re: What percentage of the blame do you put on the players ability vs the coaching staff?

Failure of defensive coaching staff to teach technique, tackling, leverage/angles, the players were out of position, taking bad angles to tackle and not using leverage or technique on plays. DL was just trying to bull rush with no swim moves or anything else but trying to bull rush, not having a DL coach was a huge issue which affected the entire defense because it starts upfront and LSU front 7 was terribly coached, Pete tried to help but bad habits were hard to break that late in yr. Secondary took bad angles to tackle and didn.t use good technique in coverage, entire defensive staff has to be replaced and better coaches who teach better/recruit better upfront needs to be hired, that my take from watching ever game this yr.

Defense? 25% coaches and 75% players. I don’t see many ballers out there.

When players of any talent level are confused, not sure, untrained, they play slower than they are and are non instinctual.
This is the crux of the problem at LSU, and I think it is because this group of D coaches don't know themselves. They are one trick ponies and if that trick doesn't work, they just keep on doing it because they don't know another answer or how to teach anything else. Perkins is exhibit #1.