The truth usually rests somewhere in the middle. We have talented players that are strong against the run and we have some talented players that are strong against the pass. The primary issue is that they're rarely capable of putting it altogether and like any sport, it's a game of match up's. Once you show any hint of weakness it will get exploited until you stop it.

So far we have seen a few adjustments here and there. The most glaring one being Lloyd benched in favor of Muma. The other being Griffin sidelined with a "back" injury after he let Ryan ice him with Pierce in that road loss which honestly started the trend of this back seven getting absolutely handled in zone coverage with the crossers. They have yet to find an answer for it.

As a fan? I see the front four just not getting it done. There's no push interior wise. There's no collapsing of the pocket. There's no real presence off the edge with Allen nor Walker and when you send an extra man or two and you're running zone? Again, it's a crossing route, timing route underneath or a quick screen that beats them effectively.

It's both. It's players and scheme at the moment. My biggest fear is that, given Baalke's history and penchant for being heavy handed defensively in his drafts. They're going to bypass potential playmakers on offense that would allow Lawrence and Pederson to put up points earlier and faster and that could really be what this defense needs going into year two if Caldwell is retained.

Being able to put up points and pin your ears back defensively is the bread and butter of the NFL now. That's all it boils down to. How fast and often can you score and how fast can you make your opponent one dimensional? Lawrence is making throws now that not every QB can make. Those throws are going to enable you to create points that your opponent is not going to answer for all the time.

You have the perfect storm of growing pains at the moment on defense. Mike Caldwell, first timer at being a defensive coordinator at any level. Multiple new faces learning together. Mix bag of guys that are probably not quite the fit we need to make it work but we had to add and make adjustments somewhere this off season.

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