(06-17-2021 07:35 AM)cidbearit Wrote:  There's a lot of dogging going on here about the defense, the lack of a defensive star, and concern about linebackers. In the meantime, for 2020, Terry Myrick (super-senior for the coming season) was one of the nation's best tacklers, ranking fourth in the MAC and 11th in the NCAA in tackles per game (11.2). As a team, EMU's red zone defense was No. 7 nationally, and the best in the MAC.

On the face of it, the run defense appeared less than effective, but in a "bend don't break" mode they were quite effective once a team hit the red zone. In my book, walking away with a stop in the red zone, or at worst holding a team to a field goal, is putting the game in the hands of the offense to win. And as has been pointed out here, the additions made on the offense should be impactful.

I'm not saying the defense doesn't have room for improvement. Yes, the Eagles need to pressure the opposing QB and run-stop more effectively than they have since the days of Crosby and Rachwal. It would be nice to force a team to punt instead of stopping them in the red zone. But there were some positives on defense last year, so if we do see any defensive improvements in the coming season (which in my mind seems reasonable to expect), the Eagles could truly be a team to watch on both sides of the ball.

The position group im most concerned about on defense is the secondary. I'd like to see more sacks caused by lock down coverage and more INTs and less big plays over the top.