Should we hope Kirby Smart gets a head coaching job?

No. There isn't a better DC in the country. Some people.

Considering how much we rely on him in recruiting, I'd rather not see him go.

No. Kirby's a good DC.

We need more speed and for guys to play their assignments.

Smart is a great recruiter. The kids seem to love playing for him.

However, there is some breakdown in our defense that is inexplicable, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Reggie Ragland was saying that they were having a hard time communicating on defense. This was supposed to be a focal point during the offseason and bye week. Whatever we are doing is obviously not working. Our defense left little hope for what lies ahead this season.

The complexity of our D is the basis of the issues.

A high level of command and control is needed on the field to make sure everyone is working together. It one person is not on the same page it makes a huge hole in the effectiveness of the system.

That complexity and required communication is the hanging thread HUNH OC's are tugging on. A strong leader to QB each level of the D is a must and those levels have to work together. Time in the line of fire is what produces the needed consistency and that is something we are missing. Football smarts can bridge the gap of maturity but that level of smarts are part of what is missing on the D this year so lack of experience shows up way too often.

Vinnie / CJ / Dont'a / Barron / Ro / Reamer - who do we have that fits that role this year? (you need two of them)

I think that the bottom line is that the players we currently have on defense just aren't as good as what we've become accustomed to. McClain, Cody, Dareus, Hightower, Barron, Millner, Upshaw, Mosely. Who are those guys on this year's defense? Even if you can name a couple, the reality is that these guys just aren't as good. Can they get better? Sure. But they aren't there yet. Rankings by recruiting services are extremely subjective.

37 of the 79 points scored by opposing teams this year is the direct result of offensive and special teams screw ups. When QBs make perfect passes, they can not be defended.