[CTcard]

In the secondary, I'm not sure we were not overrating our talent all year.  Yes, there were significant injuries (and the aforementioned lack of pass rush), but the hallmark of this secondary was supposed to be its depth and athleticism.  Against U$C, TCU and ND, our secondary was simply no match and couldn't keep up with WR in coverage or tackle better athletes in space.  I really like Justin Reid, but is he the highly instinctive and versatile player from the first 10 or so games or is he the player who repeatedly got beat by NFL caliber WR against U$C and ND.

The secondary was not as good as I expected it to be, and I think I was more skeptical than average.

Losing Reid looks like a big blow to me.
Reid appeared to be the captain of what was going on out there, at least among the backfield.
He mostly (but not always) got beat while playing as a corner rather than a true safety. But he was asked to do so because he was often the best choice there as well.
He was the second leading tackler on the team/most solo tackles (which isn't really great news for a defense if a safety has that distinction but it's not a knock on him), and he led the team in both INTs and passes defended.

More importantly, the situation for replacement looks thin. At corner, we hopefully will get Holder back (for a full season I hope) and there's lots of guys who have either played a fair bit or came in with significant promise. At safety ...  less so.

[CTcard]

In the secondary, I'm not sure we were not overrating our talent all year.  Yes, there were significant injuries (and the aforementioned lack of pass rush), but the hallmark of this secondary was supposed to be its depth and athleticism.  Against U$C, TCU and ND, our secondary was simply no match and couldn't keep up with WR in coverage or tackle better athletes in space.  I really like Justin Reid, but is he the highly instinctive and versatile player from the first 10 or so games or is he the player who repeatedly got beat by NFL caliber WR against U$C and ND.

The secondary was not as good as I expected it to be, and I think I was more skeptical than average.

Losing Reid looks like a big blow to me.
Reid appeared to be the captain of what was going on out there, at least among the backfield.
He mostly (but not always) got beat while playing as a corner rather than a true safety. But he was asked to do so because he was often the best choice there as well.
He was the second leading tackler on the team/most solo tackles (which isn't really great news for a defense if a safety has that distinction but it's not a knock on him), and he led the team in both INTs and passes defended.

More importantly, the situation for replacement looks thin. At corner, we hopefully will get Holder back (for a full season I hope) and there's lots of guys who have either played a fair bit or came in with significant promise. At safety ...  less so.