Whoa Indy...and ND Woes

Yesterday was a great day at IMS; more lead changes than ever before. The nearly 70 lead changes can be attributed to the parity among teams due to the identical chassis and two engine packages...but the highly-skilled field also had something to do with it.

People can say what they want about the DW12 chassis- it's not sleek enough, it's a bit of an ugly duckling...perhaps.  But, if you like to watch racing as a contest of grit, timing, will and skill, then you probably loved yesterday's 500.

Like everyone else, I want the cars to be faster...and I want more innovation and flexibility within the rules, but yesterday's race was crazy fun to watch. The cars probably have a bit too much downforce right now and not quite enough horsepower, but the end product is close to unbeatable.

All of that said, the strategy and overall approach of race day has drastically changed from mere years ago. With the white flag waving, you no longer want the lead...you want to be in second or third place. No one can really pull away from anyone else; I guess that's alright.

Indy is now officially the antithesis of F1. The mostly-Euro series is almost solely a series based on preparation, homework, outspending the next team and "rolling the ball out" (if you will).  I love the look of those machines and the innovation and trickle down of technology over there.  I don't like the glorified parade that those races are.

With just a few laps left yesterday, 22 cars were separated by about 10 seconds...something I've never seen before. Ed Carpenter's tenth place finish after starting from the pole is viewed by some as a failure of a day.  BUT, had the race finished under green, he would have finished just seconds behind the leader.

The fastest cars, especially in the last 50 laps were clearly better than everyone else...and Chevy had a decided advantage (which needs to be adjusted).  But even the guys who weren't in the top-5 were really right there. It's kinda crazy to think that a guy who is 9 seconds behind after around 170 laps is waaaaaay off the pace, but it kinda felt that way.  Guys like Scott Dixon weren't far behind at the end of the race...but weren't really contenders either.

I've been to 25 Indy 500 races now...and have never seen a crowd as elated for a winner as they were when Tony Kanaan earned the checkered flag.  Like me, I think many in the crowd thought that his last chance of winning went away when he lost his Andretti ride a few years ago...I was very wrong- in two years, he's had a top-3 and a win; not bad for a guy left for dead by many.

TK leads a pair of Andretti Racing machines across the yard of bricks

I had thrown him onto the scrap heap of guys like Raul Boesel and (ironically) Michael Andretti- great drivers who shoulda won it, but never will.  Glad I was wrong.

I've heard that the league will finally allow some new aero packages around the safety tub of the DW 12 chassis in 2014; I hope they do as I think we're only a half-step better than we were a few years ago when just Honda was supplying engines to power the old Dallara Indy chassis.  I'm still no fan of spec racing (in theory).  That said, I love the cars being safer and more consistent. The days of qualifying a four or five year old chassis while panhandling for an engine is gone; that's a good thing.  The fact that the cars aren't going 238 mph is a bad thing.

Days like yesterday are nothing but positive for Indy and the league around it...But if they can double the winner's purse, and get the speeds up in the upper half of the 230s, we might see Indy return closer to her former glory.

Even my BS counterpart, J Money had to admit that yesterday's race was exciting...and he's a pseudo-NASCAR apologist.

Bad news for Gunner Kiel and Brian Kelly
Almost two months ago, Gunner Kiel decided to head to the greenest of football pastures, the University of Cincinnati, of course.  He wasn't pleased with the fact that two QBs were in front of him at UND and another was really neck-and-neck with him at the third spot in the Coach Kelly's rotation.

Things change quickly in college football sometimes- This Spring has been one of those for Notre Dame's offense.

Last year's starter, Everett Golson did something nefarious according to the university's academic police.  We really don't know exactly what it is that he did, but it looks like he cheated in some way. The end result is he's no longer enrolled at UND and no longer on Notre Dame's football team.

The erratic, but adequate Senior QB, Tommy Rees will probably be the starter.  BUT, Kelly hasn't ever given him a vote of confidence...Plus, he had a legit run in with the law last season that might have even caused Kelly to second-guess his leadership.  Sure, it's OK for some on their roster to get arrested, but striking an officer kinda makes you lose your job, even for Coach Kelly.  I guess it's a good thing he wasn't kicked off the team last fall, right UND fan?

UND should still be quite good in the fall, but the loss of Golson to academics, Eiffert to the NFL, Riddick to graduation, Wood to NFL practice squad (two running backs) will make things interesting. UND's offense will have a QB who's prone to mistakes and fumbles, no sure-handed relief valve underneath and no experienced running back behind Rees.

Our Boilers are in the midst of an overhaul as new coaches try to get all the moving parts to move as a unit.  UND's offensive tumult should be a bit of music to our ears as we look ahead to the most difficult schedule in the nation.

Spring Game Primer

We've made no secret of the fact that we're big fans of the Darrell Hazell hire (bdowd is a little concerned that if I ever wind up in Coach Hazell's company that I might hug him too tightly). Recently, we've had some info up on the site pointing to all the things that we think he and his staff are doing well. That continued this week during the media conference call. You can find Darrell Hazell's and Ricardo Allen's comments at this link.

One thing I notice right away in these sessions is how thoughtful and well-prepared he sounds in each answer. He also manages to not ramble on forever as a certain former coach used to.

