Aggie defense hopes to return to Wrecking Crew form under Mike Elko

“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson from “In Memoriam A.H.H.”

Had Tennyson, the famous poet, hailed from Somerville, Texas, rather than Somersby, England, his famous line of grief and loss may have been inspired by another subject.

Had he attended Texas A&M in the early ‘90s and not Trinity College of Cambridge, a derivative of that line might have been “In Memoriam W.C.”

“Tis better to have played great defense and lost than never to have played great defense at all.”

Aggies remember the Wrecking Crew glory years of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when A&M was routinely ranked among the nation’s top 10 defenses.

Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs

Texas A&M has underperformed on defense since pass-rusher Von Miller led the Aggies. It's Mike Elko's job to reverse the trend.

No fan population appreciates powerful defense more than Texas A&M’s. Aggies expressed adulation and adoration for the Blitz Brothers, Dat, and Von.

In those days A&M’s defense wasn’t just strong. It was sexy.

But watching it wreak havoc on a weekly basis too often gave way to watching defensive pratfalls on a weakly basis under the direction of Mark Snyder and John Chavis. Fustrated Aggies could only stare in disbelief and disgust, remember what once was and mutter a Torbush “Wow.”

For years, Aggies have hoped a Wrecking Crew-quality defense would return like a prodigal son.

To be sure, there have been moments that caused flashbacks to Wrecking Crew days. Yet, the fact remains that A&M has not ranked among the top 50 in total defense in more than 10 years.

However, there are now reasons to believe A&M is bringing sexy defense back.

Defensive coordinator Mike Elko is the main reason. True, the thought here was that Chavis would be the answer to A&M’s defensive puzzle. But his always attacking approach and man-to-man scheme was too predictable. Good coaches used his aggression against him.

By all accounts, Elko is more like a skilled chess player. He’ll be aggressive, for sure. But sometimes he’ll throw a curveball or a changeup rather than bring heat all the time.

Keep the offense guessing. He’s done that with impressive regularity throughout his career.

You probably know the numbers. In Elko's three seasons as defensive coordinator at Wake Forest the Demon Deacons ranked 40th, 38th and 41st in the nation in total defense. This without star athletes and despite facing many explosive offenses.

Clay Taylor, TexAgs

Elko produced solid defenses at Wake Forest and led the turnaround of Notre Dame's defense last season.

Then, in his one season at Notre Dame the Irish allowed an average of one touchdown less per game than they did the previous year. Consequently, last season Notre Dame went 10-3. The previous year Notre Dame was 4-8.

Don’t expect A&M to improve by six victories because of Elko’s arrival and influence. That would equate to 13 victories — which would likely equate to a top-ten finish. No reasonable observer would expect the Aggies to immediately make that big a jump — not in the SEC West Division and with Clemson on the schedule.

Of course, when Elko arrived in College Station on a blustery day in January he made it clear he’s not intimidated by the powerful SEC West.

“It’s a chance to come down here and win a national championship and compete in the SEC (West), the best division in the country,” he said.

Elko has some material with which to work.

Defensive tackles are vital to success in the SEC. Every SEC champion has had big, active defensive tackles that can clog up rushing lanes and also get to the passer. A&M has those.

The Aggies are improving at linebacker and are solid at safety with Donovan Wilson returning from injury. Defensive end Landis Durham led the SEC in sacks last year. This year the Aggies won’t be counting on true freshman cornerbacks in man-to-man coverage.

Again, no rational fan expects A&M to unseat national champion Alabama. Most will be happy with significant improvement over last year’s 7-6 finish.

The Aggies have exceeded nine victories just once (2012) in the last 19 seasons. Nine wins should be attainable if Elko just does at A&M what he’s done before.

The Aggies have loved and lost great defenses. Expect Elko to provide opportunity to love again.