What will you watch the closest?

[boiler17]

On Offense and Defense this year?

Im sure QB will be at the top of most peoples list. Not me. I would lump a good chunk of Applebees performances last year in the same as Etlings with 'A D1 QB shouldnt struggle that much with basic stuff'. So to some degree, Im going to look the other way. Unless Blough or Sindelar start, then I will just be incredibly annoyed at continuing the long line of new starters.

I will be watching RB the closest. They shirted guys here, and the youngsters should display a full understanding of whats going on. I expect them to perform average to below average in total. However, I expect them to follow blockers and pick up guys in pass protection properly.

On defense I will watch the line. I was glad to see Hudson working with the ends. There is great potential at DT, and I also want to see guys moving their hands and bodies while staying gap sound and not just getting stood up and holding ground.

If I see these improvement in these areas, it will be reflective of the coaching staff making strides.

 

[FLAG HUNTER]

I will watch the receivers and see if any of them are getting open

 

[boiler17]

I will watch the receivers and see if any of them are getting open

Yeah, thats a good group too. I spent a lot of downs watching them the last couple years.

 

[npb]

On Offense and Defense this year?

Im sure QB will be at the top of most peoples list. Not me. I would lump a good chunk of Applebees performances last year in the same as Etlings with 'A D1 QB shouldnt struggle that much with basic stuff'. So to some degree, Im going to look the other way. Unless Blough or Sindelar start, then I will just be incredibly annoyed at continuing the long line of new starters.

I will be watching RB the closest. They shirted guys here, and the youngsters should display a full understanding of whats going on. I expect them to perform average to below average in total. However, I expect them to follow blockers and pick up guys in pass protection properly.

On defense I will watch the line. I was glad to see Hudson working with the ends. There is great potential at DT, and I also want to see guys moving their hands and bodies while staying gap sound and not just getting stood up and holding ground.

If I see these improvement in these areas, it will be reflective of the coaching staff making strides.

Your point about the effectiveness of the coaching staff in developing our players is a god one. Frankly, I have not been impressed with our recruiting and clearly we must able to effectively develop the potential of the players that we recruit if we are to be a successful program. With that in mind, my focus will be on the DE's, the receiving corps as well as the TE position.

 

[ghostoffatjack]

O line play for me, if it's good all other areas on O will show improvement! Same thing on the D side, if the line plays well and stays in their lanes all other areas on D will improve!

 

[Bullwhip Griffith]

Offense- I want to see the running backs break some tackles. Be nice to have a guy that could fight for a few extra yards and turn 3&7s into 3&2s.

Defense- Linebackers: Can they cover the slant (which has seemed to kill Purdue for years) and can they help bottle up the running game.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

Can the OL create time and the WR create space. I think our whole season depends on it.

 

[Bullwhip Griffith]

Can the OL create time and the WR create space. I think our whole season depends on it.

Well the first one will really help the second....if they OL can give an extra second the receivers should break free.

On the other side if Williams and Brown are as good as advertised, it may help the pass rush.

 

[SIBoiler2]

On Offense and Defense this year?

Unless Blough or Sindelar start, then I will just be incredibly annoyed at continuing the long line of new starters.

So if Sindelar proves to be the second coming of Evertt, Phipps, Daniels, or Brees you'd be annoyed if he started just because we changed from something that hasn't worked to something that worked incredibly well??? Stupid statement.

 

[boiler17]

So if Sindelar proves to be the second coming of Evertt, Phipps, Daniels, or Brees you'd be annoyed if he started just because we changed from something that hasn't worked to something that worked incredibly well??? Stupid statement.

Sort of. I'm tired of seeing QBs struggling to grasp the offense because of youth and/or inexperience. This has been the case for almost all years since Painter (TerBush and Marve did okay for a while, but even they were swapped in and out). I want to see a confident Applebee progress through reads, have good footwork, and call a freaking audible. If he can do these even reasonably well, he should have no trouble beating out Blough and Sindelar. In other words, if Applebee doesn't start, its more likely that it would be because of his lack of ability to develop rather than Blough or Sindelar being the second coming of Brees.

Could Blough or Sindelar come in and set the world on fire? Sure, but singling out my point that way ignores all the young receivers and QBs before this year that just look lost out there. Stop putting youth out there before you have a chance to develop it. If this offense had even a single young player perform well and not get benched I would back off my original statement a little.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

So if Sindelar proves to be the second coming of Evertt, Phipps, Daniels, or Brees you'd be annoyed if he started just because we changed from something that hasn't worked to something that worked incredibly well??? Stupid statement.

How many of those you listed started as true freshmen? Do you think it was because Dicken was so much more skilled than Drew? QBs in particular benefit from time learning on the scout squad, practice, and side lines. I sincerely hope Sindelar redshirts, even if he's the most skilled of the bunch.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

Well the first one will really help the second....if they OL can give an extra second the receivers should break free.

On the other side if Williams and Brown are as good as advertised, it may help the pass rush.

Agreed. I think the OL will absolutely be better. I don't know about WR.

 

[Frankie611]

Receivers and linebackers. We need to stop the run. We let people run the clock out on us in close games

 

[boilerbusdriver]

In the famous words of the Late Great Chicago Bear Linebacker, Doug Buffone, we must "run the football, stop the run, and pressure the quarterback", sounds like a winning strategy to me IMHO, may #55 RIP

 

[boiler17]

Linebackers: Can they cover the slant (which has seemed to kill Purdue for years) and can they help bottle up the running game.

Its been aggrevating to me the last couple years that so many routes are short and against zone, the wr's often run into LB territory where they get killed, the route gets conjested, and nothing good happens.

However, its an advantage when its the other way around.

 

[boiler800]

Everything about the passing game will look different this year because the OL is going to be a strength. The RB's will all look good because we have a good and veteran line opening holes consistently. The receivers and QB's will look good because the QB will release the ball quicker and the OL will give them more time to throw. The WR's will look better because we will be hitting the long ball for once, and by doing so, the opponents D's will have to defend the whole field. We were only throwing short passes before because the OL couldn't pass block. I look for the changes made with Roos going to OT and Patterson to OG along with Hedelin emerging as a monster at OT, leading to us have a really good OL. I'm watching the OL, and on D, I'm watching the DL. It all starts in the trenches.