Yes, we are definitely looking at things differently. Our defense was rated nationally much higher in every measurable category than our offense. Those stats don't lie. I'm looking at the entire season as a whole, not individual in-game failures. Yes, the defense had some busts from time to time in coverage and running lanes that were frustrating, but overall those were minimal compared to the offense.
Most would argue that in this age of no targeting and constant PIs with high-powered up-tempo RPO offenses, a solid bend-and-not-break defense like PK's is not a bad thing to have. It keeps your offense in the game, but your offense has to contribute and keep scoring and eating the clock. Sark's didn't do that last year for most of the season. I thought the UM game was the first time the offense truly complemented the defense all year.
I think Sark was looking at a season where they were number one and missed the playoffs. When he analyzed things, he decided some change was necessary. Since he knew he was the offense and wasn't going anywhere, the only change that could be made was defensively. And, having come from Bama with Saban's style of defense on his mind, and having played Kirby and UGA many times and experiencing the aggressive Kirby-ball firsthand, I think he just decided to try something new. He probably reached out to Muschamp and found he was interested, and then it became an easy decision.
I don't think we will see overall a whole lot better defense this year than we saw last year, but I think we will be better as a team because our offense will be a little more consistent in maintaining drives and scoring TDs in the red zone. Sark wants complementary football. I hope the offense does its part and he finally gets it.