Change is a Good Thing: Purdue Football

Yes, that's a very similar headline to the one the Panda used the other day with regard to the Purdue basketball program. However, as has been the case for a while, Purdue football and Purdue basketball are in very different places.

While the basketball program is experiencing some changes that border on "upheaval" (seriously, I hope the Boilers have enough guys to field a team next year at this rate), the program in general remains respected. Matt Painter alone is someone who many pundits and analysts will openly praise as a giant bright spot for Purdue, even in down years such as '12-'13. The football program, however, was not in such a good state during their recent down year(s).

As has been noted on this here site, we feel that has changed and will continue to change in the months and years ahead. Darrell Hazell was the right man for the job and as months have passed since his hiring, I've continued to think about the decision Purdue made as well as the decisions they didn't make (other potential hires, etc.) and even the decisions other programs made (Tennessee, etc.). And the truth is, I don't know if Purdue could have done any better given the situation they were in.

Coach Hazell represented -- and represents -- change for the Purdue football program. The thing that is pleasing me lately is that the change is wholesale -- it's not just for show, for example. He has begun changing the mentality and the effort. He's a supporter of these guys but he's also busting their asses. Ricardo Allen commented on how hard even the dinged up guys work on the sidelines, as opposed to under the previous regime. And one thing to keep in mind with regard to that kind of stuff -- you can't rely on these players to think that's necessarily a "better" thing or not. Think back to yourself at 18-22 -- you probably wanted to exert yourself as little as possible. If you played a sport and had a coach that went easy on the condition/running stuff and always was your pal, you probably loved him. You also probably lost a lot.

You know what else? It's okay to say things needed changing. That doesn't make you a disloyal fan or a bad Boilermaker. It's great if you supported the recent teams through thick and thin. That's wonderful and in some ways, you're a better fan than many of us who became disgusted with the Hope regime. But it's not an indictment of your fanhood or your loyalty to your alma mater to say you think the program needed a good scrubbing. It did and it's not getting it.

Changing the thinking is obviously one of the biggest components of the overall change that is needed in West Lafayette, and that's already at work. Could it have been effected this quickly? No, probably not. But with leaders like Rob Henry and coaches like Coach Hazell, Coach Hudson, Coach Freeman and Coach Shoop, it appears thus far as though the pieces are being put into place. There is a clear focus on one team with unified goals and a preliminary understanding of the level of work required to become great. I love seeing that and I hope we get to continue to see it develop.

Seeing it is all key to this change as well. Another big difference that has been documented is the openness and willingness to let us all peer into the program. There have already been more open practices than I can remember under Danny Hope. Darrell Hazell is a confident man who believes in what he is doing and has nothing to hide -- the way any successful practitioner of their trade should be. He does not feel everyone is out to get them and even if he did think someone was, my feeling is that he wouldn't care. He's going to do things his way until he is told to stop. If winning follows, I don't suspect anyone will tell him to stop.

The visibility should also comfort anyone who worries about Coach Hazell's tutelage under the OSU football factory. Sure, there were some improprieties there but if you have a coach who wants the fans and media to see much or all of what they're doing, that's at least a good sign that you're not the kind of guy to hide things. Obviously, I'm not naive enough to think it's not still possible that cheating could occur -- but I like the visibility as a first step in ensuring we all feel well-informed on the football program we love to support.

Change has trickled to other facets of the program as well. Music is played at practice and it's a variety of themes, styles and volumes. They work hard, but they're also going to enjoy their time together. Ross-Ade Stadium has also been bestowed the moniker of "The Furnace," which whether you like it or not, makes sense the the Boilermaker mascot -- something on other school shares. And why not try to give the bland Ross-Ade some personality in any way possible? This is a place that hasn't been a home-field advantage for many years -- but it actually can be. Those of you who were there in the '98-'04 timeframe know that. It may be among the smaller Big Ten venues, but it doesn't have to be a quiet one.

Another change to R-A is one that was brought to my attention A fake change to R-A sent to me by Twitter follower @Boiler_Brandon, is as follows:



The paint was shipped in from Iowa City. What? We got a deal!

 If we want to keep the "Furnace" theme going, how about a flame burning at the bottom of the signage?

The colors aren't completely right, but they haven't been right on most Purdue uniforms for over a decade-plus now. Would we like Nike to learn Purdue's colors? Of course. But they haven't yet and Purdue hasn't forced them to, so in the meantime, adding some menacing black to the stadium instead of the welcoming white would be fine by me. For comparison:

It seems only natural that this theme of change might also extend to uniforms. Joe Tiller stripped the names off the back of the unis immediately (among other changes that were already happening to the jerseys) upon his arrival. Danny Hope put them back on and allowed the team to choose combos (black/black, black/gold, etc.) regardless of whether they'd earned that sort of right. Darrell Hazell brought back retro Kent State uniforms for their bowl game this past January, which was something he had promised his players if they made a bowl -- something Kent hadn't done in 40 years. Might that mean a black alternate helmet or other uni tweaks? You know we'll keep beating that drum.

Change looks like it will continue to come to Purdue football. And as long as the program turns back in the direction of something we can all be proud of, I think the fans will come back and I also think the team will be supported regardless of record in 2013. Effort is something that is evident in football, as is preparedness. If this team and coaching staff shows effort and preparedness, then the future is indeed bright. 

Danny Hope: Player's Coach

Some Purdue fans don't get it...and you can't really blame them.  They don't understand why or how the players are upset that Hope is gone. Many of the people commenting probably didn't play a ton of sports...and I'm not discounting their opinion because of that fact. But from their perspective, there's not a ton to like about Hope's tenure at Purdue.

The inconsistency led to some pretty awful Saturdays for the average fan.  Many of these fans drove for hours or flew half way across the country.  They got to see their friends or family and do so with a Purdue game as the backdrop, but many times, the game was horrible and felt like a waste of time and money.  That's why these people wanted Hope gone.  One of their favorite diversions from the stresses of real life, Purdue football, had become less and less important in their lives and simply not fun.  Anger had become apathy...and they didn't like feeling that way about their alma mater's team. So on the flip side this coin, the players probably don't understand the average fan's perspective.

The interesting part for me, as someone kind of in-between these two ends of the spectrum, is I understand a bit of both perspectives.  Granted, we never played football past high school, but our love for Purdue sports has pushed us to read, research and get to know the program more than the casual fan.

Like J and I have said, we've met Hope...and we like the guy. His high-energy, high-enthusiasm personality made it pretty difficult to not root for him to succeed.  And those personality traits made him a guy that players wanted to play for. Drew Brees said he'd run through a wall for the guy and Matt Light pretty much credits Hope for making him into an NFL lineman...those statements aren't too far off from what the current players have been saying on Twitter.  But Brees, Light and others are not talking about Danny Hope the head coach...they're talking about him as their coach.  And the distinction is important.

Most of the head coaches of successful D-IA football programs act a bit like CEOs.  After all, they're running an organization with a ton of moving parts and never-ending problems to overcome. Their attention to detail is astounding. Their organizational skills are incredible. Their ability to make the right and difficult decision sets them apart from your average joe. They're not universally loved...in fact, some aren't even liked by many, but they do the job they were hired to do quite well.  No one ever wanted Danny Hope to be some cold, calculated robot...but the program probably needed a guy who wasn't always their best buddy, but could make make the very hard calls.

Hope loves the guys that have played for him...and while he has a son, I'm sure he thinks of these kids, these men, as his other sons.  His loyalty to his players drove him to show up other coaches in defense of his players (remember the first time he played Michigan?).  His enthusiasm for his guys drove him to act like a kid toward opposing crowds (remember the game at Oregon his first season?). And his belief that so many of his players were really good probably stunted the growth of the truly great ones within his program.

