Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/391840
Y ou remember Joey El- liott, right? Good player, not great. Good guy, great team- mate, strong leader. But not a star in any way, shape or form. Now, what Purdue wouldn't give for a player like its single-season start- ing quarterback of 2009, the guy who opened camp the starter and finished the season the starter, no issues in between. As Purdue enters another week saddled with questions of who'll start next time it takes the field, it's appropriate to look fondly back at 2009, that one year in which Purdue enjoyed normalcy at the most im- portant position on field. As Etling-Appleby heats up again, it also brings back fond memories of past quarterback "conversations" — people seem to bristle at the word "controversy" — at Purdue. Hance-Orton. Orton-Kirsch. Kirsch-Painter. Painter-Elliott. Ter- Bush-Marve. Henry-Etling. Some of these con, uh … ver- sations have been the product of underperformance, others of in- jury and others of miscel- laneous cause. Whatever the case may be, such things can be bane of coaches' existence, tumult where tranquility is coveted, unrest where consistency is crucial, sta- bility at a position where time plus opportunity should equal development and thus improvement. Purdue's only very rarely lately enjoyed such luxuries. It would be nice if Purdue was older at QB. Choosing from a deck of three underclassmen among those on scholarship is ideal for no one. It would be even nicer, though, if one of those underclassmen would take the bull by the horns here. Purdue needed Etling to do that this season more than it might acknowledge. It invested far too much in the then-freshman last sea - son to start over. Purdue needs stability. Etling had to be that guy. Instead, this. For whatever the reason, the sophomore reverted against Iowa to looking shell-shocked, slipping back to 2013 form if not deeper. I don't take calling for change lightly. No, I don't have access to every shred of information that goes into decisions of this magnitude, but I do see the final product. The final product right now, barring a significant and more im - portantly lasting turnaround, is stunting Purdue's development. The defense is on schedule, if not ahead of it. It played well enough to beat Iowa. It played well enough that, dare I say, Purdue should have. The offense is behind schedule. I thought a change should have been made sooner vs. Iowa, but Appleby stood on the sideline until Purdue's chances had grown so small they'd have fit in your back pocket. I don't have any reason — none at all — to think Appleby would fare any better. But you nev - er know for sure about anyone until they get a legitimate chance. Etling, by every account, is a phenomenal young man and he's shown flashes of real potential at Purdue. But something's amiss, as was clear when a 10-10 second-half tie felt every bit like a two-touch- down deficit. Purdue had to score to win. It had no chance. It seemed that the humane thing might have been to pull him from the line of fire, if even just for a series, to give him a chance to col- lect himself. Or to tell the rest of the team, "We're going to do whatever we need to do here." Something's not right with Etling. Maybe time off to the side could help get him righted. Any maybe the other guy would fare better. No way to find out but to try him. No way to find out but to do something. j Neubert can be contacted at BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com F R O M E D I T O R B R I A N N E U B E R T Shaky Ground GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 6 • 5