I havent commented on the defense yet this year, but I want to contribute to Terry's ill mood, so here goes.
:rofl:
Personally, I think the defense has some holes. I know that's "captain obvious" speaking but still. Our pass rush isn't where it needs to be, to be dominant. Of course, most teams are not going to take 5-7 step drops to allow us to get to them either, so maybe it's a moot point? But, we're lacking in sacks, bottom line.
The secondary has some holes, as evidenced by the first 3 games. When I say "holes", I don't mean from a lack of talent. We have the talent, but the kids are young. This is to be expected. It's also to be expected that the defensive backfield will get better with experience. It will also help if we can generate a little more pass rush. We're going to occasionally blow coverage, and we're going to give up some plays if the pass rush doesn't get there. That's just the way it is. In fact, regarding coverage, even Saban's more mature defenses have historically blown coverages largely due to the complex schemes and blitzes we employ. It happens.
We do seem to give up the edge a little too much. I noticed Duke have some real success sealing our outside.
All in all, I am happy with the defense, but I know we need more game time. I know the kids need to continue to play together and develope that chemistry. Are we a great defense? I don't think so. That's part of the problem too, IMHO. We're conditioned to having a great defense. We expect it. If the slightest thing goes wrong then we act like the sky is falling, because we're used to having that dominant defense. Are we a good defense? Absolutely, and I think a lot of coaches would kill to have the defense we have.
Arkansas will be the real test. Let's see how we perform against an offense like that before we make a concrete jugement on this year's group.
