defenders

Go ahead, you short-sighted, easily-pleased, easily-satisfied jacks. I dare you. Justify that performance and tell us again that we are out of line in questioning the preparation and coaching of this team. Do you think our talent is that bad? And even if it was... whose fault is bad talent? Perhaps those who recruit them? Nahhhhh, can't be Joe's fault! He's a good guy!

Whose fault is it when the team gets steamrolled, yet again, only this time by a team with not nearly the talent of a PSU or an OSU? We were told to lighten up. We were asked things like, "Did you really expect them to beat OSU/PSU?"

While that pussy mentality many Purdue "supporters" exhibit is inexcusable in itself (yes, I do think we should be beating those teams... sometimes), let's for sake of argument accept it. It's ludicrous, but okay.... poor old Joe. He just wants to retire and go fishing. We can't expect him to compete against the class of the conference! Not even at home! So okay, then, what's the excuse this week? Come on, I want to hear it. What's the reason that we shouldn't be coming down on the program -- and specifically, the coaches -- this week?

Do you find this acceptable? Or do you think Joe has "earned" this? I've heard that phrase a lot. He's "earned" the right to go out how he wants. Folks, he already went out. He's gone. Today's game was just one more indication of that.

And nobody earns the right to torpedo a program, no matter what he's done for it. Sorry, I don't agree. I'm f-cking furious and you should be, too. This is embarrassing. No, not that we lost to Northwestern on the road... but once again, it's HOW this team loses. Giving up 48 points?? To that team? All due respect to the Purple Warriors, but they still haven't played much of anybody and the one team they did play (and who beat them -- MSU) is getting dump-trucked by OSU as I write this. So why do the Boilers put up another listless performance?

Because the team has given up. I don't want to hear specific guys pointed out that you think were playing hard.... it doesn't matter. Overall, the team is seeing the record and the effort being put in from the top down -- and hearing the comments about the limitations of how good they can be -- and they're checking out.

As Tim says below, look at the way Matt Painter runs things and contrast that fire to the lazy-ass, disinterested, unemotional way Tiller is running things. And then he has the audacity to say those who would dare to question him are "low IQ." You want to talk about a lack of class, there it is.

Once again, I do appreciate what Joe did to put Purdue football on the map and to turn around a dormant and long-dismal program.

HOWEVER... This is unacceptable. I am pissed and disgusted. And you Tiller apologists should be, too. This is nothing to be proud of.

Don't Tell Me This is the Same Ole Joe

Everytime I express my discontent with the current state of Purdue football, I'm reminded by some of the old guys around me that you simply have to respect all he's done for Purdue football.

I do.

Please don't get that wrong.

But, it's been time for him to go for a while now...and his chosen ending is wearing out all leniency that the fan base had. The high standards that Joe created have crept into the consciousness of the average Purdue fan...so what we're seeing and hearing is not acceptable.

This is what Coach Tiller said in the wake of this week's loss to aOSU:

"We live in a result-oriented society," Tiller said. "To me, the effort is more important than the results. My measuring stick is the type of effort we give. Where you're at is less significant. It's, how'd ya get there?"

That doesn't sound like an old football coach from Ohio talking...that sounds like a 40-something year old teacher from California. The transformation from cowboy to creampuff has been noteworthy. He talks about fishing more than football and his mind and attention has moved from West Lafayette to Wyoming. I don't blame him, but I am simply pissed that he's held the fanbase hostage instead of simply stepping down. Hope's recruiting efforts reflect that the transition is far from smooth and the results on the field show that Tiller really does think that results are not imperative.

Compare and contrast the above quote to this...another quote from the same man back in late November of 1996:

"We're not going to wait for four years to figure this out. If I would wait four more years, I would hardly have any hair left. We're here to win a championship. We've won in the past, and we will win again in the future."

And just the same, as Tiller's time at Purdue dwindles like the sunlight reflecting on a rolling stream in Wyoming in the late afternoon, Danny Hope should act, speak and coach in a way that shows he expects nothing less than championship-caliber football once again in West Lafayette. That's on of the things we can all take from Cowboy Joe Tiller as Purdue's football coach.

