Chad Morris

#26
#26
The Original Fade said:
And SMU has gotten better since he left......with his recruits no less
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Actually Dykes had to bring in something like 16 grad transfers including Buechele, the QB from Texas who has been great. But that probably makes it worse that his recruits weren't good enough.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if Morris doesn't make it to year 3 with another 2-10 season but if he does we're probably going to break Vanderbilt's record of consecutive SEC losses. We're at 15 right now and the record is 20.
 
#27
#27
TNVOLFN said:
I’ll always have great affection for Coach Chavis, but I do believe his defense is only able to excel if he has tremendous talent to work with and I’ve seen him out coached numerous times when he does have better talent than his opponent.
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Chavis as a tactician/schemer is overrated. Always has been. In all his time at Tennessee, I don't think I ever saw him out-coach somebody. If the defense played well, it was because we had more talent than the opposing offense, and as you said he would get outcoached quite often with similar or greater talent.
 
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#28
#28
gohogs14 said:
Actually Dykes had to bring in something like 16 grad transfers including Buechele, the QB from Texas who has been great. But that probably makes it worse that his recruits weren't good enough.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if Morris doesn't make it to year 3 with another 2-10 season but if he does we're probably going to break Vanderbilt's record of consecutive SEC losses. We're at 15 right now and the record is 20.
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I live here in Little Rock so I’m keenly aware of the mood in Razorback country. The fans here deserve better - Arky fans are some of the SEC’s best in my opinion because the fan delusion seems to be minimal. Arkansas knows what they are and what they’re not. On Morris, he’s just not getting it done. Winless in the SEC after 2 years? Strong possibility
 
#29
#29
05_never_again said:
Chavis as a tactician/schemer is overrated. Always has been. In all his time at Tennessee, I don't think I ever saw him out-coach somebody. If the defense played well, it was because we had more talent than the opposing offense, and as you said he would get outcoached quite often with similar or greater talent.
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While I agree he was maddening at times with his mustang package, I would point to the 2001 Florida game. He absolutely outcoached Spurrier and the Florida offensive staff. The prowler alignment with one or two down linemen and everyone else standing and moving was one of the best defensive gameplans I've ever seen. Florida was completely bewildered for much of that game. Check around the 29:30 mark in the vid below.

 
#30
#30
TheColdVolTruth said:
While I agree he was maddening at times with his mustang package, I would point to the 2001 Florida game. He absolutely outcoached Spurrier and the Florida offensive staff. The prowler alignment with one or two down linemen and everyone else standing and moving was one of the best defensive gameplans I've ever seen. Florida was completely bewildered for much of that game.
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He was comparably talented to Florida in that game though. That 2001 defense was absolutely loaded, particularly along the defensive line (Henderson and Haynesworth were 1st rounders in the next draft, Overstreet was a 3rd rounder). On paper, the 2001 defense might have been better than even the 1998 defense.

Chavis's defenses never were more than the sum of their parts. When they were really good, it is because they had elite talent, but they weren't always really good when they had elite talent. They either achieved in line with what you'd expect or underachieved. The same can be said of Fulmer.

Chavis's M.O. was run a base 4-3 and mix it up with that stupid Mustang package, which featured in some incredibly painful come-from-behind losses. I think it should also be said that Chavis was never really a great recruiter either - other guys on the staff did that.
 
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#31
#31
05_never_again said:
He was comparably talented to Florida in that game though. That 2001 defense was absolutely loaded, particularly along the defensive line (Henderson and Haynesworth were 1st rounders in the next draft, Overstreet was a 3rd rounder). On paper, the 2001 defense might have been better than even the 1998 defense.

Chavis's defenses never were more than the sum of their parts. When they were really good, it is because they had elite talent, but they weren't always really good when they had elite talent. They either achieved in line with what you'd expect or underachieved. The same can be said of Fulmer.