"I wanted our community to feel like they were involved in our football team." -- Coach Hazell

"Last year, you used to go over there and sort of half-pedal... now everybody wants to work hard to get out of The Pit [their name for where the slightly injured players work out] and back on the field." -- Ricardo Allen

In addition, Coach Hazell was featured in a BTN segment with noted Danny Hope fan Gerry DiNardo (it should tell you something about Gerry's coaching acumen that he liked Hope). I did especially like DiNardo talking about coming to Purdue being different than Kent St because "Purdue has had some success" in recent years. Yes, true, Gerry -- if your definition of success is going .500 sometimes, winning two bowl games (barely, over a lesser-conference foes) over the past ten seasons and getting destroyed by Oklahoma State in last season's bowl appearance.

When you hear Coach Hazell talk about winning football games, well, that should perk you up a bit. He sounds determined and he sounds confident that he can make it happen -- rather than hopeful that he can maybe make them "competitive."

"Purdue lost a lot of close football games the past couple of years. We're going to talk about how you win those close football games."

Amen to that.

Hazellball: Right Direction So Far

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

Okay, you're back now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hazell Era is off to a good start. 

Our First Look at Spring Ball

What a day- watched practice on the field in Mollenkopf, enjoyed a healthy meal at TripleXXX, had the best seats I've ever had for a Purdue basketball game...let's not talk about how that ended; let's stay positive.

Thanks to our pal Joe who scored me a box seat...and Purdue's security who let my son sit on my lap or stand in front of me for the entire contest...The perspective of looking at the players at eye level a few feet from the out of bounds line was awesome.  I understand why all the rich guys don't like cheering down there...wait a second, no I don't.  I loved the fact that officials heard every complaint and Sandi reacted when I urged him on...loved that I could gaze longingly admire coach Ryne Smith's tenacity up close...sitting down low is definitely where I belong.  So wealthy benefactors, for the best possible coverage, keep the club seats coming.  I kid...or do I?

Alright, back to the important stuff.  My Purvis burger was cooked to perfection and the onion rings were on point as well...

Alright, the really important stuff...we're finally moving on to football.

I had read practice reports from J&C and Gold and Black, but seeing things in person is even better.

LBD and I got to talk at length with Josh Johnson about what he's been up to and how the new staff compares to the one that just left.  He said the practice methodology was closer to the philosophy of Coach Higgins than Hope- high-paced, station-based, timed sections of practiced designed to get individual groups chances to work on fundamentals.

QBs worked on getting their drops right and keeping the ball high...WRs, RBs and TEs ran a ton of seam routes that are easy for the QB to throw, but difficult for the receiver to catch. Lineman blasted off of the ball, changed direction quickly.  In larger group sessions, defensive intensity was notably high. There even seems to be a touch of intersquad rivalry between the two sides of the ball.  Veterans like Ricardo Allen were pissed if they didn't make plays, on the other side, Gary Bush showed some emotion when not effectively finishing plays.

One notable difference from the offense was the tightend was verrrrry important, it seemed. Sinz, Holmes, Curry, Carvajal and Carter were all active and had the ball in their hands a lot. A few things stood out to me about this group- Carvajal is still ginormous.  Among tall men, he's nearly a head taller. Curry has a ton of tools in the shed- good hands, runs hard and quick feet. And Holmes looks like he's working very hard and has a sense of urgency (finally). I like the corps of TEs a lot.

The big WRs seem to be the most active. Macarthy, Mikesky and Torwudzu, specifically stuck out to me. The out routes thrown to a spot obviously favor guys with big bodies who can block out a DB.  I haven't seen the entire offense, but if this practice is any indicator, bigger possession receivers are going to be imperative.

Watching the RBs, I didn't get to see a ton...but what I did see was Akeem Hunt seems to be one of the fastest guys on the field. Curry (who seemed to play a bit of RB and TE) and Cottom both look like bruising backs that might fit on a Wisconsin squad...I liked watching both in drills as they blasted through stations.

The QBs look like this: At this point, it's a two-horse race. Appleby and Henry both are pretty accurate, both feel pressure well, both look the part. In two step drop drills, they're the guys who are the most consistent. In 7-on-7, they were the guys who had the grasp of where to throw it to keep it away from DBs. Henry is an obvious leader and seems to do the little things and is clearly the best runner of the group right now.  Appleby has the best mechanics and is by far the most accurate passer. BUT, Marshall seems to throw a very catchable ball, if that makes sense...but his don't have a ton of zip on them. Berzynskas surprised me as much as anyone; big guy, good mechanics and looked accurate. I heard Shoop telling him that if he does things the right way, has a real chance of earning a schollie (during a drill). Etling looks like a guy whose head is spinning a bit...floats the ball a lot during drills and in 7-on-7.  Decent mechanics and footwork...I fully expect him to redshirt this fall and compete next spring...I also still expect Appleby to start; and think Henry should be on the field somewhere; he's too good of an athlete, too good of a leader, not to be utilized heavily.

I'm biased; Appleby, once again took time to talk to LBD and even gave him a memento of the visit to practice; really like this kid. I re-introduced us to him...reminded him that we met a year ago in Mackey and had "talked" on Twitter; he remembered before I was done speaking. My boy is kind of tough to forget though, I believe...once again though, I'm terribly biased.

