The other thing that I think is really important to keep in mind is that one of the things we’ve talked about over the years is how it’s not about any one particular player … the programs at the elite level are always replacing players that leave with comparable players. So that’s where looking at your relative performance year over year matters so much.
For example, in looking at the defense this year, it took a step back a bit this year. But where it got destroyed was in the run game … and that’s almost entirely tied to how bad our LB play was. When you look at the passing stats against the D, and consider all the players we lost, the fact that the passing D was comparable if not better than last year in areas is actually indicative of good recruiting and player development.