The Dino Babers Show - before Pittsburgh | Syracusefan.com

The Dino Babers Show - before Pittsburgh

SWC75

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Coach Babers’s show this year show will be Thursday nights at 7PM except when the game is not on a Saturday. This year it will be 90 minutes, with the first hour being with Dino and the last half hour being with a ‘special guest’, who in the past just got a couple minutes at the end of the show.

The show originates from Heritage Hill Brewery in Jamesville:

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: https://tunein.com/radio/home/

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: https://twitter.com/CuseIMG
#AskDino or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):

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


My Question(s) or Comments (or theories)

“Coach, our fine 2018 team had a classic 4-3 defensive line with a couple of 300 pounders in the center of the line, (Chris Slayton and Bear Williams), bracketed by 250 pound defensive ends, (Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman). Slayton and Williams would take on the power running games and tied up blockers so Robinson and Coleman could make big plays. When we switched to the 3-3-5, I wondered what size the three defensive linemen would be: would there be a single 300 pounder in the middle or, perhaps they might all be 300 pounds, setting up plays for the linebackers and defensive backs.

When I saw the two-deep to start the season, I was concerned that Terry Lockett, at 270 pounds, was our biggest defensive lineman – and then he got hurt. Now teams with power running games are really starting to hurt us. What is the optimum size for the three lineman in the 3-3-5 defense? Who do we have who could fill those roles against a power-running team?”



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.)

Dino was looking at his ‘book’ – a file with all the information collected regarding the next game, everything up-to-date regarding both teams - every tendency. He wasn’t going to reveal any details but Matt asked him what sort of information he kept in there: injuries, weather, even the refs that were assigned, what they have been calling in games, how they’ve treated SU over the years, etc. Anything that might matter. Dino made two pop culture references in consecutive sentences, referring to Jack Webb’s “Just the facts, mam” approach and ‘007:

1667530433803.png
1667530454215.png


It made me wonder who did the better job of getting to the bottom of things.

Dino said they have tapes of all the opposing coach’s shows and interviews, also the assistants and even things that might be accidentally dropped by reporters. (See the discussion with coach Johnson, below). for an example of what they might be looking for.) They even filter the scouts that come to watch the players for pro teams. SU has a number of players the pros are interested in, and a dozen scouts came in this week. But Dino told the a scout from the Steelers will have to wait until next week. “I told him we’ll take good care of him then, but we don’t want him around this week. You never know where their loyalties might lie.”

Expounding on what they might expect from the refs, apparently Pittsburgh has a reputation for “grabbing” on the perimeters of their defense. One thing to look for is whether the refs a calling them for it. Matt Park compared it to a Thompson/Pitino type of defense in basketball. “They aren’t going to call everything.” Dino said he played some basketball in high school as a reserve, (he couldn’t shoot). I never saw any reason to waste 5 fouls.”

Rich from Pittsburgh got in before me and stole a bit of my thunder by asking about the defensive line. How is our undersized defensive line going to deal with Pittsburgh’s running attack? DB: “Pitt is fantastic on defense, and they love to run the ball. Pat Narduzzi ran that offensive coordinator, (Mark Whipple) out of town because he didn’t run the ball enough. Now he’s at Nebraska and Pitt is back to the running game.”

That left it open for my question. In answer to the last part of the question, Dino said “What we have is what we have. We can’t call someone up from the minors or make a trade.” (Not really what I asked). As to the main question: “There are two approaches to a three-man line. You can fill it with the big uglies – not that they are really ugly. Have a huge 300-pound nose tackle and bigger outside guys. The other is to get guys that are strong and quick. When I was at Arizona State we had a player named Salamonca who was 5-11 and 330 who played for the Kansas Coty chiefs for years and was one of the best nose tackles in the league. (Dan Saleaumua: Dan Saleaumua - Wikipedia ) There was a player at Hawaii named Niko Falanoga who was 255 but quick. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals for years. (Niko Noga, full name Falaniko Noga: Niko Noga Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com ) “Our guys are very young. They’re not full grown. They might become a huge dog -coming to a theater near you.“ I suggested that they are “baby hippos” and got a laugh. Matt suggested that a wrestling background was an advantage. [Especially for Pitt.] He wondered whether they key was recruitment or development. Dino said that it’s both. “Sometimes it’s acquisition or you have to grow your own.”

