Football Puzzle, seems like we are gettiing lots of the pieces...

[rbaggie]

But we haven't heard much yet about the receivers. How are they doing this spring? It appears that the team is maturing and we have many of the pieces to assemble a decent team. But it seems too, that we must get a great deal better at receiver to make this team go. So where are we?

 

[nat100]

QB is the biggest issue. Find one of those and the rest works itself out.

 

[banshee90]

One QB that is super accurate while being chased by 5 defensive line man to a double covered WR 50 yds down.

 

[nat100]

Originally posted by banshee90:

One QB that is super accurate while being chased by 5 defensive line man to a double covered WR 50 yds down.

The defensive line comment is BS. AA had enough time to make throws. Nothing will ever be perfect.

 

[FLAG HUNTER]

well I sent in for my season tickets, looking forward to a better team

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

If you read closely into what Stacey has said and some of the other stories, they have mentioned that players like Anthrop, Yancey, and Mahoungo (I'm to lazy to look up the correct spelling) will be key pieces and will provide what we have lacked at times last year. If Anthrop can come back healthy along with an improved Yancey and key contributors like Posey can continue to grow this spring and summer, the WR's should work themselves out and provide enough pop to the offense to be effective.

The main issue is still finding a QB to read the defense and locate the open receiver along with pushing the ball down field with enough accuracy to prevent defenses from clogging the running lanes for the backs and allowing receivers like Anthrop and Posey to work the under neath routes.

 

[boiler17]

Agree the WRs were all unimpressive last year, but they get too much blame here IMO. They did a decent job blocking last year, and its really hard to run short routes when everyone knows a 5 yard route is coming.

My prediction is expect more disjointed performances between the QBs and WRs while we cycle the top three qbs in practice and those three wrs just mentioned are limited/not practicing most of spring.

 

[BoilerFan#35]

Etling has the talent just needs the right mindset. Appelby is a warrior who always is going 100% in games and practice. Elijah is the full package just needs to recover from his injury. Blough is a solid player who hopefully doesn't have a drop off because of his lack of size at the college level. Well that's What I think about our quarterbacks I think there is a lot of promise at the position just hope somebody will take the job and be productive this season don't want it to be another developmental year for who ever plays.

 

[Stacy_GoldandBlack.com]

We haven't talked to the receivers yet this spring. Hazell makes the interview schedule and does it by position. We'll talk to them Tuesday and have a couple features this week.

I haven't really mentioned Yancey much this spring because I haven't really noticed him much, other than he's back with the 1s. But we'll talk to him this week and see what he feels about his spring and his last season.

 

[rbaggie]

Now we're talking! Thanks Stacy, appreciate the good work.

 

[RegionWarrior101]

We do not have the pieces.

We are void of talent and it is a hard schedule. This is not going to be pleasant. I hate to be a realist. This team was somewhat watchable in spurts in large part because we had some running backs. We graduated like 95% of our offense or something ridiculous. There is no clear cut #1 ball carrier. Defense may be better, but hard to win when you cannot score.

Another 4-8 season will catapult us into a lame duck year with DH. He may be forced to shuffle the staff, but what great assistant is coming to a possible one year deal?

I am focusing on making a short list of coaching candidates for December 2016. Hopefully a new AD will make the hire. And I think DH will leave things better than he found them.

 

[FLAG HUNTER]

if the staff is a big part of the problem then that's on Hazell, if the team doesn't play a lot better this season, then Hazell needs to go, if they improve a lot then he should stay, this should be his make of break year.

 

[Purdue85]

Yeah, Purdue sucks

Originally posted by RegionWarrior101:
We are void of talent and it is a hard schedule. This is not going to be pleasant. I hate to be a realist. This team was somewhat watchable in spurts in large part because we had some running backs. We graduated like 95% of our offense or something ridiculous. There is no clear cut #1 ball carrier. Defense may be better, but hard to win when you cannot score.

Another 4-8 season will catapult us into a lame duck year with DH. He may be forced to shuffle the staff, but what great assistant is coming to a possible one year deal?

I am focusing on making a short list of coaching candidates for December 2016. Hopefully a new AD will make the hire. And I think DH will leave things better than he found them.

We got it.

In spite of what you think, you're no more a "realist" than anyone else.

 

[RegionWarrior101]

Hazell gets 2 more years regardless.