Many of Purdue's players were given opportunities by Hope that no one else would have given.  From a walk-on that became a starter to a small-town kid who was given one D-IA offer, a lot of these guys feel like they owe Coach Hope. He gave first chances to guys who didn't look like they had a shot, and second and third chances to some that didn't really deserve it...and that's why these guys love their coach.

If you ever watch Brian Kelly or Nick Saban on the sidelines, you can see these guys aren't touch-feely...in fact, they're flat-out cantankerous toward the very guys that they recruited to play for them...but, they win...a lot.  And that in itself is endearing to players- probably after the season's over more so than in the heat of the battle.  These coaches earn respect because they demand greatness.  Conversely, Hope has earned the love of his players because he cared greatly for them.

In the past few weeks, Hope espoused the bunker mentality- the world was against him, so he was going to regard everyone as the enemy...except for his players. He took shots at the media for scrutinizing too hard, the athletic program for not giving him the resources he needed, his agent for not getting him a contract that gave him leverage and the fanbase for being losers of low character because they...we...had the gall to want to see a better-prepared team each Saturday.  But, Hope didn't throw his guys under the bus...and they have noticed that each time he's stayed loyal.  So today's news cuts them pretty deeply.

Hope's teams lost more games than they won...but many of the Purdue players that he coached are focusing on the lessons that they learned off the field, than the victories they earned on it.  Those life lessons are important...and I hope all of the guys that played for him are better men for doing so...that would make the last four years of Purdue's football program worthwhile.

And while many of the players don't want to hear this right now, I hope they eventually understand, it's probably a very good time for the program to change direction.  My hope is that Hope's guys who stick around will be rewarded with a coach who is also loyal...but willing to make the tough decisions that his predecessor would not.  I hope they get to play for a coach that cares for his players enough to let them know when they're not playing to their potential.  I hope they get to play for a coach who represents their university well off the field...but makes them into champions upon it.

Hard not to like: Danny Hope

From the time Danny Hope was hired, we at BS have said that he is a difficult guy to dislike.   I wasn't a huge fan of the hire by Burke- I thought then, and still think that Purdue should have pursued a coach with a bit of a higher profile and a better record of success prior to Hope's hiring by my our Alma Mater.

Our boilers stand at 3-3 at the halfway point of Hope's third season as the head coach.  If you visit here often, you've heard us express our thoughts that we believe that this team's record should be better than it is.  We think that there are some talented guys on this team, talented-enough to have at least one more win if not two...but things are what they are. Purdue continues to struggle with stupid penalties at key times, seems to have breakdowns when they're in the most need of crisp play and the offense seems to still be struggling to find an identity.  On top of that, there are gaping holes in the line-up that can be attributed to poor player development or recruiting misses. Many, if not all of this team's problems can be credited to the coaching staff.

But, there are some things that are very positive that are due to coaching.  This team almost always looks motivated to play.  They hustle and don't seem to give up on plays too often.  And there seems to be very good chemistry among the players...as they legitimately like each other.  Plus, Hope has conscientiously built a team that is faster on both sides of the ball than the teams that Tiller put together.

The reason this team is what it is, both the good and bad, comes from the top. The players are fun-loving because the man behind the mustache is as well.  These guys are excitable and emotional because the head coach encourages it. He understands that football is a game of emotion...but at times this season, the players and coaches alike have looked confused and unsure of what should be done next.

In this era of football, it's really tough to watch your favorite squad go one, two, three, four...seasons without going to a bowl game.  That's probably why attendance has been dropping steadily during Hope's time at Purdue.  In fact, it looks like the Homecoming Game could be the lowest-attended of its kind in nearly 20 years unless there is an unexpected run on tickets in the next 24-36 hours...and while I hate seeing it, it's understandable that many have shifted the way they spend their money the last few years.

The Scale: UND

In an effort to keep balance in the universe, our Boilers did their best impersonation of an overmatched FCS team following their bye week.

"The Scale" is an easily-digested, overly-simplified post-game synopsis from Boiled Sports

The Likability Factor

I spent a few hours watching videos from last spring to last week posted by the Purdue football team...and it was pretty fun.

Just as companies tend to reflect the boss' personality due to his example and hiring practices, this Purdue team reflects Danny Hope. They're loose, they seem to really genuinely like being around eachother and love the game of football.

What's not to like about self-deprecating guys like Carlino and Holland, hams like Wiggs and Lichtenberg, nice guys like Short, Rouse and Thomas, polite, soft-spoken players like Gaston, Robinson and Shavers, Amazing athletes like Bolden, Henry, Mostert, Marve and Ross, hard-workers like Allen, Sinz and Lucas, and physical freaks like Beckford, Kitchens and Plue?

There's a lot to like on this team...and these guys are easy to root for. And while on paper, and even on the field, we can see a ton of potential, it's still tough to know whether they can put it all together in reality.

There just always seem to be a ton of loose threads for Hope's teams- waiting for academic clearing, awaiting someone to get healthy, looking forward to see if a guy would see the field in his Frosh season or redshirt, and everyone on the field knowing their role and just executing.

A lack of cohesiveness and poor chemistry have not been problems for the teams over the past two years- something that Tiller teams struggled with from time-to-time...so there's definitely a good foundation to be built upon. But consistency has been something the last two Purdue teams simply haven't been able to find...and this team must change that trend in order to get Purdue's football team back to respectability and above .500.

At the mid-way point of the pre-season practice schedule, like every team in America, there are some good reports coming out of camp and some things that sound kinda lousy. Two-a-days have left a few players like Roberts and Johnson hurting to the point that they might not be back for more than a month. Other "little" injuries and ailments are keeping guys from practicing for days or weeks at a time- that's football.

But as this team heads down the final stretch of practice prior to playing MTSU, one thing I hope they're able to find is focus...because dropping an early game versus a team they should beat can't happen if they are to take the program forward this season. Likability is extremely important...but nothing excites a fanbase like a winner.

Purdue Football Part 1: Let's Get Excited!!

Danny Hope is an enthusiastic, positive guy...we all know that. And you just have to like at least some of that. In late June he said,

"We're excited about the season, maybe more so than in the past couple years."

And in his defense, why shouldn't he be? In '09 he had a quarterback that had never played significant snaps and skilled positions filled with JuCo transfers, position switchers and unproven commodities. On top of that, youth was being served at nearly every position group and there weren't a ton of veterans that had made a ton of noise.

Coming into '10, an injury to Ralph Bolden, an unproven transfer coming off of an injury of his own, some young skilled players, a young and unproven defensive backfield and an unstable offensive line marked all stood out as questions for the second year coach. We all knew Ryan Kerrigan was good...but really, that was about it...and it didn't get better as the season progressed.

So this year, Coach Hope is excited...so let's join him in the party atmosphere and look forward to what is to come.

-Is there anything better than the fall on a football Saturday? Not for us.

Outside of Purdue, J and I both agree that the early fall is one of the best times of the year for sports. Coming off of the doldrums, there's nothing better for me than a football Saturday as the air starts to cool off a bit- But, a full day of wall-to-wall college football is made even better when your alma mater has a fresh slate and there's potential for big things to happen.

Plus, if you have friends who aren't Boilers is there any better sport for trash talking via text message than football? The 6 day break that's built in between games lends itself for prognostication and banter.

