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32 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 5 f f o o t b a l l f e a t u r e : 2 0 - h o u r r u l e BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com J ohn Shoop likes to tell the story. He'll walk into Purdue's football offices in Mollenkopf early in the morn- ing — in the 6 a.m. range, usually — and heads to make coffee. And he'll spy players in the office watching film. During the day, he has players "beg- ging" him, the rest of coaching staff and the graduate assistants for film cut-ups of certain plays, concepts or players. Then when Shoop finally heads out of the office in the late evening hours, he'll spot other guys studying up again on the big screens, furiously rewinding, fast-forwarding, taking copious notes. To Shoop, it's all an indication players are eager to master their craft. It's work that's often invisible to peo- ple not in the building, he says, but im- perative to transforming the program. And though there are no official or- ders from coaches about the time com- mitment expected from players on their own time — there can't be outside the 20 hours mandated during the season and during spring ball — it's pretty clear the importance of doing just that. "We have guys who are hungry to get better," Shoop said. "That's the kind of guys we want to re- cruit, and that's the kind of culture we want to have. If you're only going to work in whatever time you're allowed, if you're only going to do what's required, you'll be a common player. These guys understand that preparation is kind of the sepa- ration. It's going to be tough to outwork some of the guys on our team. We have a long way to go, but, man, do these guys love football and want to study it." Maybe now, more than ever, it's a message that coach- es are trying to ingrain just how crucial "mastering" each position is. Learning the game — each responsibility's purpose on a certain play, how one player's responsibility fits with the rest of the scheme and how it can be manipulated to seize an advantage — can be achieved through watching film. That accrued intelligence fits with increased awareness of nutrition and how the body is best fueled, best tuned and worked to actually achieve what's been studied: To be able to execute that edge gained by watching by perform- ing physically. above and beyond Extra time crucial to player development, success Tom Campbell Danny Etling doesn't have much down time during spring ball when the 20- hour rule is in effect. But it's a packed schedule of his own making, too. Pur- due's quarterback, as well as a group of his teammates, said extra time must be spent on the game to excel.