Is anyone still not sold on Babers?

[Beaker]

I resisted a reply to this thread, giving the benefit until after we had played last night's game, but my opinion before last night is the same as it is now. I have no personal grudge against Babers. My problem with him is the system he runs. I said it the minute I heard the news of his hiring. Many on this board fiercely disagree and the debate has already been put out there, but I do not believe that teams playing in this part of the country will ever win championships with this spread style offense and until it starts happening, my opinion isn't going to change.

I said it last December that when it comes to November and the cold and snow and wind set in, you have to have a power running game, utilizing tight ends and fullbacks, that will work in the bad weather when the passing game is hampered. We don't have that. You also need tight ends to throw to in short to medium, high percentage passes in this weather. We don't have that. It's simply a proven formula to winning - always has been and always will be. Yes, the spread might give us a better shot at beating a Big Can't Count Conference team in September, but for my preference, I would much rather win the MAC..........and beat Toledo. I will never be sold on Babers until I'm proven wrong and we start collecting conference championship trophies. When has a spread offense ever had any sustained, championship success? It was tried in the NFL and teams stopped using it because it couldn't win consistently, especially in bad weather. June Jones couldn't even make it work in the college game in good weather cities. Yes, it'll grab a headline here and there when 50 points are put on the board, but I will take scoring less and winning more any day. Babers won a couple league titles in Div 1-AA, but it was more of a novelty there and when they got to the playoffs and the snow was flying, they fell to a team with a power running game. Like with every new wrinkle, teams will adjust, learn to defend it and it will wane.

My opinions of his system set aside, I don't think this season can truly allow us to draw too many conclusions. The East division is simply horrible. Even with the injuries we suffered, we still should have won the East with my sister coaching this team. I don't think we can celebrate that accomplishment as an example of Dino's success. If we are in the West this year, we don't even come close to winning it. Clearly, this would be a different team with M. J. out there, regardless of the system we are running and who knows how we might have fared against the West if we had been at full strength? It just sucks to see such a good opportunity to break the streak against TSUN slip away and I'm as frustrated as anyone about that. I will always pull for BG, no matter what, but forgive me for not being gung ho on the Babers bandwagon.

[Schadenfreude]

He took a big risk, and it didn't pay off. I guess we'll see if it has consequences in the last game or beyond.

Callaway had more passing yards than Knapke in about a quarter of the game time. Dino made a gutsy move, and it was the right one, it seems to me. He's been patient with Knapke.

I'd like to see both guys get equal time next week and see if Callaway can learn to react better to blitzes than he did in desperation time.

[BGGrad01]

The only issue I see with the system is that the increased number of plays can lead to an injury bug. I think that's what we're seeing at RB now. If Greene or Coppet was around to complement Moore's wildcat runs on Wednesday night, I don't think we'd be hearing as much whining about the lack of a running game. For everyone complaining about the lack of a power running game, should we run it even less to save the backs from injury?

I agree that Knapke hasn't been good late in the year and that has impacted the staff's game plans. You can only assume that part of that is the weather and part of it is confidence. In 2 weeks, we're going to play for another title in a place with no wind and a temperature around 70. No issue with the weather in Detroit and I think it will show in the plan and Knapke's performance.

For all of the complaining about this staff, they've overcome the loss of the league's best quarterback and survived long absenses from Greene and the 3 best players on the defensive side. Yes, we've been fortunate to play in the crappier division, but it's about time we got to experience the other side of that one. There have been other times where we were on the other side - good team in a much better division.

Give us the Rockets (or whoever survives the West) with a title on the line and I think we're walking out with a W.

[mscarn]

I said it last December that when it comes to November and the cold and snow and wind set in, you have to have a power running game, utilizing tight ends and fullbacks, that will work in the bad weather when the passing game is hampered. We don't have that. You also need tight ends to throw to in short to medium, high percentage passes in this weather. We don't have that. It's simply a proven formula to winning - always has been and always will be. Yes, the spread might give us a better shot at beating a Big Can't Count Conference team in September, but for my preference, I would much rather win the MAC..........and beat Toledo.

Yup. The other thread talked about short passes (which we do), deep passes (which we do) and medium-range passes (which we don't) and how all of those factor in. The problem was we couldn't consistently complete passes of any length at all and the weather played a huge role in that: freezing ball, freezing hands, slippery ball, windy conditions. Half the team wouldn't have been standing around the heater for the majority of the game if it didn't affect them. The alternatives and solutions to getting some semblance of a passing game going in rough weather that you outlined (tight ends, fullbacks, real play-action off a running game) we don't employ and our zone-read run game stalls when there's no passing and things become predictable.

