Football
About That Promised Cogent Analysis: A Look At Western Illinois
by BoilerTMill on Sep 7, 2010 12:05 PM EDT
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5 comments
Well, now that I have flushed every shred of journalistic ethics and credibility that I have worked hard over the past four years to earn, I might as well move forward with the promised cogent analysis. The football team itself must move forward too. That is why it is good we have Western Illinois to look forward to.
The Leathernecks present an almost totally opposite type of opponent in Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish impressed me with their athleticism. Their talent on defense was especially impressive. It wasn't so much the poor play of our offensive line but the solid play of Notre Dame's entire defense that made such an impression. Their defensive backs tackled well after the catch and their line disrupted much of our rhythm. The talent differential was on display, and it shows why we must improve our own level.
Expect the opposite to be on display this week. We're clearly the better team at nearly every position on the field. Though Western Illinois is now 1-0 after a season opening win at Valparaiso, we still should be highly favored.
Apparently, I don’t know the limits of my own stupidity
by BoilerTMill on Sep 7, 2010 10:40 AM EDT
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16 comments
Earlier this morning I had a brain fart. It was one that had been building up since I received an "anonymous" e-mail on Saturday afternoon. I had debated publishing it since then. Since this is the first time I had ever received anything like this, I finally decided that simply reporting it was the right thing to do and any judgments would be made based on the e-mail rather than the site itself.
Obviously, I don't know the limits of my own stupidity. As you can see, the article is now gone and to quote the great Dylan McKay, "May the bridges I burn light the way." The comments received both on the article itself in the short time it was up and on GBI are absolutely 100% correct. That kind of crap does not belong here.
It is one thing to start a blogwar with the likes of Syracuse by calling them overrated. Shoot, I even came clean and backed off in my stance on that. It is another to post unsubstantiated rumors and name names. I am better that, and I need to freaking act like it.
I therefore apologize to any readers I have turned off to the site with that post. It was irresponsible and wrong. This site is nothing without you readers. That has been my stance from the very beginning. You readers have made this site, and I can only destroy both the site and my readership by continuing to post crap like what was posted this morning.
Thank you for calling me on my own mistake for everyone that called me on it. Consider this a one-time screw up and I will now return to cogent analysis, general jackassery in terms of power rankings based on pop culture, and viciously defending all things Purdue.
Week 2 Blogpoll ballot
by BoilerTMill on Sep 7, 2010 7:36 AM EDT
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3 comments
Obviously this is still a work in progress, but here is my draft ballot for this week. Please file any grievances in the comments.
Hammer & Rails Ballot - Week 2
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 2 | Boise St. Broncos |  4 |
| 3 | Texas Longhorns |  -1 |
| 4 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | -- |
| 5 | TCU Horned Frogs | 3 |
| 6 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 3 |
| 7 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 5 |
| 8 | Oregon Ducks | 3 |
| 9 | Miami Hurricanes | 5 |
| 10 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 11 | Oklahoma Sooners | -4 |
| 12 | Florida Gators | -9 |
| 13 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 3 |
| 14 | Penn St. Nittany Lions | 3 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -10 |
| 16 | Florida St. Seminoles | 2 |
| 17 | Georgia Bulldogs | -- |
| 18 | Utah Utes | 5 |
| 19 | LSU Tigers | -4 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Panthers | -7 |
| 21 | Auburn Tigers | -1 |
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 2 |
| 23 | BYU Cougars | -- |
| 24 | Houston Cougars | -- |
| 25 | North Carolina Tar Heels | -- |
| Dropouts: Oregon St. Beavers, Cincinnati Bearcats, Connecticut Huskies, USC Trojans | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "
Boilers in the NFL for 2010
by BoilerTMill on Sep 6, 2010 11:59 AM EDT
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8 comments
Happy Labor Day to everyone! As you probably know, this weekend was cutdown time in the NFL. We knew a couple of guys were safe, but several guys were hanging on for dear life. It appears that sadly, Jeff Zgonina's long and underrated career is finally over. The defensive tackle tried to come back for an 18th NFL season, but it looks like it won't happen. Thus, we can now officially close the Jim Colletto Era of Purdue football.
In the mean time, here are the Purdue guys to watch in the NFL this season:
Cliff Avril - Detroit Lions - Cliff is becoming a solid player for the Lions with 41 tackles and three forced fumbles a year ago. They've got him playing defensive end as opposed to linebacker, so his move was successful for his senior season.
Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints - Brees really needs to step up and do something about his flailing NFL career at this point. I'm kidding, of course. We all know where Drew is at right now. He holds the QB Belt with pride. His next step is a regular season MVP award.
