The Dino Babers Show (11/7/18) | Syracusefan.com

The Dino Babers Show (11/7/18)

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Coach Babers’s first show this year show will be Wednesday night at 7PM because the first game is Friday, (the show will normally be two days before the next game). The show will originate from PressRoom Pub, located at 220 Herald Place in Syracuse's historic Herald Square, each week this season.

This article contains the schedule:
AmeriCU Dino Babers Show Moves to PressRoom Pub - Syracuse University Athletics

You can also listen to the show live each week on the Syracuse IMG Sports Network and Cuse.com. Wednesday's show will be on 99.1 FM and 97.7 FM, as well. The show will regularly air on 99.5FM (Syracuse) 99.1 FM (Utica) and 1200 AM.”
You can also get it on: Listen to The Jim Bohannon Show on WGVA on TuneIn

There hasn’t been any change in the phone numbers, which last year were 315-424-8599 (local) or 1-888-746-2873. You can call to ask questions or submit them via Twitter at: Syracuse IMG Sports (@CuseIMG) | Twitter
Or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):
Syracuse University

You can (or could last year, anyway), listen to a podcast of the show, probably the next day, at: Search results for babers | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn
I’ve been asked to continue doing the summaries, even by people who listen to the podcasts. I may focus on the major points, rather than trying to record everything.


My Question(s) or Comments

First a comment:

“Coach, congratulations on a nice comeback win against Wake Forest. It was your first road win and first November win here and guaranteed your first winning season here. It also proved that your team can win without a cheering crowd, a hot start, in less than perfect weather conditions, despite some strange officiating and against a team that dominated us the last two years. It was the sort of game good teams win.”

“Coach, Wake Forest is not a notably good defensive team. How did they shut off our vertical passing game and force us to beat them with the running game?”



The Show
(I sometimes re-arrange the comments so that statements made on the same subject are reported together, even if they came at different points of the show.)

Matt noted the shinny new #13 national ranking, the first 3 game ACC winning streak and road win, etc. Dino credited “the senior class and everything they’ve gone through”. But “where not there yet. We’re not complete in anyway. We are heading in the right direction, not the wrong one.”

Liam from Pompey called in to congratulate the coach on the win. “Everything’s going great. What is your opinion on the next game?” Matt said something about Louisville being down. Dino jumped on that. “I don’t consider them down. They are athletic and fast and bigger than we are. They go 6-6, 6-6, 6-6, 6-6. They could make a good basketball team. They are strong on the back line. They have some 5 star and a bunch of four stars. Bobby Petrino is one of the most creative coaches. They are built to beat Clemson and Florida State. They are just dormant. That’s why we need to have the place full.” He said he’d put the last two Louisville scores, (28-62 and 10-56), and yardage, (414-845 and 335-727), on the blackboard to make sure his players didn’t underestimate their opponent.

I called in and added my congratulations to Liam’s. I asked my question about what Wake did to stop our vertical passing game. Dino said “they played everybody very very….” I thought he was going to say “close” but he said “deep. They assumed we lacked the discipline for a long and slow attack. The team and Eric Dungey made a fantastic adjustment. He ran the ball well and then started completing his passes in the second half to balance it out.” I told the coach it was nice to see we can grind out the tough ones. DB: “I agree.” He enjoyed describing Dungey’s 26 yard TD run. “We ran deep routes and sent a receiver cutting across the middle- some people think we don’t pass across the middle”, (perhaps a reference to my question about that last week). “The linebackers tried to jump Eric and he went by them and popped through the defense.” Matt noted that Eric had 30 rushing TDs in his career here.

He also said that we will be playing a home game as a ranked team for the first time in 20 years. The got around to discussing Sean Riley. Dino marveled that he was the smallest player on the team including the kickers. “But he has a big heart.”

John in Baltimore agreed, saying that Riley “is amazing”. He , as usual had two questions which Dino, as usual, answered in the opposite order. John wanted to know if we could play “the new guys” at the end of games to avoid injury to the starters. He also wondered if Our history of launching careers in sports media through Newhouse and the appointing of former ESPN executive John Wildhack as Athletic Director gave us an advantage in recruiting since many athletes want to move into sports broadcasting when their playing careers are over.

