about Chavis as DC and we were ranked 102nd in total defense and A&M was ranked in the 60’s…How in the hell can people complain and our defense was ranked 40 some spots behind Chavis’s…Now that is funny…
Maybe people aspire to be at the top and not the middle of the road; especially with the price tag Chavis brings.
So, who would you pick that would take the job?
Do you have a guarantee DC that will put the Hogs at the top?
I’ll answer, “Nope”.
Who’s to say Chavis won’t do a GOOD job here.
The question to ask would be was Chaney’s #60 defense made up of more talented players than we have or with less. If he had less talent to work with then he needs strong consideration if he had more then its to be expected to be rated higher. Also this was our 1st season trying a new defensive scheme so that’s another thing to consider, we need to find someone soon that will bring some attention on the recruiting trail! WPS
I will tell you why.
As I have said about Morris, is that I do not buy his act. He came in and he PROMISED that we would have the best DC in the nation. The last time I checked, John Chavis is NOT the best DC in America. There are several that are better hires than him. He had a lot of talent at TAMU, and did not do a very good job this year. He can’t live off what he did at LSU.
We’re gonna have to pay 1.5 million for this guy. Leonhard at Wisconsin would be a better hire, for example.
Just my .02…
Elmo, you are going to be a hard man to please. Which is ok, but I think you need to be able to separate coachspeak from reality. There is a distinction.
I won’t hold Coach Morris literally to every word he utters. But he needs to win. I think he will. I’ve watched him at SMU for a few years now. Campus is a third of a mile from my house. Good coach, but I think you will see he is one of the best acquirers of Texas HS talent we could get at Arkansas. He is truly plugged into these Texas high schools and it will pay huge dividends. In the wake of the Bielma debacle it would have been silly to get a coach from outside of our footprint to come in here and try to recruit Texas.
I expect Coach Morris to consistently have teams and seasons about like Mike Gundy at OSU. I’ll be happy if that happens.
Dude, that was coach speak. Did you want him to come in and say I’m gonna bring the worst DC in the nation??? Ask yourself would you leave a team that has competed for the NC 3 years straight to go and rebuild???
I don’t believe anyone can definitively say the A&M defense was a Chavis problem, as opposed to a Kevin Sumlin problem. Sumlin has never fielded a good defense. Could very well have a lot to do with the way he runs practice. There were stories about Petrino and how he ran his offense-centric practices and the negative effect it had on his defenses.
Maybe I’m right, maybe not. But I don’t think Chavis should be judged solely on his time at A&M. There are a lot of things that could’ve factored into the defensive performance in his brief time there.
Good lord, let’s allow our coach to engage in coachspeak. All the rest of them do. No matter the profession, job, or calling, there’s a certain amount of puffery involved. We all know it & we all recognize it. I want a man who is optimistic and plans to do well. That includes goals in hiring.
As for whether Chavis is “the best” is something I can’t know. I know he’s been considered one of the best for several years. I’m not going to say he no longer is because his D at A&M wasn’t a top 10 D. There are simply too variables affecting those things.
Regardless, I trust our HC to hire his assistants. It’s his job that’s on the line if he doesn’t get coaches that get the job done. I sure don’t want fans hiring them. That includes “fans” like elmo who has no credentials I’m aware of that make his opinion worth anything. There are always people who start out hating the coach. It appears we now have elmo to fit that bill here. He’ll be here right after our first loss yapping about whatever he thinks went wrong. If we lose 6 or more games next year, he’ll be telling us he told us so & calling for him to be fired. We can expect it as long as Morris is here. If by chance we win an SEC championship, we won’t hear from him. We’ve all seen elmo over the past 5 years. Maybe had a different naame, but we’ve always had an elmo or two or 40. Always will.
Nailed it. Chavis has proven to be great when he has great players and middling when he doesn’t. The same can be said for 95% of the coaches at all levels.
To me the question is whether his name and past success and ability to put players in the will lead to better recruiting on the defensive side of the Nfl in our few fertile recruiting areas.
So now you’re bashing the coach for a hire he hasn’t even made. Let him hire a guy and then bash
The key will be to recruit top defensive talent. That’s going to be the goal no matter the DC. I do not think the last two DCs were poor. It came down to defensive talent. Go get the players. I do not think there is anyone out there who will put a great defense out there without the players.
I am not worried about the ability of John Chavis to dial up pressures, blitzes or coverages. It will come down to players.
Recruiting wins the games. I’ve talked to many head coaches and all of them agree that there are lots of great DCs that can get it done – if you get them players. If you don’t, it won’t matter.
John Chavis is one of the elite DCs in the country. He will be just fine.
When it comes to the DC, Coach Morris has to live up to his own words:
“I want someone that has been well established,” Morris said. “Well proven and has the excitement and energy level and the get up and go that I have.”
Morris said there have been some challenges in recruiting without a defensive staff in place.
“I’ve assured them that our standard is best,” he said. “Everything we do is best, and that’s exactly what we’re going to get. We’re going to go get the best coordinator in the country. That’s our commitment each and every day.”
If he doesn’t do this he could lose recruits, the faith of current players and the fan base.
Does Chavis have the “excitement and energy level and the get up and go” that Morris has? That may be the ultimate question.
Whoever the DC is, I’m sure in CCM’s mind that he will be the best DC for the job. We can throw out a bunch of numbers to prove who the best DC is, but there are stories behind those numbers that the statistics don’t tell. I may be blasted for this, but I still think Paul Rhoades isn’t a bad DC. His one year here was a transition year to the 3-4 and no one knows how much he may have been handicapped to play “vanilla” defense with few blitzes. He may do well on the left coast, just like Chavis may be a better fit at Arkansas than Texas A&M.
Thanks, Clay, for your comments, which as usual, make all the sense in the world. I posted a couple weeks ago that I had had a lengthy conversation with an ex college and pro head coach about the Arkansas situation. He said almost EXACTLY what you did! Thanks again for always bringing factual, well thought out material to this board. WPS!
Subject: So people are complaining about fans not happy with upcoming hire.
Here’s the thing: if Coach Morris has a 10 win season out the gate it will win over a few more but it could easily be contributed to a much easier schedule.
If He wins 5 the results can be easily sourced to lack of personal/speed (The O-Line) my point is year (1) may not be indicative of the product 3yrs from now.
The coaching record’s above are that of (HDN and BP in year (1).
I think Chavis will be an excellent hire. It also shows we do have the money to go get a big name coordinater.
At this point I want him to get the best he can get in the next two weeks,I’m sure there are guys he wants but will not be able to get like always. If we go through the entire recruiting period without naming a household name DC the fans will begin to get restless in a hurry. As far as the coach speak goes, say what you mean and mean what you say and let the rough edges drag from there because you’ve done all you can and there’s no explanation needed if you stand by your word. WPS