Boiling Point

Tiller's take: eligibility, true freshmen PT

Joe Tiller has been spending much of Purdue's offseason in Wyoming where he and his wife, Arnette, are building a house. That's where they'll settle when Tiller retires after this season. But that doesn't mean Tiller is out of the loop with his team.
Though Tiller won't return to campus until August 4, he's been checking in with coaches and academic advisers. In terms of the latter, it sounds like most of the players will be ready to go when camp starts August 10.
Tiller said only freshman receiver Jordan Brewer currently is academically ineligible. Brewer will enroll in junior college. Purdue should be able to absorb that loss with Greg Orton, Desmond Tardy, Keith Smith, Arsenio Curry and Aaron Valentin all as nice options at the position.
Tiller will find out more on potential academic casualties when he returns to campus.
"There probably will be a surprise," Tiller said at the Big Ten media day. "There always is. What you hope is you only have one surprise -- you don't have six. ... We don't have many guys on the bubble anymore. We don't have the 19 we had the first year we were at Purdue. We may have three or four (per year)."

• Tiller can't pinpoint just which freshmen will get playing time this season, but he's high on linebacker Dwayne Beckford. Tiller likes Beckford's speed and strength combination, though that may be on display sparingly. Anthony Heygood and Jason Werner are "locks" to start at linebacker, according to Tiller. It looks like Kevin Green may be moving toward that label, too. Tiller said Green had "looked like Tarzan and played like Jane" early in his career, but in spring ball, Green showed the kind of physical style of play the coaches' desire.
• Another true freshman to watch: running back Ralph Bolden. Tiller said Bolden is rehabbing from an injury, but if he's given the OK by doctors, "he's talented enough to play as a true freshman."

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Boiler bits, Big Ten media day edition: Heygood

Purdue linebacker Anthony Heygood made his first trip to the Big Ten media days in Chicago last week. Here's what he had to say about the event, among other things.
It's your first time here in the craziness. How has it been?
Interesting. I've never been around this much chaos. (Teammate Greg Orton) said his TV guy was weird because the light was there, and the TV guy was behind the light. So (Orton) couldn't see him. So it was like a fist asking questions.
What's been the most-asked question you've gotten?
"How do you think the defense is going to do this year?" It's like, what do you expect me to say? We're going to be terrible on defense? I expect my defense to do very well, of course.
Have you seen many movies this summer? I've only been to the movies one time this summer. I went to see "Hancock," and it was OK. It is funny, but with Will Smith, you expect something else when you go to see a movie because he's getting paid like $30 million. You expect him to be there and get wild. It could have been better.
You're too busy to go more often?
(Kory) Sheets lives with me this summer, and he goes all the time. I'm like, 'I'm not going to pay $10 to watch a movie.' I can wait until it comes out on DVD. I have, like, 600 DVDs. I love DVDs. My DVD collection is ridiculous. I own pretty much everything.
What's your most prized DVD?
Probably "No Country for Old Men." Great movie. I went and bought that when it came out.
If you didn't see it in the theater, how did you know it was good?
I heard a bunch of people raving about it. I'm like, 'I haven't seen it.' (People said) 'You have to see it because it has a shotgun with a silencer.' I'm like, 'That's great. What's in the rest of the movie?' It turned out to be a great movie.
Do you have a favorite genre?
I watch everything. I'm a homebody, so I watch a lot of TV and DVDs.
Are there any you bought but haven't opened yet?
The "Powerpuff Girls" movie. It's still in the wrapper. That and "War" with Jet Li. One of my favorites is "Dude, Where's My Car?" Everybody hates that movie. I think it is hilarious. It's just so stupid that it's so funny to me.
Any weird dreams lately?
I had a dream that Barack Obama won the presidency and the entire United States had a party. It was the weirdest dream ever. I swear. I turn on the TV (in the dream), and they're like, 'Barack Obama wins.' I turn the channel, and they're like, 'They're partying in Wisconsin.' I turn the channel, 'They're partying in Massachusetts.' It was like people in the street everywhere. I go outside in Lafayette, and everybody is dancing and running down the street. I'm like, 'What is going on?'