Well, We won’t win the National Title
by BoilerTMill on Sep 4, 2010 11:45 PM EDT
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28 comments
That's all today's loss really means. Still, Thank goodness that's over.
All we have heard about for months is how Notre Dame would be opening with a new coach against us. Sure we had no chance, so why bother showing up? We were sacrificial lambs anyway.
Fortunately, the fans in South Bend at least respected us. I had long dreaded seeing a game at Notre Dame because of my dislike of the program. The sheer adventure of getting to the stadium today didn't help matters. Once there, I was impressed at how friendly the fans were. Sure, some were obnoxious (Especially those violating their "No cheering in the press box" rule). But for the most part, they were very accommodating.
The game certainly didn't go our way, either. As with most games, there was good and bad. Robert Marve was a roller coaster. We got a solid day from Dan Dierking, but Al-Terek McBurse was a disappointment. Antavian Edison, Kyle Adams, Keith Smith, and Justin Siller each had nice plays, but the second group of receivers did nothing aside from Edison. The defense looked good at the start, then poor tackling and missed assignments led to us getting gashed on the ground yet again.
I am pleased that we didn't let them walk up and down the field on us. We made them earn this win, but ultimately we only played good for about 10 total minutes.
Season Kickoff: Purdue visits Notre Dame
by BoilerTMill on Sep 4, 2010 2:13 PM EDT
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1127 comments
I'm live in the press box at Notre Dame Stadium today with the restriction about live blogging.
They didn't say anything about commenting, however, so let's have another great Open Thread! You guys know what to do, Open Thread Champs. Time to break out the Yeungling and prepare for pancakes once this is done. 3:30pm is kickoff on your local NBC affiliate.
Let's get this back.
A preview of a kick return today?
1 Day to Purdue Football: Keith Carlos
by BoilerTMill on Sep 3, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
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1 comment
Finally, we are ready for game time tomorrow. As usual, there will be an open thread up about an hour before kickoff. This series comes to a triumphant end today with one of our few seniors on the roster: running back Keith Carlos
Keith Carlos - Sr.
Hometown: Bridgeport, CT (Central HS)
Running back
6'1", 200 pounds
2010 Projection: Contributor at running back
Carlos was expected to be used a lot more this year, but a stress fracture in his foot has allowed Reggie Pegram to get a lot more reps at running back. In the long run, this is a good thing, but we need Carlos to be in there for depth. At Lackawanna Junior College (with Michael Eargle) he played running back, wide receiver, and returned kicks. Last year he played primarily wide receiver, with 21 catches for 242 yards and a touchdown. He also returned five kicks for 134 yards.
Unfortunately, he had a case of the fumbles last year. By the end of the season Cortez Smith had passed him at wide receiver because of the number of drops and fumbles that Carlos had. He was moved to running back after Ralph Bolden's injury because we needed the bodies there. An injury in spring practice cost him time as well.
Stress fractures are a funny thing, so it remains to be seen just how much Carlos can play this year. He is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, but it does not seem like he is going to play early on.
Boilermakings Notes:
Bill Simmons: Ranking the war-readiness of the NFL's QBs - ESPN
Look who is number one in these rankings!
IndyStar.com | Boilers Insider | The Indianapolis Star
Robbie Hummel is getting closer.
Let's get it on! Big Ten Picks for Week 1
by BoilerTMill on Sep 2, 2010 12:00 PM EDT
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4 comments
Finally, it is game week
It seems a little strange to get back into game mode after almost five months without an actual contest to write about. The first week of football season is a long one too because it seems like almost everything possible has been written about the first game. I did my Notre Dame preview a few months ago. They haven't played at all so there isn't a ton I can add to it. All we can really do is go out and finally play this thing. I am thankful there are games beginning on Thursday night because I don't know how much longer I can wait.
It's time to do some picks for week one in the Big Ten.
Marshall at #2 Ohio State
This is not the Marshall with Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, and Byron Leftwich. Instead, it is a mediocre Thundering Herd team that was 7-6 last year and won the Whatever-the-hell-they're-calling-it-now-Little-Caesar's Bowl in Detroit. They will find out there is a big difference in playing Ohio State as opposed to Ohio. It's about the same difference as Little Caeser's (crappy pizza) vs. Garcia's Pizza By the Slice. Ever since Garcia's closed to be replaced by first Pizza King, then Hot Box, I have been jonesing like a crack addict needing a fix. I am sure it is a similar response to many OSU fans wanting to see the Buckeyes play. I would be happily sated with some Garcia's right now, as will Ohio State fans after a convincing win.
Ohio State 31, Marshall 6
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