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f r o m e d i t o r b r i a n n e u b e r t Tom Campbell Taylor Richards thinks his experience as a first-year starter a year ago will help him tremendously in 2013. due made defensive line a priority, due to its short roster of upperclassmen; there's room for one, or maybe more, of those seven rookies to find a way into the field in the fall. Coach Darrell Hazell likes the ability of his line. "If those guys can allow themselves not to be one-on-one blocked, we'll create some issues for teams," the first-year coach said. "That's what's so promising about the defense." months earlier, was pressed into action, first as a backup then as a full-time starter. That kind of LB shuffle has been all too common an occurrence in recent seasons at Purdue. But with Gilliam and Robinson having played 13 games last year, plus the experience of Will Lucas and younger players, particularly redshirt freshman Andy James Garcia, has Purdue feeling better. "Everybody tells me we have the most work to do, and I love it," linebackers coach Marcus Freeman said. "We don't have any superstars on our unit. We're a bunch of no-name, hard-working young men. That's what I want. It's good. I'm excited about it." Now, can they play? And can they do so in a system that allows for them to have more freedom, letting them roam a bit to track down the opponent with the football? Giving that kind of decision-making to players could make for bigger plays but might also allow for more errors. "Coach Freeman tells us all the time 'Don't be robots, I don't coach you to be robots. I don't want you to be robots. You see a play, go make the play,' " Gilliam Bar Barry Liquors Your Tailgating Headquarters Bar Barry i 1110 Sagamore Pkwy. W. Lafayette 765-463-2206 ! s o r G E iL o Linebackers Perhaps Purdue can go into the 2013 season without having to piece together its linebacker corps. If it can, that'll seemingly be the first time in years. Last season, Joe Gilliam had to step in as a starting linebacker at the last moment, following the dismissal of Dwayne Beckford during training camp. And Robinson, a quarterback only GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Bar Barry ii 1601 Main St. Lafayette 765-742-2112 B Bar Barry iii 225 Northwestern W. Lafayette 765-743-6382 Bar Barry iV 2108 Veterans Memorial Pkwy. S Lafayette 765-474-8989 Bar Barry V 3000 S. 9th Lafayette 765-474-5274 ® Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 • 41