Dino: “You sell everything about the school – communications, the business school, the Whitman school of Management, etc….we were spelling guys on defense in the last two defensive drives. We had back-ups in the secondary, which is why they were able to complete those passes. If gave our young people game experience. It’s easier to control things substituting on defense than offense. We crossed our t’s and dotted our i’s on offense and forced them to use their time-outs. That’s why we’re going to win this year.” He said he’d gotten together with the freshmen who will redshirt this year but can play in four games- they may see action late in these last four games and he wants them to get ready.

The award given to Ian Eagle last week was another occasion for the royalty of Newhouse to get together but what excited Coach Babers the most was a chance to get meet his childhood hero – Dan Fouts, the San Diego Chargers’ star quarterback of the 70’s and 80’s. He also met Ed White the old Cal tackle, (who played in the infamous 0-43 game in 1968), who played for the Chargers and was later on the staff at San Diego State with Coach Babers.

A caller named R. J. said that in 2016 he met Coach in an ice cream store and he was kind enough to talk with him for 15 minutes. R. J. said that he hadn’t paid attention to football since the Fran Tarkington days – he’s a baseball fan- but Dino’s team has got him caring again. Dino recalled the great Viking teams of those days- Ed White was on them, too. Dino loved the way chuck Foreman ran the ball. Matt asked him how important ice cream was in his life. “It’s my go-to when I want to be bad.” His favorite flavor – vanilla. Matt was amazed it wasn’t something more exotic.

Mike called in to recall Dino’s speech when he was first hired and described a packed carrier Dome. He said it’s now time for the fans to come through and give him exactly that. Dino announced that on Friday, after the game, the team will go into the locker room and the seniors will come back out and make one last trip around the Dome, even talking with the fans. He wants people to stay if they can and be a part of that and make is a Syracuse tradition.

Someone texted in a question about clock management. Dino said he’d been trained in it by a master- Homer Smith, who wrote a book on it. He was coaching at UCLA when Dino was. “If you’re gonna get after me for clock management we’ll have to tangle!” Matt said he loved the coach’s feistiness on that subject.

Matt noted that Notre Dame will be wearing a ‘pinstripe’ version of their traditional uniforms in honor of playing in Yankee Stadium.

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Matt joked than maybe Syracuse should wear its ‘retro’ uniforms- pink and green, their colors in the 1890’s before they switched to royal blue and orange. Dino said, “I love our old unis. That’s why I can’t pick them. I’m too old school.”

They discussed Tyrone Perkins. “He has a lower body injury. He’s in a really good hospital that can handle his emergency. He’s in a rehab situation. We’re trying to get him healthy enough to transfer back up here.” He gave thanks to Dave Clawson for visiting Tyrone and said “I am humbled by it”. He mentioned that Clawson was a high school teammate of Moose Johnston.

They discussed SU’s former NFL players and Coach says we have to get back to sending players to the NFL.

Mel in Cicero asked the question everyone has in the back of their minds: “In the revolving door of coaches leaving, are you planning to stay at Syracuse?” Coach did not attempt to answer that. He just said “the main thing I’m concerned with is Fridays’ game. I want to control the things I can control. We have a season to finish and I’m going to stay focused on it.” Nothing about how he’s happy here or he’s never had a fourth year and wants to see what it will be like, etc…it left me with an uneasy feeling.

Matt said “You’ve thrown it vertically and horizontally and you’ve proven you can run it. Are you bu8ilding your tool kit for the big games at the end of the season?” DB: “We need to be versatile. We also need to spread the ‘owies’ around. That’s what we concentrated on this season.”

The rest of the show was done with Offensive line coach Mike Cavanagh. Dino introduced him by saying that Mike was the offensive line coach when Oregon State twice beat USC at the height of their power in the Pete Carroll era and they did it by running the ball on them. “He does more with less and really motivates the kids. He sits tall in the saddle and looks down and makes sure they know what they have to do. He creates a real bond with the kids.” This is Mike’s first year with Syracuse and the improvement of our offensive line and running game can be at least partially credited to him.

