Ho-Ho-Handsome!

The Merriest Handsome Hour ever is here!

It's the 2010 season finale. And with J unavailable due to too much Christmas cheer, Boilerdowd and his brothers step into the BS studio to close things out.

They talk about the state of college football and college athletics in general.

And, of course, look ahead to what's coming for Matty and the boys.

Tune. In. Now.

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

Handsome Hour: 3/31/10

What's a Handsome Duo without one of its members?

Still handsome.

J talks about run-ins with members of the Purdue family in Houston...

Recaps this season's tourney run...

And looks ahead to next season.

Is it time to think huge?

Can The '10-'11 Season Start Now, Please?

A pretty likable group...

The sun has risen just fine the past couple of mornings, and I'm still damn proud to be a Boilermaker. As mentioned on this site, it's never a good feeling when your season ends. And, really, there's only one way for it to end where you feel really, really good. And Purdue is closer to that than it's been in a while. The tournament effort to get to the Sweet 16 and then play Duke tighter than they were played to that point was significant (remember, this is a Duke team that was up 30 on UNC in the first half in their late-season matchup). As the clock wound down on Friday night, I found myself immediately feeling and saying, "I'm really proud of these guys."

Oh, but what might have been.

Never A Complete Unit

At the start of the season, a Sweet 16 appearance would have been viewed as a disappointment. We all know how high expectations were. The Boilers had a chance to almost come home for the Final Four, as they did in 1980, and this is all the more driven home now for Boilermakers as we get to watch Butler have those stories written about them. It's hard to have anything but good feelings for Butler, as their students and loyal fans deserve this as much as anyone, but I did say to Boilerdowd this weekend that I'm truly jealous of the Bulldogs. I can't imagine how good this feels for them today.

But getting back to the Boilers, one point that I think is very interesting to ponder is the "what could have been," not from the simple, obvious Final Four perspective, but from what was expected or counted on for this season.


For one thing, Sandi Marcius was expected to be another big body Coach Matty could count on to at least clog the lane a bit, grab some boards, commit some Zoubeks (another word for fouls) and simply spell JJ when Johnson was in foul trouble or just needed some rest. But Sandi broke his foot and it made no sense to burn his redshirt when word was that he wasn't ready.

But let's leave that one alone. How about the fact that the Boilers essentially had the rotation they expected to have for a total of seven games? Seven. And even then it wasn't at full strength, since I'm talking about the games where LewJack was just coming back. The preseason #6 team in the nation wound up not having their regular rotation for almost the entire season. This got obscured by the fact that the Boilers played inspired, focused ball and got out to that 14-0 start. However, many of us saw the need for Lewis Jackson to get back this year, as the team could not handle the press well at all, even from mediocre teams. They needed their PG back.

LewJack returned on January 28 versus Wisconsin, but only played 20 minutes in a game twice before February 24. On that day, Purdue started their game at Minnesota looking, honestly, like they'd figured it out. Jackson was back and was beginning to play significant minutes again, the Big 3 looked comfortable, Moore was on a nice steady run, etc. Things looked good. During that first half, B-dowd and I even commented on how solid they looked in nearly all facets -- something that could not have been said too many times this year up to that point. And then, of course, Rob's knee went, and his teammates looked like they'd seen their puppy get run over.

To their credit, as we all know, they pulled themselves together and went 6-3 (including that Minny game) without Rob. Nothing groundbreaking, but they learned to play without him and they showed resolve and commitment that made us all proud. I've not heard one fan say they felt like the Boilers folded the tent. And think about that, because it's significant.

Lewis Jackson was finally getting up to speed.....and Rob was gone.

We've often said that things have to line up for you to go to a Final Four. Butler had everyone playing their system perfectly (and you can now see why Matt Painter really wanted Gordon Hayward). MSU didn't have to beat anyone higher than a 4-seed. Duke had a bracket full of shorthanded, inexperienced teams to get through. Point is, it has to line up. You need some breaks. I'd say this isn't being a Purdue homer: Purdue got few breaks this year. In fact, the breaks truly went against them.

Was Progress Made?

Have the boys matured further? B-dowd and I discussed this last night and it's unfortunate to think that while they clearly are a good team, they weren't quite emotionally mature enough to handle some things this year. Nobody can fault their effort or, as mentioned, the Sweet 16 appearance. But the way they reacted to losing Rob in the immediate aftermath (curling up into the fetal position for a lot of the rest of the Minnesota game and all of the MSU game) was disconcerting. However, when you compare the way they began the 2008-2009 season, another season considered promising, they did indeed take strides.