I personally thought he needed to do a little shuffling after 4-19, especially with how awful the team played against a BAD Northwestern team, and an IU team with a poor QB. I was feeling OK with some "quality losses" there in October and thought things had changed. Then November happened and it looked like the 2013 team.

After 3 springs now and 2 seasons we still have no clear cut QB. No offensive identity. A defense that improved but still seems undersized. I am patient now because I no longer invest in tickets. When I have a hard time even donating them, it was not a good investment. I will still go to a few games but instead of $1,000 investment, I can buy them off the street for $5-$10 a ticket and drop $40.

 

[rbaggie]

Re: Hazell gets 2 more years regardless.


I always believe in the possibility of the individual to step up and make things happen. This year could be an exceptional season as Purdue has many fine young men working hard to get this thing done. I remain positive on this staff. I expect good things.

 

[boiler17]

Re: Hazell gets 2 more years regardless.

Originally posted by rbaggie:

I always believe in the possibility of the individual to step up and make things happen. This year could be an exceptional season as Purdue has many fine young men working hard to get this thing done. I remain positive on this staff. I expect good things.

Exceptional? What does that look like? The best season since 04 with quality wins?

 

[pboiler18]

Re: Hazell gets 2 more years regardless.

Originally posted by boiler17:

Originally posted by rbaggie:

I always believe in the possibility of the individual to step up and make things happen. This year could be an exceptional season as Purdue has many fine young men working hard to get this thing done. I remain positive on this staff. I expect good things.

Exceptional? What does that look like? The best season since 04 with quality wins?

What's been ignored is the core youth on this team since Hazell has arrived. Outside of our RBs last year, most of our better players have been FR and SO and are only now becoming upper classmen. Our LB corps is probably one of our stronger units and has 2 SO and a JR starting.

The biggest deficiency of the previous regime was lack of depth...and Hazell has had to fight through that every step of the way. Yes, some decisions have been bad. Yes, the offense is bad...starting with the guy who cooridnates it. That said, you can just look at our team and see that we have been consistently overmatched physically over Hazell's first 2 years. Can't put THAT aspect of it on a new coach. In year 3 however, he should have HIS guys in place and developed what little was left and what he's brought in. This is a big year for Purdue football. Win 6 and the fans trickle back with hope for bigger things as our QBs finally become upperclassmen/Srs.

Lose miserably and next year is likely Hazell's audition for a coordinator spot somewhere in the NFL.

This post was edited on 4/7 9:16 AM by pboiler18

 

[rbaggie]

Re: Hazell gets 2 more years regardless.


Exceptional for me is hard to quantify. but I think we will know it when we see it.

 

[RegionWarrior101]

NFL Coordinator?

He has never been a coordinator at any level. I think that is the problem; he is an "offensive coach" who has never called a play. Doesn't really have "his" scheme. If it does not work out here he may go to the NFL or a big program as a WR coach again with "Associate Head Coach" duties.

 

[nat100]

Re: NFL Coordinator?

Originally posted by RegionWarrior101:
He has never been a coordinator at any level. I think that is the problem; he is an "offensive coach" who has never called a play. Doesn't really have "his" scheme. If it does not work out here he may go to the NFL or a big program as a WR coach again with "Associate Head Coach" duties.

Yeah, he isnt a coordinator at the NCAA level let alone the next. If it doesnt work here he will have to return to a position coach.

 

[rbaggie]

Re: NFL Coordinator?


That sounds about right if it doesn't work out but just maybe this is going to turn.

 

[nat100]

Re: NFL Coordinator?

Originally posted by rbaggie:

That sounds about right if it doesn't work out but just maybe this is going to turn.

Maybe, but given we are still looking for a starting QB in year 3, im not optimistic.

 

[RegionWarrior101]

Re: NFL Coordinator?

When you look back it should have been more of a red flag... I believe Shoop, the OC, was the last hire. In many cases, when a sitting head coach comes to a new school that would be a guy to bring with him. So now you have a guy in his second head coaching job working with two coordinators he has never worked with before. Looking back 1-11 should have been expected.

The schedule is tough. I would be astounded if they won more than 4.

 

[boiler17]

Fair points, but I dont think 1-11 should have ever happened.

In general, I agree they have their pieces where they want them now, and expecting improvement is reasonable. I just dont think it will happen. Its too hard for me to think that depth and older players solve the other problems too. Still think 2 wins, 4 wont shock me, but would be a pleasant surprise.

