Purdue safety accepting of role, mentorship of rookie DB; notes
Robert Gregory has had to humble himself over the years.
He didn’t work out at quarterback years ago, nor at running back, and he’s had to make the adjustment to safety, but not without a hiccup here or there.
A couple years ago, in his first year on defense, he couldn’t figure why he was behind Landon Feichter on the depth chart, considering the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder was bigger, probably more athletic and potentially more physical.
“I was a younger guy with a big head,” the fifth-year senior said after Wednesday’s second practice, “and my knowledge of the defense from playing quarterback, I felt like I should have been in a lot more when Landon Feichter was in front of me. So that was a humbling experience.
“But to see how he performed when it counted, it made me realize that maybe I wasn’t ready. And when he left, I just had to step it up. And I realized that I was an older guy in the room, so I had to be a leader.”
Gregory, who started the first nine games last season being replaced, is doing that now, accepting whatever role Ross Els and the defense gives him. Right now, that’s to be part of a three-man rotation at safety and a mentor to freshman defensive back Navon Mosley.
He seems to be doing well at both.
Mosley has been a fast climber for the Boilermakers, starting with the second-team at safety, before getting first-team repetitions on Saturday. That caused Gregory’s to lessen, but not be eliminated entirely. Instead, he’s rotating in, both in Mosley’s spot and fellow senior Leroy Clark’s.
“It was nice to be able to move up the depth chart, get opportunity and stuff,” Mosley said. “But like Els has said, it’s really not a depth chart, it’s a rotation.”
It works because Gregory’s become a knowledgeable defensive back. Although Purdue doesn’t play strong and free safeties — the two spots are somewhat interchangeable in Els’ system, depending on offensive formation — there are still subtle differences between the two positions. And Gregory thinks he’s picked it up quickly.
“I’m amazed at how much I know on the defense and I feel I could pretty much play any position on the defense,” he said, “from the corps to the secondary, so that’s a good thing for me too. It helps in the run game.”
Gregory can also see that Mosley, a 6-foot, 181-pound rookie, can help the Boilermakers immediately. He noticed it over the summer, just by how Mosley approached workouts; he differed from others.
“He shuts up and works,” Gregory said. “That’s pretty much it. A lot of freshman came in talking. He came in asking questions. So, he didn’t talk about what he did in high school, because it didn’t matter. He came out asking questions, worked and now he’s contributing.
“I don’t feel like it’s a competition. I feel like (Els) is putting Navon in a position where he’s going to contribute to help us win this year.”
Mosley has appreciated the help from the veterans, namely Gregory and Clark.
“They help me so much … like with the plays, giving me little clues here or there to better my game,” he said. “Yeah, we are competing, we’re both going hard for the spots, but they’re kind of helping me, trying to make me better, and I’m trying to make them better. … They’re supportive of me, really make me feel comfortable while I’m out there. I don’t have any worries, I’m happy they're here to help me that much, because I am a freshman and I like to learn really fast.”
He has. When Mosley moved from 2 to 1, he saw a change, but has adjusted.
“The speed from the 2s to the 1s is such a huge difference,” he said. “I guess to be able to see it slower, then speed up a lot faster with the 1s, it kind of was helpful.
“The first few plays with the 1s, I noticed that you have to make checks much faster, read the formation a lot faster. Weaving in my back pedal, I have to do that faster, to make sure I had the depth, things like that. It was a lot but I’m coping with it well.”
Now, Purdue has seemingly built some much-needed depth at safety, something it might not have been able to claim on Day 1 of camp.
“We’re going to need both of those guys,” Coach Darrell Hazell said. “They’re both playing pretty well right now. Mosley’s been in there quite a bit lately. He’s fast and instinctive. That’s what makes him special. But Robert is doing a nice job as well.”
Getting a rest
Jake Replogle and Evan Panfil were full participants at Wednesday afternoon’s practice, after the veteran D-linemen sat for a majority of the morning session.
They could use a break, Hazell thought, and the repetitions aren’t needed for two of the Boilermakers’ most experienced players.
“I pulled a couple guys, Jake and Evan, those guys, their (practice) rep count was 145, something like that,” Hazell said, “so we gave them a little blow this morning.”
There were a couple other personnel notes:
Offensive lineman Martesse Patterson remained off to the side, working in “The Pit” following his knee injury on Monday. Patterson, the starting left tackle, had anticipated a return on Wednesday, but didn’t come back in either of the sessions.
But Hazell said there was no need.
“He probably could play if we had a game today,” the fourth-year coach said. “But it doesn’t make sense to rush him when he’s tweaked a knee. I’d like to get quality reps out of him on Saturday at the jersey scrimmage.”
Running back D.J. Knox, meanwhile, was in street clothes all day, taking a break from his knee rehabilitation. Previously, he’d be in uniform while working in “The Pit.”
“He’s a little inflamed,” Hazell said. “We were working him out pretty good, so we just thought that it’d be good for him to give him a break for a day or two.”
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