For those who didn't see it, our old pal Joe Tiller weighed in with his disconnected, fearful-sounding opinion on Big Ten expansion and, specifically, what the addition of Nebraska does to Purdue.
"You're adding an elite program that Purdue can't match from a financial point of view, and I don't care what the revenue sharing says," said Tiller, the program's all-time winningest coach who retired following the 2008 season.
It comes back to fannies in the seats, ability to generate money outside of gate receipts with alumni and friends of the university. Purdue doesn't have the same ability that Nebraska has.
In my candid opinion, it moves Purdue down a notch."
Fantastic! Thanks for the downer opinion, Coach! Thanks for finding a turd in the punchbowl!
Joe doesn't care what the revenue sharing says! He can see a financial loss all the way from his Wyoming porch rocking chair! Dag-nabbit, those Nebraska fans are trouble, I tell ya!
I also simply don't get the second paragraph of the quote. So Purdue can't generate as much from alums for their athletic programs as Nebraska can? Okaaaay, so what? So the increased revenues Purdue will see as the conference expands and can now have a title game aren't a good thing? Why? Because Nebraska sells out a lot? I fail to make the connection here.
It may move Purdue "down a notch" in the standings if Nebraska football continues their current trend of improving, but let's continue to keep in mind that this is not 1995 Nebraska football. They had a good year last year, but had fallen into disarray just a couple of years ago.
And even if you buy's Curmudgeonly Joe's stance on this, what about other big-time sports, such as basketball? One could argue Nebraska's weak-sister hoops program suffers by joining a better basketball conference than the Big 12, right? Is this microphone on? *tap tap*
Also, is this a dig at Purdue fans/alums who sell off their tickets to opponent fans?
"Very hard to get a seat there. It's always sold out," Tiller said of Memorial Stadium, which has sold out every game since 1962. "Nebraska people are fiercely loyal and unlike other institutions, it's hard to buy a ticket from a Nebraska fan."
Zing, John Purdue Club members! Suck on that!
Seriously, though, what's the point of Joe's commenting on this? Does Gene Keady do these kinds of things? No, he does not. He just visibly supports the program and stays out of it.
These kinds of comments reminded us of the reasons we were ready to see Cowboy Joe go. He was a breath of fresh air in 1997 for a program that desperately needed it. And we'll never forget what he did for us as fans/alums and for guys like Drew Brees. But this defeatist mentality and negative commentary is something we do not need.
So, thanks, Joe, but please keep your macabre comments to yourself. We've moved on. You should, too.