OL

[HUD628]

This is looking like the best OL at Purdue since???

Adding Stewart and Wingfield, Moussa and Mbow now in year 3, Hartwig back. Plus the depth guys that were brought in. I'm having a hard time thinking of a better group in recent memory. Starting to really talk myself into this offense taking a big leap.

 

[NVboiler]

A healthy Card will also help, and now he should also get better protection.

 

[HUD628]

A healthy Card will also help, and now he should also get better protection.

Healthy and in his 2nd year in the system. And with, IMO, better WRs. Good receiving TEs a year older. Look at the guys around the league, he could be a top 3 QB in the B1G.

 

[Woodsa]

Only if they develop and execute "basketball on grass" offensive mentality.

D and ST has to do their part, but the Offense will need to move down the field in a controlled, high octane, we'll put up more points than you type of mentality.

 

[POTFHBTFU]

This is looking like the best OL at Purdue since???

Adding Stewart and Wingfield, Moussa and Mbow now in year 3, Hartwig back. Plus the depth guys that were brought in. I'm having a hard time thinking of a better group in recent memory. Starting to really talk myself into this offense taking a big leap.

Maybe best since 2017? Kirk Barron and Dave steinmetz were very good, Shane Evans, grant Hermanns, and Matt McCann were all solid.

 

[HUD628]

Only if they develop and execute "basketball on grass" offensive mentality.

D and ST has to do their part, but the Offense will need to move down the field in a controlled, high octane, we'll put up more points than you type of mentality.

Don’t put that moniker on them. They don’t need to reinvent the wheel like Tiller did.

 

[HUD628]

Maybe best since 2017? Kirk Barron and Dave steinmetz were very good, Shane Evans, grant Hermanns, and Matt McCann were all solid.

Best since a Hazell line. lol. I really don’t know, but it looks right now like the best in a decade. Maybe more? Who knows?

 

[POTFHBTFU]

Best since a Hazell line. lol. I really don’t know, but it looks right now like the best in a decade. Maybe more? Who knows?

Our running game was phenomenal that year. It was close in 2018 but awful after that. I hate to give hazell credit but give it where it is due for getting those guys. This was brohms best OL, all hazell recruits. Most of those OL guys sniffed nfl teams and they made Markell jones, DJ Knox, and even Richie worship and tario fuller look like studs.

 

[BoilerN]

Only if they develop and execute "basketball on grass" offensive mentality.

D and ST has to do their part, but the Offense will need to move down the field in a controlled, high octane, we'll put up more points than you type of mentality.

Why do they need to be basketball on grass?

 

[cillerdo]

Maybe best since 2017? Kirk Barron and Dave steinmetz were very good, Shane Evans, grant Hermanns, and Matt McCann were all solid.

The 2024 OL is long and all are 305 lbs+. A healthy Gus Hartwig is going to be big as he is the veteran leader of this line. As HUD628 said, the depth is what will make this a strength for this team. We will have more dependable backups as well as up and coming freshmen (all 300 lb+). Big difference from what we had at OL in 2023. CRW made the OL a priority for this year and it shows.

Coach Kane said in his interview that the OL has significantly improved and it pushes the DL to get better.
Looking forward to seeing our Air Raid offense with this OL crew.

 

[HUD628]

The 2024 OL is long and all are 305 lbs+. A healthy Gus Hartwig is going to be big as he is the veteran leader of this line. As HUD628 said, the depth is what will make this a strength for this team. We will have more dependable backups as well as up and coming freshmen (all 300 lb+). Big difference from what we had at OL in 2023. CRW made the OL a priority for this year and it shows.

Coach Kane said in his interview that the OL has significantly improved and it pushes the DL to get better.
Looking forward to seeing our Air Raid offense with this OL crew.

I'm looking forward to this offense, too. I know everyone hates Harrell, but I'm not sure why. His track record is pretty good, he has always improved the offense everywhere he's been. He does a pretty good job playing to his team's strengths. Last year's offense averaged like 0.3 fewer points per game than the one run by the offensive guru that preceded him. It's going to get so much better this year.

 

[Wolegib]

I’ll repeat myself.

When evaluating a team, you should not compare it with the past. You should compare it to our competition!

We are not playing against last year’s Purdue team or Hazell’s team.

We are playing against other teams who are also improved over their previous teams even more than we improved! If we are not improved over our competition, we will lose more games.

So rather than compare our offensive line to the past, how about comparing them to the defensive lines we will play against. Is our line better than other team? Will we dominate the trenches this year?

That’s the type of rating of team we need to have. How do we stack up against the teams we play?

 

[BoilerN]

I’ll repeat myself.

When evaluating a team, you should not compare it with the past. You should compare it to our competition!

We are not playing against last year’s Purdue team or Hazell’s team.