Sean Robinson is a guy that I'm still kind of taken back by- I spent a bit of time with he and his Dad a few years ago, after a game that he started.  Granted, I didn't go out to eat with them, but was just near them...and remember how he looked and acted. He is a different guy- looks like a defensive player...bigger, stronger, meaner...should be an anchor for the defense. Gillium also looked good at LB.

The offensive line is a gaggle of massive men...probably the biggest corps of Olineman that I can remember (at least those that I've been able to see up close). They all seem to be working hard on getting their hands on the guys on the other side of the ball and firing quickly.

Coach Freeman looks like he not only could, but should suit up for Purdue in the fall.

...sorry for the rapid fire thoughts; I took no notes...

New Boiler Head Coach with grizzled
Boiler vet, LBD

Finally, my quick first meeting with Coach Hazell-

I actually met his son first...and if an intermediate school kid is a reflection of his Dad as a man, Hazell is doing a fine job. His son shook my hand (good hand shake)- looked me in the eye and introduced himself...seemed poised like his Pop.

Darrell Hazell is a very engaging guy- I liked him from the articles and TV interviews, liked him even more in person. Where as Hope was likable because of his lack of polish, Hazell's easy to like because of his poise and perceived thoughtfulness...Seems to take time to really look someone in the eye and listen.  We only spoke for a few seconds, but I was impressed and am more of a fan than I was when the day started.

He also has the practices running in a way that clearly reflect his personality- orderly yet energetic, cerebral yet fast-paced. Purdue's new football regime is only a few practices in...and they have already began to change the culture, in my opinion. Gabe Holmes might be the biggest emblem of the change to me...getting veterans to change attitudes and buy into a new system is a big deal.

I might get to one more practice before the B/G game...might not...all depends on my stupid job.  If I do, I'll be back here to let you know what I see/hear.

With Bollman Out, aOSU fans Happy...for US?

A few days ago, after a few days of conjecture and rumour (yes, they were British rumours), Jim Bollman officially left Coach Hazell's staff as OLine coach to become OC at MSU.  MSU fans seem OK with it, aOSU fans tell me that MSU now has the worstest OC in the world, Bears fans tell me that Purdue has that in Shoop...I'm soooooo confused.

Not really.

I've never been good with all of the aOSU fan love for Purdue's coaching staff.  I think we've been pretty clear here, we don't like Ohio State a whole bunch.  We've always thought that they have an athletic department that all-but encourages their programs to play ball, if you will...The fact that the NCAA actually punished them in the last few years says that they just got too brazen in their tactics.  If you talk to non-alum Bucknut fans, you'll quickly see that winning is all that matters...and rules are for losers. That's all well and good when you're a cash cow for the NCAA, but not for programs like Purdue. Hazell's thinking as Kent State's head coach (doing things in unprecedented manner, beating the odds, etc.) is closer to Purdue's history than aOSU's. I didn't really care about aOSU fans' opinions about Bollman; still don't.  If Hazell thought he was the best coach available for his team, I gotta trust that. Regardless of anyone's opinion, he gone.

Who can blame him? Being an OC in the B1G is a much better job than a positional coach...But I guess MSU's Dantonio is dumb now and has forgotten everything he knows about football since he chose to hire Bollman, correct?

Purdue hasn't released who will be OLine coach in the wake of Bollman's departure...I vote Matt Light (if you haven't figured this out, I like ex-NFL Purdue guys as position coaches).  Coach Hazell usually calls me on Tuesdays*, so I'll put that suggestion in at that time.

Spring football practice starts in a few weeks.


*not really

Hazell's Quiet Hiring Process Continues...

We've had people as us what we think of the coaching staff hirings thus far...so here's our quick take.

J posted about the initial hires a few weeks ago prior to KSU's bowl game, but I'll continue based on what we've heard.

Hazell has now hired six coaches...all with ties to the state of Ohio.  That makes sense for a lot of reasons, as much of Hazell's resume references the buckeye state.

This hiring process is a ton different from that of Danny Hope- Hope had some carry overs from Tiller's staff, had a year to build his staff, didn't have much of a budget and didn't seem to have his sights set very high during the hiring process.  But, as Hazell is showing, coaches generally go with what they know.  Hope knew D-IAA, and had some coaches from the lower division...Hazell knows and is connected to the state of Ohio...so...

We love the hire of FSU's former LB coach, Greg Hudson as the DC. Hudson is a name that's well known in college football and the units and teams that he's coached have been generally good...he'll focus greatly on speed, it would seem, based on his past experience.

The OC hire is not yet public...but Hazell's staff already has two former coordinators within it.

Jim Bollman (today's quiet hire) was OC at Youngstown State, and years later at aOSU.  He was also OL coach there for a few seasons...and he'll be the same at Purdue.  An Ohio State fan friend of mine told me that Bucknut fans don't like Bollman much.  As a fan of an opposing team, I can tell you that I never thought of aOSU offensive lines as soft or easily pushed around...in fact, I thought they were pretty big, damned strong and kinda nasty, as a rule. That's good...those guys need to protect the franchise, so to speak.  The last time Purdue had a rock solid offensive line, top-to-bottom, was in the early oughts.  It'll be good to have one again in the next few seasons.

