Thoughts from jersey scrimmage...

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Here is my stream of notes while I was watching:

Football notes:
• first series, #1 D line dominated #2 o line. Consistent pressure and forced one sack. First team defensive line will be fine as long as they stay away from injuries.
• Blough seems to have improved his ability to find one on one coverage deep and his long throw ability. Connected with Yancey deep down he left side for a 30 yard gain.
• D Young looks much improved as an overal WR. Blough also appears to have improved his ability to read the defense.
• Sparks has a nice touch on the ball and will be a nice emergency QB who won't completely ruin the offense.
• backup RB position will be between Yancey and Fuller. Worship started with the 2's but put the ball on the ground deep in the offensive territory.
• play calling appeared to be a bit safe.
• Blough really separated himself today. Three four td passes.
• Jack Wegher looked good. Has some good 'wiggle' to him and picked up some blitzes from the inside. I would say he is buried but showed some good prospects for the future as a potential backup and possible returner.
• Fuller appears to have solidified himself as the #3 back. Broke an open field tackle from Robinson for a long gain.
• McCann with two false starts on the 2's last drive.
• Marshall has improved but still has some bad drops. Dropped a long pass in 3rd and long that would have brought a first down.
• worship will see PT as a chance of pace and be used in screen situations.
• Yancey had some good plays but will be pushed by Fuller for the #2 spot if Yancey puts the ball on the ground.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

My overall thoughts:

QB battle: Blough clearly put himself head and shoulders above Sindelar...and it isn't even close. Sparks showed good enough improvement to be a capable backup as well. Unless Blough gets hurt, I think he has a hold on the starting job for the next three years and Sindelar could potentially be stuck at #2 for his career with another touted QB recruit coming in.

RB not named Jones battle: Yancey appears to have moved himself in solid position to have the #2 position solidified, especially with Worship putting the ball on the ground, but I was impressed with Fuller's ability to slide through and make some people miss. I know Hazell said he wants to get the ball to the freshman RB 10x a game, but you would be taking touches away from Jones, Yancey, and Fuller...all who appear to be better players at this time. Maybe if you put him in the wildcat package (which we didn't see today) with Marshall...but I think he is still a year or two away. Speed doesn't always translate to big plays.

Offensive Line: The 1's appears to be solid. They aren't going to really push people out of the way and blow a team off the line...but with a playmaker in Jones and some skill at the WR position, that's all the need to be this season. If they give Jones 'enough' blocking, he'll be an automatic 100 yards a game. After the first unit, it definitely gets a bit dicey. I'd put the number at 6 players I would be comfortable taking significant snaps this season. That number may grow to 7 but the second team OL really got taken to the woodshed on the first set of snaps against the first team defense.

Kickers: freshman kicker appears to have a good leg and has great lift on the extra points. Other than that, no knockoffs today and only one punt.

Defensive Line: as I said above, the first team should be ok as long as they stay away from injury. Robinson appeared to get some good penetration but missed a few tackles. He may see less playing time with the Juco player coming in.

LB's: lots of rolling LB's in and out and it appears Els knows this position group is his best and deepest. I think he will use them situationally with guys coming in who are more athletic in clear passing downs. Barring major injuries, this is probably the strength of the defense.

DB's: this could end up being the weakest part of the team and costs Purdue multiple games this season. Very young and very inexperienced. Outside of Leroy Clark, I am not confident at all in the players in the back half. They will be helped if the DL can get pressure but teams may roll up 300+ yards consistently if that doesn't happen. The only time it appeared the DB's were successful were on bad throws or deep balls that were essentially 50/50 balls.

Overall thoughts: I'll temper my initial thoughts of 5 wins and drop that to 4. I think the team will be more competitive overall but the lack of depth at key positions (OL, DL, DB) will be too much to overcome. In a perfect season (like Iowa last season), Purdue wins 7...but I would place that likelihood at less than 1%.

The question now becomes this: if Sumlin, Briles, and Spack are available...who do you take?

 

[BoilerBulldog]

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm really hoping to see Blough take the next step this year.