Mike said that he “takes pride in being a technician. I’m a stickler in detail. Repetition is the greatest teacher. We were blessed to have players totaling 100 returning starts….Sam Heckle is a tough sucker. He gets blood transfusions…..Elmore and Howard are big dudes….All my guys love to eat.”

His guys contribute to our turnover margin by being “protectors…escorts.”

Louisville has “athletic guys with nice size up front. We’ve got to sustain the finish of each play. It’s a four hour game with 90 snaps.”
 
Dino's response about staying at Cuse has me worried too. Then again, I'm paranoid about everything. Wildhack's responses about keeping Dino are more encouraging but it's Dino's decision. If Dino keeps this up, they'll be building statues of him outside the newly renovated Dome and he would own Syracuse. This guy is the real deal.
 
Overall this sounds like an odd show. Not much on our opponent or match ups. Dino likes vanilla ice cream & doesn't like our original school colors & gets feisty about clock management. Sam Heckle is getting blood transfusions. I mean, it is interesting but real stream of consciousness stuff right there
 
Dino's response about staying at Cuse has me worried too. Then again, I'm paranoid about everything. Wildhack's responses about keeping Dino are more encouraging but it's Dino's decision. If Dino keeps this up, they'll be building statues of him outside the newly renovated Dome and he would own Syracuse. This guy is the real deal.
It is the exact same line he used at Bowling Green before heading to Syracuse.
 
Right now Dino is focused and probably gearing up for negotiations with SU. You don't talk about how glorious your current experience at a job is if you're hoping for the best possible offer. You play it cool.

Either that or he's getting ready to leave a road runner hole through the side of the Dome.

One of those. Beep Beep.

(I kid - as long as we're in this tenuous position, we may as well joke about it!)
 
Agree. People should stop asking and just enjoy the success.

If he leaves, we have the blueprint.


Agree 100%. going to be a long few weeks, just getting heated up in this area. I think he will move on but obviously hope he doesn't but as STO said, there is nothing we can do at this point.
 
Agree 100%. going to be a long few weeks, just getting heated up in this area. I think he will move on but obviously hope he doesn't but as STO said, there is nothing we can do at this point.
On what evidence do you say he will move on? He's 58 years old. And, age is a huge disincentive for anyone else to hire him. He's moved around a zillion times. He can build this program into a national contender and go down in history as one of the top 3 coaches in SU history, maybe the greatest. And, Wildhack knows he needs to have him stay.
 
On what evidence do you say he will move on? He's 58 years old. And, age is a huge disincentive for anyone else to hire him. He's moved around a zillion times. He can build this program into a national contender and go down in history as one of the top 3 coaches in SU history, maybe the greatest. And, Wildhack knows he needs to have him stay.


Just my opinion, he has moved around all his life, what's 1 more. one more big contract and he's set. It's the game coaches play, you cash in when you can. Like I said, I am sure Syracuse has and is trying to extend him but he clearly is waiting. If a big job comes his way and it may depending how a few dominoes fall, I fully expect him to move on, if not this year than next. It's what coaches do and I don't see Dino as any different, they want their $. I very well could be wrong but like I said if not this year than next.

He's also 58 not 68, and he looks pretty damn young to me. he can coach a minimum of 7-8 more years, worst case 5-6 and I am sure any program would take that. His age is zero issue for a program looking to upgrade their coaching position. ZERO

Other than the TCU and NW coaches I can't think of any other guys that stuck around
 
On what evidence do you say he will move on? He's 58 years old. And, age is a huge disincentive for anyone else to hire him. He's moved around a zillion times. He can build this program into a national contender and go down in history as one of the top 3 coaches in SU history, maybe the greatest. And, Wildhack knows he needs to have him stay.
And yet, none of that matters.
 
Overall this sounds like an odd show. Not much on our opponent or match ups. Dino likes vanilla ice cream & doesn't like our original school colors & gets feisty about clock management. Sam Heckle is getting blood transfusions. I mean, it is interesting but real stream of consciousness stuff right there

You just described most of the shows. It's not based on what he has on his mind. It's based on what Matt and the other questioners ask him about.
 
