During an offseason in which Alabama’s quarterback competition has kept a question mark hovering over the Tide’s offense, it was the defense that exited Friday’s first spring scrimmage facing questions of its own.

Nick Saban walked off the Bryant-Denny Stadium field and spoke about his defense allowing too many explosive plays in the closed-doors scrimmage, needing to improve its tackling and not forcing enough turnovers. The “offense was great,” Saban made clear, but there was no such praise extended to the defense.

Alabama’s defense has lost eight starters to the NFL draft and was without four others Friday because of injuries to inside linebackers Deontae Lawson, outside linebackers Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell, and the absence of cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry for a family matter.

Judging by Saban’s comments, the results left something to be desired. But one of the players on the field Friday, third-year cornerback Terrion Arnold, expressed optimism Monday about what the Tide’s defense can do this season.

“We’ve learned that we can be a really, really great defense,” Arnold said when asked about lesson learned from the scrimmage. “We just have to put all the little things together. I feel like we have a lot of guys that have a lot of want-to, and more grit, and we really want to refine the standard and really bring it back into a positive outcome.

“So I feel like this defense is going to be, like, one of the great defenses.”

Returning to the Alabama standard of years past has been the common theme of Tide defenders stepping in front of a microphone in recent offseasons.

From 2009 through 2017, Alabama’s defense held the title as the SEC’s best every season except 2014. In the five seasons since, the Tide has topped the conference only once — its national-title 2020 season — while Georgia has taken the crown three of the last four seasons.

Alabama’s defense still allowed the ninth-fewest points (18.2) and 12th-fewest yards (318.2) among 130 FBS teams last season. But Tennessee’s 52 points in an October win were the most by any school against Alabama since 1907.

This defense this season will be coached by Kevin Steele, re-joining Alabama’s staff as defensive coordinator after Pete Golding left for the same position at Ole Miss. In speaking to ESPN last month, Saban referenced both new coordinators — including Tommy Rees offensively — getting players to play with more discipline.

Said Braswell when asked last month about the message from Steele to players: “Being physical, fast, and eliminat[ing] mental errors and penalties.”

Alabama will scrimmage again Saturday and hold its spring game April 22, providing two more opportunities for the defense to get the upper hand before the summer break. While Turner and Lawson are unlikely to see the field this spring, McKinstry should be on the field when Alabama’s defense makes its public debut on A-Day.

“I feel like the defense will be a good defense,” McKinstry said last month. “We’re working to become the best defense, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.