WEST LAFAYETTE – All quarterbacks hear it.

After a play, receivers come back to the huddle and let the QB know, “I’m open!”

That’s usually about the extent of the revelation. There is little expounding on the statement.

That likely won’t be the case for Purdue quarterback Robert Marve and a pair of his receivers this season.

Marve and the Boilermakers have the unique luxury of having a pair of their projected starting receivers who have played quarterback in college.

Justin Siller has even started at the position. In 2008, after injuries to starter Curtis Painter and backup Joey Elliott, then-redshirt freshman Siller started three games at quarterback, completed 56 percent of his passes and led Purdue to a victory over Michigan.

Keith Smith, now a fifth-year senior, came to campus in 2006 as a dual-threat quarterback. He was switched to defensive back two games into his first season because of injuries in the secondary and was converted to receiver in 2007.

So Siller and Smith have been in quarterback meetings, have pored over film as quarterbacks, have been in charge of huddles and have had the mindset of a quarterback. That knowledge and experience could benefit the Boilermakers.

“We can read coverages,” said Smith, who has made a smooth transition into an All-Big Ten receiver. “(Marve) knows that we can and he trusts what we say. It’s like, ‘We see this, we see that’ and we all can come up with plays that will work for it.

“He might have missed where one defender was, he could ask what kind of coverage from either one of us and we’ll be able to give him the answer and go on and have successful plays.”

Marve is accustomed to receivers telling him they want the ball – but not what he could do to effectively make that happen.

He hasn’t played in a game yet with Siller and Smith, but he already has seen in practices what the results can be when getting specific directions.

“Most of the times they’re on (opposite) sides of each other where you could throw to one side and ask the other guy what coverage they played back side or how they’re playing back side in a certain formation,” Marve said. “They know what they’re talking about. And they can communicate it in a way where it’s ‘the corner is down or the linebacker jumped me outside, I’ll be able to turn inside and be open.’ ”

Having former quarterbacks at skill positions could add another wrinkle to the offense, too.

“With Keith being able to throw and me being able to throw and having a quarterback on the field, it’s like any given time, a trick play could appear or something like that,” Siller said. “There’s a lot of benefits from having two former quarterbacks on the field at one time.”

sclardie@jg.net