Chavis speaks, and i like what he has to say

Whatever some Razorback fans were saying about Arkansas' defense after the Ole Miss game John Chavis had them beat. The Hogs' frustrated defensive coordinator was blunt in his assessment of a seven-play, 98 yard touchdown winning drive that Ole Miss engineered with time running out in the 4th quarter.
"I'm looking forward to the day when I can come in here and smile," Chavis told reporters in his weekly appearance before the media. "I gotta do a better job. I gotta do a better job of having our guys ready to play in the fourth quarter. We can't give up big plays in the fourth quarter and expect to win. Whether it's schematically or if it's tackling, it's on me."
Asked if his players wore down because of a lack of depth Chavis said, "You asked the question, I wasn't going to say this but I probably played two linebackers too much. It's where we are. We gotta grow. We're building depth. We gotta get those younger guys that aren't playing as much ready to play."

Chavis laid very little of the blame on his players pointing out that they continue to go to work every day and that it's important to them to improve. "That's why you're disappointed because you understand and you see the work they've put in and we haven't gotten the results," he explained.



Chavis acknowledged that Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta'amu put an extraordinary amount of pressure on Arkansas' defense with his ability break off long runs when his receivers were covered.
"Some of those plays we could have stopped, should have stopped but we didn't," Chavis admitted. "He's talented. He makes plays and he did. There's certain things you can do to make sure it's not going to happen but then how are you going to protect the middle of the field (against his runs) when you're trying to play pass defense?"
"That's where college football has gotten," Chavis continued. "Everybody in America would love to have a quarterback just like that even though we've got one here that plays his heart out. I'm proud of him."
Safety Santos Ramirez had a rough night against Ole Miss missing several key tackles as the Rebels came from behind for the win. "Was he tackling the ball too much," a reporter asked. "I know he works hard but does his tackling need to improve?"
"Everybody's tackling needs to improve," Chavis answered. "Fundamentals is what wins football games. There's not a single player on our team that doesn't need to improve. We worked on fundamentals yesterday. (Sunday) We worked on tackling. But I'm the one that has the opportunity to go out and teach 'em and prepare 'em. So yeah, we can and we will get better. Not just Santos but every single one."
Asked why he was reluctant at times to use more of his backup players Chavis said, "It's whatever the situation calls for. At times we were playing really well and when you're playing well you don't want to disturb that. We want to win right now. We're going to put the people on the field that give us the best opportunity to win."
Chavis rejected the notion that a lack of offense has been a problem for the defense at various times this season. "We're going to win," he declared. "I'm going to put it on my side of the ball. It's going to be on my shoulders to make sure that it happens. I'm here to help this program. I'm here to put a defense on the field that's capable of winning."
"I will tell you this," Chavis concluded, "Saturday was not good enough. We should have been better, could have been better and I take responsibility for that."