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.

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.

"I think it needed an energy level that I had run out of, quite frankly"

Coach Tiller has been in West Lafayette the past few days and talked to the guys at GBI about retirement last night.

Not many surprises in the article. The Coach says he's staying busy around the house as his wife has him getting the place into order (it was just built last year). He's been on vacation a few times (I don't know if you can call it vacation, at this point) and is still thinking about Purdue football from time-to-time.

He likes Joey Elliot and compares him to Billy Dicken...likes Ryan Kerrigan and compares him, favorably to Rosey Colvin...and likes Keith Smith (whom we recently learned was suffering from a separated shoulder in '08) and compares him to Brian Alford. I think his point is that the tools are there for Purdue have a winning season a la 1997.

I'm not sure if this Purdue team has the talent that was left by Colletto, but both Colletto and Tiller seemed uninspired toward the end of their respective tenures at Purdue. Unlike Colletto, who attributed many of Purdue's losses in '96 to the players lining up incorrectly, Tiller admits his energy level wasn't cutting it-

"I think it needed an energy level that I had run out of, quite frankly...I don't function at the same speed that I did 12 years ago when I first showed up. I thought this program needed an injection of energy and he brings that to the table."

And not many do. Guys like Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden don't come along everyday...in coaching or in other industry. At 65, it's a lot harder to be a hard-charger than it is at 55. And unlike some other jobs, coaching simply demands a ton of hustle EVERY day and is demanding both mentally and physically.

I've said it before and I'll say it again- I'm appreciative for what Joe Tiller did for Purdue...but I wish he had decided to step down a season or three earlier. Much like Gene Keady, he nearly completely toppled the system and program that he and his coaches had worked so hard to build. But he's deserving of accolades and awards (like the Distinguished American Award he received last night) because of what he did at Purdue as head coach and before during his coaching career. Plus, he still seems like a pretty good guy. But like Coach Tiller 13 years ago, many are excited to see if Danny Hope can match Tiller's ability to right a listing ship. He'll be at the Northern Illinois and UND games next fall at Ross Ade to find out in person.

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.

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.

Joe's Genius

Yesterday, Tiller was asked why Justin Siller didn't play v. aOSU. He responded, "It just didn't fit what we were doing."

Well, here's what they were doing:
26 Rush
70 Yds.
2.7 yds/carry

Last year, we heard how important a second back was in a rotation...This year, we've seen a steady diet of draws and isos that don't utilize Sheets' speed ad nauseum with Sheets only getting brief breathers.

So now, Kory Sheets, who couldn't carry the ball more than 15-20 times/game doesn't need help at RB...and Joe honestly telling me that Siller, who according to Tiller himself will be an all-time great at Purdue, couldn't get 2.7 yds/carry last Saturday? Who am I to question...

Don't get me started about Halliburton and Dierking- both seem to be able to tackle awfully well during their downs on Special Teams, yet, during all of the shuffling and problems at LB, not a thought was given to moving Frank to LB? He played the position in high school...now, he's languishing as the third or fourth option at RB...and at FB, he's not being used in favor of a defensive lineman (by the way, Tiller called both he and crank the best FBs during his career at Purdue during the '07 camp), who probably should have been a FB the whole time, since that was his natural position out of high school.

Some More Tiller-isms
On one hand, you have Joe Tiller who seems to be loyal-to-a-fault to his Senior quarterback...the same QB that's led the Purdue offense to less than a touchdown a game. Tiller has always favored giving guys that have earned playing time that which they deserve.

Well, coming into this season, one of Purdue's receivers had sat on the bench behind a 4-year starter and quietly done his job whenever asked to do so. He returned kicks, played special teams and played receiver when Bryant came out of the game. Furthermore, he did a great job capitalizing on the limited playing time as he had three touchdowns in limited action in '07.

This year in camp, Desmond Tardy, the player mentioned above had been placed as the number two slot receiver behind Keith Smith...Smith's size and athleticism, according to Tiller, earned him the #1 spot coming into '08...Where was Tiller's loyalty then?

