Wrong. Traditionally, with the exception of a few of Bo's experiments, they have been awarded to the starting defense. Yes, over time sometimes a few additional shirts were awarded to deserving backup's, or special team players, or those that started in different alignments...but, it has always been a team award for the starting defensive unit. Some of these additional or honorary shirts were even given post-season. This is true and even those denying it today know it is so. We've had some pretty crappy defenses that all had 11 starters with Blackshirts...it is simply fact.
I know it's gets some folks mad when the defense sucks...it gets me mad too. But a tradition is a tradition, until it's not. Bo, who always hated the tradition, broke with tradition once his defense's were being exposed and they got worse and worse. The new staff can do what they want, it's their choice, but they ARE dishonoring the tradition even if their defenses are stellar. I will point this out to SF. BTW, just because Chin/SF spoke with McBride and others doesn't mean that he told them to do it this way. Further, McBride, who had plenty of poor defenses wearing blackshirts, is not the expert on the tradition, those folks are nearly all dead. I'd prefer they just say they are temporarily suspending the Blackshirt tradition until the defense is up to par than do something as stupid as making a blackshirt an award to an individual...that will be nothing but divisive.