Stefan in Utica asked “How do you motivate the players after two losses and get back on the winning track?” DB: “This is an extremely competitive and focused group of young men. Practice has been excellent this week. I tell them losing happens but you don’t have to accept it.”

Matt pressed Dino on the status of injured players, acknowledging that Garrett Williams is out for the season. Dino’s answer was a masterpiece: “All the guys were at practice, participating or watching. We are still monitoring their medical condition. It’s amazing watching practice. It makes you want to play again. I’ve seen some guys we thought couldn’t play and are back in the game Saturday. Some guys can play with minimal or no practice. You have to remember that there’s no football after college for most of these guys. These guys want to play. If they can go, they will go.” What about Shrader? “There is no doubt he could step out onto a field. He could step out onto the field on Saturday.” Listening to that is two minute of Pat Narduzzi’s life he’ll never get back.

Marty called to asked about the distribution of the ball to the receivers in the second half, which seemed much more spread out than it did with Shrader, who had fallen in love with Gadsden. Dino: “Quarterbacks are peculiar. Garret has one of the highest completion percent ages in the country. He knows his wide receiver’s moves. The other quarterback is used to working with the other guys. I can’t control how it happens.”

Dominick, who was in the restaurant, asked which of the quarterback we’ve faced this year – or will face – impressed Dino the most. He picked Aidan O’Connell of Purdue. “He’s not normal the way he placed that ball right where he wanted to. He was unbelievable.”

I think the next guy was John in Baltimore, (didn’t get the name but it sounded like him). He asked what Dino considers to be four down territory in the red zone. DB: “If you put the ball on the five, I’d call that four down territory. But I wouldn’t consider 4th and 3 four down territory, unless it was late in the game and we needed more than a field goal. The key is to not get off schedule and to get back on schedule if you get off of it. 4th and goal from the 2 is the offensive coordinator’s territory. 4th and goal from the three is the coach’s territory, (to make the decision). Matt pointed out that we have a 94% scoring rate in the red zone and that that’s in the top ten in the country. Dino added that that stat includes a kneel- down at the end of the Wagner game. [I still think they need to total the points scored and divide that by the opportunities. NCAA College Football FBS current team Stats | NCAA.com We have entered the red zone 33 times and scored 31. That’s the 94%. We have scored 22 touchdowns and kicked 9 field goals. That’s 159 points/33 =4.82 points. #1 Georgia has 33 touchdowns and 13 field goals in 47 trips = 237 points/47 = 5.04. Tennessee has 36TDs, 7FG = 237/45 = 5.27. Michigan has 28TD, 13FG = 207/44= 4.70. Charlotte has 26TD + 1FG = 159/30 = 5.30]

There also seems to be “an uptick in passed tipped at the line”. Dino: “I remember two of them. The one Carlos threw was a 4-yard route. Our center did too good a job blocking his man and forced him backwards so all the had to do was teach up for the ball.”

Then they brought on Coach Michael Johnson, who coaches the outside receivers. Matt asked him the question about distribution Marty had asked. Mike said that “Carlos hadn’t worked with Oronde much before. It’s not a connection with just one guy. I was at Mississippi State when Garrett was there. It’s a joy to see his great improvement. He’s a great person and Carlos is going to step in for him and do a great job. Oronde has great DNA and is not afraid of the moment. He does a great job at getting open. He has some uncharacteristic movements.” He talked about how Oronde was so excited when he caught his first touchdown pass he was going to spike it but an offensive lineman caught it one foot off the ground to prevent a penalty. “He’s just got to continue to develop his IQ as a football player and study his opponents.”

