I think the defense is going to be better than people are saying. Presumably the kicking game has been resolved, but perhaps we shouldn't presume that. I feel good about the QB situation. My biggest concern is the offensive line. I still have questions there.
I wouldn't call it an excuse since he was playing as well as any QB in the nation behind that line (kind of the opposite of an excuse), up until the hand injury anyway. Which did seem to impact how well he threw the ball. You can call that an excuse, but I'd say an valid one.
Can you imagine...