its a combination of better drafting and better contracts. almost none of the defensive draftees over the past 4 years are contributing anything of significance or are injured (same, no contribution). LVE, Chido, Taco, Hill, Jaylon, Jones (gone), and we have several over paid backup level players like Crawford, Poe, McCoy( now gone), Griffin and two bloated contracts of Jaylon and Lawrence...these are supposed to be foundations of a good defense. premium picks. top dollars
none of the investments are panning out at all. you figure we get half of what they are paid or to half the level of where they were drafted and we would have an average defense.
and then we have our starting saftey saying, we can't play hard for 70 snaps.....he should be cut right there and then. who allowed him to speak like that. and if he is saying it out loud, then is that the defensive culture?....cut the idiot....what do we have to lose. light a fire under their rears.....no mediocrity of effort is accepted. you can see Jaylon is playing half speed. he is just not into it. he is not hustling. his head is not in the game. Bench him. despite his contract. doesn't like it? is bad attitude, then suspend him.
and yes, on the offensive side we handed out several bloated contracts that we are not really getting a return on, except maybe for one....Martin, the rest...are often injured or past their prime or not playing to the level of their contract, like Smith, Collins, Zeke, Cooper......are we getting our money's worth? and why pay a huge contract to Zeke with two years left on the contract...>Jones blinked...... look at the Rams, they let Gurley go and they are actually a better team.
now, we can sit here and all of us banter because we are mad. point fingers at offense. point fingers at defense.....one thing is clear, this is the mess that Jerry created as the GM/President/Owner....