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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 4 • 26 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com R yan Grigson has seen rebuilding projects before. The Colts' general manager was a junior on Purdue's team in 1993 when the Boiler- makers finished only 1-10 but helped them to five victories a year later. He sees similarities with Purdue now, as it comes off a 1-11 season. And he's built In- dianapolis into an NFL contender again — he took over after a two-win season in 2011. "That's something I talked to Coach (Darrell) Hazell about because it's no differ- ent than the NFL level," Grigson told Purdue's radio crew at halftime of Saturday's night's game in Lucas Oil Stadium. "The enemy is re- ally in your own camp. You can't beat yourself by making mental errors like fumbling the football. It can't happen against a team like Notre Dame. You have to maintain the energy level over there. "Purdue needs to be resilient and bounce back. Purdue needs to stand up and match them." Grigson, who played offensive line and tight end for the Boilermakers in the early to mid-90s, spoke to Purdue's current team Fri- day night, before it played the Fighting Irish. "He's a Boilermaker through and through," Hazell said. "He loves this place and he loves Purdue football. He just wanted our guys to play with a passion and a deep re- spect for the game that he loves. It doesn't matter who the opponent is, just play as hard as you can. You love his support." Grigson has been a supporter of Hazell. "I know he's used to winning," he said of the second-year Purdue coach. "He's had so much success under (Jim) Tressel. I thought he'd be an excellent recruiter. He went on to Kent State, which hadn't been in a bowl game since 1972. He inherited a program that wasn't winning at all and (nearly) took them to a BCS game in two years. "You need to be patient, but the seniors need to step up. The game is about making plays." SPENCER GETTING READY Anthony Spencer has been on the shelf for a year now, rehabbing from knee surgery. But his return might be coming soon. The Dallas defensive end started participating in some football-related work during practice this week. "In some form, he'll do some football," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told the Dallas News. "We'll start slowly ... maybe a little bit of individual work, and see how he responds to the work and see if we can progress from day to day." BREES MOVES TO FOURTH On Sunday, Drew Brees moved into fourth all-time in NFL passing yardage, pass- ing Hall of Fame Denver quarterback John Elway. Brees now has 51,651 yards in his 14- year career. But Brees still has a ways to go to get to No. 3. Next up on the list are Dan Marino (61,361), Peyton Manning (65,233) and Brett Favre (71,838). RIVERS' TRIBUTE Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers played with a tribute to center Nick Hardwick on Sunday. Rivers, who wears No. 17 on his jersey, wore the No. 61 on the back of his helmet, honoring Hardwick, who was placed on in- jured reserve earlier in the week after suffer- ing a neck stinger in Week 1. The injury might threaten the career of Hardwick. "It just kind of popped up in my mind, replacing that 17 with a 61," Rivers told the Union-Tribune following San Diego's win over Seattle. "I thought about him quite a bit out there today, especially pregame (during) the national anthem, thinking he may not be out there again. He may not put on that helmet again with that 61 sticker. ... "It was a tough week. He was one of the most excited guys in the locker room post- game. So, I think capping off the win, winning like we did after the Monday night loss, losing your center of 10 years, this was a nice ending to a tough week." j Grigson Visits Boilermakers TWIN CITY DODGE P R E S E N TS : B O I L E R M A K E R S I N T H E N F L Tom Campbell Colts' GM Ryan Grigson thinks the Boilermakers can get the program going in the right direction.