Wow: Brohm staying at Purdue

[corbi2961]

I think Brohm has kept Purdue extremely competitive in his first two years in almost every game. In addition to the 6-6 record in both seasons, the largest loss margins were Michigan (lost 28-10 in 2017) and Minnesota (41-10 in 2018). Here are the other loss margins:

2017:
Louisville - 7 points
Wisconsin - 8 points
Rutgers - 2 points
Nebraska - 1 point
Northwestern - 10 points

2018:
Northwestern - 4 points
Eastern Michigan - 1 point
Missouri - 3 points
Michigan State - 10 points
Wisconsin - 3 points

So while they've played down to some inferior opponents, they've also played up and beaten some quality ones and in many of their games it wasn't even close. One could argue that their only really bad loss against Minnesota this year was a fluke possibly due to speculation he would be leaving.

I'll be worried about Purdue as long as he's there.

You don’t see inconsistency in those results? I watched several of their games this year and saw undisciplined up and down play all season. I think that is a reflection on the head coach. I am no fan of PJ Fleck as a person but I was more impressed with the improvement and the job he did with that Minnesota team with a freshman QB than I was with what Brohm did at Purdue this year. It would have been better for NU if Brohm had left but I still won’t lose any sleep over Purdue.

 

[villox]

You don’t see inconsistency in those results? I watched several of their games this year and saw undisciplined up and down play all season. I think that is a reflection on the head coach. I am no fan of PJ Fleck as a person but I was more impressed with the improvement and the job he did with that Minnesota team with a freshman QB than I was with what Brohm did at Purdue this year. It would have been better for NU if Brohm had left but I still won’t lose any sleep over Purdue.

I see inconsistency in their results the same way as I see inconsistency in ours. The difference is in the very close games we pulled it out and they did not.

 

[corbi2961]

I see inconsistency in their results the same way as I see inconsistency in ours. The difference is in the very close games we pulled it out and they did not.

When compared to our performance, The progress of NU’s team is linear rather than up and down. Getting a team to improve and perform consistently throughout the year is a sign of good coaching. Also, as you noted, we won our close games and they didn’t. The reason for that is limiting turnovers, penalties and missed assignments. That’s a function of discipline and character. That’s coaching.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I think Brohm has fairly worked a miracle at PU in his two first seasons. He took a program that had won 11 games in its previous five seasons, and only 3 conference games, and got them to 7 wins (including bowl win) in his first year and another 6 wins (5 conference) in his encore season. That's pretty amazing. He is also bringing in much better recruiting classes than Purdue has seen since the mid-aughts.

Any complaints about Brohm at this point are nitpicks. He has turned the engine around. Yes, they need to be more disciplined, but you can say about many teams that have had the same coaches for years and years. Brohm is the real deal. Glad he's getting paid and staying in the B1G, THE BEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN AMERICA.

 

[villox]

When compared to our performance, The progress of NU’s team is linear rather than up and down. Getting a team to improve and perform consistently throughout the year is a sign of good coaching. Also, as you noted, we won our close games and they didn’t. The reason for that is limiting turnovers, penalties and missed assignments. That’s a function of discipline and character. That’s coaching.

Yeah OK. No up and downs in our season. Nope, just slowly got better and better. Definitely nothing happened after we beat Purdue. Definitely didn't struggle against a Rutger after keeping it close with Michigan and beating Michigan State.

Purdue was on a linear trajectory of improvement too until they laid an egg against MN.

The fact is NU and Purdue were very similar this season, and while I agree that Fitz is a better coach, Brohm is way better than any coach Purdue has had since Tiller.

 

[corbi2961]

Yeah OK. No up and downs in our season. Nope, just slowly got better and better. Definitely nothing happened after we beat Purdue. Definitely didn't struggle against a Rutger after keeping it close with Michigan and beating Michigan State.

Purdue was on a linear trajectory of improvement too until they laid an egg against MN.

The fact is NU and Purdue were very similar this season, and while I agree that Fitz is a better coach, Brohm is way better than any coach Purdue has had since Tiller.

Don’t agree and the standings seem to support my point of view.

 

[TC4THREE]

As a Purdue fan, I'd add the following points here:

1. We have to pay Brohm based on his potential because we can't go out and buy a proven 10-win coach.

2. If you ignore what he walked into, a 6-6 record seems like a very mediocre coaching job and losing games like Rutgers and Eastern Michigan the past 2 years are warning signs. If you take into account the roster/talent he started with, the results seem damn near miraculous to Purdue fans, especially given how competitive we've been with some of the ranked teams we've played.

3. 2019 is the first recruiting class for which we've been able to recruit with the momentum we gained last season. If Brohm had left for Louisville, this top 25-ish class breaks up and you could make a strong case that we would've had even less talent for our next coach than what Brohm walked into 2 years ago. Even if he leaves in another couple of years, getting a few good classes under our belt would set the next coach up with a reasonable level of talent which we currently don't have.

We're not paying 6 million with the hope he'll continue to go 6-6. It's simply what we had to pay to keep this coach at this point in time and hopefully the results will get better as he raises the talent level. If we were Notre Dame or Michigan we could take a different route and pay based on results rather than potential but we're not them. This is what we had to do to eliminate the chance of slipping back to the level we were at 2 years ago and have an opportunity to elevate the program to a higher level.

