Chavis' Performance

#1
MemphisVol

MemphisVol

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#1
I don't think I've ever replied in any of the threads which have slammed Chavis, partly because I was confused-- and wasn't sure I wasn't missing something that would make me look ignorant.

My take has been that, particularly over the last few years, Chavis' D has been saving our butts-- or, when we lost, at least putting in such good performances that we actually stayed in games despite offensive offensive play.

They folded against UCLA at the last, but I'd put a "finally" between 'they' and 'folded'. How long can you expect a squad to do it all themselves?

Against Auburn, they kept us within 2 points despite all the offense's mistakes, including giving up an easy 7 that was the difference in the game.

As far as I have (or maybe it's 'can') see, the only serious problem with Chavis D teams is that, when they get tired or rattled they fall back on The Great Tennessee Arm Tackle. Lord knows this is a grisly trait, but I can't remember seeing it except in games where either the O was screwing the pooch, and/or the whole team seemed mentally unprepared for a psyched up and/or stronger opponent.

Technically, maybe all this means is that Chavis' Ds are much more consistent and steady than our Os. What are the dispassionate arguments against him?
 
#2
#2
This D lacks explosive D lineman. That will make all parts of a D look bad at some point.

I will say Dan William is playing some decent ball and nice to see some young guys get some sacks(Walker, Martin). Maybe there is some hope for the future.
 
#3
#3
Didn't UT give up a school record for points last year? That has to be some argument.
 
#4
#4
D line is doing better than last year, and that's saying alot. But I think it's due to our excellent DB's.
 
#6
#6
MemphisVol said:
My take has been that, particularly over the last few years, Chavis' D has been saving our butts-- or, when we lost, at least putting in such good performances that we actually stayed in games despite offensive offensive play.
Click to expand...

You mean like Saturday on 3rd and 5 when the players were instructed to look for Kodi Burns to try to beat them over the top? :unsure: What about Chavis making the likes of DJ Hall, Kevin Craft, Nate Longshore, and Kenny McKinley look like world beaters?

The fact is that whenever Tennessee needed a stop in the most critical time, Chavis and that defense can't buy a stop... that is the bottom line.
 
#8
#8
Again, I don't get where no one is allowed to criticise the d. I know the o's problems right now are overshadowing everything, but let's not act like Chavis is the only thing keeping this season together. He consitently has played soft in curcial situations. It's called playing not to lose, and he's been doing it for some time.
 
#9
#9
considering the HUGE busts we've had in the last 2-3 years on the d line (henderson, mcgruder, brimfield come to mind immediately, but i know some of you who keep up with recruiting better than i can come up with better ones) its hard to place d line blame on him. i am more of the opinion, like these last few posters, that chavis hasn't scared anyone with scheme since the infamous 'prowler' game with the postponed 9-11 game with florida. that said, i think he calls wayyyyyyyyyy too conservatively with the athletes we've had in the "back 7" with LB's and DB's. not a single blitz up the middle in 'smooth as butter' craft's face in the final THREE drives against UCLA and it seems like opposing QB's are playing PlayStation over the middle (jp to dj was a nightmare last year) with us lately. I think Chavis needs to go as well.
 
#10
#10
OrangeU said:
considering the HUGE busts we've had in the last 2-3 years on the d line (henderson, mcgruder, brimfield come to mind immediately, but i know some of you who keep up with recruiting better than i can come up with better ones) its hard to place d line blame on him.
Click to expand...

There is an awful lot of bad luck in recruiting going on over there. Makes you think is it bad luck or just an inability to bring in talent? Wonder if Donta Hightower would be redshirting this year if he was in Knoxville?
 
#11
#11
volsforever27 said:
Again, I don't get where no one is allowed to criticise the d. I know the o's problems right now are overshadowing everything, but let's not act like Chavis is the only thing keeping this season together. He consitently has played soft in curcial situations. It's called playing not to lose, and he's been doing it for some time.
Click to expand...


Actually, I was doing the opposite, and even salted the mine by making it clear I could easily be missing something.

The two arguments I've seen-- so far-- here are folding late (I'd say sometimes, though too often), and, playing too soft/ too safe.

The first of them, my impression is that you'd have to go game-by-game and weed out the many times that was due to exhaustion after otherwise great play with no help, then look at the number left that were doofusness. My feeling is that there are far fewer doofus than 'been on the field too long' cases, but I wouldn't swear to it.

The second argument is the one that really sticks with me. But, since the offense on those occaisions when it's actually ahead does the same thing (plays not-to-lose rather than to win) I have to wonder if that's a case of Chavis being just like his boss and O Coordinator, or if it's the culture his boss is pushing-- or both.

Again, I don't know if that in any way excuses Chavis, because, at some point, if he's not fine with that attitude, why isn't he fighting it? Of course, that could be unfair, he may have a secret 1-legged hooker and hallucenagenic twinkie habit we know nothing about.

So, in my mind, at least we've fleshed out one debateable flaw and one characteristic which, if it isn't a flaw, deserves some explanation.

Please carry on..........
 
#12
#12
Rasputin_Vol said:
There is an awful lot of bad luck in recruiting going on over there. Makes you think is it bad luck or just an inability to bring in talent? Wonder if Donta Hightower would be redshirting this year if he was in Knoxville?
Click to expand...

i am starting to lean toward the latter, ras. even so, i know there isn't a rash of stud d line (specifically tackle) talent out there, or if there is it isn't as sexy to publicize their stats over say a 2000yd rusher or prolific passer. i wonder if this staff really is that poor of an evaluator of talent/character at times. we were spoiled for a while with walker, henderson, haynesworth, mahelona, etc, etc. they know what a good one looks like, so what's the deal?
 
#13
#13
Rasputin_Vol said:
You mean like Saturday on 3rd and 5 when the players were instructed to look for Kodi Burns to try to beat them over the top? :unsure: What about Chavis making the likes of DJ Hall, Kevin Craft, Nate Longshore, and Kenny McKinley look like world beaters?

The fact is that whenever Tennessee needed a stop in the most critical time, Chavis and that defense can't buy a stop... that is the bottom line.
Click to expand...

That whole progression at the end of the Auburn game made me sick. I'll admit I've never coached football, but what is the diff there in giving up a 95 yard touchdown pass vs. letting them getting a first down and run out the clock. Our game management this year has been poor to very poor.
 
#14
#14
MemphisVol said:
Actually, I was doing the opposite, and even salted the mine by making it clear I could easily be missing something.
The two arguments I've seen-- so far-- here are folding late (I'd say sometimes, though too often), and, playing too soft/ too safe.

The first of them, my impression is that you'd have to go game-by-game and weed out the many times that was due to exhaustion after otherwise great play with no help, then look at the number left that were doofusness. My feeling is that there are far fewer doofus than 'been on the field too long' cases, but I wouldn't swear to it.

The second argument is the one that really sticks with me. But, since the offense on those occaisions when it's actually ahead does the same thing (plays not-to-lose rather than to win) I have to wonder if that's a case of Chavis being just like his boss and O Coordinator, or if it's the culture his boss is pushing-- or both.

Again, I don't know if that in any way excuses Chavis, because, at some point, if he's not fine with that attitude, why isn't he fighting it? Of course, that could be unfair, he may have a secret 1-legged hooker and hallucenagenic twinkie habit we know nothing about.

So, in my mind, at least we've fleshed out one debateable flaw and one characteristic which, if it isn't a flaw, deserves some explanation.

Please carry on..........
Click to expand...


I wasn't singling you out, this has been going on all weekend, The problems with Chavis have been going on since the 90's. This isn't the first time he's played soft, and while you can blame Fulmer I get the feeling Chavis has more freedom that Sanders ever had or even Clawson now. That's semantics, but the fact is he plays soft in crucial situations, at this point it's a given he's going to play off the receivers.
 
#15
#15
volsforever27 said:
I wasn't singling you out, this has been going on all weekend, The problems with Chavis have been going on since the 90's. This isn't the first time he's played soft, and while you can blame Fulmer I get the feeling Chavis has more freedom that Sanders ever had or even Clawson now. That's semantics, but the fact is he plays soft in crucial situations, at this point it's a given he's going to play off the receivers.
Click to expand...

The way that game ended after they picked up that 3rd and 5 was probably the most anti-climactic ending to a Tennessee game I had every seen.
 
#16
#16
Rasputin_Vol said:
The way that game ended after they picked up that 3rd and 5 was probably the most anti-climactic ending to a Tennessee game I had every seen.
Click to expand...

True. With the O struggling, who knows if they would have been able to even kick a fg, but think they're going deep in that situation? How do you get a coaching job with that thinking?
 
#17
#17
when the O really sucks, the D kind of flies under the radar. note all those who said the D played "great" against UF this year. and how "great" the D looked in the sanders era, relatively speaking.

i consider chavis an above average DC but his achille's heel is pass D with no sign of improvement over the years (reference UCLA and Auburn).
 
#18
#18
Chavis (and Fulmer for that matter) are what they are. They both approach their job through determination and hard work and have some good strengths. But they are sub-par when it comes to thinking on their feet and perceiving of creative solutions during a game. Neither is a genius (no one in football is, in my view). I came to that conclusion on Fulmer when he made a decision in the 2003 Bama game to put his defense into 1st and 2 situation rather than a 1st and 10 situation when we had one chance at a three down stop to get the ball back and drive for the tying score. Somehow the defense got it done (and bailed him out) and Casey drove the length of the field in under 2 minutes to tie it up. I came to that conclusion on Chavis when he was living in Carrick at the same time as me (he was on the 12th floor and I was on the 10th). We didn't view him as the sharpest knife in the drawer then, but he worked incredibly hard to get a walkon scholly from Majors (Battle turned him down two years trying).
 
#19
#19
CHAVIS is a has been. He coaches some good games and he coaches some bad games. That is his problem he is way to inconsistant. He does not recruit and he does not know how to make halftime adjustments. Or how about the fact that our tackeling looks like that of a JV team. Or that the overall talent on the defensive side of the ball in the past couple years have been mediocre at best!
And have you seen him against the Spread???? He looks like he is trying to understand a foreign language. The game is just to fast paced for him now and we need someone who can make decisions on the FLY, instead of the next day during an interview!
 
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