Last thing outside of Purdue, we can always rally around watching IU implode following its feather-soft pre-con 4-0 start. We can revel in Notre Dame disappointing the members of the media and its fanbase who decide to pick this season as the year that the echoes will be awakened. It's been quiet out of SB this off-season...mostly because they're trying to keep their heads low while avoiding off-field problems...but we're just weeks away from it all beginning again. And rest assured, you know it's late summer when morons start talking about UND returning to glory...again.

-We've been Purdue fans for a long time. And this is the first time since the mid-90s that we really haven't had any expectations...at all. We're honestly not expecting a horrible product, but last seasons sour Bucket Game left us pretty numb...so we're not negative...we're not positive...and anything can happen. Who knows, maybe 15 will begin to live up to the number, Ken Plue will live up to his potential, Carson Wiggs will kick a 85 yard field goal or Ralph will come back like the Ralph Bolden of the Toledo game a few seasons ago.

-And speaking of players, these are the proven commodities that give us hope:

Carson Wiggs is the most-accurate kicker in the history of Purdue football...and has the biggest leg Purdue fans have ever seen. Plus, he's never given the student section the finger like the last great kicker that came through West Lafiesta...so that's a positive.

Ricardo Allen got better and better as the season went on last year. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns which put him in an elite group...and he was rock-solid in every-down pass coverage. He anchors a very skilled and uber-experienced defensive backfield.

Kawann "KK" Short has been a force since he stepped on the field as a Freshman. And as the seasons have progressed, he's leaned out, worked on his technique and gotten much better at staying motivated each and every down. I think this might be an example of how Ryan Kerrigan quietly led the junior DT. And now, the Purdue fans aren't the only ones noticing as Short was named a top-5 B1G DT by EsPN. He and Gaston are probably the best tackle duo at Purdue in over a decade.

Dwayne Beckford and Will Lucas are part of the most-veteran unit on the team, the linebackers. This group is kind of a head-scratcher as they've played together a while and are athletic and experienced, but haven't really been noteworthy thus far...That said, Lucas and Beckford both have speed that allows them to play at a faster pace than most LBs we've seen the last five or 6 seasons. Plus, Lucas seems to play with a sizable chip on his shoulder...I like that.

Dennis Kelly still need a few pounds to be dominant, but he's rock solid if nothing else. He'll anchor an offensive line that while experienced hasn't set the world on fire...yet. How could they have done so last year with what was going on behind them?

-After these guys everybody is either coming off of injury, had some inconsistency or is just young. That's not to say someone can't...or won't emerge as an all-conference player. In fact, I kind of expect a few guys to do that. But, there just aren't a ton of proven guys...but we'll talk about that later.

-Back to the positives, Purdue returns four, count 'em, FOUR quarterbacks who have played in Bowl Subdivision games. We're not going to talk about their records as starters or the reasons some of them haven't played a ton. What we will say is that there are a lot of guys in the stable with experience...and that's a positive.

So...maybe Coach Hope is right. Maybe there is more reason to be excited this season than in any other pre-season during his tenure.

Our next part of this series is things we're concerned, if not worried about...but don't think about those right now...Let's get excited!! Football season is just under two months away!

Purdue Football: Small-Time?

A question has been rattling around in my head since the Bucket Game on Saturday...and perhaps earlier than that. Is Purdue football small-time?  Whether it is or not, it's acting and being treated by alums and administration as a small-time program. So I guess that means it is.

I love the school. I love the program. I want nothing more than to see these guys succeed. And it's these guys I want to see succeed, because I think they're talented enough to do so. I'm not longing for five-star, entitled punks who don't go to class. I like the guys who are there because they want to go to Purdue. That's one of the things that made the 2000 season so special and made the '03 and '04 seasons so almost-special.

Then I read quotes from Danny Hope at last night's football banquet and one of them is this:

"Everything about the program is going in the right direction. It’s unfortunate that we had some struggles."

Really? Really? Everything??


No, Coach, just....no. Everything is most assuredly not going in the right direction. And do you know how I know? I can simply look at the W-L record this season. And beyond that I can look at the way Purdue had no shot in several games. Simply no chance... primarily because they couldn't move the ball, or stop turning it over, or stop other teams from moving the ball... it all depended on the week, but no matter what, there were serious problems all over the field. Suggesting everything is going in the right direction is, quite frankly, absurd.

There is no accountability in this program, and that quote underscores it. Guys are fumbling. Guys don't know plays. Guys aren't in the right positions. Guys don't close the deal when they clearly should be able to. And the team is losing to good competition, mediocre competition, and inferior competition. The team is losing at home... on senior day... in the Bucket Game.... to a horrible IU team. And at home to a MAC team....two years in a row. That's simply inexcusable. 


And no matter how many times we raise these issues, there are readers who -- inexplicably -- attack us for being so demanding and it's always the same excuse -- the injuries. Injuries, I'll say surely not for the last time, do not cause guys to not know plays. Or to not block properly. Or to not tackle properly. Or to drop passes. Or any number of other things that come down to 1) Coaching and 2) Accountability. If you make fundamental errors or repeated mental mistakes... you should be benched. Not permanently, but temporarily. I don't care if a walk-on has to take your place for a half. How much worse would things be? And it would make a point to the unprepared or unfocused player. 


Or hey, how about working on fundamentals in practice instead of being everybody's best pal, Coach Hope? How about not making f-cking jokes to the sideline reporter going into halftime? Take this shit seriously. You're paid -- handsomely -- to make this program respectable. Nobody expects Purdue to be competing for national titles. Nobody really even expects Purdue to challenge for the conference. All people want is exciting football and average bowl seasons. Seriously, isn't that what the majority of fans and alums seemingly are okay with? 


And there, my friends, is the problem. When you expect or hope for mediocrity and fall short, it's dreadful. If you shoot for the moon and fall short, perhaps you at least begin to plant the seeds for success. Say what you want about Joe Tiller -- and we have -- but when he came in to Purdue, he rejected out of hand the losing culture. He simply said they were going to compete and build a winner. And he did that. Understand something here: while Joe mailed it in his last few seasons, his first 6 or 7 years were inarguably impressive. Tiller won 9 games his first season. He beat Notre Dame. He won the Alamo Bowl. Purdue beat good teams. They scared teams. They changed the way the conference played offensively. People want to talk about Rich Rodriguez bringing his offense to the Big Ten. No, sir. Joe Tiller made that high-flying spread offense accepted in the Big Ten 13 years ago. 


My point? That is can be done, but this coaching staff and this athletic department doesn't want it bad enough. Danny Hope should be sickened and disgusted by a 4-8 record and 9-15 over two years. Okay, so it was injuries this year -- what was it last year? Because, despite some excitement, last year was a lousy year, too. 5-7 is not good. It's not promising, it's not acceptable...it's not funny. 


More than half the teams in the country go to bowl games. You only have to go .500 to qualify. Not going to a bowl these days is a referendum on your program. Not going three years in a row? Unacceptable. Simply unacceptable. 


How come there is all this media talk about Rodriguez potentially being fired at Michigan? Two lousy years and now a pretty soft team that clawed to 7-5. Unmitigated beatdowns at the hands of their rival. And, rightfully, the natives are restless. Randy Shannon at Miami gets bagged after four years, 7-5 this year, 9 wins last year and a ranked team..... but it wasn't enough. Now, maybe Miami and Michigan fans are sometimes delusional....but the point is, they're simply not accepting average/mediocre teams. And let's be clear: those programs/teams are in far better shape than our Boilers. 