Chavis's M.O. was run a base 4-3 and mix it up with that stupid Mustang package, which featured in some incredibly painful come-from-behind losses. I think it should also be said that Chavis was never really a great recruiter either - other guys on the staff did that.
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I agree with everything here. My response was to him having never out-coached someone. That UT defensive roster was elite, but so was the UF offensive roster. It was an evenly matched game from a talent standpoint, but the defensive scheme for UT was better than the offensive scheme for UF. This was a loaded defense, but I think this may have been the best scheme Chavis ever put on the field. UT didn't out-talent UF. They matched them in talent, but UT did out-coach UF that day.
 
#32
#32
lilesrt said:
He was an unproven coach at SMU. Not sure why Arkansas hired him to begin with. Bad hire.
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It was based off his "Mad Scientist" reputation from Clemson which got him the SMU gig to begin with. So several people thought given time he could build an offensive juggernaut.
 
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#33
#33
TheColdVolTruth said:
While I agree he was maddening at times with his mustang package, I would point to the 2001 Florida game. He absolutely outcoached Spurrier and the Florida offensive staff. The prowler alignment with one or two down linemen and everyone else standing and moving was one of the best defensive gameplans I've ever seen. Florida was completely bewildered for much of that game. Check around the 29:30 mark in the vid below.

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That was a great game plan and a great result... The next week, however, was abysmal. Not only did LSU beat us with a backup QB and RB, our defense never adjusted. LSU would run an empty formation (no RB's in the backfield) with a TE and just run the QB against a front with only 1 linebacker over and over and over; to me, that was malpractice and an exact example of him getting out coached.

That 2001 defense could've easily matched up with Miami, too bad we'll never know because Coach Chavis was a great motivator, but not so great at making in-game adjustments.
 
#34
#34
DeepSpringsVol said:
It was based off his "Mad Scientist" reputation from Clemson which got him the SMU gig to begin with. So several people thought given time he could build an offensive juggernaut.
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That and his Texas recruiting connections. But it's looking like Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson made him look a lot better than he is.
 
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#35
#35
TNVOLFN said:
That was a great game plan and a great result... The next week, however, was abysmal. Not only did LSU beat us with a backup QB and RB, our defense never adjusted. LSU would run an empty formation (no RB's in the backfield) with a TE and just run the QB against a front with only 1 linebacker over and over and over; to me, that was malpractice and an exact example of him getting out coached.

That 2001 defense could've easily matched up with Miami, too bad we'll never know because Coach Chavis was a great motivator, but not so great at making in-game adjustments.
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He wasn't a very good tactician at all and wasn't much on the recruiting front either. He was loyal to Fulmer above all and I think his players loved him, which there's something to be said for that, but Xs and Os wiz he was not.

What's amazing about Fulmer's top assistants during the glory years (Cut and Chavis) is that neither was known for their recruiting. I guess Fulmer and his army of position coaches did that. Cut was an offensive wizard though, particularly with QBs. A lot of people wanted to minimize what Cut did because he coached the Mannings, but he won a title without Peyton and re-made Ainge when he returned for his second stint as OC. Not to mention what he's done with his offenses and QBs at Duke. The dude can flat out coach.
 
#36
#36
gohogs14 said:
That and his Texas recruiting connections. But it's looking like Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson made him look a lot better than he is.
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The Texas connections probably got him that job more than anything else. He was a Texas high school coach as recently as 2009 and has a Gus Malzahn-like career path (longtime offensive-minded HS coach who makes the jump to college, has lots of success as a college OC, parlays that into HC jobs).
 
#37
#37
TNVOLFN said:
That was a great game plan and a great result... The next week, however, was abysmal. Not only did LSU beat us with a backup QB and RB, our defense never adjusted. LSU would run an empty formation (no RB's in the backfield) with a TE and just run the QB against a front with only 1 linebacker over and over and over; to me, that was malpractice and an exact example of him getting out coached.

That 2001 defense could've easily matched up with Miami, too bad we'll never know because Coach Chavis was a great motivator, but not so great at making in-game adjustments.
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I agree 100% on the LSU game. There are also many other examples of his defenses underperforming. My response was to a post saying he never outcoached anyone, and the success they had was due to having more talent. The 2001 UF game came to mind as the most vivid memory I have of his defense winning because of scheme rather than having more talent, and he did it against Spurrier to boot.
 