Point/Counterpoint: aOSU v Purdue (11 Warriors sounds off)

(Special Thanks to 11 Warriors' Jason for contributing)

Greetings Boilers. I am here to provide you with a blueprint to getting your team into a position to steal the game in Columbus.

As with any fan that's watched entirely too much football, I've come to know what weaknesses there might exist on each side of the ball for the Buckeyes. These are those weaknesses

WHEN PURDUE HAS THE BALL Sheets has had an excellent season and he'll get his here and there. But where Purdue really has a chance to do some damage is attacking the middle of the OSU secondary. I know Painter is off to a rocky start, but you don't put up his career numbers if you're crap. If he can get it going this game and and the line can protect long enough, Orton, Tardy and Smith all have the size to work in the middle of the field where the Buckeye safeties hit better than they cover.
The key to doing this is establishing some semblance of a rushing threat so Laurinaitis and the linebackers get sucked up a little. USC was able to do it with ease, Troy got scored their lone touchdown by throwing over the middle and Wisconsin took advantage of the Buckeye safeties with throw to the deep middle to put themselves in position for a field goal at the end of the first half. Avoid the sidelines, because the corners are good, but the middle of the field is there.

WHEN OHIO STATE HAS THE BALL Pryor and Wells are going to make plays. Your best bet is to try to limit their damage and then when you can, put the team in down and distance holes by blitzing Pryor on early downs. After the opening two drives in Madison, when he seemed to move the ball at will, the Badgers decided to come after Pryor a bit and got him several times. He doesn't have any type of serious rapport with any one receiver yet, so the time is ripe to be able to pull this off. He's also shown a weakness for trying to create when there's absolutely nothing there -- often losing gigantic chunks of yardage in the process.

The option and Pryor's passing game will only continue to improve, but right now in his career, he's still prone to making the types of mistakes that take the team out of scoring position.

Here's what I think:
Excellent analysis, Jason. It's almost like you watch film and spend hours thinking about ways of helping your team better itself. Sadly, Purdue's coaching staff doesn't do that too much...But, if they do, say come out strong versus an opponent, they surely will not make adjustments at halftime as I'm convinced they believe, by rule, a team must stay in a scheme for an entire contest. If Purdue does what you suggest, and succeeds, look for the vest to make adjustments at the quarter or half and Purdue to do nothing to counter...thus, the Bucks will run away in the final two quarters.

I tend to agree with you about Painter- he's no schmo...but he sure has played like one lately. Purdue has no threat of the deep ball, whether on the sideline or in the middle. In fact, there's only been one pass completed for more than 40 yards on the season...and that was v. Northern Colorado. Plus, Painter's achilles heel has always been throwing into the middle of the field.

The starting premise that Sheets will get yards in chunks might be harder to come by than you think too as Tiller and Z seem to think the draw is the smartest running play they can run with the undersized back and the underwhelming run-blocking line...Sweeps and delays seemed to have worked well...but you won't see too many of those. If you do, Sheets will get his yards.

Defensively, Purdue almost never blitzes...it works too well when they do. Instead, they apply a super-slow collapsing pocket that gives opposing quarterbacks the option to run as it breaks down or pick the place to pass (usually in the middle due to poor LB pass coverage). Purdue's team is not untalented or horribly slow or undersized, but they are absolutely poorly coached and underprepared...not to mention emotionally dead in most games. Nice combo.

Joe Is Curious; Curtis Thinks We're Doing Things Well

Sure, we're now hypersensitive to everything and we're downright pissed off about this season, this coaching staff, the fact that I ordered cheese fries at Ross-Ade last weekend and the guy filled the cup of fries to the brim with cheese and then gave me a blank stare when I asked if they had forks... I'm telling you, everything sucks right now.

I then read this story on ESPN.com about how Tiller is becoming impatient with Curtis. Fine, let's see what they say.