I called in and added my congratulations to Liam’s. I asked my question about what Wake did to stop our vertical passing game. Dino said “they played everybody very very….” I thought he was going to say “close” but he said “deep. They assumed we lacked the discipline for a long and slow attack. The team and Eric Dungey made a fantastic adjustment. He ran the ball well and then started completing his passes in the second half to balance it out.” I told the coach it was nice to see we can grind out the tough ones. DB: “I agree.” He enjoyed describing Dungey’s 26 yard TD run. “We ran deep routes and sent a receiver cutting across the middle- some people think we don’t pass across the middle”, (perhaps a reference to my question about that last week). “The linebackers tried to jump Eric and he went by them and popped through the defense.” Matt noted that Eric had 30 rushing TDs in his career here.

I noted this in my analysis on SB Nation. Johnson's route over the middle brought in the linebacker and it opened up the middle for Eric.
 
I love Dino and seriously think he has the opportunity to be in the College Football Hall of Fame IF he stays. However, as an employer, I wouldn't hire him if he wanted to leave after this year. I'd question his judgment. Unless he's being mistreated by SU and the AD, there's simply no good reason to leave. SU will pay him. He's a couple of years away from a National Championship.
In addition, I would surmise I can only count on him until he finds a higher paying job? I could point to Taggert as an example of the Peter Principle; but at least Taggert was making a transition to a Power 5 school. Dino's moving from top 10 to what? A 5 and 7 USC team that fires 10-2 coaches? He's smarter than that.
 
I love Dino and seriously think he has the opportunity to be in the College Football Hall of Fame IF he stays. However, as an employer, I wouldn't hire him if he wanted to leave after this year. I'd question his judgment. Unless he's being mistreated by SU and the AD, there's simply no good reason to leave. SU will pay him. He's a couple of years away from a National Championship.
In addition, I would surmise I can only count on him until he finds a higher paying job? I could point to Taggert as an example of the Peter Principle; but at least Taggert was making a transition to a Power 5 school. Dino's moving from top 10 to what? A 5 and 7 USC team that fires 10-2 coaches? He's smarter than that.

USC is USC. The standard is high there, but if they come calling, you are going to entertain them.
 
Dino's response about staying at Cuse has me worried too. Then again, I'm paranoid about everything. Wildhack's responses about keeping Dino are more encouraging but it's Dino's decision. If Dino keeps this up, they'll be building statues of him outside the newly renovated Dome and he would own Syracuse. This guy is the real deal.
Who needs Dino? We have Macky in the wings
:)
 
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I really believe this will all be worked out or has been already between Dino and John Wildhack. They have a solid team coming back, excellent transfers, and a lot of recruits coming in this weekend to potentially play for Dino and the school. Something soon will have to be put out to the public to confirm this and which will help solidify the recruiting for this year and into the future for CUSE!
 
What evidence do we have that he actually wants to retire in Syracuse? Or say in the NY area for 10 years? Seems like DB might jump at the chance to go back to the west coast. I want DB to stay but the reality is that is extremely rare in this day and age. We have a model to give us the best chance at success going forward as long as the we stick with that an hire an offensive minded coach.

But I suggest we don't worry about that until the time comes instead enjoy the success of the season and the national attention the program is getting.
 
What evidence do we have that he actually wants to retire in Syracuse? Or say in the NY area for 10 years? Seems like DB might jump at the chance to go back to the west coast. I want DB to stay but the reality is that is extremely rare in this day and age. We have a model to give us the best chance at success going forward as long as the we stick with that an hire an offensive minded coach.

But I suggest we don't worry about that until the time comes instead enjoy the success of the season and the national attention the program is getting.
Well said!
 
One thing the SU admin has going for it is loyalty. People talk endlessly about how amazing it is that Boeheim never left Syracuse but forget that the AD has had very good reason to let him go on at least two separate occasions but didn't. Heck, they got tons of flack from the national media for not canning him.

If you win here, we'll stick by you through thick and thin. USC or most other programs can't say that.
 

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