Mack Brown Addresses Tackling as an Issue in America

Mack Brown came out and addressed the tackling issue on Monday, calling it "a problem in America."

Geoff Ketchum of Orange Bloods quoted Brown via Twitter:

Brown makes it clear that tackling is a problem—but tackling as an American problem? Is that on the same scale as problems such as obesity and unemployment? Of course not. Brown's usage of "America" is in reference to all of college football, not political and social issues in America.

Two games into the 2013 season, the Longhorns rank third in the FBS in missed tackles. The image below is a screen grab, via the Longhorn Network, displaying Texas' ranking among most missed tackles in all the land.

Northwestern ranks first in missed tackles with 33. That's nine more than the Longhorns. Some could make the argument that the Wildcats are still in very good shape as an above-average ranked team—that it's okay for the Longhorns to be in the same category as a ranked team with missed tackles.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

The University of Texas shouldn't be subjected to these missed tackles with the recruited talent. Tackling was also an issue for the 2012 defense, which was statistically the worst defense in school history. A Longhorn football team with the second highest paid coach in the NCAA, to Nick Saban at Alabama, shouldn't be subjected to missed tackles.

After last season and the horrendous tackling, Brown addressed the media plenty of times on the subject matter. Carter Strickland of Horns Nation believed that Brown was "perplexed" by the amount of missed tackles from 2012. Strickland highlighted Brown's public statements in a February article:

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"I think it's probably the most talked about thing for the teams that didn't tackle well and when they did tackle well, you say you have a good defense," he responded when asked what can be done to fix the tackling problems this spring. "I've done both. And you have done the same drills, basically, when you do both."

"

Here we are. The 2013 season with the Longhorns coming off a devastating and embarrassing loss to BYU. Brown had the entire offseason to address the situation; to get his staff to address the situation. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has been fired. Some may argue that the players were not in the right position to make the tackles.

You be the judge.

Texas currently sits third in the FBS with the most missed tackles. However, it appears to be an epidemic across America. What are your thoughts?