It's like buying a Ferrari in Fargo, North Dakota...nice to have when you can use it, but most of the time the weather won't let you. Better off having something with four-wheel drive.

[slashba33]

It looks like I stirred the pot a little!

After the Toledo game, it again concerns me how bad the East is and we are now 0-2 against the West with one last chance to change that before going against the juggernaut NIU. It's not that I do not like Babers, it's that I don't want to see BGSU football decline from the mountain after 21 years of coming up short in the MAC.

Saying defense is not a priority is a valid statement and concern with a high-tempo, throw the ball first offense we run more plays, especially on defense which leads to injury. No one can deny we have been consumed by injuries this year. He learned everything he knows from Briles at Baylor...how is their defense? We have played better in the last 5 to 6 games, but still showing bad tackling allowing a team without a QB run for 325 yds and a 90 yd TD. Defense won us a championship last year.

The "self-promoter" comment may be part of Kingston's creation too. Pictures of him on the stadium cups, team semi trailer, program, every advertisement concerning BG football gets a little old especially in his first year. You have to earn that.

I will say I think we have MattJohn2 with Callaway at QB. What he did on that first drive was amazing!!

Hope to see everyone this Friday at the Doyt!!

[Falcon Commander]

not exactly sure what some of this means
(scroll down to Babers article)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /19439139/" target="_blank

[jpfalcon09]

not exactly sure what some of this means
(scroll down to Babers article)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /19439139/" target="_blank

Sounds like Urban Meyer talk to me. I'd bet his wife and kids find it tough to be constantly moving but that's the nature of college football. His intentions may be well but I'm inclined to believe almost every coach at the mid-major is in it to move on to a better gig.

[bgsufalcon24]

Reading that USA Today article, it seems as though Babers really loves being a head coach, and doesn't value money as much as winning.

IE: he's not jumping from BG for a job like say...Purdue, where he'll likely be 3-4 years away from being fired the minute he walks in the door. Obviously if some big school like Ohio State were to come calling then fughetaboutit...but that article really makes it sound like he is committed to building something here.

[Flipper]

It's easy to turn down a big pile of money...until someone puts one in front of you.

[mscarn]

Having contacts and relationships with national college football writers has benefits. However, when they call to talk about your contract and ruminate on hypothetical scenarios when a) the season is still going on and b) you're coming off a crushing loss to your rival, the response should be "We have a lot more to accomplish this season and I won't comment on anything else until then. Thanks."

[Dayons_Den]

Having contacts and relationships with national college football writers has benefits. However, when they call to talk about your contract and ruminate on hypothetical scenarios when a) the season is still going on and b) you're coming off a crushing loss to your rival, the response should be "We have a lot more to accomplish this season and I won't comment on anything else until then. Thanks."

Something to keep in mind though is that the quotes for that article don't necessarily have to have been made anytime remotely close to when the article was published. That quote could have come after the IU win or in August for that matter....

To me that article reiterates something that I forget and I'm sure most do as well- he is 53. He's no spring chicken. His approach and appearance are that of a young up and comer but his resume and shelf life indicate something else. Do I think he'll be here 10 years? No, for all of our sake I hope not. But I do think that he may turn down a job or two before he takes his next and likely final head coaching position. It is an interesting perspective for him to have in this situation that most MAC-steppingstone head coaches don't have...

I love ellipses...

[Falcon137]

I love he answers things honestly. Someone asks him a question and he's going to answer it. Very rarely does he dodge a non game related question.

I highly doubt he goes anywhere this year. Especially with 14 or 15 starters back, including every offensive starter + your all MAC QB, and biggest WR for the 2015 season.

The Urban reference doesn't really fit. Urban was 37 when he took the BG job, besides being in completely different places in their life, I think they both have different outlooks on the college football landscape.

He also doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who wants to bolt to Champaign, Illinois to try and rebuild a midlevel Big10 team for what would likely be his last coaching stop. Now, if BG goes 11-2 or 12-1 and wins the MAC next year and Jim Mora moves to the NFL or takes another gig....that's the kind of job I could see him being interested in.

Look at Doc Holliday at Marshall. The guy has turned their program around, will likely go undefeated and isn't gaining any traction for almost any job because he's 57 years old.

[Flipper]

He's 57 and he has a stupid name....

[slashba33]

He's 57 and he has a stupid name....

Ha...I'll be your huckleberry!!

[Falconfreak90]

I love he answers things honestly. Someone asks him a question and he's going to answer it. Very rarely does he dodge a non game related question.

Agree 100%. I love this guy. His system still needs work...he even said that our O would not be fully functional and going until mid season in year 2.