When Colorado defensive line coach Gerald Chatman showed up to work on Oct. 2, he was presented with an unexpected opportunity.
That day, CU fired head coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson, and offered Chatman the opportunity to take Wilson’s spot.
Although the results haven’t always been pretty in the four games since, Chatman is enjoying his opportunity to grow as a coach and help the Buffs (1-8, 1-5 Pac-12), who visit No. 8 USC (8-1, 6-1) on Friday (7:35 p.m., FS1).
“I’m loving it. I think I learn something new each week,” he said.
The 34-year-old, who came to CU just eight months ago, has been learning on the fly. Although he’s been in coaching since 2010, Chatman had never been a coordinator and had never called plays before his debut on Oct. 15 against California.
His impact has been felt within the building, however, if not always on the stat sheet.
“I love him. I’ve got the utmost confidence in him,” senior linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo said. “The stuff he calls, I’m rocking with it, whether it’s right or wrong, just because him as a person, him as a man. I respect him as a man.”
That respect is part of why Chatman got this opportunity in the first place. Since the change, several players have expressed their confidence in Chatman and their appreciation for the changes made.
When Chatman was elevated to the coordinator role, CU was on a bye week. He used that time to revamp the entire defensive scheme.
It paid off against Cal, as the Buffs won, 20-13 in overtime and Chatman’s defense was sensational, allowing just 297 yards while producing a season-high 10 tackles for loss.
In the three games since, the Buffs have given up 133 points (44.3 per game) and 1,508 yards (502.7 per game). But, players are having more fun in a scheme that has created more big plays.
“We installed a brand new defense four weeks ago,” Chandler-Semedo said. “I don’t think people really understand that; like, completely different.”
Along with that new defense, CU has put several players in new positions, including Tyrin Taylor (from nickel to safety), Simeon Harris (from cornerback to nickel) and Robert Barnes (from inside linebacker to star, a linebacker/safety hybrid).
Overall, the changes haven’t produced better results, but Chatman didn’t expect a miracle.
“Time in the offseason, in spring, none of that would exist if you could just do it right away,” Chatman said. “What we’re doing and just how we practice and how we transition at practice, all of that has changed. Those guys have adapted to that well but certain things like tackling … really good winning teams right now, they’re not starting from scratch teaching tackling.”
CU had countless missed tackles in the first five games, leading to Chatman to implement the old Seattle Seahawks, rugby-style technique during the bye week.
That seems like a simple change, but Chatman said, “Teaching tackling would almost be like putting in a new defense – the terminology, the technique, how to spin tackle, when to use certain types of tactics. … You can’t just say, ‘You’ve got to tackle,’ because (offenses) are taught to counter off of how we tackle and how we leverage them.
“If it’s broke, we’ve got to fix it.”
In addition to re-tooling the defense, creating new positions and teaching a new way of tackling, Chatman has taken on the play-calling duties for the first time in his life.
Interim head coach Mike Sanford laughed when asked how quickly he adjusted to calling plays the first time he did it as an offensive coordinator, at Boise State in 2014. That was his alma mater, he and the players knew the system and the Broncos were already established winners.
“We were basically the best offense in college football, so (getting comfortable as a play caller) was pretty fast,” Sanford said.
Sanford also had the entire offseason to prepare. Chatman took over one of the worst defenses in the country in the middle of the season. And, he’s learning to call plays against Pac-12 title contenders such as Oregon State, Oregon and USC every week.
“You’re not really learning on the fly (as a play caller) playing against Elon and East Tennessee State,” Sanford said of Chatman’s task. “You’re playing teams that are right now … either in the top 25, have been in the top 25 at some point, or a team like Cal that’s taken multiple teams in the top 25 to the wire.”
Chatman, however, isn’t complaining about his difficult on-the-job training. Rather, he’s enjoying a new challenge in his career as he learns there are a lot of nuances to being a play-caller that only come with experience.
“I think there’s some things I’m learning in terms of, like, if something bad happens not to get out of the call,” he said. “Somebody might have made a mistake or like the first series in the Arizona State game, we gave up a touchdown, and I maybe got out of some of the calls and then I needed to go back to them. I think it takes for you to call plays to really learn that. You don’t go through that emotion unless you’re actually calling plays.
“I think it’s been great. I feel like it’s been kind of natural just because of (good) preparation. … I’m confident in myself and comfortable with the preparation and knowing that I’m giving it everything I’ve got. That’s helped me call the plays. Hopefully I get another opportunity (after this year) to continue to do it. I kind of like it a little bit better than just coaching the D-line.”
