1-  Offer the Gruden Brothers a package deal;

2-  Jon here for 2 years with a 3rd year option; leaves for NFL with no penalty after
      period of 2-3 years.

3-  Jay comes in as O-Co-Ord; stays as head coach after Jon leaves for continuity   
      and his offensive expertise continues using the fast paced arena QB style(Kurt
      Warner/St Louis/Arizona)

4-  Bring back Mike Cassidy to run the defense (3 losses in two years... not bad good
      guy who got railroaded by Krags)

5-  Put emphasis in strength room back on big strong and explosive-bench, incline,
     squat, deadlift and powerclean to be as big and strong as possible.  Quit doing all
     of this 20 lb military  presses on a big rubber ball working th core it is a joke.  If you
     want a strong core do lots of medicine balls and abs.  Lift for strength and power.  
     Football teams need to be big and strong.  Doing the plyometrics and agilities on
     the conditioning field are fine if you build all of your strength and power in the
     strength room.  Are we making aerobics instructors or football warriors????

6- Recruit only the top 10 Kentucky prospects and get everyone else from FL, GA, AL,
     MS, LA, TN and TX.  Schnellenberger, John L, and Petrino found countless
     diamonds in the rough overlooked by everyone else. Talent abounds in the South.

7-  No more of this one day off to be with your famlies if you are a coach.  If you want to
     be a family man sell insurance.  Div 1 college football is 24/7/365 any less
     commitment is balderdash.  PREPARE TO WIN ; OUTWORK YOUR OPPONENTS!

8-  Work with the discipline problem kids, show them and teach them commitment by
      your own actions and the rules you hold them to.  Don't run off talent just because
      they won't be Pope someday, work with them and keep them on the field and help
      them graduate to be the husbands and fathers their families will need them to be
      someday.

9-  To Believe is to Be Strong-Preach the Dream-A National Championship!!!   

In order to have football players that want to knock someone on their backside you are going to get kids that are rough on the edges. The way you control that rough edge is by the following:

-Bed checks run by the coaches 7 days per week
-curfew hours 7 days a week both in and out of season
-Players below a “B” average have to report to breakfast and sign in
-GA’s that check attendance in class for players
-missing treatment in the training room is considered a violation
-Required study hall attendance for all players at “C” or below
-Required tutor appointments for all players at “C” and below
-Periodic Room inspections by coaches and university deans and dignitaries

Violations of the above result in “Dawn Patrol” or Breakfast Club- meaning you report to the complex at 5 AM and you are run until you puke and then some. Depending on the infraction it could be one day or one month.

You do not run off talented athletes by giving them one chance and then kick them out of here. 21 of Petrinos recruits were run off by St. Steve. Young men need guidance and they need boundaries. Given these boundaries they will avoid trouble and focus on the task at hand-graduate and win football games.

As we used to say he might be an a-hole but he is our a-hole, so we will work with him to make him see the light and error of his ways. If after a concerted effort on our part to mold him into a team player he still does not respond then we look at not renewing his scholarship. But some kids have never been in a disciplined environment and need to “learn” discipline. St. Steve in my opinion did not give some kids the opportunity to change their behavoir.

As a coach both position and head you are molding young men and sending them out into the world. Alot of the supposed problems that were in this program according to St. Steve could have been handled internally with rules and breakfast club style discipline.

Once a kid has to be at the complex to run gassers on a Saturday at 5 AM he learns the value of going to class, being on time for meetings, not missing strength and conditioning workouts, not missing bedchecks etc…

Work with the young men and you will find in most cases of poor discipline no one ever took the time to explain the value of being organized or disciplined. If punishment is accompanied by teaching and valuable interaction at a personal level the player understands more about how lack of discipline affects the entire team and himself.

Like it or not all of our fathers spanked us and they grounded us, and yelled at us. But they also taught us, guided us, and coached us to be the men we are today. Coaching is like being a father, some days you coach, some days you yell, but in the end those players are yours and you need to show them discipline by your own behavior, teach them discipline by guiding their behavoir and always remember that they are your players.

Discipline bad behavoir internally and teach;don’t give up on the young men and run them off.

Was it my imagination or was the Ghost of Tom Olvadati running the defense Monday PM for the 'Fins?

Reminded me of the days Marino would throw for 400+ and the35 points and the defense would give up 38.

Why can't we have both? For a while we had a great defense and no offense, now the tide has switched.  We need to quit  this bend and break defense and play tough.

PS Been a fin since Bob Greise left Purdue in '67 through thick and thin and worked as a Coach for Howard Schnellenberger at the 'ville for 6 years (strength coach) so I'm loyal until my death!  But I hate when we win everywhere but on defense.

I worked with Danny Hope and Gary Nord for 6 years at Louisville when we won 2 bowl games and put 26 players in the NFL. I know the blueprint that Coach Hope and Coach Nord have for this program and it is a strong dose of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama players.

In 2 years Purdue will be the fastest team in the Big 10. Coach Nord will mix a strong passing attack with a good solid running game. Look at last year’s recruiting class of all Florida players, it is only going to get better.

Ron Zook when he was an assistant for the Gators once told Ralph Dawkins (Brian’s brother) he was too short, too slow, and too small for division one football. After he hung over 200 yards rushing and receiving and 2 TD’s on the 1992 Florida Gators in the Swamp (that Florida team lost to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl Nat’l Chmp. Game) Ron Zook shook Ralph’s hand at midfield and said he was wrong about Ralph. These are the kind of diamonds in the rough Coach Hope and Coach Nord will bring in and shock everyone with.

Good times are comin’ and it will be a strong Southern breeze bringing them!
Boiler Up!!

Jay Gruden for New Cardinal Head Football Coach….

1-   Starting QB and Alum
2-   Helped build the foundation of Cardinal QB success
3-   Set all passing records that Redman broke
4-   Won 3 arena bowl champioships as a player
5-   Won 4 Arena bowl championships as a head coach
6-   Has 10 years Head Coaching experience
7-   Has 10 years NFL QB coaching experience at Raiders and Tampa Bay
8-   Is a great student of the offensive game
9-   Will throw the ball and run effectively
10- Father was head scout for the SF 49ers in their dynasty days
11- Brother was head coach and won a super bowl
12- Cares deeply about this university and this community
13- Is smart enough to hire a quality D-Coordinator and let him do his job, not like
        Krapthorpe changing Mike Cassity’s defense completely and costing us 3 games
        in 2007 because kids did not know where to line up.
14- Has run entire operations at Arena level including drafting/PR/books etc….
15- Will bring in a quality staff and let them do their jobs and not micromanage the
        entire operation.
16- Once more with feeling….. He played and graduated from here… he cares more