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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 9 UNASSUMINGLY AGGRESSIVE A re those the best two words to describe Jeff Brohm? Maybe not, but that is my early take on the Boilermakers' new football coach. When visiting with him during our Dec. 19 editon of "Gold and Black LIVE," it took the new coach a while to come out of his shell. His first comment, albeit good-na- tured, to me when walking on the set was, "Do you really have an hour's worth of questions to ask me?" He was qui- eter than I had anticipated, but I shouldn't have been sur- prised considering the time spent around our staff before that could be counted in minutes and not hours. But once warmed up, he was talkative and insightful. Excerpts of the interview are in the Q&A on Pages 16-17, and you will get the sense that he is all about football and not much about himself. He seemed almost apologetic when talking about his past days as a three-sport star ath- lete growing up in Louisville. He is quick to credit all the people who have helped him along the way, and there have been a whole host of mentors both in the NFL and in col- lege. But the thing that makes Brohm interesting is his family ties. It appears to be the place his competitive edge resides. He will have brothers Brian and Greg work with him on his Purdue staff. But you also get the sense when reading Stacy Clardie's feature beginning on Page 12 that father Oscar is a huge influence. Who knows? Maybe it was Oscar's insistence that op- portunities to coach in the Big Ten don't come around ev- ery day that ultimately swayed Brohm to say "yes" to the Purdue offer. No matter, I get the feeling that Brohm is grounded by more things than football. His family is first in his life and will play a huge role both personally and professionally as he tries to turn around Purdue's football fortunes. We will no doubt get to see son Brady, who cele- brated his 12th birthday on the day his dad was announced as Purdue's coach, grow up as he will be present on the sidelines. I like the fact Jeff Brohm's offense is different than just about every team's in the West Division. His teams might be tough to prepare for, once he gets the talent level ready. It will take time, but I sense this guy is steady and ready. And I don't think he will back down. Maybe the term unassumingly aggressive fits him just right. From Publisher Alan Karpick Boiler Index "You want to play in a system like (his), for someone who has been in your shoes. As we get to know him, I'm looking forward to building a relationship." QB David Blough on Jeff Brohm's offense "He's been a winner his entire career, as a player and a coach, a man of character and principle, all the things we value at Purdue. I'm just so very thrilled that he said 'yes.' " Purdue president Mitch Daniels at Brohm's introductory press conference Dec. 5 "When I look at Coach Brohm, I truly believe that he can bring Boilermaker football back to the forefront of the Big Ten and the excitement and passion back to Ross-Ade Stadium." Drew Brees in December, after the hiring of Brohm