#39
#39
TheColdVolTruth said:
I agree 100% on the LSU game. There are also many other examples of his defenses underperforming. My response was to a post saying he never outcoached anyone, and the success they had was due to having more talent. The 2001 UF game came to mind as the most vivid memory I have of his defense winning because of scheme rather than having more talent, and he did it against Spurrier to boot.
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I think Spurrier pretty routinely baffled Chavis. In some of those years, Tennessee had more talent on defense than Florida had on offense, and Tennessee had more talent overall than Florida did. Spurrier never did what he did offensively with a stud QB. Danny Wuerffel won a Heisman, but it was generally understood there were more talented players out there.

The 2001 Georgia game was probably the Mustang package at its "finest" (i.e., worst). 2006 LSU stands out too.
 
#41
#41
05_never_again said:
I think Spurrier pretty routinely baffled Chavis. In some of those years, Tennessee had more talent on defense than Florida had on offense, and Tennessee had more talent overall than Florida did. Spurrier never did what he did offensively with a stud QB. Danny Wuerffel won a Heisman, but it was generally understood there were more talented players out there.

The 2001 Georgia game was probably the Mustang package at its "finest" (i.e., worst). 2006 LSU stands out too.
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That UF team was one of the top offenses in the country. They had 7 starters drafted on offense. You just said yourself they were a comparable talent. UT did not out talent UF. They matched up comparably, and the defensive scheme turned Spurrier in circles. For all of the many times Spurrier out coached UT, our coaches got the better of them in 2001. Again, there are many examples of Chavis and Fulmer getting out coached. The 2001 UF game went the other way. Why we never saw the prowler scheme again, I'll never know. I don't remember ever seeing UT do that before or since, but UF had no answer.
 
#42
#42
TheColdVolTruth said:
That UF team was one of the top offenses in the country. They had 7 starters drafted on offense. You just said yourself they were a comparable talent. UT did not out talent UF. They matched up comparably, and the defensive scheme turned Spurrier in circles. For all of the many times Spurrier out coached UT, our coaches got the better of them in 2001. Again, there are many examples of Chavis and Fulmer getting out coached. The 2001 UF game went the other way. Why we never saw the prowler scheme again, I'll never know. I don't remember ever seeing UT do that before or since, but UF had no answer.
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I didn't mean in that particular year (2001). I meant during the history of the rivalry where Spurrier/Fulmer overlapped, when it was a true rivalry, Tennessee sometimes had teams that were more talented than Florida but routinely lost. In any single one of those games, I don't think there was a single one where Spurrier obviously out-talented Tennessee. The teams were always very closely matched in terms of talent, with Tennessee sometimes having arguably more talent (like 1997). That's a huge reason why losing to them most years in those days was so frustrating - it wasn't like they had obviously more talent, but they out-schemed and out-coached Fulmer/Chavis routinely. Spurrier was absolutely in Fulmer's head and intimidated him. Fulmer was this conservative, buttoned up, "say what you're supposed to say" guy who didn't know what to do with the wily Ole Ball Coach. It's one thing to get dominated by a team that is routinely more talented than you - it's quite another for a team to have your number and you routinely have equal talent to them.

Those games from 1990-2001 should have been split roughly 50/50. Instead we went 4-8 against them.
 
#43
#43
The Original Fade said:
I live here in Little Rock so I’m keenly aware of the mood in Razorback country. The fans here deserve better - Arky fans are some of the SEC’s best in my opinion because the fan delusion seems to be minimal. Arkansas knows what they are and what they’re not. On Morris, he’s just not getting it done. Winless in the SEC after 2 years? Strong possibility
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The Little Rock fans are great people. The Northwest Arkansas fans are a disgusting display of humanity.
 