 

[Bigohh]

My overall thoughts:

QB battle: Blough clearly put himself head and shoulders above Sindelar...and it isn't even close. Sparks showed good enough improvement to be a capable backup as well. Unless Blough gets hurt, I think he has a hold on the starting job for the next three years and Sindelar could potentially be stuck at #2 for his career with another touted QB recruit coming in.

RB not named Jones battle: Yancey appears to have moved himself in solid position to have the #2 position solidified, especially with Worship putting the ball on the ground, but I was impressed with Fuller's ability to slide through and make some people miss. I know Hazell said he wants to get the ball to the freshman RB 10x a game, but you would be taking touches away from Jones, Yancey, and Fuller...all who appear to be better players at this time. Maybe if you put him in the wildcat package (which we didn't see today) with Marshall...but I think he is still a year or two away. Speed doesn't always translate to big plays.

Offensive Line: The 1's appears to be solid. They aren't going to really push people out of the way and blow a team off the line...but with a playmaker in Jones and some skill at the WR position, that's all the need to be this season. If they give Jones 'enough' blocking, he'll be an automatic 100 yards a game. After the first unit, it definitely gets a bit dicey. I'd put the number at 6 players I would be comfortable taking significant snaps this season. That number may grow to 7 but the second team OL really got taken to the woodshed on the first set of snaps against the first team defense.

Kickers: freshman kicker appears to have a good leg and has great lift on the extra points. Other than that, no knockoffs today and only one punt.

Defensive Line: as I said above, the first team should be ok as long as they stay away from injury. Robinson appeared to get some good penetration but missed a few tackles. He may see less playing time with the Juco player coming in.

LB's: lots of rolling LB's in and out and it appears Els knows this position group is his best and deepest. I think he will use them situationally with guys coming in who are more athletic in clear passing downs. Barring major injuries, this is probably the strength of the defense.

DB's: this could end up being the weakest part of the team and costs Purdue multiple games this season. Very young and very inexperienced. Outside of Leroy Clark, I am not confident at all in the players in the back half. They will be helped if the DL can get pressure but teams may roll up 300+ yards consistently if that doesn't happen. The only time it appeared the DB's were successful were on bad throws or deep balls that were essentially 50/50 balls.

Overall thoughts: I'll temper my initial thoughts of 5 wins and drop that to 4. I think the team will be more competitive overall but the lack of depth at key positions (OL, DL, DB) will be too much to overcome. In a perfect season (like Iowa last season), Purdue wins 7...but I would place that likelihood at less than 1%.

The question now becomes this: if Sumlin, Briles, and Spack are available...who do you take?

Easy answer = Sumlin. Proven winner and recruiter,

 

[tigerchump]

Thanks for your report.I always appreciate posts like this.

 

[nat100]

Thanks. I read earlier that fuller was struggling with pass blocking. Any different?

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Thanks. I read earlier that fuller was struggling with pass blocking. Any different?

I would agree but it seemed to me he wasn't put in many situations to pass block. If there is one position Hazell has recruited well it is RB. I would be confident in multiple guys this season to be effective behind Jones in the event something did happen. It would be a major dropoff, don't get me wrong...but Fuller, Worship, and Yancey could get it done as a committee.

 

[SIBoiler2]

My overall thoughts:

QB battle: Blough clearly put himself head and shoulders above Sindelar...and it isn't even close. Sparks showed good enough improvement to be a capable backup as well. Unless Blough gets hurt, I think he has a hold on the starting job for the next three years and Sindelar could potentially be stuck at #2 for his career with another touted QB recruit coming in.

RB not named Jones battle: Yancey appears to have moved himself in solid position to have the #2 position solidified, especially with Worship putting the ball on the ground, but I was impressed with Fuller's ability to slide through and make some people miss. I know Hazell said he wants to get the ball to the freshman RB 10x a game, but you would be taking touches away from Jones, Yancey, and Fuller...all who appear to be better players at this time. Maybe if you put him in the wildcat package (which we didn't see today) with Marshall...but I think he is still a year or two away. Speed doesn't always translate to big plays.

