Defensive Failures: Scheme or Players?

[Beemnseven]

It's all hindsight now, but I remember thinking there was legitimate debate as to whether linebacker was the bigger issue for the '06 draft or cornerback.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that Shawn Springs was nearing the end of his career, that Carlos Rogers was a big question mark, and one more push for top-knotch talent in the secondary was needed.

I was all for the Kenny Wright move. I thought he'd be perfect in the nickel position, and was a solid pickup after noting his 15 game starting history in Jacksonville last year. So no one could have predicted his demise after being thrust into the position of starting corner. Rumph, Vincent, and Fox were all desperation moves. At that point, the secondary was already a cluster-fornication and anyone would have been an improvement over the current lot.

Either way, the front office has to be accountable at some point. Sooner or later, some of us are going to have to stop grasping at straws to defend these people and start calling it for what it is -- a dismal failure.