#45
#45
05_never_again said:
I didn't mean in that particular year (2001). I meant during the history of the rivalry where Spurrier/Fulmer overlapped, when it was a true rivalry, Tennessee sometimes had teams that were more talented than Florida but routinely lost. In any single one of those games, I don't think there was a single one where Spurrier obviously out-talented Tennessee. The teams were always very closely matched in terms of talent, with Tennessee sometimes having arguably more talent (like 1997). That's a huge reason why losing to them most years in those days was so frustrating - it wasn't like they had obviously more talent, but they out-schemed and out-coached Fulmer/Chavis routinely. Spurrier was absolutely in Fulmer's head and intimidated him. Fulmer was this conservative, buttoned up, "say what you're supposed to say" guy who didn't know what to do with the wily Ole Ball Coach. It's one thing to get dominated by a team that is routinely more talented than you - it's quite another for a team to have your number and you routinely have equal talent to them.

Those games from 1990-2001 should have been split roughly 50/50. Instead we went 4-8 against them.
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Absolutely no argument with any of this. You're 100% right. I guess that's why that 01 game stood out when I read your earlier post I first replied to. That is the one time during that Fulmer/Spurrier era that I think the UT coaches, particularly on the defensive side, were better prepared than the UF coaches were. 98 was obviously special, but I always thought that 01 game was schematically brilliant. Especially considering they probably game planned over the summer and fall camp expecting to roll that out in mid September, but they sat on that package all year due to 9/11 pushing that game back.
 
#46
#46
SmokyRiverDog said:
The Little Rock fans are great people. The Northwest Arkansas fans are a disgusting display of humanity.
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Lol I usually hear opposing fanbases think the opposite, the LR fans who go to games at War Memorial are typically drunk, obnoxious rednecks who party on the golf course and throw beer bottles. NWA has more people that actually went to the school. But each place probably just depends on the experience.
 
#47
#47
TNVOLFN said:
That was a great game plan and a great result... The next week, however, was abysmal. Not only did LSU beat us with a backup QB and RB, our defense never adjusted. LSU would run an empty formation (no RB's in the backfield) with a TE and just run the QB against a front with only 1 linebacker over and over and over; to me, that was malpractice and an exact example of him getting out coached.

That 2001 defense could've easily matched up with Miami, too bad we'll never know because Coach Chavis was a great motivator, but not so great at making in-game adjustments.
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Not a chance.
 
#48
#48
Sub Par SUPERSTAR said:
Not a chance.
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I was going to disagree with you about this simply because I remember that Miami team for who they were defensively (Ed Reed, Vilma, Williams, Walters, Joseph, Buchanon, Wilfork), and the bolded statement you replied to was about UT's defense matching up with Miami's offense. I think that Miami team is the best team of my lifetime, but if you asked me who was on that team without googling it, I would have come up with 4 or 5 players on defense before I named Dorsey, Andre Johnson, and Shockey on offense. I don't think UT's offense, albeit very good that year, would have been productive against that defense (GOAT defense IMO), but I would have argued that Miami's offense was very good, but not as great as their defense was.

So I looked at their roster. All I can say is - damn. Four OL starters from that year were eventually drafted. A couple were first rounders, and their top four running backs were Clinton Portis, Najeh Davenport, Willis McGahee, and Frank Gore. WTF?
 
#49
#49
TheColdVolTruth said:
I was going to disagree with you about this simply because I remember that Miami team for who they were defensively (Ed Reed, Vilma, Williams, Walters, Joseph, Buchanon, Wilfork), and the bolded statement you replied to was about UT's defense matching up with Miami's offense. I think that Miami team is the best team of my lifetime, but if you asked me who was on that team without googling it, I would have come up with 4 or 5 players on defense before I named Dorsey, Andre Johnson, and Shockey on offense. I don't think UT's offense, albeit very good that year, would have been productive against that defense (GOAT defense IMO), but I would have argued that Miami's offense was very good, but not as great as their defense was.

So I looked at their roster. All I can say is - damn. Four OL starters from that year were eventually drafted. A couple were first rounders, and their top four running backs were Clinton Portis, Najeh Davenport, Willis McGahee, and Frank Gore. WTF?
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And Kellen Winslow Jr. was the gunner on ST.
 
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