In December 2008, we all know how poor the boys looked against Duke. We also all remember the 0-2 start in conference play. The Boilers opened this season solidly, taking down Tennessee in the Virgin Islands, coming back from down 16 in the second half against Alabama, and simply outclassing Wake and WVU at home. But the hiccups remain, including an 0-3 stretch in January, only putting up 44 against MSU at home (Rob or no Rob, that's ridiculous) and being simply embarrassed on a national scale in the Big Ten Tourney against Minnesota. The point? There's a lot of maturing still to be done.

"Help Is On The Way"

Someone on ESPN's cast of misfits said, in the wake of UNC getting absolutely dismantled by Duke at the end of the season, that "help is on the way" for Roy Williams. Not sure how many five-stars he needs to, you know, make the tournament, but it's kind of a silly statement. However, for the Boilers, help is indeed on the way in a number of forms, with the overall theme being depth.

For one, Sandi Marcius should be healthy and ready to bang next year. Patrick Bade will be a sophomore and hopefully will practice rebounding over the summer so he doesn't look like he thinks basketballs are live grenades. And coming to the mix is Travis Carroll, another center to give JJ some rest. You'll never want JaJuan in foul trouble or playing soft as he does from time to time, but if it happens at least Matty will have a multitude of options. And with this size, it will be rare that an opponent will have the definitive upper hand in the post.

Boilerdowd's lust for the Johnson boys is hard to describe. No, I'm being silly, but b-dowd is very excited about Terone and Anthony coming aboard next year, and he's right to be. Both four-star players (for what that's worth), these guys are difference-makers and the thinking here is Terone could (and maybe should) see some time in the starting lineup. He's a thick kid who can play the point or score the ball (hate that term, I sound like Hubert Davis).

Donnie Hale is a power forward coming on board without a scholarship as of right now. He agreed to come to Purdue over his other finalist, Xavier, with no guarantee of a schollie for next season. So unless someone goes pro or transfers, Donnie might be paying his own way for a little while. We'll see how this goes.

One More Year, JJ

Which leads us to a sidebar about going pro. According to Neubert, JJ hasn't ruled it out as of now. Which, I think we can agree, might be a bit silly. We think he'll be back, but if he was a

first round projected pick, we couldn't blame him for going.

However, NBA Draft Express doesn't have JaJuan projected as even a second round pick as of now. In fact, they have him as a second round pick in 2011. So he clearly has work to do. As Neubert puts it so well:

"When he gets the ball around the rim, he's got to be able to score or get fouled 90 percent of the time, rather than getting stripped or tied up."

More Reasons For Excitement About The Immediate Future

Getting back to next year, I know I was thrilled to see the minutes some of the younger guys got in the tournament. Ryne Smith developed some confidence and has now hit some big shots on the biggest stage possible. But even bigger to us was DJ Byrd's postseason. DJ was a DNP as recently as the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Think about that. This is a guy who didn't have double-digit minutes from Dec 22 until the Big Ten Tournament.

He played a total of five minutes from Jan 31 until that Minnesota game in the BTT, including six DNPs. But then he came alive, having his two best offensive days since the first game of the season against CS Northridge, scoring 11 in the crushing against Minnesota and putting up 10 HUGE points (including 2 of 2 from three-land) against A&M.

DJ also played strong defense, never looked out of position or overwhelmed and was even barking at teammates on the floor -- in a good way. If you're looking for an intensity leader to replace CK3, we think you might have him in DJ. (And he needs to keep the intense haircut look; we love it.)

Thanks, But No Thanks, Media-Types

Purdue has the tenth-ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2010. Oh, but only fourth in the Big Ten. Yeah, you read that right. So let's shut your pie-holes, national media, about what the Big Ten lacks. It's pretty effing rugged.

In addition, several scribes were venturing well into douchey territory and seemed to be working hard at alienating college basketball fans. A very smart move when you're a.....college basketball writer. Wait, what?

