You asked, "what I would like Tenuta to do?".
I would like for him to mix it up and not let the offense have any idea as to the defense we will be bringing on each play.
For instance, since we have been giving up the short passes, it is obvious the opposition will take it until we stop it. Tenuta should have the DBs playing tight man-to-man at least on obvious passing downs to achieve a first down. The DBs should stay beside or in front of the receivers.
The QB will not be able to dump the ball early, and it gives the LBs, DTs, and DEs time to get to the QB. After we have used that defense for maybe four to seven plays, we can switch back to the zone for a period of time until they pick up on this arrangement. We then switch back to tight man-to-man.
It is a guessing game by the offense and defense. If the defense plays the loose zone all day, there is no guessing involved and the offense can eat up the defense. It must be a mixture of different coverages to make the offense unsure of itself. You cannot afford to let an offense have no pressure and help feed its positive emotions.
On both offense and defense, the prime idea is to keep the pressure on the opposition until it cracks. You cannot play a passive game and win consistently.