The core is just getting built and not as good as we thought. That D needs a lot of holes filled.
I think the core is sound.
Carr has a long way to prove it, but seems to have the skill and smarts to become a generational player. Mack already is one.
Cooper needs to go to a head and hands doctor, but he passes the eye test as a WR who can be elite. These three guys alone can potentially be a triplet anchor for years. Crabs has far outpunched his weight every year with us
Another part of the core, though one that has a shelf life, is a fairly solid O line. Penn, Osemele, and Gabe are pillars, but we need a consistently good RT and/or better depth in rotation.
Our backs have promise but not great - neither can do it alone. Lynch actually is the perfect kind of back to complement Richard/Washington. Problem is we have a 2017 version when we need the 2013 model. Bigger problem is we rarely take him out of the garage like we should.
Our O isn’t a unit that’s building, it’s built to win right now. Execution has been completely off this year.
To your point, D is bad, our secondary is atrocious. Joseph is the only guy of note. While jury’s still out on Obi and Conley, the rest are average at their best and most frequently highly exploitable.
Maybe Mario/Jelly/Vanderdoes become consistent, but that’s still a hole we need to fill up front. We still hava a chasm at LB though Irvin and Navorro could be adequate stopgaps to address in draft/FA.
Hard to be a champion in the NFL these days without a D, but I think our offense can keep up and be competitive point for point.
It’s why this year is such a mystery to me. It’s easy to blame the coaches, I know that even as I call for their heads. There is just something so...off this year. Drops seem more frequent than catches, our line isn’t playing up to ability.
Why we aren’t shaking things up to get back any kind of rhythm is beyond me - different looks or rotations or schemes. It’s the very definition off insanity to keep doing the same failed things over and over expecting a different outcome.
That’s on the coaches, IMO.
<_< 
