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Q & A : ed effectively? Were they willing to adapt those styles to be more efficient? Were they good evaluators of talent? As an example, offensive linemen, especially, talked about how difficult it was to adjust to coach Jim Bridge's style, both in personality and in technique changes. Not that either was wrong, just different and maybe, then, more difficult to adapt quickly enough to see on-field success. But the staff did seemingly try multiple things to get production on the field. Offensive coordinator John Shoop used different offenses, with different facets emphasized, and consistently rotated personnel throughout the season. So did defensive coordinator Greg Hudson, who switched from a four-man front to an odd front and back to a primarily four-man front by the season's final game. There was little success in either scheme, though, and Hudson took full responsibility for the unit's poor play, saying as he learns personnel better, he'll be better able to teach and adapt his style to best suit each of his players. More young players were put onto the field as the season progressed, as the coaches tried to find personnel that would fit. It rarely did. The offense had the same starting lineup in back-toback games only twice — both in the first four games of the year — and the defense never did. Part of that could be based on opponent, but if there were clear answers of who were the best players, there likely wouldn't have been that much variance. When asked if the assistant coaches got the best of the players in 2013, Hazell said, "I think we all can improve." "Am I happy with the way they're working? Absolutely," Hazell said of the staff. "I know they're very competent. I know they're good coaches. Sometimes it's hard on those guys and it's stressful on those guys, but I'm very pleased with those guys and how they're doing. Obviously, we can all get more out of people. That's everybody, and that's what we'll do."j f m o r g a n b u r k e 'Stay The Course' After disappointing season, Burke reiterates commitment to program BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com M organ Burke took a couple breaths, but they weren't significant. Meeting with two reporters only days after Purdue's season ended with a 56-36 loss to Indiana, Burke spoke for nearly 13 minutes after the first question. He said he was "disappointed," coming off a 1-11 season under first-year coach Darrell Hazell. He said he felt "sad" for the seniors and the fans, a group whose numbers dwindled at Ross-Ade Stadium as the season progressed. But during that first response and over a nearly 40-minute interview, Purdue's athletic director especially pressed the point of the importance of staying the course moving forward with the program, one that he's significantly invested resources into. Here's a portion of that interview, held on Dec. 2. Q: One year after you hired Darrell Hazell, why is your football program better? Burke: "Well, it's not better right now. We know that. I take you back to the world I lived in before I came to be the AD. I was involved in many, many turnaround situations within the organization. This is very similar to that. Each one of those, if you start with a solid analysis of where you are, build a plan, work the plan, perform a periodic check, make any tweaks you think are necessary and keep going, you're going to get there. "The danger you run into is when you don't have the results you want to have achieved. If I can use the analogy of an amateur cook who decides they will turn the temperature dial up so it'll cook faster and they blow the cake up. You can't do that. You have to stay on task. That's why having a good plan of attack with the steps I said, you plan, you do, you check, you IllustrateD volume 24, issue 3 23