Agree the D core is still not contention-level and I suspect there is another move in the cards before the season starts.
I am not at all pissed off about last season, as it was clearly not the Jets' year from the moment Buff walked away. There is nothing meaningful the team could have done to fully compensate for the wholesale loss of the strongest group of RDs in the league, so a mediocre playoff showing was my expectation. The fact that we got Perfetti at the end of it was an absolute gift--he has the potential to be the best player this team has drafted, and a reason for Laine to stay on. That remains a hope and prayer but so does Laine's upside.
IMO, people are blaming Maurice for a complex interplay of factors over which he has limited control or impact. And the consensus remains that he is a superb communicator, even if you disagree with, eg, his public airing Ehlers' deficiencies. Interestingly, it does not seem to have affected Nikolai's attitude, which underlines the point that, for a real professional, it's much more about the player himself than the coach.