1) QUOTE ~ "...there are no "Tuiaki haters". Nobody hates the guy. What we didn't like was the passive, bend don't break defense, allow them to drive down the field, as long as it isn't 1 big play mentality and play-calling he brought way too often." 100% TRUE!

2) QUOTE ~ "Very few people who complain about the "drop 8" actually think that you should never rush 3. There are plenty of times when its fine. Its doing it all game, keeping your LB off the LOS, playing with too much cushion on the outside all game long that's the problem. Also on 3rd and long.
- ESPECIALLY ON 3RD AND LONG!
- Look at BYU historically. BYU's lowest % completion rates are on 3rd and long downs when teams rush 5/more against our O-Line, even the great lines.
- While the goal is to not allow a score OTT, the fact is those are very rare. Crushing the opponent and getting multiple hands in the QB's face are bigger problems when under pressure and so disrupting the play is critical. Wilson was SACKED two times Saturday night, both during 3rd and long snaps when Troy brought the house. If Wilson and BYU rarely get out of those situations on a hot read, then other teams are not going to be much better, usually worse.

3) QUOTE ~ "...the defense has played well this year. That has nothing to do with last year. It does not excuse last year's failures."
- ESPECIALLY WHEN RUSHING 3 AND dropping 8 but first telegraphing the opponent's QB that you intend to do exactly that.
- GOOD GRIEF it isn't the Rushing 3 on 1st/2nd down that is the issue. It's never/rarely disguising that you intend to do that. I get that in the run game if all defenders are on the LOS or close to it, you worry about the wash down blocking that takes the LB's out of a play. But BYU has stud athletes and those that will back-peddle for the pass are in a better position to shake up the QB and keep him guessing who is actually coming and how many from within the box. Is it just 3, or maybe 4, or 6 or 7? The QB doesn't know if you show and Oklahoma 52 Defensive front and move the players around in that mix. So shake it up, don't telegraph how many are coming by putting all your LB's 3-5 yards behind the LOS. Do that occasionally, but not almost every down.

4) QUOTE ~ "...there has been a lot of talk that Sitake is more involved with the defense this year. If that's the case, then that only proves the point that Tuiaki was a problem. A lot of us called for Tuiaki to be fired, but ultimately we wanted a change to the defense." THIS 100% also.

5) QUOTE ~ "...don't talk about the offense or the ST to excusing the defense. Those are units in and of themselves. Their failures are not excuses for the defense. They had problems of their own last year, and I've been critical of Grimes, especially in the red-zone. ST struggled as well and missed a lot of key kicks. There is a lot of talk about how the defense is on the field too much for the offense." BINGO, DING DING DING...they are separate units.

KEEP YOUR DEFENSE OFF THE FIELD - Do you know how to keep a defense fresh? For starters you get stops early in the opponent's drive. Getting stops on 3rd down gets you off the field. if rushing only 3 and dropping 8 allows the opponent to convert nearly 60% of the time, then you don't keep using that tactic. Allowing the opponent to march down the field in a bend/don't break time and energy consuming drive just wears you out and doesn't stop them from scoring. Seriously it is better to surrender the TD quickly OTT and have your offense out there wearing THEM down, than the other way around. See if they score in 2 minutes or 8 minutes does it matter on the scoreboard? NO!, But that extra six minutes is energy expended by your defense and not by your offense scoring in its place. OTT Scores are rare. we had 1 last night along with a couple of long passes. But look at BYU's TOP, 40+ minutes. BYU wore out Troy, ground them down exactly as I predicted. Troy was gassed mid 2nd Quarter. So on 3rd and Long situations, show the 3R8D occasionally. But seriously rush the house more often than not. Crush the pocket, get in the QB's grill, you'll probably cause a turnover far more often than surrender a TD. To prove it, watch what Alabama, Georgia, and NFL defenses do on 3rd and long. Often they want out of drives defensively and so they sell out, take the risk and usually come up smelling like opposing player's crap on turf all over their uni's. They got a violent sack!

6) It's just the beginning of the season as said, and this poster GOUGAMAN gets it.