Ten final notes from Purdue's 2019 Big Ten media day
CHICAGO -- Cleaning out my notebook from Big Ten media day ... here are 10 final notes:
1. Rondale Moore has added weight and strength.
“I have added 10 pounds,” he said. “I am 185 right now. I may drop a few during camp because of the work load.”
Moore is incredibly strong for a guy who is just 5-9. He is famous for squeezing peoples’ hand hard when he shakes hands.
“I am not trying to squat 800 pounds,” he said. “I have been using lighter weight. I use bands (and go fast). We have a lot of different machines that show how fast we are moving the weight. That is one area I have gotten stronger with.”
Another key to Moore’s success: His diet.
“I look at my diet as fuel,” he said. “We work out so much, it’s like … eat. Anything that tastes good, you probably shouldn’t be eating. That’s how I look at it. I will eat at Chipotle or Qdoba. Or get orange chicken from Panda Express.”
Moore—and all the football players—get a big assist from Lauren Link, Purdue’s director of sports nutrition.
“Lauren is big-time” he said. “She actually went to the grocery store with me. I honestly didn’t know what to get. You hear you need this and that. But if I am at the grocery myself, and I am gonna grab those Twinkies. She went with me and showed me what to grab. I will Face-Time her sometimes when I am making something, asking her what I should do. She is big with that. When I first got here, she gave me two sheets of what I needed to eat, when I needed to eat it, how much.”
2. Jeff Brohm admits his love of studying film. And, he says he did as much as ever in the offseason. He’s always looking for new ideas, even watching video in the season.
“Usually, the better offensive teams in the NFL are the ones that run offenses that are similar to college offenses,” he said.
Among the NFL teams Brohm likes to watch: Chiefs, Colts, Patriots and Eagles.
Brohm watches video of any team—college or NFL—that does a good job of getting the ball to a slot receiver, or quick, little fast wideout.
“We are always looking to improve and get better,” Brohm said. “I probably watched more film than ever this year.”
Brohm also fessed that he has watched more defensive film than ever.
“I wanna make sure we shore up that side of the ball,” he said. “It has been a long summer of film study that hopefully makes us better.”
3. Jeff Brohm said receiver Tyler Hamilton has been moved to cornerback. The 5-9 sophomore was part of a deep and talented wideout unit. Brohm thinks he’ll have a better shot to get on the field at cornerback, which isn’t a deep position.
4. Purdue will arrive in Reno, Nev., for its season opener two days in advance instead of the usual one day on a road trip. The extra time will allow the players to acclimate to the altitude, with is 4,506 feet. West Lafayette is at 614 feet. The Boilermakers meet the Wolf Pack on Friday, August 30, in a game that starts at 9:30 p.m. ET.
5. Senior Alex Criddle was moved from defensive tackle to guard in the offseason, playing exclusively at guard in the spring. But Brohm said Criddle is also now working at defensive tackle again—in addition to guard. Purdue many need his power and strength on the interior of the d-line. Stay tuned.
6. The plan is for J.D. Dellinger to kick off, in addition to handling field-goal duties. Brohm said the junior will be challenged for the kick off job by walk-ons. Brohm also said there is no No. 2 kicker right now.
7. Rondale Moore’s mother is battling a bone disease.
8. Jeff Brohm was asked where his defense needs to improve most.
“I think we need to get more pressure (up front) with the guys we have,” he said. “I think we’ll be better. We’ll have more guys to rotate in there. Our plan is hopefully aggressive and attacking, and we take advantage of who our playmakers are on defense. If it means blitzing linebackers and safeties (to get pressure) ...
"You don’t want to give up easy completions, but at the same time not give up the big play. We were much more aggressive vs. Ohio State last year and it helped. We got them off balance and we need to continue to do that.”
9. A lot is expected from Ben Holt, who has a lot of experience and is a great playmaker. The Western Kentucky grad transfer linebacker, who is the son of defensive coordinator Nick Holt, won’t be the tallest linebacker (5-10) in the world. And he suffered an injury this summer that shouldn't impact him for fall camp. Still, he should be a key cog.
“He is in the right spot, plays downhill and can tackle.,” said Brohm. “He has good instincts and understands our system. He is a guy I think we need. He can be a good leader and has a feel for what’s going on. I expect him to play well for us.”
10. Jeff Brohm is hands-off when it comes to the defense on game days. It’s coordinator Nick Holt’s baby.
“I think it’s important that the defensive play-caller can call his game,” said Brohm. “I let Coach Holt call his game and go from there. After the game, we’ll make adjustments during the week. It’s important to get on the same page in fall camp and figure out what your base plan will be.”
During a game, Brohm may tell Holt a few general things.
“I may say: 'I want us to be more aggressive, we are sitting back too much, we need to find a way rush the passer more,' ” said Brohm. “As a play-caller, you don’t want someone in your ear all the time. You have to let them go. I want out play-callers to be able to call their games.”
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