One of these clowns is Gary Parrish, of whom there is not a single photo in existence where he doesn't look like a complete buffoon. He's now saying the Boilers are going to the Final Four next year, but Gary felt the Boilers barely deserved a top 20 ranking as the season wound down -- not because they were losing games (they weren't), but because he felt Rob Hummel being out made them...a below-average team.... I guess? Hard to understand. We emailed him politely and were given the condescending pat-on-the-head treatment. He's one of the many who can kiss off next year -- as stated before, we don't want your positive remarks, either. You've denigraded Purdue enough that we don't care anymore. You're a lost cause. We know Purdue's not as sexy as slimy Calipari's Cats, and that's fine. We like our program clean.

Keep It Up, Students

There have been periods in Purdue sports history of which we're not especially proud, when students seem to not care at all. While it's perfectly fine to not be a sports fan, it still grates on us because we take this stuff way too serious, by our own admission. But seeing the Paint Crew and their massive numbers honoring the team as often as they do is simply wonderful for two old guys like us.

Camping out in the cold, being creatively supportive during games, singling out guys to thank as the season winds down, road tripping through the night on buses.... we can't possibly name all the ways in which we think the students do an amazing job acting as the 6th man and doing us alums proud. You guys are doing great things and you'll look back fondly on this time in your lives. Keep doing it.

Want proof of how awesome the fans/students are? Here they are at the airport at 2 AM on a cold February night welcoming the Boilers home from Minnesota, where the season took a crushing turn.



That video really gets me. The guys had won a hard-fought game and lost Rob for the season. We didn't know it for sure at that moment but it didn't look good. And yet the screaming for the guys and the chanting for Rob is just terrific. Seeing that smile that Hummel can't conceal is all part of the greatness of it.

Yes, we're going to focus on football in the very near future.... but we keep saying we wish next basketball season could start in maybe a week. Eight months can't pass fast enough.

Choo-choo.

Boiled Sports Season Wrap-up Round Table: Boilerdowd Speaks

1. What was your biggest surprise of the season (positive)?
Honestly, answering this question is a difficult proposition for me. Very few things positively surprised me, sadly...But, Chris Summers was not only consistent this season, he was flat-out good. So good, that I forgot we had a kicker...That's the way I think it should be.

2. What was your biggest disappointment of the season?
The offense. No doubt about it, I thought that this unit with its many weapons would be close-to-impossible to defend. Sadly, it wasn't. In fact, as the season progressed I waited and waited for the playbook to expand and "set up" plays from earlier in the season to create new wrinkles for opposing defenses. It never happened. And, once again, the offense couldn't compete with good defenses.

3. What are you excited about for the '08 season?
I'm excited to see what a healthy Jaycen Taylor can do again...Plus, he makes Sheets better. They should be a pretty good tandem next season. Man oh man would I like to see Purdue use Siller in short-yardage situations (but it won't happen).

4. What are you least looking forward to in the '08 season?
Another Joe Tiller "never-too-high, never-too-low", "managed expectations", "only gotta win by one" season. All that crap has been old for about three seasons.

5. What effect, if any, will a bowl have on Purdue's football program?
I don't think it will change anything...things are what they are right now. This bowl is fitting for a team that underachieved. A win will not move the program forward a loss will only remind us that we're not what we used to be.

6. How and when will Joe Tiller's career end at Purdue?
Tiller will resign after Purdue's last game next season triumphantly holding a record that should belong to Fat Jack.

7. Who frustrated you the most this season?
Many frustrated me...Sheets fumbling early in the season while jumping for extra yards, Spack's defense bending and breaking v. good teams. But I really thought Painter would progress to a greater degree this year; especially with Keller, Orton, Lymon & Bryant all as targets, I thought he'd be the best, if not one of the best QBs in the league.

8. What team and/or player opponent of Purdue this season was least impressive to you?
Minnesota was pretty lousy. Heck, they couldn't even score when unabated to the end zone.

9. Despite all the grousing we do, is Purdue football on the right track (If not, what would get the program back on track)?
No. I used to think another gritty, tough-competing quarterback with a fire in his gut would make Purdue great again...Sadly, that guy wouldn't be allowed to see the field because Tiller probably wouldn't allow it. He likes system guys (ref. Orton & Painter). Stinking Brees called too many audibles!