Who is the next guys to emerge among the receivers? Matt suggested Cooper, Jackson, Alford “or one of the really young guys”? MJ: “We’re trying to get them to be consistent each and every day in practice. We have what we call the “circle of trust” and you don’t want to get outside the circle of trust. Damien does things that don’t show up on the stats sheet. Hatcher has a lot of talent. I was with D’Marcus Adams at FIU. They need to grow and make plays and not hurt us. I have a saying: Accomplishment leads to Confidence which leads to Belief.”

“Pittsburgh is a very aggressive team. We’ve got to match their aggression and physicality on offense and defense. We’ve got to make the plays o the outside to win the game.”

Dino came back to add “it’s a rivalry game. we’ve got to win the physical game and then we’ll have a good chance to win the game.” [We also must have an effective passing game because we may lose the time of possession stats, big time.]

Dino wanted to remind everybody that next week’s game against Florida State is the last home of the season and that after the game there will be a “walk around” the field by the seniors “and those not likely to come back”. Matt noted that that will be an 8PM game so that welk might not happen until 11:30 that night. But hey, the next day is Sunday, soooo...

(The first Jim Boeheim Show will be next Wednesday)
 
Last edited:
Nice knowing you Coach Johnson.
Went right over my head, happens more and more frequently as I get older. He could be referring to the future , not necessarily Saturday , I would think.
 
Went right over my head, happens more and more frequently as I get older. He could be referring to the future , not necessarily Saturday , I would think.

Could be. I made sure that quote was verbatim so everyone could decide for themselves. We'll all find out together on Saturday.
 
Last edited:
Might have been an intentional sly move to mislead the opponent. All the more reason to boldface it.
 
probably shouldn’t boldface that. I’m sure the Pitt coaches are canvassing this forum for clues.

Well, I do feel strongly that Narduzzi doesn’t listen to Dino’s radio show, rather just reads SWC’s write up.

But I’m sure he’s been well aware of who our starter is since the 3rd quarter of the ND game.

Shrader didn’t look like a QB who would be healthy in just 7 days.
 
probably shouldn’t boldface that. I’m sure the Pitt coaches are canvassing this forum for clues.
Do you really think their search engine would miss it if it wasn't bolded?
 
Nard dog doesn’t care , the scout team has been running UVA’s offense this week. ( that’s what my super inside mega source has informed me)
 
Darn That after game walk around and my Sunday includes a 7am flight which means I'll be up at 4:45 and heading to the airport at 5am. But I'm just a slightly old lady.
 
Darn That after game walk around and my Sunday includes a 7am flight which means I'll be up at 4:45 and heading to the airport at 5am. But I'm just a slightly old lady.

th
 

Coach Babers’s show this year show will be Thursday nights at 7PM except when the game is not on a Saturday. This year it will be 90 minutes, with the first hour being with Dino and the last half hour being with a ‘special guest’, who in the past just got a couple minutes at the end of the show.

The show originates from Heritage Hill Brewery in Jamesville:

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: https://tunein.com/radio/home/

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: https://twitter.com/CuseIMG
#AskDino or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):

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


My Question(s) or Comments (or theories)

“Coach, our fine 2018 team had a classic 4-3 defensive line with a couple of 300 pounders in the center of the line, (Chris Slayton and Bear Williams), bracketed by 250 pound defensive ends, (Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman). Slayton and Williams would take on the power running games and tied up blockers so Robinson and Coleman could make big plays. When we switched to the 3-3-5, I wondered what size the three defensive linemen would be: would there be a single 300 pounder in the middle or, perhaps they might all be 300 pounds, setting up plays for the linebackers and defensive backs.

When I saw the two-deep to start the season, I was concerned that Terry Lockett, at 270 pounds, was our biggest defensive lineman – and then he got hurt. Now teams with power running games are really starting to hurt us. What is the optimum size for the three lineman in the 3-3-5 defense? Who do we have who could fill those roles against a power-running team?”