So why are we at BS the only ones saying the Purdue football program's current state is unacceptable? Where is the media? Where are the alums? Come on, old John Purdue Club members! This team lost to Notre Dame, a MAC team and IU this year! How low do things have to get before people with influence begin to get pissed? 1-10? 0-11? I'm not suggesting (yet) that Coach Hope definitely has to go. I'm simply asking why it feels like we're the only ones in the Purdue realm who are highly concerned/irritated at the state of things? How come nobody is questioning Danny Hope's nonsensical rah-rah "everything is going well" baloney? That's just....stupid. And insulting. 


All is not well, Coach Hope. And for things to begin to get better, you need to recognize that and get angry and do something about it.

A Watershed Moment?

(Note to the reader: This post is longer than normal...but read it in chunks if you don't have time to read it in its entirety...Then, let us know your thoughts...I think we're witnessing a critical period of time for Danny Hope's coaching staff)

In 2009, Purdue fans were in an optimistic mood. Almost everybody, including Joe Tiller, was ready for a change following the '08 season. We all knew Hope was an emotional guy...a high-energy guy. We all liked that too. After years of watching a stoic coach hold a stop watch, crunch on ice chips, hold his nose at the refs and complain about the disparity between Purdue and the cream of the conference, it was good to see something fresh.

And we saw something new last season. We saw a team that was a seemingly-manic as its coach. Coach Tiller was never too high, never too low. Coach Hope is a red ass when angry and happy like a little kid after a big victory. Football should be an emotional game...I like that emotion. I still think that personality type was what the program needed, especially after the last few seasons of JT's time in West Lafayette.

That said, I have to be fair and look critically at what we've been witnessing the last two seasons...and it's worse than not good. Possibly more disparaging, Things are going backwards...and it has little to do with injuries, in my opinion. The optimism for this coaching staff among the fan base seems to be waning.

Offensive Woes
Everyone reading understands the painful reality the Purdue football team's attrition has probably brought to the coaching staff. But, injuries to skilled players have no effect on the offensive line. This offensive line, at times, has looked as bad as any I've seen since Akers was coaching at Purdue. Colletto's lines were generally powerful...but slow. Tiller's lines (even the least talent-laden) were generally lean, but very skilled at protecting for the spread system. But Coach Hope's second offensive line seems to be months away from being ready. On paper, they're formidable- tall, long arms, great strength and weight. But, in person, versus less-than stellar competition, this unit seems to be manhandled regularly. The problem starts there...the OLine is Hope's baby...and his baby is kinda ugly right now.

Make no mistake, I'm not blaming Robert Marve's current injury on that line. But he was hit a ton the first few games. Granted, some of that was because he refused to get rid of the ball...but some was because he was simply running for his life as soon as the ball was moved. Today in the second half, they seemed to wear down Toledo and blew open some substantial holes...but this wasn't aOSU or Wisconsin they were facing. In the BT, it wearing a team down as the game goes on will become less and less likely. I have friends that say Bolden and Smith's losses are a difference of two or three games. They might be right, might be wrong. But, experts say that games are won in the trenches...in that case you can see why Purdue's offense is struggling to find an identity and has not yet found a rhythm.

Atop that, the play-calling has been horrible. The draw has been the mainstay this season from Coach Nord, next, a ton of reverses to the short side of the field...and for the life of me, I can't understand why the coaching staff keeps going to these dry wells. These plays have yielded very-limited success...and more-notably, have helped Purdue become one of the less-potent offenses in the nation. The 1-2-3-4 First Down Chant might need to be shelved for a while, in my opinion. The whole point of that was to demonstrate the frustrating nature of the way Purdue's offenses would rack up yards and first downs a they'd march down the field. This simply doesn't happen with regularity this season. Purdue has had more three and outs than their competition this season. Let that sink in- that's versus UND (who can't seem to stop anybody but Purdue), a 1-AA opponent and two MAC teams. That's flat-out awful. Do you think things will get better as the BT season commences?

Defensive Concerns
Defensively, Purdue is struggling mightily to stop third down conversions. Some other Achilles heels seem to be the dreaded tight end dumps over the middle, delay draws and running backs who simply bounce their runs outside. These problems are officially a theme...and by the way, those plays don't take a genius like the Manatee to draw up or even a wise offensive sage to spot. This was a struggle last season too. People tried to blame it on a young/unhealthy LB corps then...now, according to Hope and others, this is supposed to be one of the best units on the team...it simply doesn't look that way though.

When Purdue has needed stops most this season, they simply haven't come. When a tackle has to be made, it almost never is as opposing running backs and quarterbacks seem to have Teflon-coated jerseys on when they're needed to be brought down. These same problems have seeped into the kickoff coverage units...Mercifully, Purdue doesn't have to kickoff all that often (read above for an answer why).

Recurring Special Teams Problems
Speaking of special teams, here's what we've seen- no consistency from the punters, a pre-season all BT kicker miss routine field goals and a kickoff coverage unit that seems to wilt when needed most. Versus UND, Ball State and most recently, Toledo. This kickoff team (that's filled with starters) exhibits poor spacing and worse tackling more often than not. This gives an already beleaguered defense a short field to defend, time and time again. Keep in mind, Purdue hasn't been playing teams with deadly kick returners or Beamer-coached ST units...they've faced a mediocre UND team, a D1-AA team and two MAC teams (yes, I'm repeating for effect).

There's an old football adage that I've found to be true- bad teams always seem young. They're always awaiting the arrival of a RS player or recruit to complete the team. Good teams seem to have underclassmen who are frustratingly good and seem to start for 5 or 6 seasons. Purdue isn't the latter right now...nor were they in '09.

There's Always Something
In much of the last season, I can remember thinking,
"if only the defense could stop the run..."
"if only the DBs could stop the pass..."
"if only the quarterback could make a few deep throws and be more-consistent..."
"if only the punt and kickoff units could keep their spacing and cover more-consistently..."

"If only this team could put together a complete game."

Ahhh, wouldn't it be great? And they did a few times last season toward the end...it seemed some of the lessons learned might carry into 2010. But, we seem to be experiencing Groundhog Day all over again. Versus Notre Dame, the defense held UND relatively in check (23 points)...but the offense was a no show (12). Today versus Toledo, Purdue's offense put it together in the second half (20 points in that half alone), but the defense allowed the statistical-worst offense in the nation to make plays when as it needed to assure victory. In the middle two games both the offenses and defenses struggled at times...particularly, allowing nearly 300 yards passing against W. Ill, then going scoreless for two-straight quarters against BSU.

As a rule it seems, Danny Hope's teams have struggled mightily to make "big" plays when their backs are against the wall in the first halves of each season he's been at Purdue.

Why?
Perhaps Hope's camps haven't been as effective as they've needed to be. Perhaps the coaching staff simply doesn't game plan aggressively early on as they don't have confidence in the individual units at the beginning of the season. But whatever the case is, something needs to be done. If the offense can't score a ton of points and force opposing teams into a high-paced game that leads to mistakes...or the defense can't consistently come up with turnovers and stops as needed...or the Special Teams units cannot make tackles or produce enough points, something's gotta give. It's a team game, and since none of the individual parts seem to be dominant, the collective unit must compliment the sum...it hasn't happened yet.

What can be done?
As J said in his post-game wrap-up, we're not proponents for people calling for the firing of Hope at this point as the season should be judged in its entirety, in our opinion. But, there might be some things that can be done to send a message to everyone on staff that there will be accountability and he simply expects more from his staff. Plus, I've never been a fan of people who just talk about problems and never have any proposed solutions...sure, my solutions aren't flawless, but in my opinion, something needs to be done.

