Unable to generate pressure in a 'non-blitz' package. DEs are getting killed. We have YET to see a DE make an impactful play (minus Tanuvasa's sack vs ASU). DEs consistently get reached and in some cases completely pancaked/taken out of the play. I will say this, Ilaisa has put them in very difficult situations, opting for his 'strong package' that has a lot of heavyweights that don't move laterally very well. Even Batty has been horrible (positive: striking not bad. negative: horrible hands. only 1 rush move). QBs are escaping the pocket due to horrible edge discipline (by DEs/OLBs/DBs depending on the play call). Ilaisa seems to love big defensive ends, but tell me the last time we had a DE that actually impacted games day in and day out?
If we find an edge player that can actually play laterally with leverage and dynamic hands (better yet, a couple of them), we'll be truly scary. Tanuvasa does a great job striking and using his hands, but he's undersized as a DE. He kind of plays DE like a linebacker (which is his natural position) I saw him playing some OLB which I liked, especially if he's coming forward. Batty needs to gain 20 pounds and go inside. I know we have a bunch of great inside players right now, but he's an all-american there. At DE he's average. Strong and fast in straight line movement, super suspect in side-to-side movement. Same with Mangelson. Btw, did anyone notice Batty dropping into coverage against ASU and UofU? I was like, "WHAT IN THE ACTUAL CRAP??" Leiataua is...well, he's Leiataua. Solid DE, but not special. We need to find 'special'.