The Boilermakers head to Touchdown Jesus this weekend for the kickoff of the Robert Marve Era for the University known as The Cradle of Quarterbacks.  Marve should be looking to have a big day against an Irish secondary with only four cornerbacks on scholarship.  The Irish do return 9 starters on D however they were torched for 289 yards and 3 TDs last year.  Keith Smith will look to improve upon his 11 catch 136 yard performance last year and will be partnered with ex QB Justin Siller, speedster Antavian Edison, and reliable TE Kyle Adams. Notre Dame was able to stifle the Boilers rushing attack in 2009 and with the injury to Bolden the Boilers will be lucky to even get three yards after a cloud of dust.

The Irish will have a potent and versatile offensive attack which is Brian Kelly’s signature.  It will be interesting to see how Kelly either shelters or exposes Dayne Crist who has been held out of all contact drills this off season as he is recovering from a knee injury.  Keep in mind the Irish have not named a back up QB and if Crist goes down and Kelly looks to Nate Montana there’s no Rice on their depth chart for the underage drinking and pot smoking QB from NoCal to find in the Purdue secondary.   

Crist is familiar with this Purdue defense as he went 5 for 10 last year for 45 yards against the Boilers and led the Fighten’ on two touchdown drives.  Crist will have plenty of weapons to test the inexperienced Purdue secondary (zero returning starters) however most of the damage the Irish will reek will be on the ground.  Fourth year man Armando Allen will start in the back field; Robert Hughes and Cierre Wood will also see carries.  Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph will receive the bulk of the air attack and look for Theo Riddick on some end around action for the Irish spread offense.  Kelly will also mix in some wildcat formations which were so effective in West Lafayette a season ago. 

Last year the Irish ran for 167 yards on the Big Ten’s worst rush Defense however ND has a rebuilt Offensive Line and the Boilers have added former Rutgers Assistant Gary Emanuel to coach the Defensive line.  In 2009 he guided the 20^th ranked Rutgers rush defense and now he gets to work with two potential DLine first rounder’s, Short and Kerrigan; to quote the great Ochocinco…child please.

The keys to this game will be whether Purdue can create enough of a run threat to keep the Irish Defense honest and whether the Purdue Defense can slow the ND running attack to create 3^rd and longs and let the big dogs up front rush Crist.

 Trends:

- Notre Dame is 2-6 ATS at home in 2009

- Notre Dame is 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games in September.

- Notre Dame is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall.

- Notre Dame is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big Ten.

- Notre Dame is 1-8 ATS in their last 9 as a favorite

- Purdue has given up 33.67 points per game to Spread Offenses in the Danny Hope Head Coaching Era.

- Purdue plays to the under 69 times in their last 108 games on grass.

-  2009 Score: ND 24 – Purdue 21

With the amount of question marks on each team’s defense, new starting quarterbacks for each offensive, and Notre Dame’s ATS struggles I have to go with the Boilermakers.  Marve will do enough with his legs to keep the Irish Linebackers honest and the Boilers have stressed the importance of the turnover battle this entire off season and I look for them to be on the plus side in that category.  Give me those 11 points Bookie and show me the money on Monday.

 The Purdue grass under trend is sexy…and look for some nerves to start out the season for each offense.  This game will be tight and both teams will be looking not to make the big mistake…this game plays to the under.

Picks:

Purdue: +11

Under:   54.5

 -LocksvilleUSA

All eyes on Marve, QB’s

The obvious headline for Danny Hope’s second Purdue Spring Game was the public debut of Miami Transfer Robert Marve.  To sum it up, while there were glimpses of his immense talent at many times he was overall less than spectacular.  In Purdue’s third scrimmage of the spring Marve had his least effective day going 11 for 22 and 160 yards including a 75 yard touchdown pass to an open Cortez Smith.  He had one interception off of a deflected pass late in the game.  Marve was, however, spectacular in the squads previous two scrimmages going a combined 39-55 (71%) with 439 yards, 4 td’s, and zero ints.  During the black and gold game – which consisted of the black team comprised of mostly starters going against a gold team of reserves – Marve made many bullet-like passes on out patterns.  QB’s were off limits for contact so it was difficult to gage his running skills.  Marve had many passes deflected during the game.  Most concerning, at times Marve seemed too willing to hold onto the ball in hopes that a big play would open up rather than take a short or midrange gain.

