The defense was awful. We lost Hatcher and Lee and a declining Ware, and added Melton. That's a net loss in talent.
I don't agree that we haven't done anything defensively. We moved the deck chairs around quite a lot. We're getting promising players back from injury. We changed coordinators--whether Marinelli is a Kiffin disciple or not, he's a very different guy. We've added talent through the draft--though not enough. And a couple mid-tier FA DLs. My sense is that we've probably improved marginally, at best. And that's with Lawrence in the lineup. The offense is going to have to try to carry us again. And other teams in the NFCE are improving, too.
On a related note, did anybody happen to see Michael Irvin criticize the defensive intensity on NFL AM yesterday morning? He was at Bears camp, commenting on Dallas camp, and saying we needed to play like a pack of crazed dogs on defense, and we weren't displaying that tenacity so far. When I heard it, I was sure it was going to be a thread on it's own, but it fits in here, so I thought I'd mention it. I'm concerned about the level of improvement we could possibly see from this defense. We've got one or two guys even capable of being difference makers, and then a whole lot of hopefuls and haven't-done-it-yets.
I agree with that for the most part, but here's where I think there's more hope than you do.
A defense is not really based on its top players, it's based on the bottom ones. A good offensive team will just wear you out at one position if you're exposed. Last year, there was complete lack of pass rush and deep safety play. Dallas couldn't get off the field because the other team new exactly where the free money was.
That collection of spares that McClay had to go dig up out of a landfill was useless. Couldn't stand up against the run or pass. Ware was a traffic cone, and Hatcher was undisciplined. The rest were role players from Appalachian State. Add to that the exploits of three rookies - Heath, Hamilton, and Wilcox - playing their first season in the NFL as wide-eyed as can be without a hint of pass rush, and it was a recipe for disaster.
My hope is:
1. McClain replaces Lee and there's little to no drop off. Not as good in coverage as Lee, but better against the run.
2. The safeties grow up. I think Wilcox and Hamilton will be vastly improved.
3. Mo finally arrives as an above average corner to go with Scandrick and Carr.
4. Spencer returns fairly early in the season to fortify the defensive line and lead this thing.
5. This team has eight legitimate NFL defensive linemen to work into the rotation. This will at least be a real line, as opposed to those wannabes at the end of last year.
The best part is, we don't need it to be even above average. AVERAGE will do just fine for now with this high-powered offense.
I see far more hope with this group than the last couple of years.