The other former coordinator on Hazell's staff is his old DC from Kent State, Jon Heacock.  There was talk before Hudson was hired, that Jon's brother Jim, another former Buckeye might be hired as DC.  That obviously didn't happen.

So Hazell has a mix of younger up-and-comers (Freeman LB & Williams RB), and established guys (Hudson DC, Heacock DL, Bollman OL, Sherman WR), on his staff so far...all have D-IA experience, some have NFL experience. It's a pretty good looking staff on paper...and Hazell's not even done yet.

For those of you who have had a hard time keeping up with the cryptic updates out of God's country, don't feel bad...it's been tough to keep up. None of Hope's coaches were retained...but a few of the office and off-field personnel will stick around, it seems.

We're hoping that Hazell's staff is out hitting the road very soon. The quiet period has been over for a bit and signing day is fast approaching.  Purdue lost a verbal last week, but supposedly picked up a good one today (according to rumors).  We don't talk about recruiting, especially recruiting rumors around here generally as we think it's kinda silly to chase the wind that way...Once guys are signed, we tell you...even solid verbals aren't so solid, as we all are reminded about every other year.

There will be more news in the coming days/weeks about the football program...even if it's not shouted from the mountain tops, we'll try to weigh in on it.

Greg Hudson Named Defensive Coordinator; Hazell's Staff Taking Shape

"There's the door, Tim."

Gold and Black and H&R are reporting that Greg Hudson, recently of Florida State's coaching staff, has been tapped by Coach Hazell to be Purdue's new defensive coordinator:

Hudson, the Seminoles' linebackers coach and assistant head coach the past three seasons, was part of a Florida State defensive staff that oversaw a unit that ranked second nationally this season in total defense, allowing just 253.8 yards per game and an national-low 3.89 yards per play, according to NCAA statistics.

Obviously, it's early to be making excited statements, but regardless of how this works out, you can only judge things on what you know at the moment you're assessing them. And put in a nutshell, hiring a coach who was a key cog in a unit that was one of the best in the nation on a team that won 12 games is a ginormous step up from taking a guy from the CFL. (Happy trails, Tim Tibesar. I hope that the month you spent polishing your resume instead of preparing your defense bears fruit for you.)

Heacock

Hudson is now the fifth coaching defection from Jimbo Fisher's staff, which is just amazing. I guess if you want to advance your coaching career, go work for Jimbo.

The older readers among you might remember that Hudson, who is 45 years old, played linebacker for Notre Dame in the '80s. We'll try not to hold that against you, Greg. Hudson then coached at UConn, Cinci, Minnesota, East Carolina and finally Florida State for three seasons. At Minny, Hudson coached under legendary Glen Mason and while we like to joke about Mason, in the three seasons Hudson was there the Gophers went 25-13 and 3-0 in bowls, including Minnesota's first 10-win season since 1905.

Most of Hudson's positions have been as a LB coach, but he did serve as Eastern Carolina's DC from 2005 to 2009 under Skip Holtz. Those ECU teams went to four bowls, won nine games twice and went 38-27 over that span.

Shermanator

So Coach Hazell has a guy who is still relatively young, has been a successful position coach and coordinator on the D-1 level (as well as "assistant head coach," which can mean something and nothing depending on where that title is bestowed upon you) and is coming off a stint with one of the best defenses (statistically) in college football.

Given the facts we know right now, this feels like a very good hire. Having a guy who might be eager to continue to prove himself as he climbs towards a head coaching job is usually a good thing.

This Jafar isn't evil.

Additional coaching news from G&B includes the fact that Hazell's DC at Kent State, Jon Heacock (who followed Tressel as HC of Youngstown State in 2001) will likely be joining him as a position coach for the Boilermakers. Which is good, since as you can tell from the photo earlier in this post, Heacock will fill Gary Nord's role as "stern older white guy."

Also, G&B reports that Virginia Tech receivers coach Kevin Sherman and Kent State RB coach Jafar Williams are likely to come on board in West Lafayette.

None of this is officially confirmed, but if state-run media is talking about it, it's about as unofficially official as it gets.

No word yet on hat brim requirements. 

Hazell-Themed Gumbo

Welcome back, everyone, and we sincerely hope you had a great holiday. We're clearly on a reduced schedule here at BS for the moment, but have no fear -- we'll be on the stick for Purdue and Kent State's bowl games, as well as whatever lies ahead for Purdue basketball during the Big Ten meat-grinder season.


Etling Just Wants a Good Man as His Coach

Today, I just wanted to comment on a few things, including the clip Bdowd posted in his gumbo post from earlier this month where Danny Etling talks to WLFI in Lafayette about maintaining his commitment to Purdue and to Coach Darrell Hazell. 

I liked hearing Etling and what he had to say about things. I also like that he wants to compete for the starting job immediately, and that Purdue told him that he'll be able to do so. And if he wins the job, that's great, too. No knock on Rob Henry, but having a guy start as a freshman means that by years 2-4, he'll be a seasoned veteran. I think it's safe to say all Boiler fans are craving some consistency at the QB position. I can't imagine it's that different in the locker room.

