Missouri’s defense isn’t the same without its captain

Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty ImagesThere’s a familiar maritime tradition that states, “The captain goes down with the ship.” It’s a fine sentiment that works in almost all sporting cases except for one — what happens when the captain is forcibly removed from the ship?

Over the past two weeks, Missouri has gone from borderline juggernaut to wet paper bag. There’s no one reason to pinpoint this steep descent, though many will immediately point to the coaching. That’s not to say poor coaching isn’t an issue — but when the offense, defense and special teams units all go in the crapper too, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Amongst the myriad of concerns for the Missouri Tigers is a seemingly…