What can we actually do as fans to help get the ship afloat and turned around???

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Unfortunately, I am not in a position to donate monetarily and can really only afford to attend a game once a year unless I get gifted a pair of tickets. If I had the money, I would donate an absurd amount of money to the AD to provide things for the program to help it out (my plan was $25-$50 million over a 10 year span if I won that ridiculous lottery a few months ago) but alas I am just a high school social studies teacher raising two boys on my own. Outside of my sons turning out to be program changing players that I can steer as much as possibly to Purdue in 15 and 16 years respectively (please don't let it be that long to get things right), I would really like to find something I can do to help the program out and I think that is where a lot of guys and gals here are so frustrated. There isn't much we can actually do to make an impact (although a lot of us seem to think we hold the ideas to make it work) but we would like to in some aspect.

I wanted to have an honest post about what ideas anyone could think of to help the program in any way shape or form (outside of going to games and being super rah rah and obviously staying away from stupid comments from the 5-10 of us that are extreme debbie downers).

My idea was to create a twitter and instagram account called 'The Knuckleheads' and share responsibilities through a number of individuals who can post, follow, and discuss Purdue University in a positive light from what appears to be some of the most passionate fans in our fan base.

 

[tigerchump]

Right now,all we can do is pray.

 

[Summy1]

Right now there isn't too much we can do. Just support the team I guess? A new A.D. will be coming in soon and after that if they continue to go as they are, we will be getting a new head coach.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Would anyone be interested in starting a 'Knuckleheads' Twitter/Instagram account? Could be a way to even just meet up for games/tailgates and communicate a little easier on Gameday than through the Rivals page.

 

[spradecki]

Would anyone be interested in starting a 'Knuckleheads' Twitter/Instagram account? Could be a way to even just meet up for games/tailgates and communicate a little easier on Gameday than through the Rivals page.

there is just about zero interest in purdue football as it is today, with the current leadership. shame on purdue for letting that happen

 

[MilwaukeeBoilerFan]

Recruiting has to enter the gray area. Just like Harbaugh did with Florida spring break practices. Purdue should do Indianapolis Spring scrimmages at targetted recruiting H.S.'s along with Fort Wayne. Get the bus going for a Friday / Saturday combo. In the fall, in the bye week, target a school that your recruiting hard and hold a practice at their school. Meet and greet with the players.

Another quick one I can think of is we have the airport and planes. Get Charter flights going to targetted recruiting cities (Atlanta, Orlando, or Dallas) and get our alumni fans to pay and fly on those charter flights for gameday. Leave a couple of seats open for recruits and that should be ok to do till a board review objects to it. Appeal and keep doing it while the appeal is in review. Stay in that gray area as much as possible just like Belichick does with the New England Patriots using language of rules and tweaking them to allow the Patriots to use TE's line up inside of tackles and make 1st downs when it matters the most in divisional playoffs. I don't like N.E. Patriots or Belichick, but respect that he is smart enough to use every angle to his advantage. Purdue should be doing the same thing. That takes no major additional funds to do that.
Insist that the coach tap back into Indiana head H.S. coaches along with Chicago area to get talent pipelined again. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what Hazell's strategy is for pipelined talent.

 

[Boilerbrewer]

The NCAA made it quite clear over a decade ago that charter flights and private planes are not allowed for recruiting trips...it's not a grey area.

 

[spradecki]

The NCAA made it quite clear over a decade ago that charter flights and private planes are not allowed for recruiting trips...it's not a grey area.

easy peasy. take your golf clubs and call it a golf outing

 

[MilwaukeeBoilerFan]

I like the way spradecki thinks. A golf outing, a charitable event, do like the Michigan's and Ohio State's of the world. I don't want Tatoo Parlor springing up around Purdue, but there has to be areas of the NCAA recruiting rules and language that is not covered. It is time to exploit it.
What if the potential recruit wants to see the School of Aviation Engineering Technology or get an Aircraft and Powerplant License. Then, fly to see him for a School of Aviation Technology visit and bring him back to the School and make the recruitment secondary...wink wink.
Think outside the box. Do we want to win or be mired in this tar pit of losing horribly? For me personally, I like to win.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

I like the way spradecki thinks. A golf outing, a charitable event, do like the Michigan's and Ohio State's of the world. I don't want Tatoo Parlor springing up around Purdue, but there has to be areas of the NCAA recruiting rules and language that is not covered. It is time to exploit it.
What if the potential recruit wants to see the School of Aviation Engineering Technology or get an Aircraft and Powerplant License. Then, fly to see him for a School of Aviation Technology visit and bring him back to the School and make the recruitment secondary...wink wink.
Think outside the box. Do we want to win or be mired in this tar pit of losing horribly? For me personally, I like to win.

I'm pretty sure The Haze would fail at cheating also.

 

[Redhotfill]

I'm pretty sure The Haze would fail at cheating also.

I am in complete agreement in your appraisal of his skills. The Haz fail at cheating would be EPIC!

 

[FirstDownB]

I am in complete agreement in your appraisal of his skills. The Haz fail at cheating would be EPIC!

LOL. Do we know he is not already trying to cheat and failing?

 

[FearTheTrain]

I'm pretty sure The Haze would fail at cheating also.

HAHAHA this post just made my Friday morning even better. Thanks.

 

[12375CAT]

Simple. Just sell out & attend all of the home games (regardless)

&

go to as many road games as you can!

...Right?

 

[BBG]

How do we turn it around? Hire Drew Brees as our next coach.

Now, I know he has zero experience coaching but hear me out. He has had a nice run in the NFL and knows offense, he is very ingrained in Purdue, he is obviously quite intelligent, he knows how to read defenses, he is a winner and with the program in the tank, why not bring back one of the Purdue icons to lead the revival?