Last season, Hope spoke of the importance of the Special Teams units as he named J.B. Gibboney as the ST Coordinator. The kick coverage was bad last year...but Hope blamed that on the fact that they couldn't put the guys on the field they needed/wanted to. This season, the kick coverage is still lousy...and starters are out there playing on those units. I'm not a fan of a mid-season firing...but think Gibboney needs to be relieved of his duties and shifted within the staff...perhaps to a position's coaching role.

The next potential change would be removing the "Co" from in front of Gary Emanuel's title and make him DC...then moving Landholm into the LB coaching role. Hagen would then become ST coordinator and would also coach the DLine.

Above, you can see how critical we are of the play-calling by Nord- it's been as vanilla and uninventive as I can remember. That said, I think his hands are tied more than any other coach's due to the losses of key players.

Granted, the chance of these changes, or changes like these, happening is extremely-slim as Hope seems to be staunchly-loyal. But, the margin for error of how to attain a winning record or respectable bowl has just gotten slimmer and slimmer...and with it, the leniency among alums, the general fanbase, and ticket holders/buyers might be disappearing.

Just as the Toledo loss back in 1997 became a defining moment and rallying cry for the Tiller's team and coaching staff, we could be witnessing a similar period of time right now, if some positives can be gleaned from it. If Hope's program is to take a collective step forward it will be because of the hard lessons learned thus far, and the difficult, if not aggressive decisions made during the upcoming bye week.

A Bleak Outlook
Purdue is currently last in scoring offense, second-to-last in passing, last in kickoff returns, and tied in seventh for scoring defense all while playing the 8 most-difficult schedule thus far.

This week alone, Wisconsin scored 70 points, aOSU scored 73, UM scored 65 & MSU scored 45. Without major changes, could Purdue see one of the most lop-sided losses in recent memory in BT play? Or worse yet, could the Boilers end up in the cellar of the conference?

Games that looked like gimmes don't look like it anymore as Illinois is playing respectably and IU is flat-out playing well...Finding (at least) 4 wins in the remaining schedule, at least at this point, seems to be a bit of a pipe dream

The odds of having a winning season, or even going to a bowl game decreased drastically today following the loss to Toledo. Hope and co. simply can't wait until the end of the season to make a move...The time is now.

Ice Cold Coach Strikes Again

We've told you how we think Hope's control of info is frustrating at times, and hilarious at others. But, in yesterday's post-practice interview, he had one of the funniest "shoot-down" answers I've heard thus far...That said, it's gotta piss off the media.

Media guy:
"Now that you're in your game prep, do you have good idea who's in your two-deeps?"

Hope:
"Yep, yep...good idea."

And that was it. No further explanation, nothing but a look right at the guy (whom I don't know by voice).

Make no mistake, if Hope's not pleased with you and you're in the media, you'll get nothing, and like it.

Football players preparing to play football on the football field (and notes)

Prognostications are a nice divergence as we await football season. Media meetings whet our appetite for the game we love...and practice (not a game) tells us we're getting close, very close to something real and tangible in the college football world being upon us.

Danny Hope's second camp began today with unusually-temperate weather as August camp kicked off with low humidity and temps in the 80s...a nice way to start it off. The media was allowed into practice for a half hour- better than nothing, I guess, and better than just hearing about practice via Hope's reports. Last season, we pretty much heard that everyone was awesome in camp, but no one got to see just how great these guys were except the coaching staff and players. So I'm glad Hope's not completely continuing that tradition that marked Tiller's final years on campus. A bit of transparency ain't so bad.

Here are a few highlights from the first day back:
-Hope thinks the team looks very fast and talented...even in the positions (DB, specifically) where there's not a ton of experience.

-Everybody likes Justin Siller's potential at WR...Here's something to think about:
We could regularly see a group of receivers/TEs like this: Cortez Smith (6'2" 180) Keith Smith (6'2" 226), Justin Siller (6'4" 220) and Kyle Adams (6'5" 251). That's significant size, solid hands, decent speed and really tough match-ups for a small defensive backfield to handle. Then, if DBs start attempting to jump routes, we'll see a little O.J. Ross or Gary Bush sprinkled in...I like this receiving corps quite a bit.

-Ralph Bolden's not doing too much at this point...no surpise.

-Ryan Kerrigan and Gerald Gooden are good.

Even if we only get morsels at this point, this is info that I love to gobble up...Just 27 days until kickoff.

Feeling Old
I had a birthday last week that places me in the dead-center of my 30s...but that didn't make me feel as old as watching Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith get placed in the hall of fame. I'm now to the point where each year, the NFL season is kicked off by having at least a couple of players inducted to the HOF that I remember watching in college or getting drafted.

Touchy
I don't read a ton of other blogs- heck, I don't even get over to H&R often enough. But, I read that the Uof M faithful really didn't like Danny Hope's comments during the media days about Purdue not having a General Studies major while every school in the conference, except two, do offer such a course of study. Problem is, Hope really didn't directly point at Michigan in this case. No matter.

MGoBlog's post smacks of great insecurity here, but worse, their commenters sound bitchy and are making it tougher and tougher for me to continue to respect UM's fanbase. I've had a few co-workers and friends who graduated from Michigan...as a general rule, I used to like Michigan and its fans. I've always dismissed stories I heard of them being a bunch of whiny rich kids...but they sure sound like it in this case.

Sure, they're upset that the Roy Roundtree/Rich Rodriguez era has the Wolverines 0-2 versus Purdue...that's frustrating when your program is one of the most-storied in college sports. You're supposed to be one of the most-talented teams in the America, are paying a coach a boatload, kicked a pretty-damned good (and clean to boot) coach to get to the current head man, yet can't win the games you're supposed to...can't even make it to the post season. Yeah, they're angry about Hope calling DickRod to the carpet, understandable too. But read some of the comments...there's a lot of vitriol in Ann Arbor for Purdue and specifically, Danny Hope.

Hey, I don't get into the business of hating people...even cheating coaches who steal players in the 11th hour, that stuff happens. But, the more I read about Rodriguez and the more I read from Michigan fans, the more I think they deserve eachother.

Oh Billy, you so silly...keep up the good work.

"Hey ref, you just missed one of the 12 plays that made us suck this season!!!"

We all know Bill Lynch isn't a very good coach. Ball State fans know it, IU fans know it. But, now, he's adding to his crappy coaching with horrible situational awareness. Lynch's Hoosiers mustered up victories versus a D-II school, two MAC squads and a fellow BT cellar dwellar in '09. But in spite of the obvious poor play last season, Lynch thinks his team was a mere 12 plays from finishing 8-4 last year.

I for one am a big Bill Lynch fan...I hope he stays at IU for a long time as Glass enjoys his bargain basement salary and try-hard attitude...who gives a damn about victories. But, me thinks his days in the land of awful football might be numbered. This talk reminds me of Colletto in his last season in West Lafayette- Ole Jim used to say Purdue lost because of incorrect alignment by the offensive linemen or, get this, a couple of plays kept them from being successful. Just like in Lynch's case, it had little to do with poor preparation, poor play-calling, lousy recruiting or poor talent assessment.

While I'm good with just allowing Coach Lynch to have the floor and letting his diarrhea of the of the mouth flow, Coach Hope isn't. He's said since he came into West Lafayette that he wasn't hired to make friends in the coaching profession. Rich Rodriguez was the first example of this philosophy, Bill Lynch is now the second.

Lynch said ATM's 87 yard kick return for a touchdown was the play that made the difference versus Purdue in '09...and that it didn't take talent (on McBurse's part) to score 6...instead, he blamed it on a "breakdown" by the fellows wearing crimson helmets. He went further to hint at the idea that IU was in a position to win had it not been for the opening kickoff of the second half.