10. Looking at next year's schedule, what's your early thought on critical games?
Honestly, I think they're all critical because it's a much more difficult schedule. We'll be playing CMU for the third time in a calendar year and then Oregon and Notre Dame. This isn't the cream-puff-filled pre-conference schedule that we saw in '07. Tiller's calling card losing streak may actually begin the season rather than end it in '08. That could put a ton of pressure on the Boilers who will be trying to return to Detroit at the end of next season.

11. Does it ever get old making fun of Fat Charlie the Manatee?
Absolutely not...not even a little. There was one point, when UND was 0-2 and Charlie was acting somewhat humble that I said, "Hey, this guy is an OK loser." It seemed like he heard me because the very next week he got back on to his normal asshead comments and I got back to firing across the bow of the God's School and its arrogant coach.

12. Will Purdue win a football national championship in our lifetime?
No. Sadly, as long as people like Burke & Tiller are making decisions, the idea that Purdue is a red-headed step-child in the ranks of the teams in the NCAA will have a strangle-hold on the program. The more I talk to wealthy JPCers the less I think a change is on the horizon. That said, maybe when those who graduated between 1997 & 2000 are old and rich, maybe they'll change the corporate culture of Purdue's athletic department.

13. What is more likely for the Boilers and why: a football championship or a basketball championship?
Basketball...it's a basketball school, afterall! Back in 2000, I really thought Tiller would be able to contend for a national title before he left. Sadly, he didn't...but Painter will, probably in the next 3-4 seasons.

14. After Tiller retires (or is fired), would you rather get a coach that is a better recruiter or is a better game day coach?
I guess it'd be pretty neat to actually have talent that was as good as anybody's. I honestly can't remember a Purdue basketball or football team that wasn't forced to overachieve to win a league championship. So, for a change, let's get a good recruiter in here...but nothing in the least bit questionable (ref. Zook, Tressel, et al.).

15. If you had to choose another coach from the Big Ten to coach Purdue, who would you pick?
I like Beilema, Ferentz & Dantonio for different reasons...But, I think I'd like to see Beilema and Tiller switch places. Beilema builds around defense and big uglies...you win and lose games in the trenches, so I think he'd be my pick. Plus, wouldn't it be refreshing to see Purdue as the tougher, more physical team on the field?

Boiled Sports Season Wrap-up Round Table: J Speaks

Today it's my turn to give my witty witticisms on the Purdue football season, or as we like to call it, Train Wreck '07.

1. What was your biggest surprise of the season (positive)?

That when making love to my wife, I was able to -- oh, wait, what's that? Ohhhhh, related to Purdue football. Gotcha.

Um, well, my biggest positive surprise was the 5-0 start. Normally, we find a way to shoot ourselves in the foot early with a loss to a MAC team or simply not showing up against ND or something like that. This year's team found new ways to piss us off after they started out 5-0. I also was pleased with Painter's productivity early on -- yes, it wasn't the best competition, but he was more than just solid; he was deadly accurate against those opponents and the INTs were way down. Nice improvement. I guess. If I have to say something nice.

2. What was your biggest disappointment of the season?

Clearly, our collapse, as Tim said, is up there. 5-0 to start, 2-5 the rest of the way. I guess the biggest disappointment, though, would be the fact that we didn't even show up against OSU or Michigan. I'm not saying we need to be better than those programs or consistently beat them... but we need a year when, if we're 5-0, ranked and hosting OSU, that we come to play and put some points on the board. You know, make them earn it. OSU didn't play particularly terrific that night and we blew a great opportunity to earn some respect and show Ross-Ade as a semi-tough venue under the right circumstances. Instead, we just laid down. And the debacle in Ann Arbor was simply carry-over. The team seemed to know they were cooked before things got started. And Joe Tiller telling the team they aren't as talented is never good for confidence.

3. What are you excited about for the '08 season?

I'm optimistic that the offense will continue to improve and that Curtis Painter has one more shot at leading this team to something great. I know the chips are stacked against that happening, but hope springs eternal.

4. What are you least looking forward to in the '08 season?

Feeling disappointed again. This year was a legit shot at a 9-10 win season, and that was not a stretch goal. Next year, 8 wins would be a stretch based on the schedule, so I'm not looking forward to seeing the program struggle, especially in Painter's final season.

