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.

Justin Siller Even Helping Recruiting Already

According to BoilerStation.com, Chris Quinn has committed to join the Boilermakers 2009 recruiting class, verbally committing to Coach Hope before leaving this past weekend. He was in WestLaf for his official visit and rather enjoyed seeing the potential of the 2009 and beyond Boilermakers:

"My visit was awesome. I had a good time," Quinn said. "The team welcomed me like a new family member. The coaches talked to me like we've known each other, like we have a good relationship. It was like home.

"And the game was awesome. They came from 14 points behind twice and came out with the win. That was great."

These are the things that make me smile. Sure, maybe Quinn is a cornerback who tore his meniscus this season, but getting players from Florida is never a bad thing and hearing recruits sound excited about Purdue football means maybe what Tiller has spent the season tearing down won't go down completely.

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.