OK, OK, maybe Smith was just a better player and Tiller's eagle eye for talent saw that Tardy just wouldn't be that productive. Well, after 6 games, Tardy leads the team in yds/gm and receiving touchdowns...and Tardy is the starter.

Tardy not only deserves to be starting according to the numbers, but also, according to Tiller's inconsistent Seniority system which comes and goes as Joe sees fit. There never should have been any doubt where Tardy should be.

They Are Who We Thought They Were (OSU wrap)

Coach Rock: "See, Curtis, a progression is what we call it when you look at multiple receivers instead of staring down one guy starting from the snap count until you fire it at him.

Curtis: "Hold on...pro-what-now?"

Sorry to use a hoary cliched line that ESPN would use (thanks, Dennis Green), but it's kind of appropriate here. The Boilers are, as we've said before, nothing if not predictable. Sure, sometimes they throw a little variety into the way they consistently lose to ranked opponents -- such as, you know, inspired defensive efforts and sudden impotence on offense -- but in the end, they're still our Boilermakers.

Random thought: I especially enjoyed the caption on this photograph -- Curtis Painter "throws for yardage." As opposed to, you know, throwing for cookies or throwing for a hamburger or something.

Anyway, I have to admit, I am less "down" on the team right now... not because I'm not still disgusted with the team and the coaching staff, but because for two weeks now, the defense has come to play. And they've come to play hard... despite everyone in the stadium knowing there was a loss coming. I think it says a lot that these guys are continuing to compete. Last week's defensive effort against Penn State looks even more significant now after seeing how badly Penn State dismantled Wisconsin, at Wisconsin this weekend.

But the frustration continues and, as I said, it's always in new ways!

Amazingly, Brock Spack has gotten good game plans together and, frankly, these game plans have been MORE than good enough. I hold Brock completely unaccountable and normally I think he's the problem. This offense, as Peyton says, is offensive.

What the hell? That's about all I can say. I watched, sadly, most of this game -- yes, I wasn't able to pull myself away as Boilerdowd and Travis were able to do. No, as I heard on my XM Radio that the Boilers defense was hanging tough, I had a shred of hope that maybe something could happen.... something like an interception, a fumble, a punt block. Oh, no, that's right, that's what OSU did.

But even if they hadn't gotten that blocked punt, we'd still have lost 9-3, thanks to our poor offense. And I don't know where to turn at this point. I just need one of you to hold me and tell me everything is going to be alright.

Where's the Joe Tiller of 1997? Where's a trick play or two? Where's a consistent offensive scheme? Or is it not the play-calling? I mean, I don't think the play-calling, honestly, was all that bad. It was the execution.... and as we've discussed, that goes back to preparation and practicing. And as commenter dozer pointed out in the comments of the below post, even Kory Sheets is now leaking comments about how practice is where it all starts.

I don't know where we go from here, but as some have pointed out, we might not have expected to win against PSU or OSU anyway, even if we were having a good season. But, again, the frustrating part is that if we had the offense we've had in recent years -- that is, if we could hit on a couple of deep balls per game -- we might well have not only been in those games... we could have -GASP- won those games. I know, it's crazy talk... but what can we possibly expect when we score 9 points combined in two games? And not only that, if someone had told you we'd allow 36 points combined to PSU and OSU, wouldn't you have thought to youself, "Self, we might go 1-1 in those games"? I think you might have thought that. I know I would have.

So where do we go from here? Well, we hope that the defensive unit continues their inspired play and perhaps creates a few turnovers in the coming games (yes, I'm asking for even more from them) and the offense returns from their midseason hibernation slumber. There are indeed winnable games coming up, with the next three @ Northwestern, vs. Minny, and vs. Michigan. No, I'm not saying we should be favored in any of those games. But if we can keep it close against some of the nation's elite, then we should be able to also hang with -- and, frankly, beat -- these teams.

Thanks for the comments in the post down below from during and after the game. You guys rule. It's making me consider doing a "live blog," as overdone as that has now become in the blogosphere. But I think you guys would make it fun.

Anyway, your thoughts are, as always, welcome.

Final Scrimmage- "We are going to have a good defense."

Maybe it's just because he's intoxicated on thoughts of his home in Wyoming being less than a year away, but in his last season at the helm, Joe Tiller surely isn't following his own advice about managing expectations...at least on the defensive side of the ball.