Offensive Line: The 1's appears to be solid. They aren't going to really push people out of the way and blow a team off the line...but with a playmaker in Jones and some skill at the WR position, that's all the need to be this season. If they give Jones 'enough' blocking, he'll be an automatic 100 yards a game. After the first unit, it definitely gets a bit dicey. I'd put the number at 6 players I would be comfortable taking significant snaps this season. That number may grow to 7 but the second team OL really got taken to the woodshed on the first set of snaps against the first team defense.

Kickers: freshman kicker appears to have a good leg and has great lift on the extra points. Other than that, no knockoffs today and only one punt.

Defensive Line: as I said above, the first team should be ok as long as they stay away from injury. Robinson appeared to get some good penetration but missed a few tackles. He may see less playing time with the Juco player coming in.

LB's: lots of rolling LB's in and out and it appears Els knows this position group is his best and deepest. I think he will use them situationally with guys coming in who are more athletic in clear passing downs. Barring major injuries, this is probably the strength of the defense.

DB's: this could end up being the weakest part of the team and costs Purdue multiple games this season. Very young and very inexperienced. Outside of Leroy Clark, I am not confident at all in the players in the back half. They will be helped if the DL can get pressure but teams may roll up 300+ yards consistently if that doesn't happen. The only time it appeared the DB's were successful were on bad throws or deep balls that were essentially 50/50 balls.

Overall thoughts: I'll temper my initial thoughts of 5 wins and drop that to 4. I think the team will be more competitive overall but the lack of depth at key positions (OL, DL, DB) will be too much to overcome. In a perfect season (like Iowa last season), Purdue wins 7...but I would place that likelihood at less than 1%.

The question now becomes this: if Sumlin, Briles, and Spack are available...who do you take?

Sindelar will be gone long before his career is over if he stays at #2. The kid has too much ability to stay hidden. Purdue is not like some other schools that even the #2 kid gets a look in the pros and he has that kind of talent. He'll go south somewhere if he's not #1 by next season.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Sindelar will be gone long before his career is over if he stays at #2. The kid has too much ability to stay hidden. Purdue is not like some other schools that even the #2 kid gets a look in the pros and he has that kind of talent. He'll go south somewhere if he's not #1 by next season.

If you were to ask Stacy and John, they would tell you that from camp and the scrimmage, Blough is the unquestioned #1...and it isn't even honestly that close. Blough has more command, more play making ability, and puts the ball where it needs to be on a more consistent basis. However, you have to remember that Blough was knocked out with a concussion last season. Once you have one, more are likely to follow at some point. Also, if Sindelar truly does have that much ability, don't you think he would have gotten some more sniffs from other programs? I am not downplaying his ability then or future ability...rather, his offer list included Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky, and Kentucky. Out of those schools, I am most impressed with the Western Kentucky offer because of Brian Brohm....however, I wouldn't call that a list of schools that are creating NFL caliber talent from the QB position. Sindelar's ability may simply lie in the fact he is a backup QB due to limited potential. There is NOTHING wrong with being recruited, maxing out your potential, and still being a #2 QB in the B1G. Not sure why, when a recruit doesn't get the perceived playing time that fans think they deserve that they should suddenly transfer. Applebee and Etling are the exceptions here because they clearly had ability and were utilized horribly and ruined under John Shoop.

 

[OhioBoiler3]

The backup QB on a bad team is always the most popular guy, until he gets in and it's the same as it was with the starter.

