It's raining long passes article...

[FirstDownB]

Am I happy Purdue is 5-2? Absolutely
Is it ok to question and look for accountability? Yes
Have I enjoyed the ride? Yes
Have I been disappointed? Yes
That is why we are fans. We always want more from our beloved teams.

The differences between 5-2 and God forbid 7-0 are:
1) Game manage the clock in game 1, stupid penalties, broken coverage & poor tackling secondary
2) Stupid penalties in game 2 and more broken coverage & poor tackling by secondary.

* Purdue has cleaned up the stupid penalties in the last few games
* Found a run / pass balance in the last game & clock managed in the process.

Clean up the secondary coverage and tackling issues in the final 5 weeks and quite possibly win the West.
Face tO$U (most likely). Purdue may find a way to beat them knocking them out of Natl Title hopes! History of nearly last two decades is not impossible as we are 4-6. For some strange reason, we have truly been their Spoilermakers.

I or others should not be told STFU, but I will try to enjoy the ride more especially if Purdue finds ways to win. 😀

I'll just point out that Purdue has now won more close games than it has lost. So, putting the shoe on the other foot, the difference between 5-2 and 2-5 is a couple of mistakes by FAU, Maryland, and Nebraska. In my mind, the "what ifs" from the Penn St and Syracuse games vanished after 4 consecutive nail biting wins.

Agree that the long ball is an area for improvement. The "what if" game is sort of pointless.

 

[TheGunner]

Part of the problem is there isn't a consistent pass rush. Other than the 1st half of the NE game, teams have had plenty of time for those big pass plays to develop.

Some of that is true, but there have been several times our DBs are getting beat 25 yds downfield on a “go route”. You aren’t going to find many QBs getting sacked in 2.5 seconds. 3-4 seconds…sure, but a DB has to be able to backpedal and cover a “go route”….and/or know who has what WR and if they have help “over the top”

Most college WRs are going to be 20-25 yds downfield on a go route in 2.5-2.75 seconds and, thus, are often open against Purdue.

Also, it appears at times our DBs are either looking in the backfield or sitting on a route. But these failures cannot happen in the last two minutes or when we have a 13 pt lead with 7 minutes to go in a game.

At some point being aggressive has to be part of our nature, but blitzing with less than a minute and the opponent not over midfield is just plain ludicrous. It’s what the offense wants you to do. The opponent needs a big play and we are playing right into there hands.

failure to make an adjustment on how to cover Palmer last week was sheer stupidity, IMO.

I am happy we are 5-2 and contending for the Big West, but something just needs to happen in our defensive philosophy with 2 minutes or when we are playing with a decent lead late in the 4th Q

 

[Purdue Grad in Texas]

I'll just point out that Purdue has now won more close games than it has lost. So, putting the shoe on the other foot, the difference between 5-2 and 2-5 is a couple of mistakes by FAU, Maryland, and Nebraska. In my mind, the "what ifs" from the Penn St and Syracuse games vanished after 4 consecutive nail biting wins.

Agree that the long ball is an area for improvement. The "what if" game is sort of pointless.

Fair points, FDB. What I have personally liked is that even though there have been mistakes (and some doozies at that), the just mind-numbing undisciplined ones have dissipated significantly. The season has certainly been a roller coaster, but it's been quite entertaining for the most part even having to reach for the O2 on multiple occasions.

 

[Jbigler1986]

I'm starting to think it's just a Purdue thing. We fall flat on face at the end of halves in football and basketball. Have lost to many games because our defensive plays have been terrible to end games in both sports.

 

[BSIT]

How many defensive coaches will turn over and who will they be? Getting long bombed is what Purdue is supposed to be doing and instead it is happening to us. It is scheme and technique related in both single coverage (a lot) & not tackling worth a crap. If it doesn't correct in a hurry, I would not be surprised if there wasn't an in-season coaching change which would be unusual for Purdue, but not the rest of the B1G.

English and Youboty has a lot of eyes on them. Unfortunately, corrections haven't been made and we are past the midpoint of the season.

The good news is Wisconsin can’t throw deep

 

[mike1280]

I've got some faith in their ability to get better. After all they have kind of proven that they can adapt and improve. At the beginning of the year penalties were a problem too, but not any more. We also had the problem of being too dependent on Charlies Jones, now we are spreading the ball around. We were criticized for not sticking with the run, now we seem to be doing that with good results. Our O-line was going to be a weakness, but seems to be getting better despite significant injuries. For years we were pushed around by running teams, now not so much.

It seems like Brohm has a talent for addressing shortcomings, which is pretty admirable considering he has a roster made up of mostly 3 star prospects and a bunch of talented walk-ons who somehow miraculously develop under this coaching staff.

 

[SIBoiler2]

The good news is Wisconsin can’t throw deep

So far .......

 

[PaBoiler78]

So far .......

I'm sure they are going to try. Maybe they'll pick their shots like on a 1st and 10 or 1st and 5. Don't see them being successful on 2nd or 3rd and long.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

They won't fire anybody...they don't have an answer even if they did is the bigger problem.

The secondary has been a disaster...and, way too many issues back there personnel-wise, and, scheme-wise...English is who should be held accountable, but, my guess is nothing happens...before the end of the season for sure, and, probably after.

I have no idea what Youboty does...maybe nothing for all I know.

I know this...the position has been recruited poorly...or, guys that have been recruited have not produced or developed, and, the scheme has been lousy as well in critical situations.

How were we such a good pass defense back there with so many of the same guys then? (Hint: these guys weren’t that good then.. we pressured the QB…)

 

[Boiler8285]

The Nebraska game was mind boggling with Palmer. Not sure how you continue to let him get behind the D over and over again and not make any adjustments. Although I think the D missed Jefferson, I'm not sure this is as much on the players as it is putting them in a position to succeed.

The other thing that really makes no sense is how Brohm talked about limiting big plays on the defensive side of the ball during the off-season. Then we put a defensive scheme in place that puts the secondary in a position to do just the opposite.

Brohm is an excellent offensive coordinator. Defense and special teams he has yet to figure out.