TLDR version - I don't trust a lot of opinions from CBer's who think they know more than they do.

I'm not content with mediocre. Nor am I blind to the product on the field. The product on the field is 21 wins in the last 2 years. That to me trumps any other stat someone throws out there. I respect the other opinions in that this is a fan board, and we all want to see BYU play better/win more, and I don't mind disagreeing with any said opinions when it comes to the defense.

I don't know that I'm even a Tuiaki defender as much as I think a lot of the criticism heaped on him is based in ignorance and then it just snowballs with bad take after bad take. So here's a list of some of the premises on which I tend to disagree generally with the Tuiaki hate, based on having read hundreds of haters' takes:

- there seems to be an underlying belief that we should beat certain teams - take UAB for example. This to me is arrogance - arrogance that I'm guilty of sometimes, too. I'm not sure if it stems from our long history of success, our recent history of success, but wins don't come on paper based on brand perception. The fact is, UAB played a great game. BYU didn't. Some of that was on the defense, but not all of it. Doesn't matter who school is on the shirt. The game is played on the field and our O stunk it up in that game, too. If anyone says "well Jaren Hall was out", then they can't dismiss the huge list of defensive starters that were out.

- there's also this 'offense can do no wrong' attitude by some Tuiaki haters. "If only the D had given us another couple possessions, we'd have beaten team X". Not all say this, but I've seen it enough that I think there really are some folks that think Arod is king and Tuiaki is the worst. If our O would have stayed on the field longer in every game...you get my point.

- Tuiaki and Sitake have been at this as a job for longer than most people have been posting on CB. They both know more about defense and schemes than, by my guess, any 100 of the smartest of us combined. Sitake didn't like what he saw out of Detmer and canned him. Maybe he sees a little more than we do when it comes to what is happening with the defense. I trust him more than any other talking head on CB.

- rush 3 drop 8 - Never really paid that much attention to it until CB came unglued over its frequency. I'm surprised how much I now see it in the NFL. Does Tuiaki rely on it too much? Maybe. But I also don't have any game film on other teams, no assistants who scout ahead and provide me reports about tendencies of the other offense, etc. So I don't really feel like I have any leg to stand on when it comes to complaining about this scheme...and I feel the same about CB. I know - fans are gonna be fans, but at least have some education on what you're talking about before chirping. If the education comes from watching Rod Gilmore comment on BYU's late night ESPN games...well you can see where that's getting us. lol

- pressure on the QB - all of us would love to see more. More hurries and sacks. But looking at Tuiaki's D vs BM's D (the last 6 years vs BM's last 6 years), BM had more years with higher sacks, but he had several years in the low 20s as well (Tuiaki's average). Without KVN and Bronson, his stats are...dare I say it out loud...worse than Tuiaki's teams. As in... TWO players made the big difference in pressure from BM to KS teams. KVN got his sacks because the DL was doing what BM asked them to do - occupy a gap. But this infuriates Tuiaki haters to point things like this out because it doesn't fit the narrative. They often claim that the players are just bull-rushing. Well, if that's what he asked them to do so a dual-threat QB didn't have as much chance to run on a secondary with 2nd or 3rd string players, then they did their job. Contrary to CB belief, the DL's job isn't always to rush in and get sacks. Sometimes it's to own a gap. BM had a couple of great talents. Now let's see if some of these new recruits can take up that mantle. We all want to see it.

- actual knowledge/understanding of the game. I grew up in TX playing football, and Friday Night Lights is pretty accurate as far as how people eat, drink and sleep football. I've also been watching BYU football since the 70s. I feel like I have a good handle on how the game is played, how it changes over the years. But the reality is that I don't know the X's/O's at this level. Case in point - I remember watching a video (I believe it was a play breakdown by Hans Olsen) where he detailed that several long-yardage plays given up by BYU were the fault of one player consistently out of place - Tyler Batty. This is the level of understanding and detail I would NEVER be able to pick up because I never played at that level, and I'm submitting to you that more than 99% of CB doesn't get it, either. We just don't have the deep experience/knowledge that comes from having played or coached at that level. When someone like Hans points it out, it's plain as day, but without someone else explaining...we don't see it. I also remember BM on many occasions saying that a loss came down to 3 or 4 missed assignments in said game. If a head coach can pin the loss on a few missed assignments, you might forgive me for not buying in to someone getting caught up in a stat like 3rd down percentage or the rush 3 drop 8 scheme.

- I'm going to just go out and say it - I never thought BM's defenses were all that amazing. Usually solid, not overwhelmingly awesome.

I have about 10 other thoughts like this but I'll spare you the details. I think you can see enough of where I'm coming from. Like every person out there, I want to see better from the D. Throw out any bad stat from last year - I want to see it improved, too. I just think that when people pile on Tuiaki...they really don't know that much about what they're talking about. They just hang their hats on a few stats that they feel proves their point. 21 wins is the only stat that matters to me at the end of the day.

Give me better defense. Give me more sacks. More 3 and outs. More shorter drives - I want it all. Just not convinced you get it by replacing Tuiaki