At best, Howell's qualifications to be an FBS defensive coordinator are questionable – at least on paper. I think everybody more or less agrees with that.

But, I’m convinced that our problems on D go deeper than just one individual. Unfortunately, the lessons of 2010 don’t apply right now. Just putting Bronco back as the coordinator isn’t going to yield a dramatic turnaround this time.

The thing that needs to change is our “phenomenal” system.

The defense we’re running right now is actually not the original Bronco-BYU system. It’s the Bronco-KVN-Ziggy-BYU defense that we’ve only fully run since 2012.

The D from 2005-2011 was much more conservative, and based on assignments that didn’t require as many fast players. The last few years we broke that mold because we had some very unique athletes.

This season, our coaches estimated that we could continue with the less conservative system, and guys like Fua and Kaufusi could carry it. It’s been a horrible miscalculation. It turns out that Ziggy, KVN, and even guys like Hadley and Sorenson are not plug-and-play athletes. We won’t usually have that kind of quality on the roster.

But, instead of recognizing that and adjusting, the coaches – Bronco, foremost among them – have doubled down and just pounded on better execution.

The reality is that our current guys don’t have the right set of strengths to run the KVN-Ziggy system. Could they improve and get better at it? Yes, but it’s still not a natural fit, and you can only shove a square peg so far into a round hole.

As the situation stands now, team morale is in the tank. The players aren’t dumb. They know things aren’t working, and they’re sick of being told it’s because they’re just too lazy and sloppy. The “effort” and “execution” mantra is starting to be counter productive. The players aren’t buying what Bronco is saying anymore – which leads to less effort – which leads to the coaches getting on them even more – which leads to more resentment and less effort, etc.

When Howell goes off with the same Bronco-speak, it only makes it worse because his inexperience hurts his credibility.

On top of all that, the ridiculous number of injuries, and lack of leadership are fanning the dumpster fire. Taysom was the emotional hearbeat of the whole team. Even on the D side, his absence is really being felt right now.

At this point, most of us will consider the season a disappointment no matter what. But, the team should still be doing everything it can to get back on track. 9-3 isn’t what we want, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Unfortunately, I don't think the coaches are on the right path, yet. Until we see some substantive changes to our scheme and assignments, our defensive troubles will continue – no matter who is formally calling the plays.