5. What effect, if any, will a bowl have on Purdue's football program?

As boilerdowd noted, it's already having divisive effects. Being that it's a no-win scenario for the Boilers (beat a MAC team, big deal; lose to a MAC team, we catch more abuse), I don't see this as a positive. Is it better than getting shut out of going bowling? Well, I suppose so but not by much. As for effect on the program, I'd say it's kind of negative for all the reasons above, plus the fact that meaningless, crappy bowls keep some contingent of alumni and the athletic department happy/content and that's not good. We're not good enough to feel any level of satisfaction.

6. How and When will Joe Tiller's career end at Purdue?

By being bum-rushed by angry students after another disappointing season next year, held over the engineering mall fountain on campus and fired into low-Earth orbit by the water pressure.

7. Who frustrated you the most this season?

Where to begin? Dorien Bryant didn't live up to the hype, although compared to loser Selwyn Lymon, he was stout. I'd say Lymon was the biggest disappointment, both on and off the field. The coaching staff hasn't impressed me in years and Brock Spack needs to be removed from his position. Nice guy, below-average coach.

8. What team and/or player opponent of Purdue this season was least impressive to you?

I have to agree with Tim: Iowa's Jake Christensen. He's a terrible quarterback and Iowa was an awful team. I don't understand how they beat Illinois this year. Thing is, I also don't get how Firentz is a coach there still. He's the most overpaid, overrated coach out there. Iowa is often expected to do great things and very rarely does anything, let alone great things.

9. Despite all the grousing we do, is Purdue football on the right track (If not, what would get the program back on track)?


Nope, the program is not on the right track. Sure, I like winning more than losing and 7-8 wins a year is not anything to be out-and-out ashamed of, but things like your players beating guys up in bars, drinking and driving and publicly saying they don't want to play in the bowl game are signs that the program is off the rails and the powers-that-be aren't able to keep control. This points to Coach Tiller and the athletic department. The program isn't good enough to overlook misdeeds (nor should it be) and a 10-win season every now and then is something that is fair to expect from a mid-pack Big Ten team like Purdue.

10. Looking at next year's schedule, what's your early thought on critical games?

Well, we get to play Central Michigan for the third time in twelve months, so maybe they'll be looking for blood. Who knows? But critical games aren't hard to point out: @ OSU and Michigan at home will be big. If we can hang with or -- gasp! -- actually beat one of them, that would be gigantic for the program, for recruiting, etc. In addition, I think Notre Dame will still be less than stellar next year and thus we should actually beat them in their house. Again, as we've said before, it doesn't matter how poor Notre Dame is looking -- a win over them always feels critical.

11. Does it ever get old making fun of Fat Charlie the Manatee?

No, never. He's an arrogant butthead who deserves to eat some humble pie. I saw him being interviewed a few weeks ago and he was asked if it's hard to face fans and students when the program is doing so poorly. His smug answer was typical Fat Charlie: "Well, I don't see many fans or students..." The implication was he works too much to see them. He underscored this and made sure we understood his point by following with, "I mean, sometimes there's a couple outside my building at 4:30 in the morning and I'll stop and say hi then, but otherwise..."

Right, fat-ass. You get to work at 4:30 in the morning. You know, I hate to be the one to point this out, but if you're really working 18-20 hour days as you'd like us (and ND's chancellor) to believe, you're doing a rot-ass job. I'm pretty sure a 3-9 record could have been attained with a lot less work. But hey, at least you were the first ND squad since '92 to end the season with two straight victories, as you had the balls to point out in your post-game interview after beating mighty Stanford. Jerk.

12. Will Purdue win a football national championship in our lifetime?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say yes. I don't think it will happen while I'm still young enough to enjoy it necessarily, but I do think it's possible that with a new coach and renewed vigor that this program could be shepherded in the right direction. Our lifetimes, god-willing, are going to be a long time. Will we win a title in the next 50 years? I'll say yes.

13. What is more likely for the Boilers and why: a football championship or a basketball championship?

I agree with Tim -- basketball is much more likely. Villanova won it as an 8-seed, several other 8s have made the Final Four... hell, even a Brian Cardinal-led team came within a win over a crappy Wisconsin team of making the Final Four in 2000. As Timmy said, anything can happen in March madness. The football team being perfect for twelve weeks, while possible, is somewhat, uh, unlikely.

14. After Tiller retires (or is fired) [or is launched into orbit - J], would you rather get a coach that is a better recruiter or is a better game day coach?

