Re-Arranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic

[MidyearVette]

The recent firings of both offense and defense coordinators will not solve any long term problems. This looks like Morgan Burke hired a Madison Avenue PR Consultant to "make changes that look significant but don't cost very much". Here is what we need to do get competitive (not play for NC's - unrealistic):

1) Hire a coaching staff with extensive NFL experience - we need to sell Purdue as a place where players learn to play in a "Pro Style" offense and defense. Come to Purdue and prepare for the NFL - no goofy option plays, no huddle, etc. QB's learn to get under center, read defenses, call audibles, learn pass progressions, etc. Why sit on the bench for 4 years at a "big name" school when you can come to Purdue and compete to play in an "NFL prep environment"?

2) Focus on 3 and 4 star recruits from "football hotbeds" like Florida, Texas, California that have a "chip on their shoulder" for not being recruited heavily by their favorite "Big Name School" (Drew Brees & Vinny Sutherland ring a bell?). The Number 5 Rated QB would love to play somewhere else and prove the big guys were wrong.

3) Try and schedule some more mid tier schools in the south and west (Central Florida, Texas Tech, etc.) to get exposure and step up recruiting in those states.

4) First impressions are important - redo everything to reflect a professional organization from the locker room to the film study room. Recruits that are more interested in flashy fashion statement uniforms than fundamental football shouldn't be considered. No goofy looking uniforms, no "inmates running the asylum" activities, etc.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

1. Your logic is flawed and simply put, extravagant. You need to work within realms of possibility here. Michigan is a school that can afford the type of staff with NFL knowledge and experience. It is also why Michigan experienced such a sudden turn around...coupled with the fact that Hoke left lots of talent to work with. You work with what the players talents give you and if that is an option based offense, that's what you work with until you get your players that fit your system. I firmly believe the major issue is that Hazell is trying to fit his system to the players, which is why we are seeing continued struggles with the program.

2. Purdue can focus on those types of recruits all they want...the fact is they aren't going to come north when they can play at programs in the south with some success in the past 3-5 years. Purdue needs to recruit it's region much better (much like NIU has) to be successful. There is a reason why Purdue was successful when Tiller was here...he was able to get some quality recruits from the midwest along with overlooked recruits from Texas and the Jersey area (before Rutgers became decent). The number 5 QB recruit is going to go where his talents are able to be showcased to be given a chance to play on Sundays...not to show FSU and Alabama they should have recruited him.

3. Schedules are set many years ahead and if you look at the non-conference, it is pretty solid as what you speak of. However, playing Texas Tech and Central Florida (granted, UCF is god awful this year) is going to place the Boilers 1-3 or 2-2 headed in to conference play. As boring and dull as it sounds, the program needs to concentrate on winning football games and if that means playing Sunbelt, WAC, MAC, and other non-P5 programs, that is fine with me. You can make fun of Indiana all you want, but the fact is they are getting 2-3 weeks more of practice this year to advance their skills and refine their approach for next spring and fall. Purdue NEEDS those practices to improve.

I am sorry if this sounds harsh and blunt, but you are out of touch with reality if you think Purdue can go out and suddenly do all those things. From 2002 to 2005, with the proper funding and resources, Purdue COULD have done those things with ease...it is now going to take the approach that Minnesota took under Tim Brewster and in to the start of the Jerry Kill era. Schedule easy at the front end and hope to get 2 conference wins. Once you start winning and getting to bowl games, the fans AND recruits will return and you can start to schedule better opponents as you speak of (Minnesota played TCU VERY tough last year and this year).

Expecting Purdue to suddenly do all those things is being out of touch with the rebuild it is going to take to be consistently competitive again.

 

[boilersallthewaynow]

The recent firings of both offense and defense coordinators will not solve any long term problems. This looks like Morgan Burke hired a Madison Avenue PR Consultant to "make changes that look significant but don't cost very much". Here is what we need to do get competitive (not play for NC's - unrealistic):

1) Hire a coaching staff with extensive NFL experience - we need to sell Purdue as a place where players learn to play in a "Pro Style" offense and defense. Come to Purdue and prepare for the NFL - no goofy option plays, no huddle, etc. QB's learn to get under center, read defenses, call audibles, learn pass progressions, etc. Why sit on the bench for 4 years at a "big name" school when you can come to Purdue and compete to play in an "NFL prep environment"?

2) Focus on 3 and 4 star recruits from "football hotbeds" like Florida, Texas, California that have a "chip on their shoulder" for not being recruited heavily by their favorite "Big Name School" (Drew Brees & Vinny Sutherland ring a bell?). The Number 5 Rated QB would love to play somewhere else and prove the big guys were wrong.

3) Try and schedule some more mid tier schools in the south and west (Central Florida, Texas Tech, etc.) to get exposure and step up recruiting in those states.

4) First impressions are important - redo everything to reflect a professional organization from the locker room to the film study room. Recruits that are more interested in flashy fashion statement uniforms than fundamental football shouldn't be considered. No goofy looking uniforms, no "inmates running the asylum" activities, etc.

You are spot on however you are wanting Purdue to do things in a professional, logical business like manner.
The reality is that sports at Purdue seem to be viewed upon more as an annoyance than a vehicle through which to promote the university and build pride and comorodery with alumni, students and community.
Hence the overall poor performances, especially of the last decade or so.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

You are spot on however you are wanting Purdue to do things in a professional, logical business like manner.
The reality is that sports at Purdue seem to be viewed upon more as an annoyance than a vehicle through which to promote the university and build pride and comorodery with alumni, students and community.
Hence the overall poor performances, especially of the last decade or so.

I am not totally sold on the view that sports are an annoyance at Purdue. I think, simply put, those in charge don't know what they are doing and how to exactly correct the problem. It would be like asking me, a teacher, to lead a military unit in to battle and then lead a counter-attack when the initial plan failed. Not only do I have no idea how to coordinate a proper initial attack but a counter attack would be useless because I don't know how to correct the initial problems. Burke, Daniels, and the BOT are all BUSINESSMEN and BUSINESSWOMEN. They aren't and have never been in the realm of sports and do not understand the importance of true investment. They are in the business of making money and doing so at the lowest cost possible. Now that the model they have built on is being threatened, they are reactionary in their thinking because they do not know how sports truly work. The more likely scenario is that they just don't understand what it takes rather than that they don't care.

 

[RegionWarrior101]

Who is playing the violins as it sinks?

 

[SIBoiler2]

Who is playing the violins as it sinks?

Not Morgan. He thinks things are going "swimmingly"!!!

 

[threeeputtt]

There were not enough life boats. Not enough is this program either.