Chavis may leave without much of a fight

Published 3:12 pm Wednesday, December 31, 2014

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For what it’s worth, at least twice in his postgame press conference Tuesday, LSU’s Les Miles referred to his popular rock star defensive coordinator John Chavis in the past tense.

Whether it was Miles getting typically tongue-tied or telling slips of the tongue, who knows?

With Miles, you never can be sure.

But it sure sounded like the popular Chavis might have coached his last game for the Tigers in a 31-28 loss to Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl.

It was mostly social-media rumor during the game, which was hardly Chavis’ finest three hours in his six years at LSU.

Twitter was abuzz. Texas A&M, desperate for defense, was wooing Chavis with mucho cash money.

So Miles was asked point-blank if Chavis was leaving.

“I do not know that,” Miles said. “I’m told that that’s the case. I’ll have to find that out.”

Wait a minute. Miles was “told” that Chavis was leaving?

“I’m told by people who read the media,” Miles said.

Make of it what you may.

But Miles later said, “John Chavis has been very productive for us, has had a great career for LSU. That’s kind of all I want to say.”

But he did say more.

Asked how it would look for the Tigers to lose a respected defensive coordinator to an SEC West division rival, Miles got testy.

“I don’t know how it looks, to be honest with you,” Miles said. “Nor do I give a damn.”

Even though he’s already the third-highest paid assistant in the country at $1.3 million per year, Texas A&M is reportedly ready to go much higher.

It’s a fact that Chavis, whose contract runs out today, has not signed LSU’s extension offer, which calls for $4 million over the next three years —$1.33 million per year — which isn’t much of a monetary raise.

Asked if it just a matter of more money, Miles said, “I kind of want to keep that business internal.”

But Miles’ demeanor almost suggested it was out of his hands.

Texas A&M is apparently willing to go higher and it’s unclear whether or not LSU is willing to match it, let alone get into a bidding war with the rich Aggies.

Miles did, however, give a hint where he stood when he said “I’m going to pitch him (Chavis) again.”

And Chavis?

“I’m here to talk about the game,” Chavis said. “Game only.”

Why he would want to talk about this game is questionable.

This probably wasn’t the right day to pass the hat in the LSU section to raise some extra dust to keep Chavis around.

In fact, if it’s a done deal, the Aggies might be having buyer’s remorse.

It’s a shame, really.

Chavis had done one of his best coaching jobs this year with a young defense that began the season with obvious holes, but got better and better until it entered the game leading the SEC in total defense.

Call it a relapse. Massive, at that.

Notre Dame’s 449 yards were the third-most LSU allowed all season — and you have to go back to those early-season defensive meltdowns against Mississippi State and Auburn to locate the first two.

LSU did not really come close to forcing a turnover against an Irish team that, while losing four straight before arriving in Nashville, had been passing them out like convention door prizes.

But that wasn’t really the problem on a day the Tigers’ nondescript offense did enough to win the game.

The Tiger defense just could not get off the field.

The game started with a 15-play, 7-minute, 56-second Notre Dame scoring drive. Another went 75 yards in 11 plays.

It ended when the Irish ran 14 plays and the final 5:41 off the clock to cover 71 yards and kick the game-winning field goal as time ran out.

First downs were fine, nothing much.

Second downs were usually encouraging.

But the Irish converted long, short and medium third downs all day — 11 of 17 (plus a fourth down).

There were three, including a third-and-10, on the 14-play game-winning drive.

During his long tenure at Tennessee — not so much at LSU — Vols’ fans coined a phrase for it: “Third and Chavis.”

It was his one flaw.

This wasn’t the day for it rear up and bite LSU.

So based on this particular game, the knee-jerk reaction among fans would be good bye and good riddance.

That’s a mistake.

This is going to an interesting off-season anyway.

LSU can probably field a varsity next year without Chavis, maybe even a representative defense.

But it’s obvious Miles wants him to stay.

Yet it doesn’t sound like Miles, for whatever reason, is having much of a say in how hard LSU tries to keep “The Chief.”

The last thing LSU needs right now is in-house bickering within the department.

Scooter Hobbs covers LSU sports. Email him at shobbs@americanpress.comOfficials try to clear players out after holder Brad Kragthorpe’s carry on a fake field goal play in the first half. (Associated Press)