I think one just might argue that Purdue was merciful as they were up by 21 following that single, talentless, breakdown play...and that was the lead that stuck. Perhaps they will erase all questions in Lynch's mind about any single play that might have made the difference in the '10 game...we'll have to wait and see. At least IU will be at home in 2010...oooh, wait, they won't.

Hope, like me, checked the math and reminded everyone that the ATM runback was merely 7 points in a 21-point loss. He also backed up his guy by saying his speed and talent made the play possible.

You might not like Hope's philosophy about calling other coaches to the carpet and simply letting conflicts sit where they lie...but his players most-definitely love the fact that he perpetually has their collective backs and is willing to stand up for them...I think we'll see that payoff this season. We'll have to watch the Hoosiers and see if they can figure out which 12 plays to eradicate in '10. If not, Lynch might join a long list of IU coaches who coach their last game as the Hoosier head man, in West Lafayette.

(thanks to my pal Chris for pointing this story out to me...)

Way To Stay On Point, Rich

Well, Rich Rodriguez' little tantrum is working, as bloggers and national media alike are beginning to discuss the "bad blood" brewing between Rodriguez and Danny Hope. It's also entertaining to see others saying this was low-class on Danny Hope's part while it's okay for Rich Rodriguez, during his press conference, to whine about it like a little lady. Seriously, tuck in your skirt, Rich, and toughen up a little bit.

For those not in the know...

One of Rich's players got suspended back in September after throwing a punch in their game against Notre Dame. Rich then drew attention to a Zach Reckman late hit at the end of the NIU game and he got his way and the league suspended Reckman a game. And Coach Hope wasn't happy about it.

Now, for the record, I was bothered by Reckman's late hit at the end of the NIU game. I thought it was uncalled for and I did indeed think it was malicious. But it was fairly harmless and was not a punch. And, get this, it had nothing AT ALL to do with the football team Rich Rodriguez coaches! So rather than worrying about Purdue-NIU happenings, he should have been worried about what punches his thugs were throwing.

Fast forward to today's win and after the game Danny Hope introduced Rich to Reckman and "thanked" him (Rodriguez) for what he did, obviously sarcastically. Hope and Rodriguez clearly threw some words back and forth after the little interaction and that was that.

That is, until Rich got pissy during his press conference today and brought up the exchange for all to hear. Well, his version of things, anyway, which shockingly paints him in the aw-shucks innocent light. And, of course, he stated had nothing to do with Reckman getting suspended.

You know, Rich, if you're going to sling arrows, at least be man enough to acknowledge you damn well did have something to do with it. Otherwise, you're just a coward.

I don't like Hope doing what he did today. Let's make that clear. I don't like players seeing that behavior and thinking that's the proper way to act. I do, however, like how loyal Hope is to his guys. It may not turn out to be a good thing in the end, but it's the kind of thing that gets guys to play hard for you. Sometimes this is what comes from guys who are emotional and more invested in a team than most of us can understand.

During Rodriguez' press conference, I actually began to feel a little bad for him, as he squirmed through all the questions and looked genuinely pained. And then he acted like a schoolgirl who'd had her pig tails pulled on the bus... and any sympathy I had for this clown went right out the window.

Was Hope in the right? No, most likely he was not. But is Rodriguez in the right, bringing this up during a postgame press conference where he should be focusing on his 1-5 conference record and how to win games?

Hey, Michigan backers, if you want to hitch your wagon to this story, go ahead. But if you do, your head is buried deep.

OK. I think I'm upset.

Actually, pissed is the word that works better, but I didn't want to put that in the headline. I just read the coordinators interviews over at GBI (they're good guys over there, by the way)...and I heard it again. The dreaded, "I'd do it again" sentiment from Nord. So now, we've heard this ad nauseum from Coach Hope...and it's trickled down to Nord and Landholm and even Elliott this season. I'm pretty sick of it.

Here's my honest assessment of this staff, at this point- They're learning on the job. I know some of them are long in the tooth, but most haven't been in the situation they're in currently. Coordinating, Head Coaching, positional coaching at this level. Even if they have, I think it's the right thing to do, from time-to-time- to admit your mistakes...and they simply don't want to do it.

Confidence is good, but hubris helps no one...and right now, it doesn't look like anyone's being helped. If this coaching staff's system had been in place for a long time, and they, as a group, had had a ton of success with it in the past (a la Rich Rodriguez @ UM or Urban Meyer @ UF) and things just weren't clicking- I'd agree with them. But, I think they're generally discombobulated, as a staff.

Part of that comes with the wrong guys being in the wrong positions...and I think there will, or at least should, be some changes at the end of the season. But, the other part of the poor fundamentals and recurring issues comes from a staff that's kind of feeling its way through a season. I think it makes no sense to perpetually blame players like Jim Colletto did during his time at Purdue ("the guys aren't lining up correctly"). But, when something's wrong, admit it. And let's be honest, gentlemen- something's wrong. You can't improve when you don't see anything that needs to be improved...and the record tells me there's plenty of room for improvement.

Keep in mind, I'm not saying all is lost. I'm just saying there's a lot that's been done incorrectly and a ton of room for growth. Perpetually telling the media all is well, is going to frustrate the fan base...and it's beginning to do so. So hopefully, while the outward face is all smiles and lollipops for this staff, I hope they're wrestling behind closed doors with these issues and trying to find solutions. Because there are problems.

What problems, you ask? Well this team turns over the ball too often. Not just in the NW game, but during the entire season...and these are almost-always in Purdue territory and lead to opposition points with the quickness. While one of our readers called turnovers a nearly-random occurrence, I think it can and will be easily argued that the good teams have less of the "random occurrences" and lousy ones have them more-regularly.

And on the other side of the ball, tackling is still a concern. If Purdue's defense can play another solid game defensively, I'll back off of this point a bit...but one game does not a season make...and isn't it just awesome that when the defense thrives, the offense flounders? What ifs stink.

Pass coverage is pretty horrible too. First off, Purdue almost always never plays bump-man...and when they do, you can feel the imminent disaster. On Saturday after downs-upon-downs of the standard 10-yard cushion, David Pender creeped up and got right on the NW receiver. Kafka saw it and went for a big play. Pender (wisely, mind you) grabbed the receiver to keep him from catching the ball. Soft DB play is something we've seen for years...I'm positive we were all hoping that with an experienced group of starters and a new DC, we'd see that change...we've seen no change. And technique has been pretty lousy. Instead of watching the man they're guarding, the corners have an awful tendency to watch the quarterback and break before the ball's been thrown. We saw this on Saturday a few times...and it usually ends with the safety having to make a game-saver. Along with the DBs, the linebackers have struggled covering the short routes...and in my opinion, most of this is based on coaching.

How about fundamentals on special teams? OK- First off, most-glaringly, guys can't hold onto the ball on returns...obvious one. But something that really bothers me is the fact that the spacing has been so bad, so often. Guys seem to over-pursue and put themselves in positions which they must take bad angles to attempt a tackle...and the result is usually a longer return than it should be. In fact, Carson Wiggs has made way too many tackles this season...the good news is he's a damned-good tackler, it seems...and he's got some mean in him. I always like that.

Oh, and there's more...but I don't want to waste my entire work day.

I'm venting...and like many of my fellow Purdue fans, I'm frustrated. I'm sure the players and coaches are too. But let me close with two requests...not demands, mind you, just requests.

First- be slow to blame players. These kids make plenty of mistakes, no question. I think Elliott deserves a large chunk of blame this season, and Valentin's recurring mistakes are painful...but almost everything can be traced back to poor-preparation or poor-positioning (meaning a guy probably shouldn't be playing in that situation). Blame the pros, not the amateurs...unless a player is divisive to a team, acts like a thug or malcontent or simply gives up, blame the hired guy, not the one placing himself in harm's way for free.

