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Fall Camp's Biggest Question

KentuckyBoiler

All-American
Jul 6, 2011
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We are about a month away from Fall Camp starting. We have several questions for your 2015 team (DE, RB, TE, Safety, etc.), but the biggest question is who should the starting QB be. Unfortunately, this has be a question for Purdue for the last several years This year will be no different.

Who should be the starting QB for 2015, Appleby or Blough? It looks to be a 2 man race with Etling gone, and I am not sure if Sindelar will have enough of a grasp yet of the offensive playbook. It also hurt that he could not practice full speed in the Spring with the knee surgery last winter.

Appleby gives us toughness, leadership, and a strong arm. He is very confident in what he can do. He has the only game experience too of the QB's on our team. There were times that he tried to do too much, and it showed with INT's in key parts of drives. He was hurt in running the offense when our top playmaker went down to injury. He should be #1 going into camp, but the question is whether he will keep that ranking.

Blough seems to give us more of a dual threat option as he has greater mobility than Appleby. He also gives us the opportunity to create on the run as he is being flushed out of the pocket. With our OL of the last few years, that happens a lot to our QB's. I do think our OL will be better as a unit this year though. He seems to be a competitor and confident, similar to Appleby, and he seems to have the respect of his teammates on the field. He lacks experience obviously, and he has not been tested in a game yet.

Who gives us the best chance to win this year?
 
I think ES is going to be very special.

I hope this is true. He sounds very promising. But I really hope he redshirts this year. We have got to get out of this vicious cycle of starting true freshman QBs. I am hoping DB separates himself and makes a redshirt year for ES a necessity to create space between them.
 
Sindelar was back home a few weeks ago to receive some kind of award. Saw him on local sports on the tube and he reported his rehab had gone very well and he believed he had a good shot at being the starter this fall. At least his competitive attitude is good. As miserable as we've looked at QB the past couple of years I'd have no problem starting him if he is the clear leader at the end of camp or as season progresses. He has better touch and throws a better deep ball than anybody on the team right now.
 
Sindelar was back home a few weeks ago to receive some kind of award. Saw him on local sports on the tube and he reported his rehab had gone very well and he believed he had a good shot at being the starter this fall. At least his competitive attitude is good. As miserable as we've looked at QB the past couple of years I'd have no problem starting him if he is the clear leader at the end of camp or as season progresses. He has better touch and throws a better deep ball than anybody on the team right now.


He's the real deal. If he hadn't blown that knee out he very well could be #1 right now.

He still may be...
 
FWIW....ES has not seen one play at full speed and full contact of a college practice yet alone a college game and the size and speed of a college players is not high school so REDSHIRT the young man! My gut tells me you go with Appleby as your #1 and give him all the appropriate reps with Blough #2 reps and maybe a package of plays that he can run at certain position on the field! JMO, ES should not see the field unless our top two go down to season ending injury early in the year!
 
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FWIW....ES has not seen one play at full speed and full contact of a college practice yet alone a college game and the size and speed of a college players is not high school so REDSHIRT the young man! My gut tells me you go with Appleby as your #1 and give him all the appropriate reps with Blough #2 reps and maybe a package of plays that he can run at certain position on the field! JMO, ES should not see the field unless our top two go down to season ending injury early in the year!

I agree with you but the quotes from hazell and shoop suggest they feel otherwise
 
Won't it be a confidence level call in fall practice? I suspect that AA will start season and then he is on the "watch list" , but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they clear the floor for a four year ES run...either way it will create great intrigue. Then there is the "Blough Factor" to consider...interesting!
 
"IF" they are willing to see what he can do in full contact and speed in the fall AND he is clearly better than what we have, then fine, but "I" would not subject him to that knowing that he is less than one year away from his ACL surgery, less we forget Hummell! JMO
 
Took a look at the football roster and noticed that with Etling gone, we have 3 quarterbacks.
What's up with that? By comparison, Ohio State has 7 and LSU has 9.
 
Took a look at the football roster and noticed that with Etling gone, we have 3 quarterbacks.
What's up with that? By comparison, Ohio State has 7 and LSU has 9.

That's all we normally have. I've only ever seen it be an issue once (2010)
 
Won't it be a confidence level call in fall practice? I suspect that AA will start season and then he is on the "watch list" , but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they clear the floor for a four year ES run...either way it will create great intrigue. Then there is the "Blough Factor" to consider...interesting!
Hopefully, the coaching staff chooses the QB who gives us the best chance to win games throughout the season. What I dread is the idea that Appleby starts the season, stumbles out-of-the-gate losing some winnable games (just like Henry and Etling did the previous two seasons), and then the fanbase comes out with torches and pitchforks again demanding a change. Then Blough or Sindelar have to try to pick up the pieces. If these guys are good enough to start in game 4 or 5, they should be good enough to start the season.

Appleby shouldn't get the nod just because he has "tenure" in the position. If another kid is more talented, play him right away.
 
Won't it be a confidence level call in fall practice? I suspect that AA will start season and then he is on the "watch list" , but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they clear the floor for a four year ES run...either way it will create great intrigue. Then there is the "Blough Factor" to consider...interesting!
If I'm Appleby, I wouldn't want to play QB knowing the coaches are looking for any reason to send me to the bench. It's hard to play confidently at QB, if your teammates and coaching staff aren't completely confident that you're the man.
 
"IF" they are willing to see what he can do in full contact and speed in the fall AND he is clearly better than what we have, then fine, but "I" would not subject him to that knowing that he is less than one year away from his ACL surgery, less we forget Hummell! JMO

They added a walk-on, Aaron Banks, for the fall. They'll likely recruit a kid for 2016 now, too. Don't think Shoop wants more than four scholarship QBs on roster.
 
FWIW....ES has not seen one play at full speed and full contact of a college practice yet alone a college game and the size and speed of a college players is not high school so REDSHIRT the young man!

Right. I think it'll be really interesting to see how the staff divides reps in camp, especially if Hazell wants to make a decision in the first week or so.

Even in the spring when Blough rose toward the end of the practices, he still wasn't getting consistent No. 1 snaps with the offense or against the No. 1 defense.

That matters a lot, IMO. If you're going to be the guy, you have to have gotten significant reps with the guys you'll be on the field with and have shown you can execute against the best players on Purdue's defense.
 
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