...I have a hard time understanding why anyone expected better from this defense? I think we're suffering from a very large case of the "seen vs unseen"- nobody knows what the alternative (a non-Bud coached version of this exact defense) would have looked like. For all we know, we avoided an even worse debacle. Also remember that last year the scoring defense was #4 in the country and #13 in total D. You dont forget how to coach in one year. Also dont forget the 2010 defensive unit; aside from this year was the worst Pass D in the past 10 years and 2nd worst Run D in the past 10 (ranked 52nd in 2010). Guess where he was in 2011? 10th. Lets not forget 2015, either, which was a 44th ranked unit followed by 2 years of top-20 D.

You can't lose 5 guys to the NFL, and the rest to injury or dismissal, without having a significant effect on your defensive play.