I've been sharing a lot of quotes on Twitter from the Boilers following the loss at ND, but there are two from quotemaster Danny Hope that I wanted to address because they seem somewhat nonsensical and just beg to be picked apart.
First, following the game, Coach Hope said this about the multi-QB system:
"We're always going to play more than one quarterback," Hope said. "We don't want the No. 1 quarterback to go down and have to wave a white flag right in the middle of the game or right in the middle of the season. ... I thought the classic example today was when Robert Marve went down and TerBush came back in the game and put us in position to potentially go into overtime."
So, wait... am I to believe that Hope thinks that if you don't play at least two, if not three, QBs on a constant basis in every game that it means you would have to fold up the tent and forfeit the rest of your season in the event that a #1 QB got hurt? Because that's kind of what he's saying. He's implying that both guys play in case on gets hurt, like what happened with Marve Saturday. Otherwise, you'll have to "wave a white flag" right there in the middle of the game because they'll be like, "Backup quarterback? Wha-ha-ha-ha-happened? We only have one guy who even knows how to spell quarterback!"
Weren't we told all spring, summer and into the season about how great it is to have three experienced quarterbacks? And how all three looked great? And how all three are veterans? Et cetera?
Well, if all that is true, then wouldn't a logical (sane) person conclude that whoever isn't starting is already seasoned and experienced enough to be the #2 QB and be ready to come in if necessary, such as in a case of injury? Am I simplifying this too much? I don't think I am.
If that's really Coach Hope's reasoning, it's close to insanity.
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The next quote came from Coach Hope today, and had to do with the possession at the end of the third quarter when Purdue trailed 17-7 but got the ball to the Irish 1-yard-line and had third and goal. The Boilers were flagged for delay of game, then called a time out and then Marve got sacked after the time out. I believe this was where I tweeted that Purdue looked more confused coming out of a time out than most teams do when they're discombobulated enough to call a time out.
But here's what Hope said about it:
"We've gone back and looked at the scoreboard and the play clock and we're trying to figure out where the time went, but we're missing about 12 or 13 seconds somewhere," Hope said of the sequence after Macarthy's catch.
I honestly don't even care if this is true. It's fine if it is, but don't say it out loud, Danny. Don't say things like you lost 12 or 13 seconds somewhere, because it makes you sound clueless. This does, however, explain why the Boilers looked so befuddled after the time out.
There were a few commenters (not many, but a few) who seemed to feel that we shouldn't have been complaining about the coaching. Well, we weren't the only ones for one thing. For another, we call 'em like we see 'em -- that's why you love us so dearly. And third, these kinds of remarks do not instill confidence in a fanbase that, frankly, just wants to love their team from top to bottom.