 

[corbi2961]

As a Purdue fan, I'd add the following points here:

1. We have to pay Brohm based on his potential because we can't go out and buy a proven 10-win coach.

2. If you ignore what he walked into, a 6-6 record seems like a very mediocre coaching job and losing games like Rutgers and Eastern Michigan the past 2 years are warning signs. If you take into account the roster/talent he started with, the results seem damn near miraculous to Purdue fans, especially given how competitive we've been with some of the ranked teams we've played.

3. 2019 is the first recruiting class for which we've been able to recruit with the momentum we gained last season. If Brohm had left for Louisville, this top 25-ish class breaks up and you could make a strong case that we would've had even less talent for our next coach than what Brohm walked into 2 years ago. Even if he leaves in another couple of years, getting a few good classes under our belt would set the next coach up with a reasonable level of talent which we currently don't have.

We're not paying 6 million with the hope he'll continue to go 6-6. It's simply what we had to pay to keep this coach at this point in time and hopefully the results will get better as he raises the talent level. If we were Notre Dame or Michigan we could take a different route and pay based on results rather than potential but we're not them. This is what we had to do to eliminate the chance of slipping back to the level we were at 2 years ago and have an opportunity to elevate the program to a higher level.

So you agree that $6mm is an overpayment based on Brohm’s track record to date? That’s my view although I don’t disagree that it was likely the right move for Purdue. What would Purdue fans consider an acceptable record for next season? I don’t know what the schedule looks like but based on what i saw this year and what I know of your returning players, I struggle to see anything better than a 6-6 team, give or take one win. I think Brohm and his staff did a good job of maximizing the talent that was already on the Roster when he got to Purdue. Hazel’s teams significantly underperformed. It remains to be seen if Brohm can take the next step when he has to start leaning heavily on his recruits. I would be particularly concerned about the QB position next year. Blough is much better than people give him credit for.

 

[TC4THREE]

So you agree that $6mm is an overpayment based on Brohm’s track record to date? That’s my view although I don’t disagree that it was likely the right move for Purdue. What would Purdue fans consider an acceptable record for next season? I don’t know what the schedule looks like but based on what i saw this year and what I know of your returning players, I struggle to see anything better than a 6-6 team, give or take one win. I think Brohm and his staff did a good job of maximizing the talent that was already on the Roster when he got to Purdue. Hazel’s teams significantly underperformed. It remains to be seen if Brohm can take the next step when he has to start leaning heavily on his recruits. I would be particularly concerned about the QB position next year. Blough is much better than people give him credit for.

Based on results alone? Absolutely. Although you could actually make a case for it being reasonable based on our attendance before he got to Purdue compared to this season.

Can't speak for all Purdue fans, but we'll be very young next year at many key positions. I would not be disappointed with another 6 win season. It's the season after that where the talent and experience should hopefully start to shine through in my opinion and if he can keep the momentum moving forward I'd hope that we're competing for the division in 2021.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

So you agree that $6mm is an overpayment based on Brohm’s track record to date? That’s my view although I don’t disagree that it was likely the right move for Purdue. What would Purdue fans consider an acceptable record for next season? I don’t know what the schedule looks like but based on what i saw this year and what I know of your returning players, I struggle to see anything better than a 6-6 team, give or take one win. I think Brohm and his staff did a good job of maximizing the talent that was already on the Roster when he got to Purdue. Hazel’s teams significantly underperformed. It remains to be seen if Brohm can take the next step when he has to start leaning heavily on his recruits. I would be particularly concerned about the QB position next year. Blough is much better than people give him credit for.

Brohm is the best thing to happen to Purdue since Tiller. Happy for Purdue as they have been down for awhile. Overpayment is the right thing to do as you acknowledge. Days of the Big 2 Little 8 are being threatened.

Brohm is recruiting at a high level and this year’s class will be as good as they have had in a long time. Purdue is no joke with Brohm at the helm. Compare the buzz he has created and what he has done to a dumpster fire to that team down south in the BT. I suspect Brohm is betting on himself and will eventually leave for a historically strong program, but he parlayed a turnaround into $2m a year more. America is a great country.

Personally, I like Brohm as s Coach much better than PJ or even Frost. PJ puts oars on helmets, let’s guts carry the lug wrench on the sideline, puts “Minnesota” on everyone jersey and the PT Barnum of self promotion. He will jump that ship if he every gets an offer from a better school. Frost has the most undisciplined team in the country. He needs to own that too, just like Brohm. Frost will understand that most have significantly upgraded their game since the heyday of Nebby Glory.

 

[IdahoAlum]

Hiring coaches is a pure crap shoot. Alabama only hired Saban after Rich Rodriguez turned them down in 2006. Who knew that Saban would make a very cogent argument to be considered the greatest coach in college football history? Or that Rich Rod's subsequent career would go down in flames? No guarantees Brohm would have turned around Louisville. No guarantees he'll take Purdue to the next level. So the question then becomes what are you willing to gamble that he will? Apparently $6 M a year is Purdue's answer, while Louisville's was something less.