 

[nat100]

If you were to ask Stacy and John, they would tell you that from camp and the scrimmage, Blough is the unquestioned #1...and it isn't even honestly that close. Blough has more command, more play making ability, and puts the ball where it needs to be on a more consistent basis. However, you have to remember that Blough was knocked out with a concussion last season. Once you have one, more are likely to follow at some point. Also, if Sindelar truly does have that much ability, don't you think he would have gotten some more sniffs from other programs? I am not downplaying his ability then or future ability...rather, his offer list included Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky, and Kentucky. Out of those schools, I am most impressed with the Western Kentucky offer because of Brian Brohm....however, I wouldn't call that a list of schools that are creating NFL caliber talent from the QB position. Sindelar's ability may simply lie in the fact he is a backup QB due to limited potential. There is NOTHING wrong with being recruited, maxing out your potential, and still being a #2 QB in the B1G. Not sure why, when a recruit doesn't get the perceived playing time that fans think they deserve that they should suddenly transfer. Applebee and Etling are the exceptions here because they clearly had ability and were utilized horribly and ruined under John Shoop.

Sindelar would have been a national recruit if he had attended the summer camps. He committed and shut down all of his recruiting. Kid is the most physically talented qb we've had since Marve

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Sindelar would have been a national recruit if he had attended the summer camps. He committed and shut down all of his recruiting. Kid is the most physically talented qb we've had since Marve

There is a difference between being physically talented and performing when it matters. You can see that with Gelen Robinson on the team right now. Troy Williams at IU is another glaring example. Williams is about as physically gifted as one could be for basketball...but remind me where he is now?

 

[nat100]

There is a difference between being physically talented and performing when it matters. You can see that with Gelen Robinson on the team right now. Troy Williams at IU is another glaring example. Williams is about as physically gifted as one could be for basketball...but remind me where he is now?

Dude passed for 14000 yards in high school. You think he can't perform?

He would have had more offers if he wanted them. He didn't. He could be a successful college qb if appropriately coached and given an opportunity. We will see if he gets one here. He may not if blough can hold onto the job. Given hazell's track record, I'll bet we are sindelar this year

 

[Hoogolf]

There is a difference between being physically talented and performing when it matters. You can see that with Gelen Robinson on the team right now. Troy Williams at IU is another glaring example. Williams is about as physically gifted as one could be for basketball...but remind me where he is now?

He signed with Memphis.... FYI.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

He signed with Memphis.... FYI.

But was a drafted? He was not and many less physically talented players were. Physical tools don't equate to success. Sindelar may be talented...that isn't what I am saying. But if he is as good as Nat is claiming him to be, he should have beaten Blough easily in the competition in the spring and fall camp. He didn't and more than likely, with another touted QB coming in (regarded as one of the west coasts best passers), there is a real chance Sindelar remains only a backup. Now, are you saying the quality of players at Purdue is that much better that Sindelar, a supposedly amazing recruit, couldn't get to the field (ala: Matt Cassell and John David Booty) or could it be he isn't as well rounded and polished as he appears to be from his high school film?

All I am saying is there are more things than just being physically talented and putting up big numbers in high school...this is also why we aren't being paid to scout talent for football programs and bitch and moan with each other.

 

[Hoogolf]

But was a drafted? He was not and many less physically talented players were. Physical tools don't equate to success. Sindelar may be talented...that isn't what I am saying. But if he is as good as Nat is claiming him to be, he should have beaten Blough easily in the competition in the spring and fall camp. He didn't and more than likely, with another touted QB coming in (regarded as one of the west coasts best passers), there is a real chance Sindelar remains only a backup. Now, are you saying the quality of players at Purdue is that much better that Sindelar, a supposedly amazing recruit, couldn't get to the field (ala: Matt Cassell and John David Booty) or could it be he isn't as well rounded and polished as he appears to be from his high school film?

All I am saying is there are more things than just being physically talented and putting up big numbers in high school...this is also why we aren't being paid to scout talent for football programs and bitch and moan with each other.

You asked where he was... That is all.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

Sindelar will be gone long before his career is over if he stays at #2. The kid has too much ability to stay hidden. Purdue is not like some other schools that even the #2 kid gets a look in the pros and he has that kind of talent. He'll go south somewhere if he's not #1 by next season.

Our #2 will almost certainly get a chance at some point. But all indications are that its not close. Frankly, we need a clear #1. The first time we go 3 and out against EKU, someone will post on here we need to put Sindelar in. Pick a QB and stick with him.