There has been some consternation on the message boards about the defense. Is it reasonable to be concerned and why / why not?

Nova Hokie 95: I think there’s definitely reason to be at least a little concerned about the defense. We’ve seen two or three straight years of being gashed by the run — especially by running quarterbacks — when we see indications of that returning you definitely worry.

Then you add in injury and suspension variables, and the worry becomes a little deeper. Three out of four linemen playing with bad shoulders? Top tackler suspended for a half? Our much-improved MLB seeming to regress to previous bugaboos? Bob that Adam’s apple, folks. Another hidden factor that I don’t know if many are taking into account: the rest of the defense is aware of their teammates who are hurting. Because of that, I worry slightly that some players are trying to overcompensate a bit and losing some of their own responsibilities by doing so. We’ve seen that in the past and it’s disastrous for a Bud Foster defense.

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