I am not as concerned about the defense as I should be

Well it's only the first year in the Payton regime so I am more than willing to cut him some slack after a major overhaul of the roster. Haslett's defenses were consistently horrible year after year usually due to the things you point out the current defense doesn't suffer from: lack of sound play and instincts.

They just need a decent influx of talent/speed in free agency and the draft to patch up a few holes.