Quote Originally Posted by d0tc0m View Post
Your last sentence is the tell. It is all about the offense. And the problem, and I know folks at Gilmer won't want to hear this, but the spread offense is never going to be conducive to a good defense. And, not just the ol' run-of-the-mill spread offense, but the breakneck, NASCAR, pedal-through-the-floorboard style that Gilmer plays. That offense doesn't lead to a lot of ball control drives, but more quick-hit, big-play strikes, which means the defense plays more snaps, and the more snaps a defense plays, the worst it's going to look.

I'm sure I'm wrong, and you guys can all tell me how wrong I am, and I will certainly listen. But with the athletes Gilmer has, there's no reason they shouldn't have an elite defense. But for me, from what I see, there's a direct corollary between the offensive philosophy and the defensive struggles.
I would've said the same thing a few years ago, but the last few years haven't been that way at all. Yes, we score a lot of points, but most of the time the drives are consuming 2 to 4 minutes, some drives over 5 minutes as opposed to under 2 minutes previously. That's ample time for the defense to catch their breath and be able to make stops. The defense has gotten worse and worse over the past couple of years, until now I want to call it the "White Flag" defense. It's time for a change in schemes. Even being tired you don't have breakdowns in coverage every play. That's just poor defense. One thing I can say with certainty, though, is we can only get better.