So how do we fix the defense for next season?

[Whatever]

I think there's a variety of things at play.

Lou's defense has always been more focused on generating turnovers than limiting yards. The offense has struggled a lot with injuries at QB, and that's allowed teams to play it safe. How many yards after contact do you see this team give up when the first guy in is going for the ball instead of making the tackle?

The wholesale youth movement has hurt as the youngsters experience growing pains. On top of that, Awuzie has had a down year as he recovers from injury and Scott was not what they hoped for. On the bright side, CTB had a lot of struggles last year and emerged as a potential cornerstone type player this year, and the other young guys have had their moments. I do wish Lou would've simplified the scheme a bit for the newcomers, though.

DL depth continues to be an issue. Myles Murphy is looking to be alleviating some of the issues at DE, but the DT rotation continues to be weak. The starting lineup has it's issues,as well. Hendrickson is a premier pass rusher, but offers little against the run. Reader was a solid run stuffer that couldn't generate a pass rush. Hill and Hubbard are solid two way players, but not great.

I do think Lou needs to adapt scheme to the players he has. He was well publicized for saying things would be ugly without Bates and Bell. If he foresaw the issues, why not make changes to minimize those issues? Same with the upcoming Reader contract situation.