I also found it interesting to hear his thought process on committing to Purdue and then maintaining that commitment. His first comment about Coach Hazell was that he's a great guy. I think it's also fairly well-documented that despite being a bad football coach, Danny Hope was a great guy also. His players loved him and as a man, many of us liked him, too. So it sounds to me like Danny Etling wants a coach who is a good man, first and foremost.

While this may sound like common sense to many of us, the world of big time high school and college athletics is a minefield of sharks and leeches who will talk out of both sides of their mouth and basically act like a whore to slime their way to better results. Maybe Mr. Etling is wise beyond his years. Maybe he just wants to play at a place where it'll be an enjoyable expeirence and he won't have to worry about shady happenings that paralyze his football program. Or maybe I'm just interpreting things in my own way. Regardless, I've liked what he's had to say so far.


Hazell Remains a "Rock Star" at KSU

The always-good Mike Carmin has a nice article from a few days ago in the J&C regarding Darrell Hazell still being a rock star at Kent State and the locals lining up to say goodbye. As he frequently does, Carmin tossed in a couple of well-placed jabs to let the reader know how he feels on certain subjects:

This wasn’t Tommy Tuberville accepting the Cincinnati job in the middle of a recruiting dinner at Texas Tech. This wasn’t Bobby Petrino placing a four-sentence farewell in each Atlanta Falcons player’s locker when he bolted for Arkansas in 2007. They appreciate Hazell’s character and demeanor in how he’s conducted himself and run the program. They genuinely wish him nothing but success with the Boilermakers.

Carmin also mentions that Hazell plans to have most practices at Purdue -- as he has at Kent State -- open to the media, something that Carmin points out was not the norm under Danny Hope. Which reminds us all... if Hope had let everyone see what he and Gary Nord were seeing at practices, maybe everyone would have understood the decisions being made. Yeah. Maybe.


Another Positive Review of the Hire

On the subject of Coach Hazell, if you're looking for additional reading, the gent who runs Madtown Badgers did a take for Bloguin on the hire of Hazell and had some nice things to say. Again, seems to be a consistent take that this was anywhere from a very good hire to a home run. Hopefully, everyone turns out to be right.


Remembrance of Kent State Interactions Past

It seems to have gone largely unmentioned, but Kent State football seriously irritated Morgan Burke and some of the Purdue faithful just a couple of years ago. For the 2011 season, Purdue was scheduled to host the Golden Flashes in Coach Hazell's first game as KSU coach. However, a mere ten months before that game, Kent backed out of the agreement because they got the opportunity to get waxed by Alabama.

We never felt like you could blame them for wanting more visibility, but you could blame them for the last-minute (by scheduling standards) way they booted Purdue from their schedule.

I remember at the time, bdowd's brother Bill saying that if he were Morgan Burke, he'd call Kent State's athletic director and tell him that any and all future athletic contests scheduled with Purdue were now null and void and would not be honored by Purdue.

This means nothing in the overall scheme of things but I found it to be an interesting footnote.

Thursday Gumbo

We've gotten a few e-mails asking what we've heard in regards to Coach Hazell's staff...Not much.

The new coach has kept his process pretty quiet, smartly, mind you.  But a few things have become known in the last few days- first, Paul Haynes won't be his DC.  After the Arkansas dumpster fire coaching staff was blown up with their hiring of Bielema, Haynes was contacted by his alma mater, Kent State to become their head coach...he obliged.  Perhaps just as Purdue made hiring another mustache important after Tiller left, Kent State looks like they went after another bald and beautiful coach to fill coach Hazell's sizable shoes.

I've heard a very quiet, almost undetectable, murmur that Hazell is interested in Fickel.  He'd carry a hefty price tag that I'm not sure Purdue could swing.  BUT, he's a Tressel guy (who's advising Hazell), he's not a Meyer guy, and a ton of aOSU fans are less-than-in-love with the ex-interim-Bucknut coach.

Hazell has interviewed and talked with current Purdue coaches and he was impressed...but hasn't made anything public about who's staying or going, yet. He's impressed with Kevin Maurice, Purdue's current supervisor of player personnel...but hasn't gotten too specific after that.

One thing that's pretty awesome about Hope's staff is that they've all been able to hold on to the verbal commitments that Hope received...and those that have been visited by Hazell have been impressed.  That's quite a contrast with many of the programs that are currently feeling the growing pains of announcing a new coach for next season...and that should make Hazell's transition much easier.

Message board and twitter rumors say Marcus Freeman will come with him from KSU...but that's still speculation.  What we do know is that Hazell has given up sleeping for the month or so that he's coaching KSU and Purdue.  He still has nine spots open for his class of 22...and three of that class should be enrolling in January after Christmas break.

Ike (in gold), a few of his ex-teammates, and LBD (blonde) take in a game at Mackey

Lone Defection
DEnd, LB and WR are all positions that are currently getting attention...and DE specifically needs a good get as redshirt Freshman Kingsley Ike is in the process of transferring elsewhere.  That's too bad; I liked the guy and thought he might be one of the next guys in the Den.

Ike hails from Texas and is the only current player to leave the team since Hope's departure.

