Buckle up Purdue football fans, because we have a good old-fashioned quarterback controversy in “the cradle of quarterbacks.” David Blough versus Elijah Sindelar was the talk of Big Ten Days as Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm brought both to media days, and that’s very substantial as each school is only allowed to bring three players.
Who will be the starter come August 30th when the Boilermakers host Northwestern? Will there be a QB1A and QB1B deal going on, and if so, will how long could it last into the season? The QB derby will be the #1 Purdue football discussion topic for fall camp, and we discussed that, and much more, on the Hammer and Rails podcast (listen below) with H&R founder T-Mill.
We also discussed has Hammer and Rails El Pedrino put it, “the wonderful farce that is Big Ten Media Day, where there is a ton of hoopla, but nothing of substance ever gets said.”
Very true, Big Ten Media Day has a little bit of value, but not much. There’s a little bit of material that you can use for season previews and NFL mock drafts, but that’s about it. The rest is all talking without saying anything, which only fits in puff pieces and hardly anyone ever reads those, nor should they, because those articles are usually boring and kind of pointless.
The event should really be called Big Ten Promo Day or Big Ten Marketing Day as it’s not a news days at all, it’s more of “let’s increase brand awareness day.”
Additionally, we concluded the pod by teasing the next three episodes of the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” series of the Hammer & Rails podcast.
But for now, let’s get back to the signal caller derby.
“I like Blough a lot as a guy and I think it says a lot that he decided to stay this year, because he already graduated and he could have been a graduate transfer and gone become a starter somewhere else,” said Miller.
“As was lovingly the joke, after Appleby and Etling left, he was ready to go to the SEC, and be a starter for a year. I find it interesting he came back and he’s willing to compete and I think that says a lot about his character too.”
It’s hard not to root for Blough, as he really persevered through tough times, both individually and on the team level, during his time in West Lafayette. Blough has plowed through the dark days that were the Darrell Hazell era, and he’s put up some amazing numbers, all things considered.
Of course, it’s also hard not to root for Sindelar, given how he was able to win big games despite serious injury. As of now, it seems like the Purdue football fan base seems to want him to be the starter a little more.
“I think that goes a lot because of how he finished the season last year too,” said Miller.
“I would say they’re leaning more towards Sindelar just because of how he finished the season and it’s hard to argue with that, the guy won two must win games and a bowl game on a torn ACL- that’s tough.”
At 6-4, 225 Sindelar has the ideal size and stature of a professional QB, and that makes him huge for a college signal caller. He also has a rocket arm, as he threw into the 90s while pitching for his baseball team in high school.
Down the line, he could be the kind of prospect that aces the scouting combine in Indianapolis, and thus finds his way into the NFL. Of course, Blough has some potential NFL Draft stock himself- provided he shows he’s 100% healthy this season.
Blough, at the next level, will be kind of held back by his lack of height, but his track record of success in an offense that’s very friendly to many pro systems.
He’s better for a strategy that calls upon throwing the ball 40-50 times a game, while Blough is more suited for when the offense has a run-pass balance. The two young men are also really close friends, so that lends a very congenial aspect to the QB derby.
Also, both men will be guided by the quarterback whisperer(s), as they will be working under a former NFL quarterback head coach and QB coach/offensive coordinator.
Sindelar was probably one of the better sound bites at Media Day, and you should definitely listen to his podium session below:
For all of the Purdue football Media Day audio go to this link.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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