Is JaJuan Johnson out of his mind?

I have heard reports that JuJuan Johnson is considering testing the NBA draft waters. What kind of advice and information is this young man receiving?

How high does he really think he would be drafted at the moment? I cannot fathom that he would be a first or maybe even second round pick at the moment.

He needs to come back for his junior season, add 15 to 20 pounds of muscle over the summer, and have another stellar season under his belt. He needs to work on his low-post game. Specifically working with his back to the basket.

He can face up ok, and he runs the floor well, but he has proven that he cannot defend true first round talent as of yet. He just doesn't have the horsepower.

Maybe I am being unfair, he can probably play at the next level in a year or two, but not yet. Let me know your thoughts.

Adding Basketball to the Fray

For the record, I am adding Purdue Basketball to this blog. I don't know why I haven't done this before, but going forward I will.

Needless to say, this past season was a success. A sweet sixteen appear for our program is establishing a new level of credibility and expectation. I am happy with how the program is doing and I am excited with the recruiting classes that are coming in. I would like to see a blue-chip recruit hit our radar over the next season or two.

Purdue Football: A new Hope

My scorn for the football program has passed; I have begun looking up towards the new season. I am interested in the offensive system changes that can take place with the re-engineered offensive unit that will be coming in next season.

I was a bit remorseful to see Curtis Painter go. Honestly. For all that you love and hate regarding Curtis, he was an experienced Quarterback. There is a lot of new anxiety whenever a new QB era comes about.

I am interested to see the impact of Danny Hope's first recruiting class when they come in. Rarely do freshman make an immediate impact on a program but there will be one or two newcomers that will see significant playing time their first year.

I am also excited about Chris Carlino and Joe Holland on the defensive side. Both are now going into their sophomore years and saw significant playing time during their freshman campaigns. More random thoughts will be posted as they come...

Wasted opportunities and talent… Purdue gives heartless performance against Northwestern

In Purdue’s 26-48 loss to Northwester on Saturday, fans of the Boilermakers are left shaking their heads at what could have been this year. Curtis Painter gives another performance that leaves the viewer sick to their stomach following Purdue’s fourth straight loss. Finally, we are realizing that Purdue is wasting the talents of Kory Sheets who gives another gutsy performance as he begins winding down his Boiler career.

The offense was again unimaginative as fans begin to look forward to the Danny Hope era at Purdue. Numerous balls were batted down at the line, predictable passing routes were being jumped by the secondary, and the coaching staff made questionable lineup changes midway through the game. I understand the point in pulling Curtis Painter, however, if you going to go to a backup, why not try developing your young talent? I was expecting to see freshman Justin Siller get placed into the lineup in the second quarter. However, Joe Tiller decided to go to senior Joey Elliot, who consequently turned the ball over with his first series, and then a three-and-out for his second series prior to getting injured.

The defense really struggled in the secondary, especially with the first half coming to an end. We gave tremendous cushions to the Wildcat receivers as Northwestern confidently marched down the field to score with a few seconds left on the clock. The defensive line did not get any pressure on C.J. Bacher at all on this day.

I do want to end this wrap up on a high note. We are witnessing some consistently impressive performances by Kory Sheets. Not only has he become Purdue’s all-time leader in touchdowns this year, he is week in and week out the spark plug for this stalling Boilermaker offensive unit. The more touches Kory gets, the better. He has the big play ability to take the pigskin to the house on every possession. He wrapped up the dismal offensive show this weekend with a brilliant 78-yard scamper long after the game was decided. What I like most, he didn’t celebrate at all. He dropped the ball and walked off the field. He knew there was little to celebrate about his team’s performance over the weekend.

The Purdue Boilermakers may win a couple more games this season; however, I doubt that this is the way they intended to send Joe Tiller off during his farewell tour.

www.boilerfootball.blogspot.com

Six Points? Again?...

First and foremost, let me tip my hat to the defense for playing one of their better performances on the field that I can remember. I don't want to detract from what they did out there yesterday.

However, this post is dedicated to the lack of ingenuity and execution of the offensive team.

Now I should refrain from heaping all blame onto Curtis Painter, but he will get what is due to him.

For two games, our offense has been unimaginative and predictable. Two of the countries best defenses have shut us down, and this has been a terrible trend over the past 5 years. Hopefully, no pun intended, when Danny Hope's regime takes over this issue can and will be addressed.

As for Curtis, hopefully the wave of expectations that flooded over him this preseason has not stalled his development. Maybe, he has hit his talent ceiling.

He continues to display a cunning inability to look off of one receiver and go through his receiver progressions. When tipped balls, interceptions, and broken passes occur with CP it's usually due to a "aware" defensive back or linebacker tracking his eyes. It happened several times yesterday. Its one of those things that you say about a true freshman quarterback and how a fifth year senior distinguishes themselves from their youthful counterparts. Not with Curtis.

To end on a silver lining, Carson Wiggs shows how important the kicker is too a team as an offensive weapon. Kudos to the coaching staff for recruiting him. I look forward to 3 more years of watching him kick the ball.