Poor recruiting in 2 of his last 3 sessions directly impacted 2017. That's not debatable. It wasn't the sole reason for a collapse but it played a major part and it's a verifiable correlation.
Injuries also obviously played a big role, and I highlighted as much.
Injuries, recruiting, missions. 3 major, but notr the only, contributors. And FYI that defense overall was still better than 2014 and 08. But for DL overall and DEs specifically, I made all of the reasons clear. Maybe they should have emphasized more non mission guys, I don't know. And forced guys to stay healthy.