Practices Shorter
Interim Coach Higgs has made bowl prep practices shorter for the Boilers as they get ready to play on January 1 in an effort to keep intensity high and players healthy.  Virtual pal of BS via Twitter, Crosby Wright says it's been effective as the practices have been sharp and intense.

I was kind of concerned about motivation being a problem for the squad without a permanent coach in place...glad to see that's not a problem.  But, the Senior-laden Boilers surely are leaning heavily on the pillars of the team in order to keep some semblance of consistency.

In Case you missed it...
Jay Simpson won't be suiting up for our Boilers for the rest of the season due to a nagging foot injury that isn't healing.  He'll be seeking a medical hardship waiver that would make him a Freshman again next season...but the NCAA has to grant it first.

A UND shooting forward played in 10 games last season before tearing his ACL...he averaged 34min/game...Simpson has averaged under 8/gm.

Having Simpson as a super-Freshman next season would be a big boost to that class and the program at large...but I won't believe it until it's official.  Since Keith Smith wasn't granted his sixth year a few seasons back, I don't have a ton of trust in the NCAA.

Who am I kidding...I've never had a ton of trust in the NCAA's judgement or consistency.

Analyzing Coach Hazell's Decision to Coach Kent St in Bowl Game

As you likely know, we're quite excited about the Darrell Hazell hire here at BS. Of course, it wouldn't be BS if we weren't being honest and giving you our full perspective. To that end, I wanted to make a couple quick comments here regarding Coach Hazell's decision to continue to coach Kent State during bowl season.

Ordinarily, coaches sever ties immediately with their previous employer once they accept a new coaching gig. Many say they'd like to coach their former team but also understand that those programs need to move forward with decisions and cut ties to make things clear to everyone remaining at the program as to who is in charge. Coach Hazell is running some of the Golden Flashes bowl practices and will, as of now, be coaching them in the GoDaddy.com bowl on January 6. (Which, you know, wouldn't it have been nice if they were in one of the earlier bowls? Like, say, this coming weekend?)

He's also out on the recruiting trail for Purdue and intends to be present at the Boilers' Jan 1 Heart of Dallas Bowl appearance versus the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. I like this for a lot of reasons, mainly because he'll be evaluating not only the players on the field but the remaining Purdue coaching staff. As b-dowd noted last week, there are some guys on the staff who deserve some consideration so this is a good thing.

Going back to Coach Hazell pulling double duty, I will admit that my first thoughts were that it isn't a good idea. I don't like the idea of him splitting time. He's Purdue's coach now, and while that might sound selfish, Purdue is reportedly paying him $2M/year so I think that's adequate compensation to expect his full, undivided attention. I do think it says a lot about the man that he really wants to finish what he started this season at Kent State, but let's be honest -- it's the GoDaddy.com Bowl, not a BCS bowl game. I'd understand the latter a bit more, actually, because it would mean so much to the program. But a meaningless bowl like the GoDaddy? I don't see it.

I also know that there is an argument that his players -- especially the seniors -- deserve to have him there, and that is somewhat true. However, he's already jumped ship, regardless of how nicely he did it. I don't think he screwed over those players and everything we've heard indicates they don't think he did, either. So what more does he owe them?

All that said, I do find it interesting that he'll be coaching and it's something that will make me tune in and see how the Flashes do. If they have a memorable night on the eve of the national title game, then that really should mean good things for Purdue in terms of press -- hey, this is the guy the Boilermakers got.

Looks good in Black and Gold

The final thought that concerns me is simply borne out of being a Purdue fan and always expecting the worst. I know he's signed at Purdue (at least, he damn well better be), but you never want a guy to have the chance to go back to his old, comfortable situation and decide he just can't leave those boys and that next year could be even better, etc. My cynical mind says, "What if he's really comfortable there and they somehow offer him a raise?" I know they can't pay him $2M, so it really should be moot -- but if you're a Purdue fan, you understand my slight uneasiness. No, I don't think he's going anywhere -- it's just that until he's 100% in black and gold, there's a nervousness I can't shake. Again, this is simply being a Boilermaker fan and not wanting bad things to happen to our program.

I'm definitely curious in others' opinions and so please weigh in here and in the poll at the right. What do you think about Coach Hazell coaching his Golden Flashes one more time while already under contract at Purdue?

Q&A With BBC Regarding Coach Hazell

Against our better judgement, we spoke with the Red Army communist network, Buckeye Battle Cry and asked a few questions about Coach Hazell and what we can/should expect. Despite the busy schedule they have for their bowl coverage, they were very accomodating. 

Here was their take.


BS: Should we be excited by Hazell? Why or why not?

BBC: Absolutely. A great coach, well respected by those at Ohio State and loved by former players. Even the guys in the media who cover Ohio Sports, in Columbus and at Kent State, say that he's a good coach but an even better person. Purdue is in good hands.

For what it's worth, before leaving for Kent State, he held the title of Assistant Head Coach at OSU, and was believed to be the "heir apparent" once Coach Tressel stepped down. He left for Kent early in the spring; had he waited, it's likely that he would have been leading the team last season rather than Luke Fickell.

It's also worth noting that a number of Ohio State fans would have no problem with him returning to the OSU sidelines later in his career... which, given how spoiled we've been with great coaches, should say something.

BS: What will he bring to the table?

