This is the kind of junk I would expect to hear from fans of other teams who just look at statistics and are like "oh they had a bad defense last year, must have no talent." That is so far from the truth it's laughable. Do you honestly think Jordan, Hicks, Greer, Vacarro, Lofton, Hawthorne, Bunkley wouldn't even make another team's 53 man roster? That is ludicrous talk.

DL - We've got two of the best young defensive linemen in football in Hicks and Jordan. One of the league's top nose tackles in Bunkley. Young depth in Jenkins/Foster/Walker and some solid vets with Johnson and Richardson.

LB - Don't get me wrong, there are some weaknesses and some unknowns. But Lofton, Hawthorne, Vilma and Haralson are all solid, dependable players and you can expect a reasonably high level of play from them. We've seen Galette and Wilson excel as pass rushers in part-time roles. enough that we know they can contribute and won't be a liability. Humber has always had great talent, now starting to put it together.

DB - Worst part of the defense, maybe. But we've got three solid man-to-man corners in Greer/Lewis/Robinson, a great-looking young safety in Vaccaro, and even Jenkins and Harper despite their sometimes struggles both have the ability to play well in a defense geared toward their strengths (ie an aggressive, blitzing style).

I am not saying they are elite, but somewhere in the 15-20 range this year should be just about right, and with all the youth and inexperience there is a lot of room to get better in a hurry. The future of this defense is with guys like Jordan, Hicks, Vaccaro, Hawthorne, Galette, Wilson, etc and that is a great place to be.