We can't forget that before last year, the secondary was hardly a position of need. It was so good, we let guys like Jumal Rolle go. Damarious Randall had a successful rookie season (he was better than Hayward, who also had his share of injury problems), while Quentin Rollins and LaDarius Gunter were both serviceable.
For some reason or another, after Sam Shields went down -- they ALL REGRESSED. It goes to show that you can never have too many corners. The messed up part was that Hayward signed a pretty cheap contract with San Diego, when he easily could've been kept.
The most pressing need on the defense, in my opinion, is a consistent pass rush. I don't know about you guys, but while I understand Clay Matthews has been hurt most of the season (honestly, when is he not hurt?), he just isn't the dominant pass rusher he once was. His leadership style has always been passive aggressive. He's not what Wood was. Peppers is looked at for leadership too, but he's hardly ever on the field. This defense needs a Mike Daniels on every level of the defense, and we don't have one. They're all super content with diving at players' shoestrings to make tackles when they should all stiffen up like Daniels, Matthews and Ryan by wrapping up the ball carrier.
You look at Eric Kendricks in Minnesota, whom I really wanted last year, and it sucks seeing them benefit from such a dynamic set of skills.
Originally Posted by: blueleopard