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Diaco: "I don't know that we have them all yet. We've got to make that final analysis here through August. It looks like we're going to have inexperienced players at safety, but talented players at safety. We may be able to do more things physically, but limit the mental moving parts. We'll see. I'm not sure whether that's true, but it looks like that might be a piece as you start to shape it. As it relates to safeties, we've had brilliant safeties. "… I would say the two most critical spots for intelligence and communication is No. 1 the safeties and No. 2 the inside linebacker, specifically the Mike." BGI: You have young or inexperienced players at both those positions in 2013. Is getting them up to speed one of your biggest tasks heading into the season? Diaco: "Definitely. We have to spend a lot of time on them. We need to slow down the practice and have them do it. Then hit them with it full speed. We need those layers. They are in a chair and in a classroom setting and they're getting the audio/visual. Then they have to go out and do it as a group. Those two positions are going to need time slowed down, physically doing it at a halfspeed or quarter-speed rate and then full speed. That will be critical. "We're going to have to make smart choices with the amount of installation and the style of installation. Are we going to be using the snowball effect? Are we going to go whole, part, whole? I'm not saying we're going to because that really isn't my way." BGI: How is inside linebacker Jarrett Grace when it comes to the mental side and communicating with his teammates? Diaco: "Excellent. He's a demonstrative communicator and he's very bright. It's in his DNA, and it has been developed." BGI: When it comes to the linebacker position it seems like the outside linebackers are a strength of the defense this season. Diaco: "There's no question that the combination of Prince [Shembo], Ishaq [Williams], Danny [Spond] and Benjamin [Councell] is as strong of a group of four from a depth standpoint, two-deep, as we have on the team. It's definitely a position of strength for us." BGI: With the depth of the linebacker corps shifting more from inside to outside, will that be an area where we see you change what you do this season based on the personnel available? Diaco: "I don't think it will be a big difference. Manti is a great, great player in there. He's irreplaceable. I don't want to minimize that, but those four [outside] guys have been stalwarts for us. They were a year ago, and they're better." BGI: Senior Danny Spond didn't attract a lot of attention last year. Did he play more of a role than most people realize? Diaco: "Absolutely. He does such a fantastic job. I'm not going to sound his trumpet because it will always be that way. That's who Danny is. He's not going to be out in front. He's not going to be the guy with flashing bulbs and pizzazz and walking the red carpet. He's not that way. He goes about his business. "There's not a guy in the 11 that does things more right than him on a regular basis. He's one of the most right guys we have from an assignment and technique score, which we do every play. He gets two grades. There is not a higher-graded player week in and week out than Danny Spond." BGI: There are also a couple of highly touted incoming freshmen this year at the outside linebacker position. What is your philosophy on getting true freshmen on the field early in their career? volume of work and respect and strife and push and brotherhood and connection and understanding. "Everything about it on a day-to-day basis: the pain, the misery, watching the games rather than being in the game and what that mentality creates. There are a lot of missing components to instant mashed potatoes. From an overall broad spectrum I don't think that's very positive." BGI: Coach Kelly said this spring that everyone learned from the BCS National Championship Game loss to Alabama. What did you take away from that game that you think can help you in the future? Diaco: "Every single experience you go through you try to take a lesson from it and improve upon it. It was a new experience for everyone in our organization. It wasn't a new experience for Notre Dame, but it was a new experience for everyone that represents Notre Dame football right now. "I believe our overall communication can improve among all positions. I think we have an inner-position communication, but we can take the next step with a full-unit communication. I'd like to see the overall effort increase. I'd like to see more physical play across the board. I'd like to see everything improve." Diaco Diaco: "Speaking in general terms and not about any specific players, in my experience true freshmen are very rarely ready to come in and participate and be better than older players that have been in the organization for a long time. It's almost impossible when your organization is running at the level you want it to. "We're going into year four of our organization. To think now that a freshman is going to come in and dethrone a player that we've recruited to come here and developed for the last three-plus years, it can happen but it's unlikely. "It's not about me wanting it or not wanting it. It's just the reality. If the freshman is better than the other players he's going to play. We're not making decisions to not play the best players because of their age. The best players play, but we're hoping that the best players are the players that we've spent the time developing." BGI: Can putting a freshman on the field too early harm them or stunt their growth? Diaco: "It can harm them if they feel like it all came so easy that they don't have to respect the work done — if the player goes in and it just happens for him. "Instant potatoes taste very different than real mashed potatoes. To me it's missing that depth and volume, and the same thing happens for players that get too much early. They don't develop that depth and "Definitely, there were things that we would focus on moving forward and try to change and do a little bit something different here and there, absolutely. We'll see what happens." BGI: In what areas would you like the defense to improve this season? Diaco: "I believe our overall communication can improve among all positions. I think we have an inner-position communication, but we can take the next step with a full-unit communication. I'd like to see the overall effort increase. I'd like to see more physical play across the board. I'd like to see everything improve. Those would be specifics. "To have the ability to communicate better would be a great improvement. To be able to play harder. I don't mean as a unit — which we want, too — but I mean even if it's just a specific player playing harder longer. The ability to play longer and get more plays in the game. BGI: Do you think communicating better and being able to play harder are closely linked to one another? Diaco: "You're talking about a clarity of job. If you know exactly what to do you can just cut it loose. If you know what the beginning and the end look like, and you know your assignment in the middle, you can dive into that. "You can play with whole heart, whole mind, whole spirit, whole body. Definitely." ✦ Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview ✦ 77 76-77.Defense Q&A.indd 77 6/25/13 10:50 AM