State of the Defense

As usual, Doc Saturday pretty much nails it.

The big difference between this year's defense and previous Dawgs defenses under Richt/BVG/CWM is the scoring average. This is, obviously, the most important stat, but it is not always the most telling. Special teams breakdowns and offensive turnovers have led to some very short fields in 3 of our biggest defensive debacles (Alabama, UF, and UK).

It was downright disconcerting to hear quotes this week from players about lack of motivation, lack of focus, and lack of discipline. Some of that is certainly coaching, but at some point some of that leadership has to come from the players, and we don't really seem to have that leadership this year. Corvey Irvin appears to be trying to take on that role now, but it's a little late for that.

Like the good Doctor says, there is plenty of blame to go around. Coach Martinez certainly deserves his share...but how much is his share? Only one person gets to answer that question, and that's Coach Richt.

I will reiterate my position...the defense has to get better, fast (duh). But I think Coach Martinez has done enough to deserve another year and a chance to get this thing going again. One of the strengths of our coaching staff under Coach Richt has been its relative stability, and I think the reward of maintaining that stability outweighs the risk that the defense will continue on a downward trend.

Any thoughts?