I also found it weird that Haz brought in so many guys he hadnt worked with before. Also, in fairness to him, I will generally expect end of year big ten standing for Purdue to equal the rank they pay their entire coaching staff. I was disappointed to read recently we are still paying assistants so low.

 

[SDBoiler1]

Re: Hazell gets 2 more years regardless.

Nope, 4-20/1-15 in BIG. I agree that the end of the season, after the MSU game, was very disappointing. Hazell had a chance to win some more games and he didn't get it done against NW and IU. Both of those games were there for the taking, but the offense sputtered as it usually does with Shoop calling plays.

The change that needs to be made is OC. Personally, this staff is better than 4-20/1-15, but our offense acts as a speed brake to any progress made as a team.

If Hazell has a 3 or 4 win season, that'll make him 7-29 or 8-28. That right there is grounds for firing after three years, but I could see some assistants getting axed first. Personally, I think Coach Malone was brought in as a back-up OC in case Shoop poops the bed again.

 

[SDBoiler1]

The problem isn't the QB. The problem is the OC - the guy calling the plays. Tiller would have made Etling or Appleby into very good QBs by now. There would likely be no QB controversy.

 

[boiler17]

Originally posted by SDBoiler1:

The problem isn't the QB. The problem is the OC - the guy calling the plays. Tiller would have made Etling or Appleby into very good QBs by now. There would likely be no QB controversy.

Its really hard for me to blame Shoop or Hazell for how bad the qbs have been at even basic highschool stuff. Tend to agree most coaches would have found a qb out of this group by now. In large part, I think their problem is this trial by fire thing they have going on at all positions, especially at QB.

 

[nat100]

Originally posted by boiler17:

Originally posted by SDBoiler1:

The problem isn't the QB. The problem is the OC - the guy calling the plays. Tiller would have made Etling or Appleby into very good QBs by now. There would likely be no QB controversy.

Its really hard for me to blame Shoop or Hazell for how bad the qbs have been at even basic highschool stuff. Tend to agree most coaches would have found a qb out of this group by now. In large part, I think their problem is this trial by fire thing they have going on at all positions, especially at QB.

Two problems with QB imo:

1) Overemphasizing the safe play. Thats why Etling is afraid to take risks and checks down constantly. Also why they are so reluctant to back AA
2) Playbook is too big.

 

[boiler17]

Originally posted by nat100:

Two problems with QB imo:

1) Overemphasizing the safe play. Thats why Etling is afraid to take risks and checks down constantly. Also why they are so reluctant to back AA
2) Playbook is too big.

Largely agree on 1 and suspect 2. I bet their terminology is harder on them then it is on the defense.

Im comfortable with blaming primary reads, constant checkdowns, and playcalling on the staff.

The thing that really eats at me is how much less accurate they get the longer they play. Etlings footwork in 2013 was largely fine and horrifically bad to start 2014. Henry and Applebe just got worse also. I can stomach downfield accuracy problems from a qb, but these guys struggle at a level "that should never happen at a d1 school" to quote one espn guy.

I also think that Shoop has done a decent job of sprinkling in deep passes throughout at least the front half of 2014, and gets unfairly roasted on playcalling because he cant coach a qb to throw the ball in the first place. Hazell and Co are trying to adapt, its just not their strongsuit. Im not saying hes a good playcaller, thats a problem too. Just not the biggest one.

 

[SDBoiler1]

I'm sorry, but the numbers don't bear out what you are saying. The last two years Purdue has had two of its most impotent offenses in the last 50 years. 2013 was a historically abysmal one.

How you cannot say that's on the OC is beyond me.

 

[boiler17]

Originally posted by SDBoiler1:

I'm sorry, but the numbers don't bear out what you are saying. The last two years Purdue has had two of its most impotent offenses in the last 50 years. 2013 was a historically abysmal one.

How you cannot say that's on the OC is beyond me.

I said he gets unfairly roasted on playcalling when its his and Hazells inability to develop players, especially qbs that holds the team back more imo, but whatever. We are sort of arguing about what turd smells worse.

Dont get me wrong, Ive been calling for a new staff since Nebraska 2013 and stand by it. But until they start to pay the staff and invest in themselves, I've learned to live with tailgating and walking to the stadium being the most fun part of the day.