Caleb TerBush was a sturdy 13-18 for 147 yards and 2 TD’s.  He looked comfortable in the offense but clearly lacks the upside Marve has.  Boilermaker’s should be comfortable with him in a backup role.  Redshirt Freshman Rob Henry was 13-19 for 82 yards in action for mostly the gold team but some with the black team.  He also saw time as the outside man on the black’s kickoff coverage team.  He’s one of the fastest players on the team, will likely see action this fall in some capacity, and has a bright future behind center.

No frills on offense

Schematically Purdue was about as vanilla as possible offensively.  It’s thought that Purdue may incorporate more triple option looks into their shotgun sets to take advantage of their speed at quarterback, but none of that was on display Saturday.  Purdue also ran many sets from under center last season and in previous practices this spring, but were almost completely in the shotgun for the spring game.  Since Gary Nord and Hope have taken over the offense they’ve always said they are running “the Purdue offense.”  That certainly wasn’t the case all the time last year and likely won’t be this year.  However, the spring game offense looked very much like a Jim Chaney style offense.  Perhaps it’s due to the dearth of injuries at the running back position, or perhaps Nord doesn’t want to lead on to just how multiple the offense will be this fall.

Injuries overshadow game

Many of Purdue’s premier players were on the shelf for the spring game, including stars Keith Smith, Ryan Kerrigan, Jason Werner and Ralph Bolden.  Many other were sidelined.  Most, with a major exception being Bolden, should be full strength when fall camp opens.

Personnel:  Secondary more settled than offensive line

Two major personnel questions for the 2010 Boilermakers will be replacing all four starters in the defensive backfield and three offensive linemen.  The secondary seems to be shaping up with corners Josh Johnson and Charleton Williams and safties Chris Quinn and the injured Albert Evans likely to break fall camp as the number one secondary.  Junior college early enrollee CB Mike Eargle saw action with the black team but was giving minutes to Johnson.  Walk-on safety Logan Link played extensively in place of Evans and could push Quinn in the fall.  As always incoming freshman could play their way into the mix, but as of now a clear peaking order is set.  The offensive line is much more up for grabs.  6’-8”, 297 lbs. LT Dennis Kelly is a rock on the quarterbacks blind side and big Ken Plue will be healthy in the fall, but beyond that questions abound.  It’s a bad sign that Nick Mondek was moved over from defense as he was set to see significant time at DT, but OL coach Shawn Clark and Hope thought he could mix it up with the laundry list of potential starters on the offensive line.  Ideally a starting line would be in place and fall camp could be used to help develop continuity, but expect continued unrest with this unit.

Early enrollees look good

Technically four players from the 2010 recruiting classes were suited up for this year’s spring game in CB Mike Eargle, TE Gabe Holmes, TE De’Ron Flood, and LB Will Lucus.  Eargle is a JC transfer and Holmes was an ’09 clearinghouse casualty.  That being said, Holmes was used both next to the tackle and as a upright slot receiver for the black team as veteran TE’s Kyle Adams and Jeff Lindsey clowned around on the sideline for most of the second half.  Flood looked good for the gold team.  But most impressive has been the play of Will Lucus.  The three star prospect was headed for a redshirt this fall, but ended up playing nearly the entire game as the black team’s outside linebacker.  Two year starter Chris Carlino was moved to the outside in order to make room for Dwayne Beckford in the middle, but Carlino saw time with both the black and gold team on Saturday and is clearly behind Lucus.  Its still expected that veterans Joe Holland and injured Jason Werner will flank Beckford in the starting lineup, but Lucus looks to be the fourth linebacker and is certainly a budding star.