We are playing against other teams who are also improved over their previous teams even more than we improved! If we are not improved over our competition, we will lose more games.

So rather than compare our offensive line to the past, how about comparing them to the defensive lines we will play against. Is our line better than other team? Will we dominate the trenches this year?

That’s the type of rating of team we need to have. How do we stack up against the teams we play?

How do you figure every team we played improved more than Purdue did?

 

[HUD628]

How do you figure every team we played improved more than Purdue did?

No one's roster improved more than Purdue's I don't think. On paper at least.

 

[Wolegib]

How do you figure every team we played improved more than Purdue did?

It’s easy. I read a lot more than just Purdue internet posts.

You obviously didn’t understand the point of my post but rather focused on one small phrase of it.

Look at recruiting ratings.
Look at national rankings and reviews

Look outside this forum!

What I’m saying is rather than comparing our team to the past, compare it to our opponents. Sure our ol is better than past Purdue lines, but is it better than any team we face? Is our ol better than OsU’s defensive line? Is our OL better than any defensive line we will face? That’s how you should rate this team!

We are not playing Purdue! It doesn’t matter if this team is better than Hazel’s team! What really matters is can this team beat any team we play?

Look at our current schedule. Can we win more games than last year? If not, then our line really hasn’t improved. If we can beat and dominate our opponents, then and only then you can say this team is better than the past.

If this team only wins 3-4. Games, can you really say our oline has improved?

 

[Wolegib]

We may have better athletes, But do we really have a better oline or better team than the past? Can we expect more victories? If not, can you really say, we improved?

If we have a top 10 recruiting class and go 2-10, can you seriously claim our oline is improved? My reply would be no. It’s not improved to the level it needs to be if our record declines

 

[BoilerN]

It’s easy. I read a lot more than just Purdue internet posts.

You obviously didn’t understand the point of my post but rather focused on one small phrase of it.

Look at recruiting ratings.
Look at national rankings and reviews

Look outside this forum!

What I’m saying is rather than comparing our team to the past, compare it to our opponents. Sure our ol is better than past Purdue lines, but is it better than any team we face? Is our ol better than OsU’s defensive line? Is our OL better than any defensive line we will face? That’s how you should rate this team!

We are not playing Purdue! It doesn’t matter if this team is better than Hazel’s team! What really matters is can this team beat any team we play?

Look at our current schedule. Can we win more games than last year? If not, then our line really hasn’t improved. If we can beat and dominate our opponents, then and only then you can say this team is better than the past.

If this team only wins 3-4. Games, can you really say our oline has improved?

No. I understood the whole post. Just wanted you to expand on a small part of your post. Can you not?

 

[Chi-Boiler]

I’ll repeat myself.

When evaluating a team, you should not compare it with the past. You should compare it to our competition!

We are not playing against last year’s Purdue team or Hazell’s team.

We are playing against other teams who are also improved over their previous teams even more than we improved! If we are not improved over our competition, we will lose more games.

So rather than compare our offensive line to the past, how about comparing them to the defensive lines we will play against. Is our line better than other team? Will we dominate the trenches this year?

That’s the type of rating of team we need to have. How do we stack up against the teams we play?

I didn't know Purdue could control the improvements of other teams.

 

[POTFHBTFU]

We may have better athletes, But do we really have a better oline or better team than the past? Can we expect more victories? If not, can you really say, we improved?

If we have a top 10 recruiting class and go 2-10, can you seriously claim our oline is improved? My reply would be no. It’s not improved to the level it needs to be if our record declines

The number of victories this year will likely not be tied to the OL. It could be to our more challenging schedule. You can have an improved offensive line and lose more games, it could be 100 other reasons. Our OL is reported as improved by the coaches, better on paper, and we have 4 of 5 starters returning and OL is a position you commonly see improvement with experience. Dude it’s ok to get excited about this and celebrate it. We are projected to lose more games this year, but we are also expected to have an improved offensive line. If you can’t understand how both of those can occur simultaneously you don’t understand football.

 

[BoilerN]

The number of victories this year will likely not be tied to the OL. It could be to our more challenging schedule. You can have an improved offensive line and lose more games, it could be 100 other reasons. Our OL is reported as improved by the coaches, better on paper, and we have 4 of 5 starters returning and OL is a position you commonly see improvement with experience. Dude it’s ok to get excited about this and celebrate it. We are projected to lose more games this year, but we are also expected to have an improved offensive line. If you can’t understand how both of those can occur simultaneously you don’t understand football.

I’m just hoping he can answer my question. He is 1 for 1 in avoiding it

 

[pboiler18]

It’s easy. I read a lot more than just Purdue internet posts.

You obviously didn’t understand the point of my post but rather focused on one small phrase of it.

Look at recruiting ratings.
Look at national rankings and reviews

Look outside this forum!

What I’m saying is rather than comparing our team to the past, compare it to our opponents. Sure our ol is better than past Purdue lines, but is it better than any team we face? Is our ol better than OsU’s defensive line? Is our OL better than any defensive line we will face? That’s how you should rate this team!

We are not playing Purdue! It doesn’t matter if this team is better than Hazel’s team! What really matters is can this team beat any team we play?

Look at our current schedule. Can we win more games than last year? If not, then our line really hasn’t improved. If we can beat and dominate our opponents, then and only then you can say this team is better than the past.

If this team only wins 3-4. Games, can you really say our oline has improved?

This is dumb. I think on paper it would be genuinely hard to find teams that have improved talent wise as much as us.

What the coaches do with that however is the real question. I’m optimistic in some regards and less so than others.

Overall, we will be in real trouble if it takes Harrell another 9 games into the season this year to figure out our strengths.

 

[BoilerN]

This is dumb. I think on paper it would be genuinely hard to find teams that have improved talent wise as much as us.

What the coaches do with that however is the real question. I’m optimistic in some regards and less so than others.

Overall, we will be in real trouble if it takes Harrell another 9 games into the season this year to figure out our strengths.

What was Purdues strength on offense last year?

 

[pboiler18]

What was Purdues strength on offense last year?

Zone running. Running the QB. TE pass plays. QB misdirection.

 

[BoilerN]

Zone running. Running the QB. TE pass plays. QB misdirection.

Issue was, QB was hurt more than not, TE was a rotational door. So did it take him a long time to realize it or did he choose not to run his QB with a rib injury?

 

[pboiler18]

Issue was, QB was hurt more than not, TE was a rotational door. So did it take him a long time to realize it or did he choose not to run his QB with a rib injury?

Why didnt he run his QB before the injury? Especially when a wrinkle was needed for short yardage?

 

[cillerdo]

Why didnt he run his QB before the injury? Especially when a wrinkle was needed for short yardage?

Card did run in short yardage situations. I believe there was one as early as the Fresno State game. The opposing lines pushed our O Line. Our short yardage runs would have been hopeless no matter what we ran with that line.

 

[cillerdo]

I'm looking forward to this offense, too. I know everyone hates Harrell, but I'm not sure why. His track record is pretty good, he has always improved the offense everywhere he's been. He does a pretty good job playing to his team's strengths. Last year's offense averaged like 0.3 fewer points per game than the one run by the offensive guru that preceded him. It's going to get so much better this year.

I have previously said that we never got to see a Graham Harrell Air Raid offense in the 2023 season. Only glimpses. With a thin banged up O Line, Hudson Card’s rib injury, Max Klare injury and wide receiver limitations, there was not much that Harrell could do. CRW credited Harrell for changing up his offense to feature the RBs with zone reads and counters. Got Tyrone Tracy into the NFL.

Harrell finally has a deep O Line, deep WRs (and the type of receivers we like), healthy Card and Klare, and experienced TE room.
We will finally get to see Harrell’s Air Raid offense this year.

 

[Kocher101]

Why didnt he run his QB before the injury? Especially when a wrinkle was needed for short yardage?

Look, our offensive lines under Brohm were one of the smallest in the BIG Ten. He left a very empty cupboard of players for Walters. Walter’s did a great job in filling gaping holes left by Brohm last year. This year he recruited BIG Ten size players and quality depth on both sides of the ball. I can’t see this team not being greatly improved. I am more concerned about our kicking game, but here again I think it will be better. Yes , we will have to see just like all of the other teams.

 

[BoilerN]

Why didnt he run his QB before the injury? Especially when a wrinkle was needed for short yardage?

My guess, the entire offense wasn’t installed and he knew Purdue had no chance of winning if Card got hurt. So he was protecting the QB a little.

 

[pboiler18]

Card did run in short yardage situations. I believe there was one as early as the Fresno State game. The opposing lines pushed our O Line. Our short yardage runs would have been hopeless no matter what we ran with that line.

Yes. Ran him straight into the line, just like our RBs. No outside zone runs early. A real lack of awareness about what worked with his team and players.

 

[pboiler18]

Look, our offensive lines under Brohm were one of the smallest in the BIG Ten. He left a very empty cupboard of players for Walters. Walter’s did a great job in filling gaping holes left by Brohm last year. This year he recruited BIG Ten size players and quality depth on both sides of the ball. I can’t see this team not being greatly improved. I am more concerned about our kicking game, but here again I think it will be better. Yes , we will have to see just like all of the other teams.

What happens when it becomes clear that Harrell/Walters are the problem and not Brohm?

A Purdue coach has to do more with less. Last year was less with less.

 

[cillerdo]

What happens when it becomes clear that Harrell/Walters are the problem and not Brohm?

A Purdue coach has to do more with less. Last year was less with less.

You make it sound like this is so easy to do. There were many disadvantages for CRW. It was not his fault that he was hired at the end of the winter transfer period. (That was Brohm’s fault)

When CRW went to visit Card during the transfer portal period Harrell was out recruiting for West Virginia.

 

[cillerdo]

Yes. Ran him straight into the line, just like our RBs. No outside zone runs early. A real lack of awareness about what worked with his team and players.

Hey, I am just answering your question about why we did not run Card in short yardage situations before the injury. You did not mention anything about running straight into the line.

Card was out there behind a patch work O Line

 

[BoilerN]

What happens when it becomes clear that Harrell/Walters are the problem and not Brohm?

A Purdue coach has to do more with less. Last year was less with less.

What if I told you our offensive numbers last year, with less as you mentioned, was pretty much the same as with Brohm the year prior, with much more?

 

[pboiler18]

What if I told you our offensive numbers last year, with less as you mentioned, was pretty much the same as with Brohm the year prior, with much more?

Now do the win total….

I found the offense…while ineffective at times vs better teams to not necessarily be the weakest link. That would have been the “vaunted” defense that couldn’t keep a team from passing all over it.

 

[BoilerN]

Now do the win total….

I found the offense…while ineffective at times vs better teams to not necessarily be the weakest link. That would have been the “vaunted” defense that couldn’t keep a team from passing all over it.

Not sure what the defense has to do with the offense you were talking about. Or win total really. Both are deflections. We are talking about Harrell and the offense compared to OC Jeff Brohm (not head coach) and his offense.

While we are talking about Brohms offense though, let’s talk about his recruiting of the offense. He left nothing behind. Complete rebuild. Well, 3 OL and a walk-on RB that wasn’t good enough for a scholarship. And let’s be real, with last years offense, Brohm wouldn’t have done better.

 

[z_one]

What happens when it becomes clear that Harrell/Walters are the problem and not Brohm?

A Purdue coach has to do more with less. Last year was less with less.

Brohm? Brohm left. No one showed him the door. He walked out and left us with a patchwork team. One that was slaughtered in the bowl game with his idiot brother leading the charge. Your hatred of Walters is evident. He has 3 years to prove himself dispite all of your whining. All of your ass kissing of Brohm is not going to bring him back. In a few years, we will see how great he is at Louisville. He was never really great at Purdue. A little over .500 is not great.

 

[pboiler18]

Brohm? Brohm left. No one showed him the door. He walked out and left us with a patchwork team. One that was slaughtered in the bowl game with his idiot brother leading the charge. Your hatred of Walters is evident. He has 3 years to prove himself dispite all of your whining. All of your ass kissing of Brohm is not going to bring him back. In a few years, we will see how great he is at Louisville. He was never really great at Purdue. A little over .500 is not great.

4 bowls in 6 years. The list of Purdue coaches who have done that can fit on 1 hand of fingers.

Your bitterness is showing.

Brohm left. Walters underachieved. Blame whoever you like but it doesn’t change the facts of what the coach who was here didn’t accomplish.

I’d love for Walters to be successful. From what I’ve seen though, if nothing changes it’s going to be a very long year.

 

[HUD628]

4 bowls in 6 years. The list of Purdue coaches who have done that can fit on 1 hand of fingers.

Your bitterness is showing.

Brohm left. Walters underachieved. Blame whoever you like but it doesn’t change the facts of what the coach who was here didn’t accomplish.

I’d love for Walters to be successful. From what I’ve seen though, if nothing changes it’s going to be a very long year.

Walters did not underachieve. I know we’ve been through this before, and I’m just talking into an abyss filled with ignorant preconceived notions, but this man was left with nothing.

You should be thanking your lucky stars that he got Card and all these other guys to come here. Now we have an experienced QB with an an OL that actually looks like it belongs in the B1G, and better WRs. He has completely overhauled the trash roster he inherited, and all you can do is long for the days of Brohmco.

But I know when Brohmco retires, having gone over .500 in an irrelevant league, you’ll still be online worshiping them. Smh

 

[BoilerN]

4 bowls in 6 years. The list of Purdue coaches who have done that can fit on 1 hand of fingers.

Your bitterness is showing.

Brohm left. Walters underachieved. Blame whoever you like but it doesn’t change the facts of what the coach who was here didn’t accomplish.

I’d love for Walters to be successful. From what I’ve seen though, if nothing changes it’s going to be a very long year.

1. You missed my message above it seems.

2. How did Walter’s underachieve? He made a bad roster better, but still had issues because the roster he inherited was bad.

3. What are you seeing that hasn’t changed?