BBC: Other than a legacy of success at multiple levels, I think he's been able to do two significant things. First, he's a good teacher and someone who can bring people to believe in themselves and in each other - look no further than what's happened at Kent this year; after a collapse against Kentucky, the team rallied and really bought into his plan for the rest of the season.

Secondly, he's got a creative offensive mind; I'll talk more about this in a bit.

BS: He seems to be a guy who always looks prepared and confident. Is he?

BBC: From everything I've heard, he is... some of this could be a result of learning under "The Senator," but I believe that his passion for his players and program pushes him to be ready for any contingency.

BS: Purdue fans worry he'll only run the ball but good coaches work to their players' strengths -- agree?

BBC: Interestingly enough, we often referred to him as the "anti-Bollman"; Ohio State's offensive line coach and offensive coordinator who really really liked to run the ball into A gap over and over and over. 

During the 2010 season, though, Coach Hazell was the one who pushed for the offense to start diversifying and embrace the passing game- you might remember that the Rose Bowl win against Oregon opened with a barrage of passing plays; most insiders believe that this was Coach Hazell's influence on the gameplan and a direct response to his work with Ohio State's receiving corps during that season.

[Ed note: take a look at this video following the Toledo game in 2009 as well as Tressel's smirky response.]

 

BS: Does he make Purdue more of a player in the Big Ten in your opinion?
 
BBC: I think he does -- from his ability to get Boiler fans to buy into the program, to his connections as a recruiter in Ohio and Florida, his being on your sidelines is a great thing for Purdue.  Plus, it makes you all that harder to dislike... although, I'm sure we'll find a way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to the BBC for agreeing to answer our questions. Feel free to stop by there for.... well, whatever it is someone would go to an OSU blog for.  

The Hazell Hiring Handsome Hour

Purdue has a new coach...and the Handsome Hour is taking handsomeness to unseen levels.

The boys are back after a mere week...and they've brought some friends along.

Brendan "The Instigator" Murphy and Albert "The Hitman" Evans weigh in on recent happenings in and around the Purdue football program and on the interwebnets.

Tune in to hear Dowd's bellyaching...stay for J's bright-eyed optimism.  It's the Handsome Hour...and it's starting...now.

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

A Few More Hazell Thoughts

thanks, PurdueSports.com

-If you were just a normal schmoe out of college making $45,000 and you got a raise similar to Darrell Hazell's, tomorrow, you'd be making a bit over $300K.  That's not too bad, if you're into that sort of thing.

-Purdue's football program, in a very down year generated nearly four times the revenue that Kent State generated in an extremely-good year in which nearly every ticket for home games was sold.

-Darrell Hazell's flashes won 6 road games this season.  Two of those teams (Bowling Green and Rutgers) are going to bowls.

-Their best wins were Bowling Green, Rutgers, Ohio and Ball State.

-Their two losses were on opposite ends of the spectrum- a head-scratching, crushing defeat at the hands of Kentucky...and an overtime loss to NIU in the MAC championship.

-His Flashes are playing in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on January 6th...he's still trying to find a way in which he can coach the game...but doesn't know yet if it will happen.

-His players seem to harbor no ill will toward him for leaving...and the players he used to coach talk glowingly about him as do the coaches that used to work with him (from what I've read).

-The press conference is at 7:00pm tonight...and BTN will air it (nice of them).

-Am I the only one already looking forward to the Black/Gold game?

Addendum-
Hazell's press conference from Akron today:

The Hazell Handsome Hour - Tonight at 9:30 PM

The good news is that evidently word finally reached Chicago that Darrell Hazell has been hired at Purdue and so the Big Ten Network is going to air the presser live at 7 PM -- unless, of course, Wisconsin hires someone by then. You'll be able to find a stream of the press conference on Purdue Sports as well.

Following that, have some Hazellnut-flavored egg nog and join the Handsome Duo as we discuss the new Purdue coach with everyone's pal -- and sometime antagonist -- Brendan Murphy, the man who broke the story.

We're also endeavoring to get another guest on to discuss Hazell and his time at OSU so we can hear what others think we're getting.

Regardless, you won't want to miss it -- especially since you never know what kinds of pratfalls and misdirection BTR has planned for us all!

The high-wire act begins at 9:30 PM, Eastern, tonight at this here link.

Darrell Hazell is Purdue's Next Coach

Nine days after Danny Hope was shown the door by Morgan Burke, Purdue fans and college sports fans in general learned who would become Purdue's next head football coach.  We talked about Kent State's coach, Darrell Hazell Monday evening and yesterday afternoon as a possibility...tonight we'll talk about him with assurance: Darrell Hazell will be Purdue's next head football coach.  But the last 24 hours have been pretty hazy.  We didn't enjoy them, but let's relive them anyway.

The combination of misinformation, flat-out poor information, conjecture and facts created a murky fog that settled in as the story broke at the end of the work day. If you were fortunate enough not to be near your computer or phone during that period of time, here's a general timeline:

Brendan Murphy broke it first at 5:00pm on the nose via Twitter:

And the information got wings via Twitter, Facebook and some websites*, unsurprisingly...but other sources began pulling back the expectations a bit as new info trickled in.  At 5:30, FoxSports Radio 1350 am of Akron, OH was told by Hazell that he had not accepted a job.