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.)

Dino was looking at his ‘book’ – a file with all the information collected regarding the next game, everything up-to-date regarding both teams - every tendency. He wasn’t going to reveal any details but Matt asked him what sort of information he kept in there: injuries, weather, even the refs that were assigned, what they have been calling in games, how they’ve treated SU over the years, etc. Anything that might matter. Dino made two pop culture references in consecutive sentences, referring to Jack Webb’s “Just the facts, mam” approach and ‘007:

View attachment 221827 View attachment 221828

It made me wonder who did the better job of getting to the bottom of things.

Dino said they have tapes of all the opposing coach’s shows and interviews, also the assistants and even things that might be accidentally dropped by reporters. (See the discussion with coach Johnson, below). for an example of what they might be looking for.) They even filter the scouts that come to watch the players for pro teams. SU has a number of players the pros are interested in, and a dozen scouts came in this week. But Dino told the a scout from the Steelers will have to wait until next week. “I told him we’ll take good care of him then, but we don’t want him around this week. You never know where their loyalties might lie.”

Expounding on what they might expect from the refs, apparently Pittsburgh has a reputation for “grabbing” on the perimeters of their defense. One thing to look for is whether the refs a calling them for it. Matt Park compared it to a Thompson/Pitino type of defense in basketball. “They aren’t going to call everything.” Dino said he played some basketball in high school as a reserve, (he couldn’t shoot). I never saw any reason to waste 5 fouls.”

Rich from Pittsburgh got in before me and stole a bit of my thunder by asking about the defensive line. How is our undersized defensive line going to deal with Pittsburgh’s running attack? DB: “Pitt is fantastic on defense, and they love to run the ball. Pat Narduzzi ran that offensive coordinator, (Mark Whipple) out of town because he didn’t run the ball enough. Now he’s at Nebraska and Pitt is back to the running game.”

That left it open for my question. In answer to the last part of the question, Dino said “What we have is what we have. We can’t call someone up from the minors or make a trade.” (Not really what I asked). As to the main question: “There are two approaches to a three-man line. You can fill it with the big uglies – not that they are really ugly. Have a huge 300-pound nose tackle and bigger outside guys. The other is to get guys that are strong and quick. When I was at Arizona State we had a player named Salamonca who was 5-11 and 330 who played for the Kansas Coty chiefs for years and was one of the best nose tackles in the league. (Dan Saleaumua: Dan Saleaumua - Wikipedia ) There was a player at Hawaii named Niko Falanoga who was 255 but quick. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals for years. (Niko Noga, full name Falaniko Noga: Niko Noga Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com ) “Our guys are very young. They’re not full grown. They might become a huge dog -coming to a theater near you.“ I suggested that they are “baby hippos” and got a laugh. Matt suggested that a wrestling background was an advantage. [Especially for Pitt.] He wondered whether they key was recruitment or development. Dino said that it’s both. “Sometimes it’s acquisition or you have to grow your own.”

Stefan in Utica asked “How do you motivate the players after two losses and get back on the winning track?” DB: “This is an extremely competitive and focused group of young men. Practice has been excellent this week. I tell them losing happens but you don’t have to accept it.”

Matt pressed Dino on the status of injured players, acknowledging that Garrett Williams is out for the season. Dino’s answer was a masterpiece: “All the guys were at practice, participating or watching. We are still monitoring their medical condition. It’s amazing watching practice. It makes you want to play again. I’ve seen some guys we thought couldn’t play and are back in the game Saturday. Some guys can play with minimal or no practice. You have to remember that there’s no football after college for most of these guys. These guys want to play. If they can go, they will go.” What about Shrader? “There is no doubt he could step out onto a field. He could step out onto the field on Saturday.” Listening to that is two minute of Pat Narduzzi’s life he’ll never get back.

