[washingtonismoney]

Maybe one of these years we can combine an elite offense and an elite defense in the same year and go 15-0. 

It seems that whenever our offense picks up, our defense takes a back seat like this year and in other years, like last year, when our defense is stellar, our offense is mediocre.

It would be nice to actually have the 2014 defense and the 2015 offense be the same team one of these times.

Yeah, this has been the classic timing problem. I think it's due to two factors:

1) we're talented enough that we lose players early to the pros: for instance, imagine how good the 2013 team would've been with Toilolo and Terrence Brown staying on for another year. Additionally, the coaches have made some questionable decisions with respect to redshirting (would've been nice to have Terrence Stephens in 2013, or Aziz Shittu in 2016). Our roster churn isn't optimal; some of it is self-inflicted.

2) Then there's the incoming talent. It's easier to sustain when you're bringing in five-stars and combining it with elite coaching/development -- like Alabama or Ohio State. We've got the latter part, or reasonably close; it's the former that challenges us. If you look at our teams, every year seems to have a key talent gap; 2015 (defensive line), 2013 (tight end), 2012 (QB, WR), 2011 (WR, DB). Those talent gaps are partially due to waiting for guys to develop, and partially due to gaps in recruiting. For instance, the 2013 TE talent gap is due to failing to recruit TEs in 2011 + 2012.

Other than that, we're just kind of stuck with waiting for everything to come together -- like 2010 -- and hoping we aren't waylaid.

[washingtonismoney]

Maybe one of these years we can combine an elite offense and an elite defense in the same year and go 15-0. 

It seems that whenever our offense picks up, our defense takes a back seat like this year and in other years, like last year, when our defense is stellar, our offense is mediocre.

It would be nice to actually have the 2014 defense and the 2015 offense be the same team one of these times.

Yeah, this has been the classic timing problem. I think it's due to two factors:

1) we're talented enough that we lose players early to the pros: for instance, imagine how good the 2013 team would've been with Toilolo and Terrence Brown staying on for another year. Additionally, the coaches have made some questionable decisions with respect to redshirting (would've been nice to have Terrence Stephens in 2013, or Aziz Shittu in 2016). Our roster churn isn't optimal; some of it is self-inflicted.

2) Then there's the incoming talent. It's easier to sustain when you're bringing in five-stars and combining it with elite coaching/development -- like Alabama or Ohio State. We've got the latter part, or reasonably close; it's the former that challenges us. If you look at our teams, every year seems to have a key talent gap; 2015 (defensive line), 2013 (tight end), 2012 (QB, WR), 2011 (WR, DB). Those talent gaps are partially due to waiting for guys to develop, and partially due to gaps in recruiting. For instance, the 2013 TE talent gap is due to failing to recruit TEs in 2011 + 2012.

Other than that, we're just kind of stuck with waiting for everything to come together -- like 2010 -- and hoping we aren't waylaid.