re: When will the secondary get a lot of the blame ?

The secondary was young and there were some really bizarre issues with their play that I don't know if they were due to bad scheme or bad individual understanding of the position. During the Clemson game our CBs were routinely playing 10 yards off the line to prevent he big play. That's a fine game play against an explosive team, but you can't just cede first downs with 2 minutes left and the opposing team only down by a field goal. There were so many first down passes that game that we didn't even contest because the defenders were starting out past the sticks.

But even a perfect defense will get bit sometimes. Even the best secondaries will give up passing plays. QBs will make perfect throws, receivers will get open, and teams will move the ball, especially if you give them 100 chances a game.

You MUST have an offense that can put points on the board and take time off the clock. Counting on your defense to be perfect every game is a recipe for disaster.