In the six o'clock hour GBI warned Purdue fans to not completely believe everything that was on Twitter- fair point.  But this was after they had tweeted that Hazell was coming to Purdue...then, at 7:20, they published a retraction on their site that spread quickly and people began filling in the blanks in the wake of Bielema's move away from Wisconsin and to Arkansas.

I not only believed Murphy's initial report, but I also believed GBI's a bit over two hours later.  I've grown to trust both sources as they typically do not miss the mark...and I've never known either to publish unfounded stories.  My guess was that after Murphy had heard that the contract was all but wrapped-up, something had changed.

The anger quickly grew within the ranks of Purdue fans- Many thought, not only had Burke missed out on Jones on Sunday, but now it seemed, he had lost his second choice two days later.  So for a little over one hour Purdue fans stewed and thought aloud about what was next.

But at 8:31, things changed again...as it became official.  CBS' Bruce Feldman tweeted that Hazell's deal was done and he'd lead the Boilermakers:

That was quickly followed by BTN's Tom Dienart's blogpost talking about Hazell as Purdue's head coach...EsPN followed suit as did everyone else. And the 3.5 hour roller coaster was over.  And to his credit, at the end of the process, we think Morgan Burke has made a very solid hire in Darrell Hazell.

Hopefully in the coming days, we'll find out the full story of why there was a pendulum swing in the information, but I doubt it. Hell, it could be as simple as the telephone game causing a misunderstanding, or as complicated as a third party (wife, agent, players, etc.) getting in Hazell's ear; as I said, we'll probably never know.

As I type, there's still no word on when Wednesday's press conference will occur, but there will be one tomorrow announcing Hazell's new post at our alma mater. Players who played for him at aOSU and Kent State alike have been singing his praises via Twitter...and current Purdue players seem legitimately-excited about officially having a coach once again.

Hazell is Purdue's first black coach in basketball or football, and only the fourth black Big Ten football coach. He has no direct connections with Purdue, but his OC at Kent State, Brian Rock, is a name you might recognize.  He was WR coach at Purdue a few seasons ago. There are no details available at this time on if Hazell will bring some, none or all of his staff from KSU...but those who come will get raises.

He made $400,000 as his base salary at KSU, but had a few incentives reached this season that bumped him up.  His buyout was $900,000. A couple news outlets said he was offered a $1.5million base salary...we haven't had this confirmed yet, but J published that number as his educated guess yesterday as well...because he's smart.  We'll have everything confirmed in the next 12-18 hours, most-assuredly.

We're excited to hear Darrell Hazell named as Purdue's next football coach...but can't say we felt the same about Hope five years ago.  We liked the guy from the beginning, and thought he deserved a chance to do well and have the full support of the Purdue fans.  But, we didn't think he was even close to the best option for the program at that point.  We were hopeful that he'd grow into the position.  Conversely, Hazell's resume, specifically his seven seasons as an assistant coach at aOSU, make us confident that he understands how to win...and his 11 win season at a perennial loser, in just his second season at KSU, makes us believe that he's simply a winner.

Hazell set to make a splash at Purdue

Moving Forward

There are tons of opinions out there about if he's the right hire or not.  Honestly no one knows right now.  No one knows if a guy fits at a university until he's there.  While a resume is important, the moving parts around him are as well.  If you're not a fan of this hire, but you thought it was time for Hope to go, you're probably thankful that a new era is upon us.  If you didn't want Hope gone, and don't like Hazell, the only thing that is going to get you on board, is time and winning a few games. If you're like us and thought it was time for a change and you like the hire, tonight, you should be grinning and sighing a bit.

"Nati Ice
Colorado has still not yet heard a final answer from Butch Jones.  And yesterday in a press conference, Jones acted like all was well at Cincy simply because he was at the press conference...but refused to address the elephant in the room.  The longer this drags on, the more I believe Jones is a bit of a prima donna or is awaiting a bigger, better deal.  That type of outlook and mentality will never work in West Lafayette.  We really liked the idea and resume of Jones more than we've liked what he's shown the last few days. Plus, we're just glad this chapter is put to bed.

Time for a New Tradition

Arnette Tiller coined the term "Boiler Up!" at a pep rally as her husband's Boilers were getting ready to play Oklahoma State in 1997. The phrase caught on with many Boiler fans, but at BS, we were never big proponents of it because it was derivative of "Cowboy Up!", which was yelled at Wyoming- Tiller's job before Purdue.  So, we'd like to propose a change...but we're open for suggestions...as these Boilers are just weeks from playing Oklahoma State in a bowl game of their own.

"Boiler Up, Hammer Down" was a salve...but "Hammer Down!" seems to work well by itself...and "Hail Purdue" is still a favorite.  Of course, if you wanna move away from these in favor of a phrase we use around here all of the time, you can try that too...but let's all work together to make "Boiler Up!" a thing of the past.

The train is coming...

Choo choo, muthas!

Welcome to God's Country, Coach Hazell!!

*A cautionary note to aspiring writers- you're not scooping a story if you're merely publishing someone else's scoop on your outlet.  EsPN might tell us differently, but there is only one scoop...and just like with a good joke, timing is of the essence.  No need to force the issue.