Siller

It appears to be all but a formality to get quarterback turned running back turned quarterback Justin Siller back for the fall.  He was on the sideline for the spring game as he has been at other times this spring.  He made his presence known at Where Else on Friday.  The only outstanding question will be how Hope and Co. plan on utilizing him in the fall.

Tiller and Hope reunite

The 10^th anniversary of the 2001 Rose Bowl team was celebrated between the third and fourth quarter on the Ross-Ade Stadium turf.  Tiller was announced along with his two former assistants who left and returned to Purdue, Gary Emmanual and Danny Hope.  The band is gettin’ back together.  Overall it was a great event with a solid turnout and a lot of Boilermaker lovin’.

Friday marks the beginning to the 2010 NFL year, at least as far as the league is concerned, and with that comes the start of free agency. There are reportedly somewhere in the ballpark of 220-275 guys who will be eligible for free agency.  The problem for these players is that most of them will not be unrestricted.

Without going into too much detail, an uncapped year in the NFL mandates that the length of service to become an unrestricted free agent is 6 years, instead of the usual 4. This means that lots of guys who would be able to test the open market, are now getting tendered offers by teams. One player in particular who is really getting the shaft is Kyle Orton.

After a 6-2 start last year the Denver Broncos seemed to be on everyone’s list of surprise teams, but they finished an extremely disappointing 8-8, leaving many players uncertain of their future.  The Broncos placed tender offers to 5 players, including Orton. His offer is said to be a first-round tender worth roughly $2.5 million. What this means is, if a team makes an offer to Orton during the free agency period, the Bronco’s have 7 days to match it or they will receive a first round draft pick as compensation if Orton does sign with that team. All tender offers come in the form of 1 year deals that expire after the current season, meaning Orton will be right back here next year (assuming there is a football season in 2010). It’s important to note that a team must have a first round pick to submit an offer to Orton, otherwise the offer is not valid.

The problem for Orton is this: not many teams would consider him to be worth at least $2.5 million per year, and a first round draft pick. Off the top of my head, the Browns, Rams, Raiders and Redskins are all looking to upgrade at quarterback. The Redskins and Rams will never give away a first rounder, especially this year, the Browns could be looking to draft a QB in the first round, and it would be tough to see the Broncos trading with a division rival.

Orton was quoted last year saying it was a shame players in his situation would have to wait to cash in on free agency. “It’s a bad thing for the 275 players that are in that position with me. Free agency has always been something for the players. It’s always been a great thing. If you get one crack at free agency as a player, that’s what you dream of.”

Kyle Orton is not worth a first round pick. Never has been, never will be. I feel bad for him to a degree, but Kyle, take the 1 year deal from the Broncos and wait until 2011 to “cash in”.

Courtesy of NFL.com

For any people out there searching for a drinking game to play the third weekend in April, shotgunning a beer every time a Boilermarker gets drafted will not produce the desired effect. The best case scenario is that two Boilers will be drafted and one or two more signed as a free agents.

Mike Neal looks to be drafted in the 4th or 5th round. Neal put on impressive physical display running a sub 5-second 40 yard dash and, as expected, an even more impressive display on the bench press. Neal will be drafted because he is a strong athletic D-tackle who can stop the run and rush the passer. The biggest issue with Neal is that he weighs in less than 300 pounds, and most NFL scouts look for defensive tackles to weigh more than 3 bills. Mike Neal will continue the Boilers defensive line success, and I predict he will have a long NFL career.

David Pender does not have as bright of an outlook as Mike Neal. Pender is projected to be a late 7th round pick or could potentially fall out of the draft and become a free agent. Pender ran well at the combine recording a 4.47 forty, the 4th fastest time for DB. Pender’s blazing speed and height will hopefully open the eyes of NFL scouts . This year’s class of cornerbacks is one of the deepest ever and Pender doesn’t have the stats of a playmaker. Although he is Purdue’s career leader in pass break-ups, he only had 3 interceptions in his career.  He is working to show that he has the hands to intercept passes on the next level.

