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football Rob Henry following are thoughts from various players and Theand head coach at KentDarrell Hazell, a former assistantanalysts about Purdue's hiring of at Ohio State State. Gerry DiNardo BTN analyst Gold and Black: What are your thoughts on Darrell Hazell? DiNardo: "I used to watch him quite a bit; he's a great teacher, has a great relationship with players, he's high energy. And when I was involved in some search (consulting) work a couple years back, I obviously had a list of candidates that I felt were ready to be head coaches, and Darrell was there. I talked to his agent, totally investigated him and just got rave reviews from everyone who knows him. I think it's a terrific hire, I'm excited and can't wait to watch him get going." Gold and Black: What does it say about Hazell that he was able to turn around Kent State so quickly? DiNardo: "Whenever somebody turns it around that quickly, they obviously bonded with players and knew what they wanted to do immediately scheme-wise, and so it's always impressive when a guy has that much success that soon." Gold and Black: Purdue fired Danny Hope after consecutive 6-6 regular seasons. What are your thoughts on that? DiNardo: "I think everyone understands that the game has changed that bowls are no longer a measuring stick, BCS — and soon to be playoff games — are. And the Big Ten, it's going to be whether you can get to Indy, and if not there, then a BCS game, or in basketball the Final Four. And if you can't, then we're not interested. The equation has changed; bowl games are no longer the measure of success. It's just something you can do if you're an average team even if your coach is on the hot seat." Purdue junior quarterback Gold and Black: Now that you've had a chance to meet Darrell Hazell, what are your impressions? Henry: "I'm very impressed. I know you guys have seen him talk, too, briefly. He's a very impressive guy. We're all very excited and encouraged and ready to get to know him more and get to work with him." Gold and Black: What did Hazell have to say during the team meeting earlier? Henry: "You can tell he's excited to be here and he wants to take Purdue to the next level. That's something he was able to do at Kent State. Any time you mention Ohio State, where he's coached at also, you think of success and tradition. We're all very excited from just looking at his résumé and then getting to meet him briefly, there's a buzz around the team." Gold and Black: Do you feel like the next month is an audition? You have practices and a bowl game, with an opportunity to let Hazell see you before he takes over officially. Henry: "You can definitely look at it that way. But we all approach it the same way; we're all trying to get better every time we step on the field and maybe you can look at it as an audition, but every day each individual on our team is his worst own critic, so we approach it with that mindset every day." Gold and Black: During the press conference, Hazell didn't necessarily specify his offensive scheme but talked about molding it to the skills of the players. Do you like the sound of that? Henry: "Definitely. I think that's a sign of a successful coach. He's able to take what he has and win ball games with it. You're seeing that everywhere now. In the NFL, the Redskins, they molded their offense around Robert Griffin III and they're being very successful with it. So yeah, I think it's a sign of a successful coach and I'm looking forward to seeing where we go with it." Gabe Holmes Purdue junior tight end Gold and Black: Did you hear about Hazell's hire on Tuesday night, and did you know anything about him? Holmes: "I knew who he was, coming from Kent State and Ohio State, so I kind of knew of his background. I was just anxious and excited to meet him, more than anything." Gold and Black: What do you want from him? Holmes: "Come in and win ball games. As long as you come in excited to do that, I'm right on the train with him. I'll ride it while I can." GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 14 • 8