Next- don't jump ship, yet. It's been five games...and I'm clearly angry at the coaches for some prevalent themes I've seen. But, it's so darned early...And there are a lot of factors that are playing into this equation right now.

We're not blind...we see Kevin Sumlin's success...and we know there are other good coaches out there. But, they're not Purdue's head coach...and it's not fair to give up on a guy and a program this early. A ton of coaches have flat-out lousy first seasons at their school. Kirk Ferentz only one a game during his initial season at Iowa...and Alvarez at Wisconsin struggled for a few before the Badgers became the mother of a program that he was given time to build. And while I don't think Hope needs three or four seasons, I do know that there's a lot to look forward to...if some things can go Purdue's way. It's hard right now...but let's try to keep our collective head up.

I agree with the coach...

Coach Hope thought aloud after the loss to NIU, that he hoped the Purdue Nation wasn't filled with the squeamish or faint of heart.

This week, as people whined on the radio show, he said to one of the callers,

"Don't be so weak, bleed with us, stick with us."

The Coach is correct here- Rebuilding is very difficult...and regardless of how long the process takes, there's going to be some bleeding. Let's hope it stops this Saturday, or at least slows down. This is a big recruiting weekend and fans are important in this process...if you're going to be at RA, make it like the last 5:00 of the NIU game...all game long.

Sack up, yo.

The Crossroads

As J mentioned, the NIU game was lousy...in all phases-

-The offense that had been explosive and exciting looked impotent for much of the contest. With the exception of a busted play, the running game was nearly completely stifled as power formations seemed soft and the rest of the plays looked slow...and at the same time, the passing game was atrocious- no downfield plays came to fruition, Elliott was very inaccurate and the plays seemed to put receivers in the position were yards after the catch were impossible to come by.

-The defensive woes continued as pressure on the quarterback was minimal all day, the front four was manhandled by the burly Huskies and missed tackles, for the third game in a row, seemed to define the effort.

-The Special Teams once again struggled on kickoff coverage...the poor tackling was an issue, players keeping their spacing was a problem too. Those were minor though compared to everything else- Two botched punts that were lost, a roughing the kicker that was a momentum-killer and a succeeded fake punt by the Huskies really ended the game.

Players didn't execute well- they didn't look as fast as previous weeks...didn't hit very hard in any phase of the game...and weren't physically dominant in any phase either.

Coaches, by Hope's admission, didn't prepare the players correctly. Plus, play-calling left a ton to be desired as Hope specifically admitted the offense should have gone downfield more...and the defense seemingly didn't adjust to NIU's rushing attack for two quarters of the contest. From what I understand of NIU, their play-calling wasn't a big change, but Purdue simply couldn't stop Harnish and allowed BOTH of their RBs to have career best days...and both to have career-longest rushes. It was a long day.

But, now, thank goodness, the defense gets to rest against the Fighting Irish...huh?

The defensive backfield that was supposed to be a strength of Purdue's defense has been banged up...but, after returning all of the starters from last season, the unit has dropped from an upper-conference defensive backfield, to one in the lower-third.
Even without Floyd, Claussen and company will give Purdue plenty of challenges. And even though the Irish defense isn't as good as many Domers thought it would be, they're much-improved on that side of the ball as well.

As J said, this game is very important for Purdue. But we won't know what we're witnessing until this season's over. We might be at the precipice of a slippery slope that leads to disaster. It's tough to stop a tailspin when a team starts losing, it's even tougher when that team has a ton of underclassmen playing significant minutes. The younger guys might wear down quicker than a player who's been conditioning for D-1 football for three or four years, but more important than that, their immaturity might also not allow them to regroup.

Depth was a concern of mine coming into this season, and the wake of the late Oregon game showed how easily this Purdue team can be nicked up and worn out. While I didn't think there would be a hangover, it was clear that there was not 'pop' in the team on Saturday...and the 2000+ mile trip didn't just create a trap, it created a coma, of sorts.

So can Hope, his coaching staff, the players, and even the patrons of Ross-Ade knock the cobwebs loose? They'd better.

Questions
At the end of camp, Coach Hope had lots of positive things to say about his team...and in the first two games, it looked like Hope was a sage. But following the NIU game, it doesn't seem that way any longer.

So the question now is what was really happening with the Coach's statements?
-Was he trying to boost the undeveloped players to keep the team positive?
-Did he incorrectly assess these players and the situation in the program?
-Are a lot of these guys just not ready yet, but might be by later this season?

We'll know the answer at the end of the fall, but on the heels of two straight losses, we might be in the midst of the defining week of the season.

End of the Work Week Notes

Danny Hope is one bad mutha...(shut your mouth)
If you haven't had the chance to do so, watch the Danny Hope TV show. The intro is pretty telling- it starts off with offensive linemen highlights from yesteryear and leads to a few big uglies practicing from this year's team...it eventually shows skilled players in the intro video, but I think if you watch, you get the point- success starts in the trenches.

The offensive line shows that attention as they have played hard-nosed football and made running the ball easy and given Elliott a lot of time.

The more I see Hope speak, the more I like him. His Southern drawl and moxy makes me think of an SEC type of attitude; that attitude is pretty refreshing and I think the players are responding well to it too.

Thursday Night TVAwesomeness
-First off, TMill's wife's Canes look pretty great right now...but the Miami crowd was laughable.

-If you didn't watch any TV last night, you missed out. The Office premier started off the season- Andy's identity crisis was the highlight for me.

-Community (starring Joel McHale) was funnier than I thought it would be-McHale's fast-talking and even Chevy Chase (sans cocaine) was funny.

-Lastly, Always Sunny in Philadelphia did not disappoint...which is good because I thought last season wasn't up to snuff.

-I still have no idea why Parks and Recreation was renewed.
Give the Mic to Leroy!
Back when Leroy Keyes played for our Boilers, students wore buttons that said, "Give the ball to Leroy!" and Fat Jack did just that, over and over and over.

Keyes was on a GBI live webcast earlier today, and was entertaining, if nothing else. He loves comparisons...here are some of the highlights:

-Ralph Bolden is like Walter Payton due to his balance, vision, strength, awareness and North/South running style

-Danny Hope is like Tom Landry because he's very controlling, but very fair.

-Lastly, he compared Tiller last year to a jockey who's whipping a race horse, but the horse ('08 team) doesn't respond for one reason or another. He continued the sentiment saying it wasn't a lack of effort by Tiller, but the players just didn't respond to his tactic.

Along with thorough comparisons, Keyes lamented that the student section used to completely fill the North End of the stadium but isn't as large any longer. He credits that with the fact that there's more to do now around campus and around the state and just doesn't think the students are completely on-board yet.

Purdue v. Toledo Postgame Wrap-Up

The Danny Hope Era is officially underway...and the beginning leaves Purdue in a pretty good position for the coming game versus Oregon. There are no major injuries in the wake of the Toledo win, the team's undefeated...and Coach Hope will be able to find plenty of things to work on in the next week.

Let's talk about those things first:
Coach Hope talked about how the team had gone away from live hitting in the past week or so in an effort to keep the team fresh and healthy as they prepared for the season...and it showed.

Defensively, the tackling was sloppy. I don't have any idea how many missed first tackles occurred, but I can guarantee I couldn't count all of them on both hands...in the first half alone. The effort was there definitely as Purdue players pursued plays well, got to the right places and proceeded to slide off of the Rockets as if their jerseys were infused with Crisco.