If Joey Elliot makes an NFL roster, it will be as an undrafted free agent. Joey Elliot was not invited to NFL combine and is ranked as the 32nd quarterback in this year’s draft class.  His shoulder injury and lack of arm strength will be hard for any NFL team to overlook. His lack of starts, coupled with these alarming issues, will hinder him from shooting up into the draft.

I wish all Boilermakers the best of luck and hopefully we will have 3 new guys in the NFL next year. As for the people searching for a draft drinking game maybe you could take a drink every time Tim Tebow is shown (chug if he is crying).

Looking at the class of 2010, I am very impressed with the job Danny Hope and company has done.  The class will not be talked about on ESPN or get front page billing on rivals.com tomorrow, but this class is impressive.  If you are a star watcher or a rankings guy you might look at this class and think it is average at best.  However, if you really take the time to look at each guy in this class you can see how scary they can be.   OJ Ross is Purdue’s highest ranked player with a combination of size and speed that is not seen very often at Purdue.   He will give Gary Nord the ability to stretch the field which will open up the rest of the offense.

 
Next is the trio of three stars that I am most excited about. First is 6’3”, 300 pound defensive tackle Bruce Gaston from Chicago.  Gaston might be the most highly recruited three-star player in quite some time.  He was not unleashed onto the competition until late into his junior year and that kept him off the recruiting radar until late in the game.  In his senior year, he more than made up for lost time by racking up 99 tackles; for the sake of comparison, Ndamukong Suh had 85 tackles this year.  The second three-star player on my list is Rashad Frazier, a 6’6” defensive end from Middletown, Ohio. Why I am impressed with this player?   Because he was a three sport stand out in Maine before moving to Ohio right before his senior year in high school.   He didn’t start playing football until his senior year and is a three-star player.   Given time to learn the sport (and with Purdue’s history of producing defensive ends) the sky is the limit for Rashad.  The final three-star player that I am excited about is Sean Robinson, a 6’5”, 205 pound quarterback from Rochester, Illinois, who amassed 14 scholarship offers.  This kid can run.   I have never seen him in person but watching his tape gives me goose bumps.

 
Is this Purdue class going to be ranked in the top 25 in the country?  No, but it still has a chance to be very productive. Let’s not forget the class of Tim Stratton and some guy named Drew was ranked 11th in the big ten by the experts. I will enjoy watching this class develop and rack up wins over the next 4 or 5 years. In the words of Morgan Burke – BOILER UP and HAMMER DOWN!

Edwards takes down Quinn

With the 127^th pick in the 2006 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings select… Ray Edwards, defensive end from Purdue.

Ray Edwards was a standout, all state linebacker in his native Ohio. After recording 12 sacks, 110 tackles and 7 forced fumbles, Edwards turned his attention to where he would play his college ball. These numbers got the attention of Wake Forest, Tennessee, Ohio State, South Carolina, Boston College and Purdue. Originally choosing to head to the SEC sporting orange and white, he eventually came to his senses and committed to play for Joe Tiller in West Lafayette.

As a true freshman, Edwards saw action in all 13 games and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He eventually became a full time starter during his sophomore season, recording 45 tackles, 11 for a loss and 8 sacks. He opted to declare for the NFL draft after his junior season, but after his 3-year career at Purdue he ended up tied for 7^th on Purdue’s career sack list with 16 and 15^th in tackles for loss with 24.5. It has been said by numerous sources that Edwards had issues with a lot of the Purdue coaching staff which ultimately led to him leaving the team after his junior year for the NFL.

Ray Edwards has had somewhat of a tumultuous NFL career. After being drafted in the 4^th round by the Vikings, he played in 15 games his first season and recorded 10 tackles and 3 sacks. In 2007 against division rival Detroit, Edwards recovered a fumble and returned it for his first NFL touchdown. It seemed like 2007 would be a good year for Edwards after that touchdown, but on December 5, he was suspended for the final 4 games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Through the end of this past NFL regular season, Edwards has amassed 145 tackles with 111 of them solo, 21.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles.