Marty called to asked about the distribution of the ball to the receivers in the second half, which seemed much more spread out than it did with Shrader, who had fallen in love with Gadsden. Dino: “Quarterbacks are peculiar. Garret has one of the highest completion percent ages in the country. He knows his wide receiver’s moves. The other quarterback is used to working with the other guys. I can’t control how it happens.”

Dominick, who was in the restaurant, asked which of the quarterback we’ve faced this year – or will face – impressed Dino the most. He picked Aidan O’Connell of Purdue. “He’s not normal the way he placed that ball right where he wanted to. He was unbelievable.”

I think the next guy was John in Baltimore, (didn’t get the name but it sounded like him). He asked what Dino considers to be four down territory in the red zone. DB: “If you put the ball on the five, I’d call that four down territory. But I wouldn’t consider 4th and 3 four down territory, unless it was late in the game and we needed more than a field goal. The key is to not get off schedule and to get back on schedule if you get off of it. 4th and goal from the 2 is the offensive coordinator’s territory. 4th and goal from the three is the coach’s territory, (to make the decision). Matt pointed out that we have a 94% scoring rate in the red zone and that that’s in the top ten in the country. Dino added that that stat includes a kneel- down at the end of the Wagner game. [I still think they need to total the points scored and divide that by the opportunities. NCAA College Football FBS current team Stats | NCAA.com We have entered the red zone 33 times and scored 31. That’s the 94%. We have scored 22 touchdowns and kicked 9 field goals. That’s 159 points/33 =4.82 points. #1 Georgia has 33 touchdowns and 13 field goals in 47 trips = 237 points/47 = 5.04. Tennessee has 36TDs, 7FG = 237/45 = 5.27. Michigan has 28TD, 13FG = 207/44= 4.70. Charlotte has 26TD + 1FG = 159/30 = 5.30]

There also seems to be “an uptick in passed tipped at the line”. Dino: “I remember two of them. The one Carlos threw was a 4-yard route. Our center did too good a job blocking his man and forced him backwards so all the had to do was teach up for the ball.”

Then they brought on Coach Michael Johnson, who coaches the outside receivers. Matt asked him the question about distribution Marty had asked. Mike said that “Carlos hadn’t worked with Oronde much before. It’s not a connection with just one guy. I was at Mississippi State when Garrett was there. It’s a joy to see his great improvement. He’s a great person and Carlos is going to step in for him and do a great job. Oronde has great DNA and is not afraid of the moment. He does a great job at getting open. He has some uncharacteristic movements.” He talked about how Oronde was so excited when he caught his first touchdown pass he was going to spike it but an offensive lineman caught it one foot off the ground to prevent a penalty. “He’s just got to continue to develop his IQ as a football player and study his opponents.”

Who is the next guys to emerge among the receivers? Matt suggested Cooper, Jackson, Alford “or one of the really young guys”? MJ: “We’re trying to get them to be consistent each and every day in practice. We have what we call the “circle of trust” and you don’t want to get outside the circle of trust. Damien does things that don’t show up on the stats sheet. Hatcher has a lot of talent. I was with D’Marcus Adams at FIU. They need to grow and make plays and not hurt us. I have a saying: Accomplishment leads to Confidence which leads to Belief.”

“Pittsburgh is a very aggressive team. We’ve got to match their aggression and physicality on offense and defense. We’ve got to make the plays o the outside to win the game.”

Dino came back to add “it’s a rivalry game. we’ve got to win the physical game and then we’ll have a good chance to win the game.” [We also must have an effective passing game because we may lose the time of possession stats, big time.]

Dino wanted to remind everybody that next week’s game against Florida State is the last home of the season and that after the game there will be a “walk around” the field by the seniors “and those not likely to come back”. Matt noted that that will be an 8PM game so that welk might not happen until 11:30 that night. But hey, the next day is Sunday, soooo...

(The first Jim Boeheim Show will be next Wednesday)
Tuco Salamanca played in the league ?
 

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