A Week With The 2024 FCS Assistant Coach Of The Year
DON DOBES is in his fifth year as defensive coordinator for the Dartmouth football team and his 25th year of coaching in the Ivy League.
A 1979 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan, where he earned all-conference and academic all-state honors. Dobes recently gave PEAK an inside look at what game week is like for a football lifer and his defensive staff.
SUNDAY, OCT. 19
SIX DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF
Sunday, it is the proverbial day of rest but not for the defensive staff. By 9:30 in the morning Dobes is visiting the training room to check on injuries from the Holy Cross game, and by 10 he is in his office on the third floor of Floren Varsity House grading video from the game against the Crusaders. Defensive line coach Duane Brooks and secondary coach Sammy McCorkle are in their own offices doing the same thing.
"Each one of the position coaches breaks down their guys," Dobes explains. "We call it a production chart. It will have plus, minuses and zeros. Each week you can see who is highly productive."
The players will receive copies of their grades when they meet.
"They are actually sitting there with the whole game sheet with down, distance, play and formation," Dobes says. "They can see my notes, Sammy's notes and Duane's notes. So they can see why they got what they got grade wise, and what our coaching point is."
After a full staff meeting at noon in which the Holy Cross game is reviewed, there is a quick team meeting at 2. By 2:15 Dobes is in the special teams meeting, and then he runs a 2:45 defensive unit meeting where video of the second half of Holy Cross will be shown.
"We only have X-amount of time on Sunday, so I am trying to make sure we see the most impactful part of the game, when there are coaching points that we want to make sure we cover as a staff," Dobes says. "We like doing that as a defensive staff together because our whole philosophy on defense is we are a unit together. It's not my linebackers, it's not Duane's 'D' line, they aren't Sammy's 'DBs' We are all in this together.
"I tell the guys early on, 'If Coach Brooks says something at linebacker, that's the same thing as me saying something. Same with Sammy about the line, or me with the DB's."
From 3:45-4:30 there is a light session for the players on Memorial Field, getting the kinks out from Holy Cross.
Starting at 5:30 the defensive staff meets to bat around final thoughts from Holy Cross and to watch Columbia's 31-7 loss at Penn that same afternoon.
The Lions began the year with their transfer quarterback from Stanford leading the offense but when he left the team the defensive staff had to scramble to build up a dossier on his replacement.
"We need to see what the new kid is good at," Dobes says. "So we are trying to think along with their offensive coordinator to try to find out what they are going to do with him."
Because the Lions' new QB played the fourth quarter of last year's game in Hanover, that video draws a look.
Around 7:30 the defensive staff begins its breakdown of the next opponent. In brief, the Columbia picture looks like this:
"The quarterback is a kid that who is going to get rid of the ball quick," Dobes says. "We think he actually has better accuracy and might be a little bit of a better leader than the previous guy. It seems that the guys will play for him.
"We really like the tailback. We know they are young at offensive line with both guards being young kids so we want to try to take advantage of them with our defensive line and defensive tackles. We want to start creating matchups for them. Receiver-wise, we have to figure out who is their go-to guy."
By 9 p.m. Dobes is back home making recruiting calls. It has been a short day for the defensive coordinator.
MONDAY, OCT. 20
FIVE DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF
Dobes' alarm clock goes off at 5:07 a.m. It is just a 12-minute commute from his place in Lebanon to Floren but given the crazy hours he puts in this time of year he likes to have a decent breakfast with a little fruit and a cup of tea before heading out.
Settling in at his desk at 6:15, Dobes is working unsuccessfully at getting his in-box to zero, and to put in some time watching recruiting videos before things get crazy.
Email is a time sucker and he will avoid it like the plague during the day. "Unless I see something from one of the (player) families or one of the guys saying that they have a class conflict or something like that, I don't look at it," he says. "But if it's got anything to do with prospects, I won't touch it on Monday or Tuesday, unless I do that early in the morning."
At 9 a.m. Dobes will be fully in involved with Columbia.
"Mondays are big days for what we call, being in the science" he says. "What we mean is we're trying to break down all the ingredients that make whoever we are playing special. And then kind of start formulating what our game plan is going to be."
At 11 the full staff assembles in the meeting room to review the War Board, which lists the recruiting battles being fought. Each week recruiting at two or three positions are reviewed. On this Monday those positions are quarterback and safety.
The coaches who have quarterbacks or safeties Dartmouth is considering in the areas they recruit have already shared that information with the coach who handles those positions. The position coaches, in turn, have ranked the recruits.
"We talk about what's going on with those kids", Dobes says. "What are they saying to us? Where are they ranked? What else do we need from them, either from an admissions standpoint or a financial aid standpoint? Does the head coach need to talk to them? We are putting together lists of 3-4 guys for the head coach to call during the week."
Dobes is back breaking down Columbia at noon. At 2:30 he heads into town to buy cold medicine. There is no time to be sick. "You can't allow that to happen," he says. Whether it is the miracle of modern medicine or the power of prayer, whatever was stalking Dobes reverses field and by Thursday it will be a memory.
Dobes is back in Floren in time to meet with a reporter from the school newspaper and then puts in three solid hours of Columbia breakdown. From 7 p.m. until 9:30 the defensive staff meets and works on the gameplan. At 10 Dobes calls it a day.
TUESDAY, OCT. 21
FOUR DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF
Dobes is at his desk by 6:15 and soon has markers in hand drawing up plays on 8x11 card stock. To best prepare the defense to counter the Columbia offense someone has to run the Lions' offense. That will be the duty of what he calls the "demo" team, made up largely of freshmen and reserves.
So everyone knows where they should be the players will be shown cards with squiggly lines helping illustrate various plays.
"Duane will do probably 20 each week," Dobes says. "I will do somewhere in the 50-to-60 range. Sammy will probably do 30-to-40. And then (nickels coach) Mike Bruno and (quality control assistant) Justin Karrat will do another 12-to-15 each. So we will have about 100 cards on Columbia. Then I will mix and match them based on down and distance and field position."
The cards take a lot of time. Kiely Nagle, the running backs coach, and quality control assistant Jerry Taylor use the computer to make up cards. Not McCorkle, who likes to use colored markers for different receivers. And not Dobes.
"We are old school, he says. "I like seeing it on paper. I like doing it because it helps me see what the issues are, what problems they can create, and it helps me to formulate a game plan."
At 11 the full coaching staff convenes for an injury report, to discuss how to handle possible bad weather for the first Columbia practice, and to begin to map out a recruiting travel plan for head coach Buddy Teevens and the area coaches when the season ends.
Then it's more work on cards and finalizing the practice script before pre-practice, a full team meeting, a special teams meeting, and position meetings.
Dobes finally gets outside at 4 to set up drills and from 4:15- to-6:35 has the first official Columbia practice. It is a relief.
"On the field is the best part of the day," he says. "It is a total scramble to get to that point."
From 7:30 until 9 p.m. Dobes watches practice and reviews corrections that are needed. When he started his coaching career that would have been impossible. But with the onset of videotape and then digital video, everything has changed.
"It is amazing how quick it is at our fingertips," Dobes says. "Within a half an hour of walking off the field Mike and Justin have entered a play-by-play. Down and distance, field position, gain, what we called, what coverage we called. And then there will be printouts that we have as we are watching so each one of us can make notes for the kids and for ourselves."
At 9:30 Dobes heads home and begins making recruiting calls.
"I've usually got some game on the TV with no volume while I'm dialing numbers," he says. "We try to average 15-to-20 calls a week. You might have your iPad on also, so you're looking at emails. It's a juggling act."
The lights go out at 11.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22
THREE DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF
An hour after his 6:15 arrival at Floren Dobes is readying for a discussion of Columbia's third-down tendencies. From 7:30 until 10:30 it is a point of emphasis, as it will be in practice.
Dobes begins preparing for his linebacker meeting at 2:30 and meets with his position players from 3 until 3:50. Then it's back on the field for a much sharper session. He's pleased with the demo team, which seems to have a better handle on the Columbia offense in its second day running the Lions' plays.
The front-line players are still thinking about the adjustments the coaches have made rather than making them instinctively, but all in all it's a good practice. There are too many players in red and yellow vests signifying injuries but there are fewer than earlier in the week, and that's a good thing.
After reviewing practice the coaches take a half hour to eat their dinners before getting back to work.
"Buddy is really good about that," an appreciative Dobes says. "He has something coming in for us Sunday night through Wednesday night. One night is pizza night. Another night it's Boloco or Big Fatty's. Once in a while some of the wives or moms will cook. Cortez Hankton's mom has come in and cooked for us a couple of Sunday nights."
On Thursday night Dobes is on his own. "It is usually Popcorn Thursday," says. "Friday we are usually somewhere with the team. Saturday night it's a tailgate or going out with the girlfriend to someplace like Three Tomatoes in Lebanon."
After dinner and until 9:30 or so Dobes is back on the phone calling recruits and evaluating high school video.
When Dobes finally gets home, he will be asleep when his head hits the pillow. In season 5½ hours is a good night's sleep.
"During the week I am like a light switch," he says. "I put my head down and I'm asleep unless there is something bothering me about what we are trying to solve.
"If there's an issue with a certain play, a certain coverage, I will think about it during the night. There have been times I have actually gotten up in the middle of the night and jotted things down because it's come to me, the answer for what we are looking for. Then I will check it in the morning and we will look at it as a staff."
THURSDAY, OCT. 23
TWO DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF
Dobes sleeps in - he doesn't arrive until 6:30 a.m. After an hour clearing his computer he is reviewing practice video periods such as special categories, team, 9-on-7, skeleton and two- minute drills.
At 10 the depth chart is getting a once-over with a discussion of injuries and options as well as personnel packages.
Fifteen minutes later it's time to organize practice and review the game plan for "critical calls."
The full staff meeting kicks off at 11 with the academic advisor and head trainer taking up the first few minutes, followed by the coaches sharing updates from their recruiting calls. The coaches go over the practice schedule and finalize the travel roster.
After 45 minutes it is back to drawing up cards and the Thursday script, which mirrors everything Columbia is expected to do with regard to field position and down and distance.
During a 10-minute team meeting at 2:30 the weekend schedule is discussed, and at 2:40 Dobes heads up the defensive line meeting because Brooks is away on a recruiting trip.
When his 3:10 position meeting with the linebackers finishes Dobes heads out to the field for the final full practice before Columbia.
At 6:30 he's back in his office among all the thick black notebooks finishing up the game plan and putting it on the "call sheet" he will have with him on Saturday in New York City.
Ninety minutes later Dobes is clearing his emails, making recruiting calls and watching recruit videos. At 9 he heads home where he will make recruiting calls until 10:30, and then take care of personal matters that keep being put off.
Like paying bills.
FRIDAY, OCT. 24
ONE DAY UNTIL KICKOFF
Dobes arrives at the office at 7:30. It is travel day. He gets his bags packed with all the paraphernalia of a modern coach, corrects Thursday's practice tape and then double-checks that he has everything he needs for the weekend.
"We have a Friday tape and we want to make sure that is done and ready to go," he says. "We'll be having a walk-through (at The Hackley School in New York) so we want to make sure we have that organized and ready to go."
After a 9 a.m. staff meeting he finishes his notes and at 10 starts heading down for the bus.
The bus rolls at 10:30. The players and coaches will finally disembark at 3:30 for quick walk-through to shake the bus out of their legs. They check into the Westchester Marriott at 4:15.
Dobes and the staff meet with the players for dinner at 6:30 and after a nice meal he's meeting with special teams at 7:15, the full team at 7:50, and the defensive unit from 8 until 8:45.
While the team relaxes, Dobes goes back to work, polishing the gameplan.
"To me, Friday nights on the road are the best, most peaceful night," he says. "Once we get done with the meetings I can go into my room and watch probably a half of Columbia's last two games and actually break it down again based on our calls, what gave them trouble and what didn't. I can review and revamp exactly what we think they are going to do, and what we want to do against them."
SATURDAY, OCT. 25
GAME DAY
Dobes is up and working out in the Marriott fitness center by 6:30. It is a rare opportunity and one he relishes.
"About the only chance I have to work out is once in a while on Friday, and then any Saturday on the road," he says.
Thanks to eating in the office and few opportunities to work out, the season is not good for most coaches' waistlines. Dobes says even if the scale doesn't show it he can feel like he's put on 10 or 15 pounds by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.
"It is a battle to stay in shape, to eat healthy and do the right things in this business," he says. "That's one of the reasons why I stand all the time when I am in my office now. I'm trying to find ways to fight calories and feel better during the season."
By 7:30 the defensive coordinator is in his room watching more Columbia video and at 9:30 he joins the team for breakfast. Thankfully, Columbia isn't a late game and everyone is on the bus and headed for Wien Stadium at 10:45.
"I love getting up early and getting going," he says. "It's the late afternoon and evening games that drive you nuts. You really feel like, hey let's get up, let's eat, and let's get going."
The team takes the field for warmups at 12:40 but before the 1:30 kickoff, Dobes has to prepare his body for the stress ahead.
"Most of us will take some aspirin or Tylenol before the game," he explains. "Some guys will do Red Bulls and things like that. By the time it's over you are spent emotionally and physically. It takes it out of you whether it's charging the guys up, whether it's making adjustments, and whether or not it's a rollercoaster of a game."
After Dartmouth's 27-7 victory the travel party grabs the takeout dinner that was delivered to the stadium off folding tables outside the locker room. Dobes greets family members of the players and well-wishers before he escapes to the sanctuary of the bus and takes a much-deserved, if abbreviated, nap.
When he awakens out comes the iPad, which already features video "cut ups" from the win over Columbia. While the players behind him are napping, listening to music through their omnipresent headphones, or working on homework, Dobes is grading the game and answering texts congratulating him on the Big Green improving to 5-1.
The bus rolls into Hanover at 10:50 p.m. and Dobes has finished grading three quarters.
"Being able to do that on the bus is an incredibly valuable use of time," he says. "That allows you to go to church on Sunday, or stop at the Fort and grab breakfast before coming in and finishing up your grading."
And then it's time to do it all over again with Harvard coming to town.