Edwards is part of one of the most feared defensive front 4 in the entire league. Over the past couple years, those 4 have disrupted opposing offenses reeking havoc for quarterbacks and offensive coordinators alike. As a Bears fan, I hope the Vikings get absolutely crushed by the Saints. I don’t think that will happen, but I do think the game will be close and that the Saints will emerge victorious.

With the 30^th pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the New York Jets select… Dustin Keller, tight end from Purdue.

Recently, I wrote about Drew Brees and his outstanding chartable work while tying that in with this weekend’s upcoming NFL playoff games. In keeping with highlighting some of the notable NFL athletes from Purdue, the next logical step was to showcase arguably the best tight end to ever come out of our school.

Dustin Keller is not only a Purdue grad, but also a Lafayette native. He played his high school ball at Jefferson High where he was the leading receiver in the state. While in high school, Keller also was 2^nd team all state in basketball, and the high jump state champion. Coming out of high school, Keller was actually expected to sign with the University of Toledo but after a Purdue recruit decommitted, Keller was offered a scholarship from the university towering in his backyard. After a redshirt freshman year, Keller switched from wide receiver to tight end and never looked back. His senior season, he helped the Boilermakers reach the motor city bowl where he was honored with the MVP award for that game. That same year, his teammates voted him as Purdue’s MVP.

At draft time, Keller was completely focused on the combine to help his chances of landing in the second round. His 40 yard dash time of 4.53, 26 reps on the bench and unreal 41 inch vertical were the talk of the event and received the attention of nearly every NFL team. The Jets were so enamored with him, they traded up into the first round to get him with the 30^th pick, and he hasn’t disappointed.

Dustin Keller has been called Mark Sanchez’s favorite target this post season and it’s easy to see why. Over 2 games, Keller has 118 yards receiving and 2 scores. Keller is only in his second NFL season and it’s true he has a lot of growing to do. This Sunday, I don’t see any way the Jets pull it out against one of the best quarterbacks of all time. My hope, for Keller’s sake, is that the Jets defense shuts down Manning and his arm so that Rex Ryan and his #1 rushing attack can put some pressure on the Colts defense, leading to some down field plays for Keller to make.

In a time where the world is focusing on yet another horrific natural disaster, I thought it prudent to highlight some of the things one Purdue grad has done to help his city recover from a tragedy of its own. I’m speaking, of course, about Drew Brees.

Sure, we all know him as the iconic quarterback who led the 2000-01 Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl appearance in 34 years, but Drew Brees is so much more than just a football star. In a recent Sports Illustrated article, Brees was described as “an athlete as adored and appreciated as any in an American city today”, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees with that statement. Brees joined the New Orleans Saints organization 1 year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. Without hesitation, Brees and his wife partnered with Operation Kids – an organization devoted to rebuilding academic and athletic facilities, after-school and mentoring programs, and helped restore parks and playgrounds for the children of New Orleans. The people of New Orleans are so thankful for his contributions that they named him Grand Marshal of the Bacchus Parade, which is held 2 days before the start of Mardi Gras. Brees is also involved in roughly 14 other charitable organizations, including the Purdue Athletes Life Success program. (By the way, for any of you golfers out there, Brees will be out at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complext on June 23^rd for a charity scramble event.)

At the end of the day, more athletes need to be like Drew Brees. Did we laugh when we heard about Pacman Jones walking into the gentleman’s club with a garbage bag full of money? Sure we did. I wish I had thought of that. But let’s be honest, it’s beyond irresponsible to do something like that when you think about Haiti and New Orleans. Some of you might be thinking I’m one of those jerks who thinks all athletes and celebrities are a bunch of jamokes who do nothing to help humanity. I am certainly not that person, I just think people like Drew Brees need to be commended more than they are.