Recruiter. While I don't think Purdue is the wasteland of some locales, it's not exactly a hotbed where high-level prospects would choose to go over other nice areas. But if you're a good recruiter and know how to find the gems like Drew Brees, etc., then that usually means you're a good talked and are able to convince players that the culture can change and they can be part of the team that turned Purdue into a national contender. Look at Gary Barnett's Northwestern days or what Ron Zook is currently doing at Illinois. Solid recruiting and making the guys believe. If they're not a terrific game-coach, so be it. Make sure you have better coordinators than guys like Spack and you'll be fine.

15. If you had to choose another coach from the Big Ten to coach Purdue, who would you pick?

I kind of like Tim's pick of the Zooker at Illinois, but I'm a little wary of him. He's obviously and inarguably an incredible recruiter and his players would absolutely lay in front of a bus for him. However, he's a little crazy, I think. (Note: Water-skiing doesn't make you crazy, of course, but, well, you know what I mean.)

I think if I had to pick a Big Ten coach right now, I'd choose Sweatervest. He may not run the cleanest program, but he appears to be a good guy (open to interpretation) and the 'vest makes him look like an innocent little librarian or something. Meanwhile, he's recruiting well and competing for the national title every year despite the bashing of the Big Ten and the suggestions that the Big Ten teams are slow, midwestern dolts competing against speedy, talented players from the SEC, ACC, etc. That may be so, but I'll take 11-win seasons and national spotlight anytime. I doubt it would get old for a while.

Boiled Sports Season Wrap-up Round Table: Tim Speaks

We posed eachother some questions and are all going to weigh in on our opinion of Purdue's football season...Here's your first entry, Tim:



1. What was your biggest surprise of the season (positive)?
Notre Dame sucks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. With a big, big crunch and a big, big bite. (sang to the tune of Honeycomb's jingle)

2. What was your biggest disappointment of the season?
Finishing the season 7-5 after a 5-0 start. Pathetic.

3. What are you excited about for the '08 season?
Right now? Not very much to be honest.

4. What are you least looking forward to in the '08 season?
Another positive start against marshmallows and then a complete collapse once the "real" teams show up.

5. What effect, if any, will a bowl have on Purdue's football program?
A terrible bowl will not have any impact on the program. It's good to go to a bowl game, but the Dominos McDonalds Boeing Everyone Goes To A Bowl Game Bowl won't do anything for the program.

6. How and when will Joe Tiller's career end at Purdue?
Tiller will retire next year after taking over the all time wins lead.

7. Who frustrated you the most this season?
This is a close one. I'm going to vote for Joe Tiller though. The play calling was downright ridiculous at times. In a close second though are the Big Ten referees. They were as atrocious this year as the play calling.

8. What team and/or player opponent of Purdue this season was least impressive to you?
Iowa. They sucked! Specifically their quarterback Christensen. He was awful. Really really bad.

9. Despite all the grousing we do, is Purdue football on the right track (If not, what would get the program back on track)?
No. It's not on the right track. The spirit is gone. The fight is gone. If one bad thing happens in a game, the team gives up. That all starts with the coach. The coach needs to be replaced and someone with passion and fire needs to come in and take over. Thats the only hope.

10. Looking at next year's schedule, what's your early thought on critical games?
My early thoughts on critical games? Purdue will lose every one. I see them losing to Oregon, Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Iowa. Basically, any team that has a shot at being good, they will lose to.

11. Does it ever get old making fun of Fat Charlie the Manatee?
No. The slurping of him by the national media nearly makes it a requirement.

12. Will Purdue win a football national championship in our lifetime?
No. I think it's much more likely that they'll fade back to obscurity rather than rise to national prominence.

13. What is more likely for the Boilers and why: a football championship or a basketball championship?
A basketball championship is much more likely for Purdue. They don't need to be the best or second best team in the nation in order to get invited to the tournament, and once they're in, anything can happen.

14. After Tiller retires (or is fired), would you rather get a coach that is a better recruiter or is a better game day coach?
I'd rather get a coach that is a better recruiter. The game day coaching can always be done by the coordinators anyway.
Talent overcomes a lot of coaching problems and can make mediocre coaches look great.

15. If you had to choose another coach from the Big Ten to coach Purdue, who would you pick?
I'd take Ron Zook. If he can recruit and turn around Illinois from a doormat into a legitimately good team in a few years, I'd like to see what he could do for a mediocre Purdue team.