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40 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f performance Doug Davis. They knew changes needed to be made after a 1-11 sea- son that saw Purdue too often overmatched at the line and too often unable to get separa- tion at skill positions. So after a "self-scout" at the end of the season and armed with a set of clearly defined goals issued by Coach Dar- rell Hazell, Carlisle and Davis went to work. They broke the program into four levels, targeting spe- cific groups with points of em- phasis: A group to teach fun- damentals to newcomers and injured players, a "get big, get strong" group for players who need significant development in those areas, a skill-posi- tion group and an advanced training group for older skill players. Carlisle, Davis, Ross Bowsher, Kane Thompson and Grant Geib led different groups. All with Hazell's intentions in mind. His four goals: "Team," get "Big Ten big, Big Ten strong," have a "crazy work environment" and "im- prove toughness," Carlisle said. Mission accomplished, at least in the portion of the offseason program that ended Feb. 14, Carlisle said. "PR after PR," Carlisle said, smiling, on the final day of testing that included a frequency of bell-ringing like no other day of the week and even had the same player going back multiple times after pushing the limit over and over. Nine players lifted at least 400 pounds on their bench- press max, including one player at 500-plus. That's up from only four players during winter offseason work last year. Eighteen players squatted more than 600 pounds, in- cluding one with a school-record 700, compared to 11 last year. A good number for skill players is two-times their body weight, and the average among that group was 2.3 — with Carlisle having to hold some guys back from attempting more weight. In the speed/agility portion, there was a 5-percent improvement overall, Carlisle said. In terms of body composition, 85 percent of the team gained more lean muscle and lost fat, Carlisle said. But he also saw progress in more than numbers — and in areas Purdue desperately needed to make it in. In leadership, developing camaraderie and gaining confidence. "That's the part that's really exciting is to see the growth, the personal growth as young men and to see their growth as football players. Where they are right now, I've never seen these guys come together as much as I've seen since we got back from break," said Carl- isle, who has been at Purdue since 2011. "They're go- ing six days a week, practically, just training. They're getting together on their own. They're out there throw- ing and catching. They're doing a lot of stuff beyond the required hours they're with us, and that's positive. They're bonding as teammates. So that's been really good to see. Tom Campbell Purdue experienced a productive winter offseason program, both in the numbers players put up during testing and in the intangibles gained, director of sports performance Duane Carlisle said.