First, I like that ESPN bylines it with "INDIANAPOLIS" -- probably where they think Purdue is, or, more likely, they figure it's the only city in Indiana.

Anyway, it's a typical Purdue article -- we don't know what happened! (Hint: 3-stars often lose to 5-stars.) And it's getting old to see the coach completely clueless. Coaches are supposed to have answers, solutions, plans.... something. Being curious and wondering when everything will sort itself out is something that WE can f-cking do!

Joe?

"I don't think you can put your finger on one thing and say, well, he's [Painter] not doing this. He's doing what's being asked of him."

Maybe you need to be asking him to go through a progression rather than staring down one receiver and then firing a laser at knock-down-able heighth.

Painter knows he needs to deal with Tiller's most significant gripe, accuracy on the deep ball. Ironically, Painter took over for Brandon Kirsch in 2005 because Kirsch struggled to connect on long throws.

"I don't know that there's a solution," Painter said. "Just keep practicing, keep going for them. Sooner or later, you'll hit those."

Yes, much like chipping golf balls at a bucket, you should just keep sailing them out there... eventually, one might land where it's supposed to. Law of averages, right?

Joe must have then been asked about Painter on the road, against a ranked opponent, in a place where Purdue would have trouble winning if OSU had only 8 players on the field... so what's Joe's approach?

"You know, I'll be curious," Tiller said. "I'm like you guys. I want to see how he snaps back from this. I think that will give us an indication of where he's headed in the future and where we're headed."

*sigh*

No, Joe, you're not like us guys. You're the head effing football coach. You are supposed to have a plan to deal with things. For F's sake, just say you have a plan of attack! Say you're going to "try some new things." Do something to make us believe you're not just playing out the string. Make us fricking believe. We so desperately want to believe.

Meanwhile, Curtis is drinking kool-aid:

Painter said the Boilermakers aren't far from having the kind of potent offense their fans are used to.

"We've lost a few games, and we feel like we should have been in them a little bit more than we were," he said. "We're doing things well. I think we're just close. Hopefully we'll click soon."

Wait, I'm sorry.... we're....doing....things.....................well?

Sorry, I almost vomited a little bit there. It was hard to even type it. If Curtis thinks we're doing things well, then... well.... we're as screwed as we thought.

Monday Shravesty Report

First, the very good news- Sheets sounds like he'll be OK. All that happened was his shoulder fell out of socket again. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this something that happens more and more once it occurs? I hope Kory can hold it together and finish his college career as this season has started.

On a much worse note, Frank Duong will probably be out next game with a strained MCL. Is it coincidence that as Frank went down, so did the defense, Saturday? I think not. Duong is part of Spack's master plan- base your entire defense's ability to stop the run on a 5'7" ex-walk-on Safety. I like Duong and see him as extremely important to this defense as the linebackers simply haven't performed. If only we had a defensive coach who played LB in college to give them some pointers...

To beat this rotting dead horse once more- Is he honestly going to tell me that this defense is "close" again? The linebackers are the worst part of the defense (the position he coaches, by the way) and the rest of the team isn't far behind in their ability to be out of position time and time again. While stats don't tell the whole story, Purdue, once again is in the cellar nationally as a defense. The honor of being one of the worst defenses in the land left this team last year as they landed firmly in the 50s...Now they're back to where they were in '06. Yippee! A few years ago, Tiller and Co. blamed injuries...they of course learned their lesson by not preparing no one except one the one-deeps at LB in '08. So when Werner went down, so did the defense. I don't blame Werner and his back for any of this and don't see him as a savior. He's a good, untested player...the system is seriously injured.

Anyone who still thinks this should have been Spack's job in '09 is either:
-heavily impaired
OR
-has the last name of Spack

All that said, the systemic issues that are deep in the brains of those in the program can be traced to the very top.

I'm not blindly optimistic...But I'll be cheering for my alma mater as this season continues on; hoping for the best, but only believing what my eyes keep telling me...

Damnit, prove me wrong.