I am more of an NFL fan than a NCAA fan, so while we are on the subject of Drew Brees, I thought I would highlight some of his accomplishments from the year. In my mind, the most prolific record he has was actually accomplished this season. Brees now holds the record for the highest completion percentage ever with 70.62%. That is unreal. What’s even more unbelievable, is that if the Saints win this weekend against the Vikings, Drew Brees will have led his team to it’s first Super Bowl appearance ever. My track record as a handicapper is beyond terrible so I hope no one takes this advice to heart, but my money is on the Saints this weekend. The Superdome will be rocking on Sunday, and I look for the crowd and disrupt the Vikings in every phase of the game. Sure Favre has has a great year, but if there is anyone in this game capable of making a catastrophic mistake, it’s him. Brees will torch the Vikings defense with over 300 yards passing and Reggie Bush will continue to flex his playoff muscles with another great performance. I really hope the Saints make it to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees certainly deserves it.

-Kenny K

So, the Big 10 is expanding. Well, hopefully. At least they are looking at the possibility of expansion in the next 12 to 18 months, whatever that means. For argument’s sake, let’s just say they are going to expand. I can’t think of a better thing for the conference right now. The Big 10 is a staple of collegiate sporting and academics and the next team to join should feel privileged and honored to join such an outstanding tradition. Keep that in mind all you out there who think Notre Dame is a logical and correct choice for expansion.

Espn.com today had an article on this very subject in which they interviewed Jack Swarbrick, the athletic director of Notre Dame. When asked if they would like to join the Big 10 Swarbrick said, “Our strong preference is to remain the way we are.” “Independence is a big part of the tradition of the program and our identity. We’d sure like to try to maintain it.”

I’m all for tradition. It’s the one thing that really separates one school from another one. But come on, Jack. That is just dumb. From a monetary perspective it makes absolutely no sense. Notre Dame is paid roughly $9 million per season from the television contract they have with NBC, but Big 10 teams receive an average of $20 million per season from radio and TV fees.

Swarbrick goes on to talk about how business issues aren’t the only thing they look at in this situation. Well sure it isn’t, Jack. You like being able to play all the service academies every year so you can pad your record. Although, that hasn’t worked well lately so I guess you can call them your rival. The reality is the Irish enjoy seeing their name at the top of the IA Independent Standings every year. Well congrats, Irish fans, you were 6-6 which puts you in second place behind your fierce rival, the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy.

Notre Dame played three Big 10 schools this year, including Purdue. After losing to Michigan, they barely squeaked by with victories against the Spartans and the Boilermakers by a total of 6 points. They ended the season with 4 straight losses causing their former savior Charlie Weiss to be let go. So they change coaches, keep the same mediocre to soft schedule and expect to be put in the top tier of programs again.

I couldn’t be happier that the Big 10 is looking to expand. If I had 5 minutes with Jim Delaney I would say this, “Don’t even think about Notre Dame.” They obviously don’t want to disturb their precious recruiting tool of always being on national TV (although these days it’s hard to find a school that doesn’t have televised games), and they wouldn’t dare mess up their rivalry games with USC and Navy. In fact, they could still keep USC, Navy and Boston College on the schedule and have a full slate of Big 10 games. From an academic standpoint, Notre Dame doesn’t measure up with the Big 10 because they do not participate in any research programs. This is all not to mention that the school decided not to participate in a bowl game after the players had voted to accept an invitation. Complete arrogance from the program.

Notre Dame will always be Notre Dame, no matter what conference they are in. Lou Holtz will continue to have them as his preseason favorite to win the national title, and yet still seem to have a job next season after the Irish tank and lose their December bowl game. People across the country will still worship the school whether they went there or not for some reason unbeknownst to me, and the coaching situation will continue to plague the sports world forever. Should the Big 10 expand? Absolutely. Should an invitation be extended to Notre Dame? Why waste time with that? There are plenty of schools out there who would welcome the chance to be a part of Big 10 tradition in every sense of the word. Notre Dame is not one of them.

Congratulations to Kawann Short for earning 1st team Freshman All-America honors from College Football News. Short will be a key cog in the middle of the Boilermaker defense with the loss of senior Michael Neal. Short’s rookie season amounted to 48 tackles, 4 TFL, and 2 interceptions. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Chris Borland (Wisconsin) earned 2nd team linebacker honors.