"As I have said all camp, I like the way our defense runs to the ball, and that continued today," Tiller said. "I thought we came out ready to go defensively and made some plays. We are going to have a good defense."

Unlike the last scrimmage, the offense scored with more regularity, with the story, statistically being the running game seemed to dominate the play-calling. Ex-QB Siller had the most carries and the most yards (right around 6 yds/carry), but Bolden and Dierking both averaged around 8 yds/carry.

Vlad Tiller is still controlling the info coming out of camp, so we don't know the situations (ones, twos, types of plays, etc.) in which the yards were accrued, so it's hard to judge anything...But Brandon Whittington and Kieth Smith both had nearly 100 yards receiving and a lot of grabs while Orton didn't seem to be noteworthy. Painter completed nearly 70% of his passes w/ 260+ yards...and Elliot was just over 50% for 155 yds.

Honestly, I don't think these stats are worth too much, but the quote about the defense, to me is very interesting.

Tiller Love Fest in Chi-Town

Today was media day up in Chicago. So, coach Tiller put on a golf shirt, packed up the station wagon, and took Greg Orton, Anthony Heygood, Curtis Painter North a few hours for a dog and pony show.

In most years, the talk will revolve around the potential Heisman candidate player or a coach that had a surprising, exceptional season the previous year or new players and coaches alike. This year though, nearly every coach was asked at least one question about Joe Tiller...You know- How did you meet Joe? -Where was your first kiss with Joe? -Do you think he's more handsome with or without the big sun hat that he wears away from gameday? Important, hard-hitting stuff. Talk also focused on JoePa's future in Happy Valley.
Paterno delighted and entertained the press crowd with an assortment of "ehhhhhs", "ahhhhs", inadvertant gas-passing and other old guy-isms. But, like a seasoned politician, Paterno never really answered any of the questions directly about his future at the program that he first started coaching in the late 1890s.
Tiller himself answered questions about fishing, his successor and his the state of the team that he'll be leaving at the end of the season. One point of interest, at least to this knucklehead, was the fact that Tiller blames the poor view of the Big Ten on people like J, Tim and I. I guess EspN's lemmings constantly bashing on the Big Ten doesn't matter, but sites like BS, with a readership in the hundreds are really hurting the perception of the league. Rrrrrright.

Another thing Tiller talked about was Wyoming...Ahhhh, Wyoming. The air's a bit sweeter there, the rivers flow with golden honey and are stocked with steelhead that jump right into your boat, and when it rains, monarch butterflies and lilacs fall softly from the sky. It's a pretty great place- we get the point. Like most years, Purdue's head man has spent the three weeks prior to the Big Ten presser away from campus. Oh, I know what you're thinking- I'm sure Tressel has a place in Montana where he lives the majority of the summer...Wait, no he doesn't, he's in Columbus or at speaking arrangements in the state like nine of the other coaches in the league. Hey, I'm just saying.

While I can't say I blame him for wanting to take it easy, I can say that it's probably not the best way for a CEO to lead. The tireless efforts and general hustle from Purdue's basketball coach is a refreshing departure from Wyoming Joe's way of running his ship. I've said it before, I'd probably love Coach Tiller as a neighbor...But I am pretty happy he's decided to follow his heart back West. He knows it's time, so do we. That said, even if he's not as excited about football as he used to be, I'm still excited to see what his team looks like in the first Saturday of September.

Recruiting Notes
While much of the Big Ten, and major programs elsewhere have 10-15 verbal committments at this point, Purdue only has three. But, they're in the final five schools for a bunch of kids- hopefully half of these four or high-three-star guys can end up in West Lafayette.

All three of the verbals are Florida kids- all three seem to be very athletic, but each seems to have an asterisk of sorts that is keeping interest in each player low.

-Aristide is coming off of a knee injury
-Bush has some academic questions
-Henry's only played QB for one season

As the old adage says, "It's not how you start, but how you finish..." That's true, but if signs of life don't start coming in the form of some August verbals, Coach Hope may have trouble filling his first class with Big Ten-type talent.