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Boiler bits, Big Ten media day edition: Painter

Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter was one of the most sought-after players during Friday's session at the Big Ten media days in Chicago. Rarely was Painter alone at his table, but there still was time to ask the Heisman hopeful some random questions for our Boiler Bits.
Are you big man on campus yet?
You go places, and some people notice you. But I don't have people following me around or anything.
You have DVDs, calendars, your own Web site for the Heisman campaign. You're much more of a team guy, but some of this can be good for Purdue as a whole.
Yeah. Maybe they turn on a game because they saw a calendar. We've had a guy in our department follow us around with a camera while we're here. It gives us a chance for people to get to know us. They see us on the field, but this gives them a chance to get to know us. Maybe it will get people excited about Purdue football.
Are you insulted at all that there are still quite a few left?
Not really. That means more for my mom, and she'll love it. She'll just hang calendars up all over the place.
Anything for the ladies who maybe aren't Purdue football fans -- shots of you by the pool maybe?
No, these are all action shots. It's not summer time (during the season's calendar months), so I'm not going to be in board shorts.
Does the DVD have any behind-the-scenes stuff?
It's just a highlight tape. It's only three or four minutes long.
Would you make for good reality TV?
I'm not a very exciting guy. If they tell me what to say, I might make it funny.
Have you had a chance to go to many movies this summer?
I haven't been to a movie in a long time. I'm real excited to go to the "Step Brothers" movie. I'm a big Will Ferrell fan. But I do like movies.
There are a lot of guys here looking sharp, including yourself (grey pinstripe suit, white tie). Do you like getting dressed up?
My girlfriend got me this (shirt). I don't know what you call it. Green? Pastel? I used to wear a salmon shirt under it with this suit, and it looked nice. But I decided to switch up the color. I've got four suits. I try to get one every year. I wore my new one (Thursday).
Your hair is getting long.
I need a trim. It's the longest I've ever had it. It's a little different, I guess.
When Kyle Orton went through his Heisman push, they made him shave his beard and cut his hair.
I don't have a beard, really, so I'm OK there. They haven't told me to cut my hair yet. (But) the season hasn't started yet.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Boiler bits, Big Ten media day edition: Orton

With three football players from each of the Big Ten's 11 schools packed into a ballroom in the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, naturally, talk mostly is about football.
But I like to let the guys relax a bit, so I asked Purdue's Curtis Painter, Anthony Heygood and Greg Orton some random questions last week in Chicago.
A sampling of my conversation with Orton is below. Check back to hear from Painter and Heygood.
What's the best movie you've seen this summer?
I'm definitely up to date on my movies. I'd probably say the best one I've seen this summer was "The Dark Knight." It was really good. "Wanted" with Angelina Jolie was really good.
"Wanted" was really bloody.
Yeah. It was kind of like the Matrix a little bit. That and "Hancock" was good. Hancock was hilarious.
Everyone is saying Heath Ledger was amazing in Batman. What's your take?
Oh my goodness. I wouldn't say give him an Oscar because he passed away. He really deserved it. If you didn't know that was Heath Ledger, you wouldn't know who it was. He was outstanding. He puts a different persona on the Joker. It's more modern. He's darker. He's killing people left and right. He's hilarious, too. It's really good.
Switching gears a bit -- have you had any weird dreams lately?
Yeah. I was just telling somebody, too. Everybody was in it. We were at some type of show or something. It was like an awards show a little bit. I had just seen the ESPYs. I just started seeing everybody, and I was talking to David Beckham, but I was talking in his accent. It was really weird.
This is your first time at the Big Ten media days. Has it been OK?
Yeah, for the most part. It's just waking up early (is tough). I'm not a morning person. (Thursday) we had the thing where we go around to each podium (for TV). That was just hectic. It was chaos seeing everybody scrambling everywhere. You never really get to see the behind the scenes, so it was just like, 'Wow.'
Has there been a question you keep getting asked?
"This is coach Tiller's last year, so how do you feel about it and how does he feel about it?"
When you know you're going to get a question over and over, do you change up your answer?
I try to change it up a little bit, but for the most part, a lot of it is just recycled. (laughs) But I enjoy it, though. It's fun.
I know you got in Thursday. Have you gotten out at all?
Got a chance to hang out with Javon Ringer at Michigan State. We grew up together. We were talking and hanging out with some Wisconsin guys and IU guys. It was fun to talk to guys off the field.
You're looking nice in your suit. Are you a bit of a fashionista?
I think I'm a little GQ a bit. I picked it up back at home. I like the look. I've got about four suits. My mom is proud of me. I got deals, two for 150 (dollars). Trying to look sharp.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Heisman hopeful

Curtis Painter, dressed sharply in a grey pinstripe suit, wasn't only surrounded by reporters at his table inside the Hyatt Regency Friday at the Big Ten media day.
He was joined by stacks of DVDs with his picture on the cover and calendars spread over the table top.
Purdue is "Painting a Masterpiece" this season -- that's the tagline for the Heisman push for its quarterback.
The sports information department also launched CurtisPainter12.com to promote the fifth-year senior. It conveniently debuted Thursday, the first day of the two-day media festitivies.
Painter doesn't seem to know what to make of the hype.
"My mom likes it," said Painter, smiling. "It's neat. They did a good job with it. It looks pretty cool. But this kind of stuff certainly is the result of a good season, and it comes later. There's a lot of focus right now on Purdue football. A lot has to be done before any of this can even happen. It's a cool thing, but it doesn't really mean much for me."

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette