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Link: John Chavis-Turnaround
By Chris Low ESPN Senior Staff Writer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Some of Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis' most enduring lessons didn't come on a football field, but rather on a tractor while growing up in Dillon, South Carolina.
His parents, Robert Jr. and Becky Jane Chavis, were Cherokee sharecroppers, and Chavis -- one of 10 children in the family -- learned at an early age the importance of earning his keep and doing things the right way. The family squeezed into a small house on the landowner's property before Chavis' father saved enough money to buy his own home. They mostly grew tobacco, but there were also other crops to be planted out of season.
"I can still remember my dad saying when we'd be planting whatever we were planting at that time that if one little spot was crooked, that he was going to wear my rear end out," Chavis recalled fondly. "To him, it wasn't just planting the rows. They had to be straight, or it wasn't good enough."
Just as important in the elder Chavis' eyes was the premise that the only job that mattered was the one you were doing right then.
"He was a farmer and not the most educated man, but he taught me a lot, how to fish and how to hunt. The most important thing he taught me, though, was how to work," Chavis said. "The best job is the one you've got, and you've got to take the right kind of pride in that job to make it that way.
"If you're always looking around, then you're not doing what you need to do to do your job right."
Armani Watts said. "Coach Chavis was that missing piece, the way he came in here and made us believe. We took on his personality on defense, that we're going to be the ones to set the tone."
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin had already decided a few things needed to change in Aggieland if they were going to survive in the SEC's rugged Western Division. He knew bringing in Chavis, known as "Chief" to most around the college football world, would go a long way toward making Texas A&M a tougher, more physical football team -- and not just on defense. Plus, Sumlin had grown weary of competing against Chavis, especially seeing the way he shut down Johnny Manziel and the Aggies for two straight seasons in 2012 and 2013. During Manziel's Heisman-winning 2012 season, the Tigers picked him off three times and held him to 27 rushing yards in a 24-19 LSU win.
"We've always had confidence offensively, the way we've done things," Sumlin said. "Our defense was something that needed to not only change schematically, but to get some confidence and some pride. What (Chavis) has brought is an attitude that really started with our defensive players, giving them a reference point, or a standard rather, of what the defense should look like, and what the expectations are defensively, and he's held them to that standard."
The No. 6 Aggies face their biggest test of the season Saturday at No. 1 Alabama, which has won three straight in the series (averaging 49.6 points in those three games) since losing in the Aggies' debut SEC season in 2012.
There are telltale signs Chavis has Texas A&M's defense on the right track despite the Aggies giving up 684 yards, the most in school history, two weeks ago to Tennessee in a 45-38 double-overtime win. They are tied for second nationally in forced turnovers (17), third in tackles for loss (58), fourth in red zone defense (11 touchdowns in 26 red zone attempts), 13th in sacks (20), 22nd in scoring defense (19.2 points per game) and 28th in third-down defense (.340).
With its back to the goal line, Texas A&M has been excellent. The Aggies played 18 snaps of defense inside their own 10 against Arkansas and gave up just 17 points in those 18 plays. They've allowed just 13 touchdowns in six games, and five came against Tennessee. But even against the Vols, the Aggies came up with seven turnovers, including Watts' interception in the second overtime to seal the win.
"Coach Chavis was that missing piece, the way he came in here and made us believe. We took on his personality on defense, that we're going to be the ones to set the tone."
Texas A&M safety Armani Watts
Even with defenses playing more plays than ever now because of all the teams utilizing tempo on offense, Chavis admittedly is still old school. One of his more legendary qualities is his stubbornness, and he's simply not ready to change his standards.
If an offense scores more than 17 points or gains more than 300 yards against one of his defenses, Chavis is still going to be ornery, even in a win.
"Maybe I'm not living in reality, but I'm not going to change," Chavis said. "Offenses have changed so much and are scoring so much. It's definitely a different feel, but then you look at the film, see things you can correct and feel a little bit better about it. I don't know if what constitutes good defense has changed or not. I just know that you're not going to win a championship unless you can stop people. Name me a team that wasn't good on defense that has won a championship. You can't."
Link: John Chavis-Turnaround
By Chris Low ESPN Senior Staff Writer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Some of Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis' most enduring lessons didn't come on a football field, but rather on a tractor while growing up in Dillon, South Carolina.
His parents, Robert Jr. and Becky Jane Chavis, were Cherokee sharecroppers, and Chavis -- one of 10 children in the family -- learned at an early age the importance of earning his keep and doing things the right way. The family squeezed into a small house on the landowner's property before Chavis' father saved enough money to buy his own home. They mostly grew tobacco, but there were also other crops to be planted out of season.
"I can still remember my dad saying when we'd be planting whatever we were planting at that time that if one little spot was crooked, that he was going to wear my rear end out," Chavis recalled fondly. "To him, it wasn't just planting the rows. They had to be straight, or it wasn't good enough."
Just as important in the elder Chavis' eyes was the premise that the only job that mattered was the one you were doing right then.
"He was a farmer and not the most educated man, but he taught me a lot, how to fish and how to hunt. The most important thing he taught me, though, was how to work," Chavis said. "The best job is the one you've got, and you've got to take the right kind of pride in that job to make it that way.
"If you're always looking around, then you're not doing what you need to do to do your job right."
Armani Watts said. "Coach Chavis was that missing piece, the way he came in here and made us believe. We took on his personality on defense, that we're going to be the ones to set the tone."
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin had already decided a few things needed to change in Aggieland if they were going to survive in the SEC's rugged Western Division. He knew bringing in Chavis, known as "Chief" to most around the college football world, would go a long way toward making Texas A&M a tougher, more physical football team -- and not just on defense. Plus, Sumlin had grown weary of competing against Chavis, especially seeing the way he shut down Johnny Manziel and the Aggies for two straight seasons in 2012 and 2013. During Manziel's Heisman-winning 2012 season, the Tigers picked him off three times and held him to 27 rushing yards in a 24-19 LSU win.
"We've always had confidence offensively, the way we've done things," Sumlin said. "Our defense was something that needed to not only change schematically, but to get some confidence and some pride. What (Chavis) has brought is an attitude that really started with our defensive players, giving them a reference point, or a standard rather, of what the defense should look like, and what the expectations are defensively, and he's held them to that standard."
The No. 6 Aggies face their biggest test of the season Saturday at No. 1 Alabama, which has won three straight in the series (averaging 49.6 points in those three games) since losing in the Aggies' debut SEC season in 2012.
There are telltale signs Chavis has Texas A&M's defense on the right track despite the Aggies giving up 684 yards, the most in school history, two weeks ago to Tennessee in a 45-38 double-overtime win. They are tied for second nationally in forced turnovers (17), third in tackles for loss (58), fourth in red zone defense (11 touchdowns in 26 red zone attempts), 13th in sacks (20), 22nd in scoring defense (19.2 points per game) and 28th in third-down defense (.340).
With its back to the goal line, Texas A&M has been excellent. The Aggies played 18 snaps of defense inside their own 10 against Arkansas and gave up just 17 points in those 18 plays. They've allowed just 13 touchdowns in six games, and five came against Tennessee. But even against the Vols, the Aggies came up with seven turnovers, including Watts' interception in the second overtime to seal the win.
"Coach Chavis was that missing piece, the way he came in here and made us believe. We took on his personality on defense, that we're going to be the ones to set the tone."
Texas A&M safety Armani Watts
Even with defenses playing more plays than ever now because of all the teams utilizing tempo on offense, Chavis admittedly is still old school. One of his more legendary qualities is his stubbornness, and he's simply not ready to change his standards.
If an offense scores more than 17 points or gains more than 300 yards against one of his defenses, Chavis is still going to be ornery, even in a win.
"Maybe I'm not living in reality, but I'm not going to change," Chavis said. "Offenses have changed so much and are scoring so much. It's definitely a different feel, but then you look at the film, see things you can correct and feel a little bit better about it. I don't know if what constitutes good defense has changed or not. I just know that you're not going to win a championship unless you can stop people. Name me a team that wasn't good on defense that has won a championship. You can't."