Sure he would have some on the job training, but really can he do much worse? What a epic story that would be, he retires and takes over the helm here and in 2 years brings us out of the ashes.

IT COULD WORK!

 

[FiveWeight]

How do we turn it around? Hire Drew Brees as our next coach.

Now, I know he has zero experience coaching but hear me out. He has had a nice run in the NFL and knows offense, he is very ingrained in Purdue, he is obviously quite intelligent, he knows how to read defenses, he is a winner and with the program in the tank, why not bring back one of the Purdue icons to lead the revival?

Sure he would have some on the job training, but really can he do much worse? What a epic story that would be, he retires and takes over the helm here and in 2 years brings us out of the ashes.

IT COULD WORK!

Jim Harbaugh and Steve Spurrier are a couple notable coaches who were former NFL QBs, so there is a precedent. Not sure if it's something Brees is interested in, but that would add a lot of excitement to the program and he would certainly be a recruiting draw. You'd have to think he has the mind to be a great X's and O's coach since he was a master of analyzing and carving up defenses from his position. He certainly has the charisma to be a team leader, and the face of the program. He would probably need to be a coordinator somewhere first for a couple years though.

 

[FirstDownB]

How do we turn it around? Hire Drew Brees as our next coach.

Now, I know he has zero experience coaching but hear me out. He has had a nice run in the NFL and knows offense, he is very ingrained in Purdue, he is obviously quite intelligent, he knows how to read defenses, he is a winner and with the program in the tank, why not bring back one of the Purdue icons to lead the revival?

Sure he would have some on the job training, but really can he do much worse? What a epic story that would be, he retires and takes over the helm here and in 2 years brings us out of the ashes.

IT COULD WORK!

Not sure if serious or tic, but when Drew retires from the NFL I seriously doubt he is going to want to jump right into college fb. He has a lifetime of security and will have tons of options to earn money (TV, endorsements, books, etc.) that also afford him a lot of time at home with his family. Based on his recent comments I think its more likely you will find him coaching his sons' pee wee teams than you will find him coaching Purdue. Maybe somewhere down the line... Maybe.

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Not sure if serious or tic, but when Drew retires from the NFL I seriously doubt he is going to want to jump right into college fb. He has a lifetime of security and will have tons of options to earn money (TV, endorsements, books, etc.) that also afford him a lot of time at home with his family. Based on his recent comments I think its more likely you will find him coaching his sons' pee wee teams than you will find him coaching Purdue. Maybe somewhere down the line... Maybe.

Too much success in the NFL to need to coach anything more than his kid's peewee teams. Although Drew has the makings of a good coach, there is little to no good it would do for Drew. I'm sure his agent would say that going in to coach anywhere could potentially hurt his brand. He also owns a number of Jimmy Johns in New Orleans, so he is set financially beyond what many people may think.

 

[FearTheTrain]

There is no chance Drew will ever coach college football. Winning helps all, and I am really hoping DH can turn it around and win 7 games this year to prove everyone, including me, wrong. Best case scenario other than that would be for Sumlin to walk from the hot seat at A&M and sign with us. He knows how to coach QBs and an offensive system that would make fans happy, plus it would be easy to gets donors on board since he is an alumni. Winning 8 games here and an occasional appearance in the BTTG would make me happy..but I suppose most of you will say that I'm settling for mediocrity.

 

[StateStreet123]

Based on his recent comments I think its more likely you will find him coaching his sons' pee wee teams than you will find him coaching Purdue. Maybe somewhere down the line... Maybe.

Would his pee wee teams give Purdue a run if they played on a Saturday afternoon?

 

[PalmCoastFl]

Would his pee wee teams give Purdue a run if they played on a Saturday afternoon?

If we were at home......maybe a 3pt spread!

 

[FirstDownB]

Would his pee wee teams give Purdue a run if they played on a Saturday afternoon?

Purdue versus tree mini Breeses wit Brees as da coach? Da Breeses!

 

[Mobes]

There is no chance Drew will ever coach college football. Winning helps all, and I am really hoping DH can turn it around and win 7 games this year to prove everyone, including me, wrong. Best case scenario other than that would be for Sumlin to walk from the hot seat at A&M and sign with us. He knows how to coach QBs and an offensive system that would make fans happy, plus it would be easy to gets donors on board since he is an alumni. Winning 8 games here and an occasional appearance in the BTTG would make me happy..but I suppose most of you will say that I'm settling for mediocrity.

After Hope and Hazell you're not settling....

 

[TMA62]

We need a complete change in the Athletic Department starting from the top down. Someone with a "Can Do" attitude that does not mind thinking outside of the box. Someone who realizes that the B10 has changed from the 1970's and that intercollegiate sports is a method to showcase Purdue to attracted prospective students.

Most importantly, someone who wants to be the best and will not settle for mediocrity. How bad is mediocrity at Purdue under Morgan Burke? The head coaches for the Mens BBall, Womens BBall, and Baseball are former players of the same programs. How many times we have heard Burke say, 'this person is from the Purdue family' or 'lets keep this within the Purdue family'. The translation is that MB is too damn cheap to hire the best candidate he can find. He hires from 'within the Purdue family' knowing that he get a coach at half of what one would normally pay. As for these 'Purdue family' coaches, most of them are not highly sought after by others because of little to no accomplishments. This hiring on the cheap of limited talent results in mediocrity and a losers mentality.

(I still believe the verdict is still out on Matt Painter. After this season, I have come to the conclusion that Gene Keady was better and could beat Painter 7 out of 10 times. MB scrambled to hire Painter after his initial target, Bruce Weber, was hired by Illinois.)