You may think I'm an idiot, but Florida's D needs work.

This may come across as blasphemy to the Gator Nation.
You may think I'm an idiot.
OK, for some of you it will be just more verification.
But I'm saying it anyway.
As spring football practice continues in Gainesville, there is one area where I think the Gators need to get better.
Uh, Dr. Football, did you see the Florida defense last year? Or were you too busy checking out the cheerleaders? Florida's defense throttled the highest-scoring offense in the history of college football on the game's biggest stage. Florida led the SEC in scoring defense and interceptions. And everybody is back.
Are you nuts?
What I saw last year was a big-play defense, one that almost always made the one play to stop a drive or turn the ball over.
Florida was very, very good on defense.
But the Gators weren't great.
They weren't dominant.
"We weren't a dominant defense last year," said defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. "We were very good at making a big play to stop a drive or got a break. We want to be a dominant defense this year."
So while everybody else is looking at the offensive tackle situation and the receivers this spring, I want to see a defense that not only will keep you in games, but give Tim Tebow and Co. the ball quickly.
You say blasphemy.
I say reality.
Because I remember Ole Miss. I remember Arkansas moving the ball and getting stopped on fourth downs. I remember Alabama's offense dominating the third quarter. I remember Oklahoma driving inside Florida's 10 twice in the closing minutes of the second quarter.
"I felt that in the first half of the national championship game," said Urban Meyer. "I felt like we were behind 28-0. But our defense knows when to get off the field."
Absolutely, which is why Florida led the league in scoring defense. I think the Gators can do better this season.
And after watching practice Monday, it looks like they have a chance. They dominated so much that Meyer called his offense "awful" when he walked off the field.
"We have something to build on from the Oklahoma game," said defensive line coach Dan McCarney. "We can get better on fundamentals. Every guy believes that. It's not some phony, fabricated quote. They can't play any harder than they did last year, but they can play better."
The SEC is going to be better offensively this season. So Florida's defense needs to be better.
There is no reason to think it won't be. Last year's defense was young, especially in the secondary. It's a year older and adds freshman talent.
"The maturity will help," said cornerback Joe Haden. "We should be a little more in tune with each other, know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Our goal is to be the best defense in the country. We have the players to do it."
But there are two areas where Florida needs to improve.
Last year's defensive line wasn't dominant. It made enough big plays for Florida to win the national championship, but it wasn't impenetrable. Carlos Dunlap was very good last year, but he wasn't as good as he can be.
And the outside linebackers have to step up. Having Brandon Spikes back is a huge positive, but great defenses always have outside linebackers you have to scheme for as an offensive coordinator.
The depth is there. The talent is there. The coach is there.
Let's see some domination.
A year ago, Florida gave up more first downs than any SEC team. In part, that's because Florida played 14 games. But the average first downs per game allowed was better than only five SEC teams.
It was a bend-don't-break defense last season.
This year, no bending.