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f o o t b a l l : s p r i n g f i r s t l o o k Who���sspring has big questions The QB? Hazell���s first BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com J ohn Shoop has an idea of what he wants Purdue���s offense to be. But what version of his vision actually shows up on the field will depend on one crucial position. ���We���re going to run what our quarterback does best,��� said Shoop, the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, in mid-February. ���We���ve got to decide who the quarterback is.��� The positional battle certainly will be the most anticipated during Darrell Hazell���s first spring practice, which starts March 19 and concludes with the game April 13. Hazell and Shoop have several options, all offering a bit of a different look. Will Rob Henry, the most-experienced player based on sheer age and college games played, get the nod? Will redshirt freshman Austin Appleby, the potentially polished leader and diligent worker, have the edge because of his pro-style skill set? Will true freshman Danny Etling, a technician who is expected to be a good facilitator, get thrown into the fire immediately? Or will Bilal Marshall, another redshirt freshman, get a chance, even though he���s touted more as an athlete who can make plays with his feet? It���ll likely be whoever makes the best decisions in a progression-read offense that relies on playing fast and decisively. ���I think that our quarterback���s just got to be abGBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Tom Campbell The most-anticipated battle during spring practice will be the quarterbacks. Who will grab the edge for the starting job heading into Darrell Hazell���s first season? Austin Appleby, Rob Henry, Bilal Marshall and Danny Etling (from left to right) will be the top contenders. solutely obsessed about being completion-driven,��� Shoop said. ���If our quarterback is accurate and intelligent, we���ll have a shot to be a pretty good offense.��� Shoop doesn���t have much experience designing plays for a mobile, athletic quarterback, but he didn���t seem opposed to the idea. But it���d be more of a Wildcat wrinkle than a constant. ���The world I���d like to live in would be we have a quarterback and the quarterback isn���t looking over his shoulder wondering if he���s going to be in or out next series. You go with a guy,��� Shoop said. ���Obviously, some of those Wildcat packages or some of the different things like that really stimulate morale within a team. They keep a lot of guys involved and that, too, is important. So if there���s somebody on our team, whether it���s a quarterback, running back, wideout, extra lineman, whatever, if there���s something that person brings to the table, we���re going to try to use it in the game plan. If it���s a couple quarterbacks, we���ll figure something out.��� Finding a starting quarterback certainly won���t be the area only that gets attention. Hazell intends to use the first two weeks of spring ball to install the new offensive and defensive systems. His coaching staff also will need to learn to gel with one another on the practice field, as well as use that time to evaluate personnel. Other that quarterback, Purdue will need to find replacements for its top rusher and receiver from last season as well as two starting linemen on offense. Though the defense lost NFL-bound Kawann Short in the middle and three-year starting cornerback Josh Johnson, it has some key pieces back at least. And four-year starting cornerback Ricardo Allen, defensive end Ryan Russell, tackle Bruce Gaston and starting safeties Taylor Richards and leading tackler Landon Feichter would seem to have the makeup to help their teammates successfully transition into what���s expected to be a different environment, on and off the field. Hazell wants to build a culture of discipline and accountability, and he expects his staff to cultivate that. They certainly seem determined to do so, starting with demanding high standards in the meeting rooms, workouts and during practices. ���If there was a style that I try to do is that I want to put them in the toughest, most vulnerable situations,��� said secondary coach Jon Heacock, whose philosophy will be similar to his colleagues. ���When I was coaching and doing scripts, I script for failure. I want it to be so tough. You want Friday mornings when we watch the tape to be miserable. If you script so hard on Thursday and that Friday���s (tape) looks pretty good, then you���ve got a shot at being ready for the game. And I think that���s my job.��� j Gold & Black IllustrateD ��� volume 23, issue 4 ������ 37