When he steps onto the field for practice, Garret Chachere always likes to tease the linebackers he used to coach in a fun manner to keep things light-hearted.
Chachere has switched from coaching the linebackers to running backs in 2016. It's a welcomed change for him. As he put it, it's enabled him to recharge his batteries.
“Sometimes in life, change is good,” Chachere said. “Change gets your battery restarted, and while I wouldn't put it to that much of an extent, after three years of being on defense, it is nice to be on offense. I miss the players, the linebackers and the defensive players, but I'm really enjoying spending time with the running backs and being integrated into the offense.”
It's not the first time Cal's fourth-year assistant coach, who was also promoted to associate head coach in 2015, has changed positions in his career. But it is the first time he has switched from offense to defense on the same team. Chachere said initially it felt a little weird going from the defensive position meeting rooms to the offensive ones.
Junior running back Tre Watson said he and the rest of the running backs have noticed a difference under Chachere's tutelage. Chachere emphasizes the importance of blocking, which has given Watson and the running backs a lot more confidence as a result.
Watson joked that Chachere used to be the one teasing him and the other running backs last year on the practice field, but they team up now to try to fire up the linebackers, all in the spirit of fun competition.
“He has definitely been tough on us and expanded our skill sets greatly, having us learn things we have never learned before,” Watson said. “We have been focusing on pass blocking because that is a huge focus in this offense, and being ready to block first before anything else. He has been a positive change to our group, and we have been getting better every day and learning new things every practice. He brings the best out of all of us.”
Chachere said the interesting thing about moving from coaching linebackers to the running backs is a lot of the techniques and strategies he preaches apply to both position groups. The same ideals he taught the linebackers about filling the gaps and making tackles also works in teaching the running backs about pass protection and blocking.
While the techniques are similar, Chachere said the change has allowed him to be able to see things from both sides of the field now. Moving back to the offense side of the field that he coached for four seasons from 200912 has allowed him to see things from a different perspective again, which has allowed to him to teach his running backs things they may not have learned otherwise.
“I'm teaching the same things but in a new way, and I feel like the guys are becoming better football players from it,” Chachere said. “It's just like everything else where if you feel like you're getting better, you're going to work harder. If you feel like something is going to get you better, even if you haven't gotten it yet, you work harder.”
Of course, it also doesn't hurt that during the 2016 season he will be able to give his running backs tips on how to rush past the linebackers since he knows the tendencies of players at the position so well.
“He definitely tells us where weaknesses are, what each player is doing and why they move the way they do during a play,” Watson said. “He shows us the small details and tells us to look at the little things. Right now, we have been focusing on our job and learning our offense so when we get into fall camp, we understand the defense more, what they are going to do and be ready to expect that. He has taken our game to a new level because now we understand what the defense is thinking about and wants to do, so we can plan ahead of that and make our move first.”
Fans can get a firsthand look at how the running backs fare against the linebackers at the 2016 Cal Football Spring Scrimmage on Saturday, April 16, at 11 a.m. from Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium. The event will also be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.