While a ton of guys missed tackles, Brandon King specifically seemed to be the victim of himself time and time again, especially in the first half. King is usually a good tackler, but that wasn't the case today.

In the first half, Purdue struggled stopping the delay draw...after the Boilers changed the scheme to stop that, they couldn't stop the underneath routes. Whether a TE, RB or WR, our Boilers gave shallow crossing routes way too much space...I'm not sure if this comes from a pre-snap read or an alignment issue, but the issue needs attention.

The mental errors weren't limited to the defense. Ralph Bolden wasn't on the same page as Elliott on at least three plays...and two of those led to dire consequences- an interception and a sack for significant loss of yards.

In spite of being a generally-solid player, Keith Smith frustrated the heck out of me, especially at the end of the first half. He seemingly pulled up twice from catchable passes due to what looked to be a fear of getting "rocked". Atop that, there were quite a few dropped passes that should have been nabbed...at least one led directly to an interception.

And speaking of interceptions, Elliott had three of them...and two were from him trying to be a bit too dainty wit the rock and not just throwing the ball.

The special teams got involved in struggling...specifically on the kickoff team. Wiggs, who did something well, if I recollect correctly, didn't seem to blast the ball deep very effectively and in spite of his shallow kicks, he didn't leave the coverage team in an impossible situation...but that unit allowed Toledo to seal them off time and again...and like the defense, missed a ton of tackles to set up short fields for the Rockets.

I sound like I'm being critical...but I think much of this can be rectified.

All that said, there was a ton to smile about too.

First off, Coach Hope is 1-0...and you play to win the game, right?

Joe Elliott looked comfortable for much of the game...but why not? The offensive line seems to be one that will be very stout...especially as they get a few games under their collective belts.

The offensive sets and subsequent plays were pretty unpredictable (which I see as a huge positive) and used something that Tiller seemed to have run scared from in the last few seasons- a true full-back.

That fullback, specifically Jared Crank blew open some massive holes that led to a neary-80 yard touchdown, and later sprung Taylor and Bolden...who both played very well. Taylor kept right around his career average and had nearly 6 yards/carry...and Bolden made me look like a genius by averaging over 11 yards/carry (I've been in love with this dude's game since the spring game back in April). Bolden's 234 yard game put him in the top-3 of all-time for single-game Purdue RB yardage. He had a good game because he attacks the hole, can lower his pads and deal out contact, can break tackles and has very good vision.

Dan Dierking and Kyle Adams also lined up as fullbacks at different times...and Dierking looked pretty solid there too. I'm not so sure Adams is a good fit at that position- who knows if we'll see more of that.

Joey Elliott's game felt like we had seen it before...not in a bad way, but in the fact that he didn't seem to be a guy in his first stop...And while Opelt had a lot more yards, Elliott left the field as the winning QB...pretty sure he's fine with that trade.

Joey's favorite target was (not surprisingly) Keith Smith. Smith made a couple very nifty catches and showed good strength, ran some solid routes...We have no reason to believe he won't get nearly 100 yards/gm. if he can keep play consistently. I hope Elliott gets the chance to get some more receivers in the flow of the game in the coming weeks, especially Adams and Lindsay. Both of these tight ends lined up in the slot multiple times...an example of some of the different looks Coach Nord gave to Toledo.

Carlos and Edison both had impressive debuts as they both found the endzone...but I really liked the way Gary Bush looked in the Purdue uni, although I don't believe he had a ball thrown his way- he reminds me of a UM receiver- long-armed, big strides and solid strength for blocking.

Defensively, Mike Neal looked very strong and Kerrigan hit Opelt quite a few times in the backfield...and Nickaro Golding stood out to me as a guy that was very active all game. In the next level, Carlino and Holland both made some impressive plays, but Werner was flying around and very-involved all day...he led the team with 13 tackles.

The experienced defensively backfield didn't quite yet seem to be ready for primetime...but both Pender and Williams had flashes of brilliance.

Lastly, but surely not least, Carson Wiggs blasted another 59 yarder, the longest of his career (he had a 53 yarder at aOSU last year)...I think he'll hit a true 60 yarder (or more) this season and set the record for the longest FG by a Purdue kicker ever.

While this game was far from a perfect effort, there was a lot to build on...If Purdue can figure out how to consistently tackle, we might be in for a very good game in Eugen in 6 days.

Bonus
My son and I got to meet Chris Kramer after the game...Kramer is a huge fan of boilerdowd Jr...he just wanted a photo with him.

"...the commitment from our players has been extraordinary..."

We're inside 5 days until kickoff and all is still very positive. Coach Hope keeps singing the praises of a ton of players. So far, we've heard Hope praise all of the running backs in contention for playing time at one time or another...the entire defensive backfield has been a shining spot as well...and finally, Hope likes a lot out of what he's seeing from the mostly-unknown defensive line during practice.

A few weeks ago, I predicted Kevin Pamphile might be a special player before he leaves Purdue. But honestly, I was thinking it'd be a season or two before he'd see the field. Pamphile is an interesting case- Up to his Junior year in high school, his stat line didn't include tackles and sacks, but 8.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Kevin was a big, strong, lunch bucket basketball player with not a ton of touch, according to what I've read. It was almost like he was in the wrong place.
Well he was- not in the wrong position, but the wrong sport. Kevin picked up playing football his Senior year and received a schollie offer from Hope...which surprised about everybody. Rivals gave this unknown player 2-stars...probably just because he received the offer from Purdue...and a 4.9 rating (the lowest they give out). He was an unknown in which Hope saw promise.

Now, 15 pounds heavier and a bit-more football wise, Hope now thinks it could be tough to keep Pamphile off of the field in the coming weeks. Pretty amazing ride, in my opinion.

So, if you're a Purdue player and you haven't received any of the superfluous praise out of Hope's mouth, should you be worried? Let's take a look at some guys that have gotten little-to-no lip service by Purdue's first year head coach.

-True Freshman, Najee Tyler hasn't received a ton of ink other than Hope liked the way the ball came out of his hand.

-Waynelle Gravesande & Eric Williams haven't been gushed over in the media by his head coach.

-And we haven't heard a whole lot about Carson Wiggs out of camp.

Now- do you think that means these guys are doomed to the Hope doghouse? I don't...I'm pretty sure Wiggs is going to be important to Purdue this year...and Gravesande will probably see the field each game, especially in 5-wide sets. I think Williams and Tyler might be a year away from the conversation, but that's OK...they'll still have four seasons of eligibility left at that point.

The fact that I can't really think of any other player that was hanging around the two-deeps, or a noteworthy recruit that hasn't gotten any "love" from the head coach is amazing in itself. Clearly Hope's goal is to build these guys up...kinda like a guy did 12 years ago after his team had been repeatedly torn-down in the media by the previous head coach. Should ring a bell.

History, at least parts of it, repeats itself pretty often, and one thing we know in sports is a large percentage of the game is mental. If the positivity displayed by Hope to the media can translate to a bunch of confident players who believe in their coach's system and eachother, maybe we can see history repeat itself again...I'm excited about the prospect of fun being back in Ross-Ade. And what's more fun than having your expectations exceeded week-in, week-out?

Take note of the coach celebrating with the fans at the end...fun stuff.

And speaking of history repeating itself...
(Indy Racing Tidbit)
Scott Dixon had his version of groundhog day occur once-again in Chicago. He was edged out by a Marlbory machine once again...this time it was Briscoe. The Chicagoland race once-again did not disappoint on Saturday night. For those of you who watched, check out the similarity of last-year's finish with last Saturday's: