Optimistic look for rest of the football season

[TC4THREE]

Nevada - Don't look now, but we're favored here.
at Maryland - appear to be improved but not a juggernaut.
at Illinois - got stomped by Western Michigan. One program we've competed with in prior Hazell years.
Iowa - just lost to FCS opponent
at Nebraska - beat them last year
Penn State - solid team but we get them at home
at Minnesota - remains to be seen how good they are but not a team we'll be a big underdog to at home.
Northwestern - have already lost to MAC and FCS opponents
Wisconsin - struggled at home against Georgia State last week
at Indiana - rivalry game and it's still IU football

Call me crazy, but there is not a game here that we can't compete in if we play to our capabilities. It's still up to the team/coaches to play to their capabilities but if we can go get this win against Nevada, the schedule is manageable and 3-4 conference wins isn't off the table. Again, all contingent on us showing up and playing well.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

If we had looked more impressive against Cincy, I'd be more willing to agree with you. Although Cincy may end up being the 2nd or 3rd best team we face all season. Let's see how Saturday goes. Maybe the bye week did some good...

 

[TC4THREE]

If we had looked more impressive against Cincy, I'd be more willing to agree with you. Although Cincy may end up being the 2nd or 3rd best team we face all season. Let's see how Saturday goes. Maybe the bye week did some good...

Agreed. We would all be more positive if we had seen the team compete against UC or win more over the past 3 years. We all know the history but if the team wants to re-write the script going forward, the opportunity is there for them to do so.

 

[vilehoopster]

I enjoy debating you on the merits of Matt Painter, and really TC4Three, you are my greatest adversary on this board. You make some great points and you do a good job of attacking my weaker points.

But I have to ask this question, though I'm not sure that you can answer it truthfully, but here goes.

Are you really this eternally optimistic? Or do you say these things just to start posts and get dialogue and discussions going.

Like this post for example, you say there's "not a game here we can't compete in." I know you said it, but do you really believe that? A lot of those game yes, if you're optimistic, I can understand why you would think we can compete in them. But . . . do you honestly believe we have a chance, any chance at all against Iowa or especially Wisconsin at home. Do think we have a chance in hell at Nebraska, who just beat Oregon, especially since we embarrassed them here last year. I mean, come on, unless food poisoning hits one of those teams, we have zero chance, none. This year's team is nothing like the old Spoilermakers.

And on the basketball post about whether Painter will get Purdue to a Final Four, you answered, "No Question." You can't really believe that, can you, No question, it's a 100% likely that Painter will get to a Final Four? I have to believe even Painter's mom and dad have some doubt, at least some, that he might not get Purdue to a Final Four. Come on now, you just said, "No question" to show your support for Painter, right?

I mean I'm very anti-Painter, but I have to admit that there a very real chance Painter might get us to a Final Four. It's not a strong chance and the odds are I think, great against it, but it could certainly happen.

So, are you really this optimistic or are you just staying true to your earlier post and launching discussions?

 

[BoilerBulldog]

I'm not TC, but yes, I tend to be very optimistic. I expect success in everything I do and that spills over into my fandom. My internal optimism has served me well. I wouldn't be the husband, father, friend, or executive I am today if I wasn't.

Life's too short to be miserable. I always remember Henry Ford's quote, "Either you think you can or you can't, but either way you're right."

But I'm also pragmatic. We must win 6 this year for DH to stick around. And I will keep cheering the team on each week and see what happens.

 

[SunnyFL24]

Nevada - Don't look now, but we're favored here.
at Maryland - appear to be improved but not a juggernaut.
at Illinois - got stomped by Western Michigan. One program we've competed with in prior Hazell years.
Iowa - just lost to FCS opponent
at Nebraska - beat them last year
Penn State - solid team but we get them at home
at Minnesota - remains to be seen how good they are but not a team we'll be a big underdog to at home.
Northwestern - have already lost to MAC and FCS opponents
Wisconsin - struggled at home against Georgia State last week
at Indiana - rivalry game and it's still IU football

Call me crazy, but there is not a game here that we can't compete in if we play to our capabilities. It's still up to the team/coaches to play to their capabilities but if we can go get this win against Nevada, the schedule is manageable and 3-4 conference wins isn't off the table. Again, all contingent on us showing up and playing well.

"WHAT ARE OUR CAPABILITIES"? We haven't played four QTR's of football under the HAZZ regime at any time.....PERIOD....! So your statement is pie in the sky...........

 

[BoilerBulldog]

"WHAT ARE OUR CAPABILITIES"? We haven't played four QTR's of football under the HAZZ regime at any time.....PERIOD....! So your statement is pie in the sky...........

You can say virtually any team "hasn't played four quarters". Who's your favorite NFL team? I've been a Colt fan for decades. I would love for them to play 4 quarters at least once before I die.

 

[nat100]

Nevada - Don't look now, but we're favored here.
at Maryland - appear to be improved but not a juggernaut.
at Illinois - got stomped by Western Michigan. One program we've competed with in prior Hazell years.
Iowa - just lost to FCS opponent
at Nebraska - beat them last year
Penn State - solid team but we get them at home
at Minnesota - remains to be seen how good they are but not a team we'll be a big underdog to at home.
Northwestern - have already lost to MAC and FCS opponents
Wisconsin - struggled at home against Georgia State last week
at Indiana - rivalry game and it's still IU football

Call me crazy, but there is not a game here that we can't compete in if we play to our capabilities. It's still up to the team/coaches to play to their capabilities but if we can go get this win against Nevada, the schedule is manageable and 3-4 conference wins isn't off the table. Again, all contingent on us showing up and playing well.

Chumming?

 

[axeman014]

Nevada - Don't look now, but we're favored here.
at Maryland - appear to be improved but not a juggernaut.
at Illinois - got stomped by Western Michigan. One program we've competed with in prior Hazell years.
Iowa - just lost to FCS opponent
at Nebraska - beat them last year
Penn State - solid team but we get them at home
at Minnesota - remains to be seen how good they are but not a team we'll be a big underdog to at home.
Northwestern - have already lost to MAC and FCS opponents
Wisconsin - struggled at home against Georgia State last week
at Indiana - rivalry game and it's still IU football

Call me crazy, but there is not a game here that we can't compete in if we play to our capabilities. It's still up to the team/coaches to play to their capabilities but if we can go get this win against Nevada, the schedule is manageable and 3-4 conference wins isn't off the table. Again, all contingent on us showing up and playing well.

I agree. We can forcibly compete in all our games. That is, we could be competitive, have a chance to win, and maybe even steal a game from a few unsuspecting opponents. At this point I would be happy with losing close games that we fought hard and competed in.

But our lack of depth is a major factor why we won't make any kind of run, or progressive for that matter. I'm not sure we can win the war of attrition needed over a long haul. It always seems our best players over the years are hurt or had some sort of major repair done. We loose a couple starters right now and it seems our team is seriously diminished. And we are losing guys left and right in PRACTICE! We could just as well loose every game on our schedule.

On the flip side, we just might be a couple players away from actually being pretty good. If we make plays in the secondary, have WRs that finally fight for the ball and who play physical for once, and IF we can generate some pass rush, we could actually win 5 or 6 games.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

Nevada - Don't look now, but we're favored here.
at Maryland - appear to be improved but not a juggernaut.
at Illinois - got stomped by Western Michigan. One program we've competed with in prior Hazell years.
Iowa - just lost to FCS opponent
at Nebraska - beat them last year
Penn State - solid team but we get them at home
at Minnesota - remains to be seen how good they are but not a team we'll be a big underdog to at home.
Northwestern - have already lost to MAC and FCS opponents
Wisconsin - struggled at home against Georgia State last week
at Indiana - rivalry game and it's still IU football

Call me crazy, but there is not a game here that we can't compete in if we play to our capabilities. It's still up to the team/coaches to play to their capabilities but if we can go get this win against Nevada, the schedule is manageable and 3-4 conference wins isn't off the table. Again, all contingent on us showing up and playing well.

you're crazy(hey you asked for it)

Nebraska beats us by 30 unless Armstrong gets hurt again.

Minnesota, IU and Illinois weren't any good last year and still pounded us AT ROSS-ADE.

Wisconsin always spanks us.

Penn State - how is playing at home supposed to be a good thing?

 

[TC4THREE]

I enjoy debating you on the merits of Matt Painter, and really TC4Three, you are my greatest adversary on this board. You make some great points and you do a good job of attacking my weaker points.

But I have to ask this question, though I'm not sure that you can answer it truthfully, but here goes.

Are you really this eternally optimistic? Or do you say these things just to start posts and get dialogue and discussions going.

Like this post for example, you say there's "not a game here we can't compete in." I know you said it, but do you really believe that? A lot of those game yes, if you're optimistic, I can understand why you would think we can compete in them. But . . . do you honestly believe we have a chance, any chance at all against Iowa or especially Wisconsin at home. Do think we have a chance in hell at Nebraska, who just beat Oregon, especially since we embarrassed them here last year. I mean, come on, unless food poisoning hits one of those teams, we have zero chance, none. This year's team is nothing like the old Spoilermakers.

And on the basketball post about whether Painter will get Purdue to a Final Four, you answered, "No Question." You can't really believe that, can you, No question, it's a 100% likely that Painter will get to a Final Four? I have to believe even Painter's mom and dad have some doubt, at least some, that he might not get Purdue to a Final Four. Come on now, you just said, "No question" to show your support for Painter, right?

I mean I'm very anti-Painter, but I have to admit that there a very real chance Painter might get us to a Final Four. It's not a strong chance and the odds are I think, great against it, but it could certainly happen.

So, are you really this optimistic or are you just staying true to your earlier post and launching discussions?

We're at the point that it hurts absolutely nothing to give this team an opportunity to prove itself. I'm not predicting anything and this team has given us little reason to believe that they will engineer such a turnaround if you judge by the prior 3 years. If you've read my thoughts over the offseason and over the years you know what I think about every coach we have. Once the season starts, I believe we should put aside those feelings and support those teams to perform as well as they can and at least give them an opportunity to do something good without fighting it and waiting for an opportunity to jump in and complain every step of the way.

Just my opinion, but this season isn't lost at this point so I'm going to attempt to keep giving them an open mind unless we get past a point of no return. Even if everyone is right and we don't do anything the rest of the season, coming on here weekly and complaining and calling for the coach to be fired at every opportunity serves no positive purpose. There's a time for that but I don't believe in doing it all season long and particularly when the season is just getting underway.

I'm staying optimistic about the opportunity our schedule presents, if nothing else. Many of these games are winnable and if this team can find the switch to turn it on that they haven't been able to find the past 3 seasons, I'm going to cheer for them to do that. I don't think that's being optimistic. I think that's just being a fan and cheering for my favorite team.

Regarding Painter, absolutely 100% he's taking Purdue to a Final Four. Trust me on that.

 

[816buroak]

Nevada - Don't look now, but we're favored here.
at Maryland - appear to be improved but not a juggernaut.
at Illinois - got stomped by Western Michigan. One program we've competed with in prior Hazell years.
Iowa - just lost to FCS opponent
at Nebraska - beat them last year
Penn State - solid team but we get them at home
at Minnesota - remains to be seen how good they are but not a team we'll be a big underdog to at home.
Northwestern - have already lost to MAC and FCS opponents
Wisconsin - struggled at home against Georgia State last week
at Indiana - rivalry game and it's still IU football

Call me crazy, but there is not a game here that we can't compete in if we play to our capabilities. It's still up to the team/coaches to play to their capabilities but if we can go get this win against Nevada, the schedule is manageable and 3-4 conference wins isn't off the table. Again, all contingent on us showing up and playing well.

Problem with your theory both Maryland Illinois have better coaching then we do . NORTH Dakota State that Iowa lost to would beat us by 28 Nebraska much improved beat Oregon .Penn State what will 20000 fans do to the Lions? Minnesota blasted us last year Wisconsin beat LSU . Northwestern has more talent much better coach and IU is a better team then we currently are. I see 0-9 conference

 

[ossim]

We will get picked apart by teams that can effectively throw the ball. The linebackers are playing soft because of how bad the secondary is so it's the bend don't break defense again. In a nutshell, its the traditional Purdue formula - big numbers needed from the QB and a positive turnover ratio. That being said, I don't know if our offense lends itself to that under Hazell, so yea I'm predicting a 4 win season tops..

 

[TC4THREE]

Problem with your theory both Maryland Illinois have better coaching then we do . NORTH Dakota State that Iowa lost to would beat us by 28 Nebraska much improved beat Oregon .Penn State what will 20000 fans do to the Lions? Minnesota blasted us last year Wisconsin beat LSU . Northwestern has more talent much better coach and IU is a better team then we currently are. I see 0-9 conference

Actually the problem is that the only theory I've presented is we have an opportunity and I'm giving this team a chance. So there really is no hole in that theory. You can choose to approach the situation differently if you wish but I've not projected anything here other than there are several winnable games on our schedule if we should happen to play well.

 

[JohnHoosierr]

We will get picked apart by teams that can effectively throw the ball. The linebackers are playing soft because of how bad the secondary is so it's the bend don't break defense again. In a nutshell, its the traditional Purdue formula - big numbers needed from the QB and a positive turnover ratio. That being said, I don't know if our offense lends itself to that under Hazell, so yea I'm predicting a 4 win season tops..

4 wins is very optimistic! In order for thst to happen hazell would have to double his average wins per season. In other words, it ain't happenin.

 

[C-Paranoia]

I will admit that the bye week has me thinking crazy again, too. I see Purdue having a chance against Nevada, Maryland, Illinois, and Northwestern. I just don't see it against UW or Iowa. I'd like to think positively about the other games, but I've been burned too many times. In the meantime, baby steps. Beat Nevada!

 

[BoilerBiker]

we knew coming in this was an easier conference schedule... it may be the easiest ever.
the rest are just not consistently strong (even wiscy...yet).
if we bring our A game, it's ours to take advantage of

 

[since1980]

I don't think anybody in their right mind would argue we are going to be really good this year. But the OP's point is none of the teams we play this year are world beaters....and therefore we have a shot to win games. Doesn't mean we will....but they will be at least worth tuning into.
Take away the turnovers the past 2 games, and our offense actually looks pretty good moving the ball consistently. We've had a lot of long drives and very little punting....this isn't the same offense as the past 3 years under Shoop..
Defensively we'll find out more next week if the adjustments made are lasting or if Nevada was just really bad offensively. Having Hunte and Larkin back appeared to help, as did bringing more blitzes.

 

[BoilerBiker]

I don't think anybody in their right mind would argue we are going to be really good this year. But the OP's point is none of the teams we play this year are world beaters....and therefore we have a shot to win games. Doesn't mean we will....but they will be at least worth tuning into.
Take away the turnovers the past 2 games, and our offense actually looks pretty good moving the ball consistently. We've had a lot of long drives and very little punting....this isn't the same offense as the past 3 years under Shoop..
Defensively we'll find out more next week if the adjustments made are lasting or if Nevada was just really bad offensively. Having Hunte and Larkin back appeared to help, as did bringing more blitzes.

yup, can't wait for next week's road test!
hopefully we continue to play well and bring it.
will be maryland's toughest opponent to date.

punching it in the end zone more often would be nice, and not turning the ball over as much - maryland was ranked near the top in turnover margin, with zero committed themselves

 

[TC4THREE]

yup, can't wait for next week's road test!
hopefully we continue to play well and bring it.
will be maryland's toughest opponent to date.

punching it in the end zone more often would be nice, and not turning the ball over as much - maryland was ranked near the top in turnover margin, with zero committed themselves

Yep. Winning next week will have to start with limiting turnovers and creating a few ourselves. Not going to be easy but it's the opportunity this team needs to prove itself. Win and they are half way to bowl eligibility with 8 games left with several that all of a sudden look more winnable. Lose and fans will think it's more of the same from the past 3 years. Huge opportunity for them.

 

[BoilerBiker]

Yep. Winning next week will have to start with limiting turnovers and creating a few ourselves. Not going to be easy but it's the opportunity this team needs to prove itself. Win and they are half way to bowl eligibility with 8 games left with several that all of a sudden look more winnable. Lose and fans will think it's more of the same from the past 3 years. Huge opportunity for them.

what do you think mb2's opinion or stance is on dh2 right now, assuming his job is at such a drastic tipping point?
on one hand, it would be difficult to reach out to prospective candidates and convincingly lure them in, if he is still wavering on the current coach.
on the other hand, if he does not start a search in a timely manner, he may not land the best/better candidates if they choose to go elsewhere before we finally decide on hazell.

 

[indianphil]

You're crazy!

 

[pboiler18]

what do you think mb2's opinion or stance is on dh2 right now, assuming his job is at such a drastic tipping point?
on one hand, it would be difficult to reach out to prospective candidates and convincingly lure them in, if he is still wavering on the current coach.
on the other hand, if he does not start a search in a timely manner, he may not land the best/better candidates if they choose to go elsewhere before we finally decide on hazell.

Still too early. Tons of football to be played.

Outside of LSU and Baylor, most teams dont yet know that they'll be searching for a HC in a few months. I don't think Purdue knows yet either. Too many winnable games left on the schedule, even for a bad team.

 

[ossim]

The funny thing in the past few weeks is that this team has looked better passing to set up the run which is kind of the antithesis of what Hazell tried to do the previous 3 years. Honestly, between Young, Yancey, Marshall (who clearly should be targeted more), and Posey, this is probably the best receiving corps we've seen in a long time. If Blough continues to improve, and we decide not to run Jones into a brick wall for 2 out of every 3 downs, this season might not end up a trainwreck. A lot of ifs though.

 

[BeachinSteveO]

You're crazy!

Well put.

 

[TC4THREE]

You're crazy!

If crazy is giving this team a chance to have a successful season before burying them, then yes I am. I'm not cheering for them to fail just so I can be right about the coach. I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

 

[FirstDownB]

TC,

Your point seems to be not that this team is good but that our schedule is really soft. But wins are good. As fans, root for wins. Period.
But do you have any concerns about winning 3 or 4 more games against bad teams and how that might lead to a decision to retain Hazell even if there is little to no improvement outside of W/L? We know the schedule will not be this soft again in the future.

I can't bring myself to root against Purdue, but with the current state of the program I cannot easily compartmentalize games anymore without thinking about the big picture. If we aren't winning 7 games with THIS schedule I would just as soon see another 2-3 win season and an easy decision for MBob than to risk be mired in sub-mediocrity. I think the only viable options at the end of the season are fire or extend, and an extension would be a real possibility following a 5 or 6 win season.

I think that's where a lot of people are at.. maybe save a few trolls.. Not just wanting to be "right" about Hazell, but legitimately concerned with the future of the program.
So if not now, do you believe that there may be some point in the season where non-quality wins may become counterproductive?

 

[Heiner]

A lot of season left to be played but I think these two coordinators are light years better than Shoop and Hudson. I'm certainly not convinced that Hazell is the answer but damn I hate to hit the reset button again.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

TC,

Your point seems to be not that this team is good but that our schedule is really soft. But wins are good. As fans, root for wins. Period.
But do you have any concerns about winning 3 or 4 more games against bad teams and how that might lead to a decision to retain Hazell even if there is little to no improvement outside of W/L? We know the schedule will not be this soft again in the future.

I can't bring myself to root against Purdue, but with the current state of the program I cannot easily compartmentalize games anymore without thinking about the big picture. If we aren't winning 7 games with THIS schedule I would just as soon see another 2-3 win season and an easy decision for MBob than to risk be mired in sub-mediocrity. I think the only viable options at the end of the season are fire or extend, and an extension would be a real possibility following a 5 or 6 win season.

I think that's where a lot of people are at.. maybe save a few trolls.. Not just wanting to be "right" about Hazell, but legitimately concerned with the future of the program.
So if not now, do you believe that there may be some point in the season where non-quality wins may become counterproductive?

This is where I am. I don't see any realistic scenario where we should extend, at least not an extension that would increase the $4.4 mil that Haze is owed after this season. Not even for 7 wins, because he would still be 12-35 overall.

 

[TC4THREE]

TC,

Your point seems to be not that this team is good but that our schedule is really soft. But wins are good. As fans, root for wins. Period.
But do you have any concerns about winning 3 or 4 more games against bad teams and how that might lead to a decision to retain Hazell even if there is little to no improvement outside of W/L? We know the schedule will not be this soft again in the future.

I can't bring myself to root against Purdue, but with the current state of the program I cannot easily compartmentalize games anymore without thinking about the big picture. If we aren't winning 7 games with THIS schedule I would just as soon see another 2-3 win season and an easy decision for MBob than to risk be mired in sub-mediocrity. I think the only viable options at the end of the season are fire or extend, and an extension would be a real possibility following a 5 or 6 win season.

I think that's where a lot of people are at.. maybe save a few trolls.. Not just wanting to be "right" about Hazell, but legitimately concerned with the future of the program.
So if not now, do you believe that there may be some point in the season where non-quality wins may become counterproductive?

Don't want to dwell on negative things right now. They are 2-1 and all I see is opportunity in front of them. Plenty of time for discussion on reality (as opposed to hypotheticals) as the season plays out. I believe they are capable of beating Maryland if they play well so I'm going to cheer for that.