Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 83 "We spend a lot of time talking about that, and we set ourselves up tactically to penetrate, to be on edges and to try to play in the back- field. Those are things we talk about a ton. "The specifics of how we are pressuring are a huge part. We feel like we can do that in a base call, we can do that in a blitz, we can bring two and drop one, we can bring one and drop none. "There are different ways to do it. You have the ability to move post-snap 10 of 11 positions where you create a little bit of indecision in the offense. And if you can do that strategically to take away certain plays, then you are going to build pressure through the game." BGI: Last season your defense seemed lim- ited with regards to your blitz packages. Where are you now heading into year two? Lea: "I think personnel-wise we're going to have more capable blitzers just based off confidence and development. If you're blitzing a guy who doesn't know where he's going, or why he's going where he's going, you're com- pletely losing the advantage of adding another rusher. I think we have a better understanding of what the blitzes are. "One thing we have here is really good de- fensive linemen that can rush. It's not always about adding a blitzer as much as it is putting those guys in a position to win matchups. "If a game plan calls for a blitz, we have more guys we can call upon that understand the lines better." BGI: What is your assessment of the defen- sive line heading into 2018? Lea: "The development from the fall to the spring, across the board and with what the guys are doing this summer, have me really excited for the defensive line this fall. "Obviously, situations call for certain things, but the more times I can get them in a position to get off the ball and win, a one-on-one plays to our strengths as a defense." BGI: Junior end Daelin Hayes is a player that is intriguing. There are times in practice when he looked amazing, but it didn't always carry over into games last year. What is his progression? Lea: "It's one thing to do it in practice in spurts, and it's another thing to do it every single day consistently. And it's another thing to build a confidence level where you carry that over to the field in games. "Daelin has done a really good job in the winter and spring. … Some of his production in practice against really good players has been from the freedom that he's allowed himself to play with. He's looking to carry that over into games. I think game experience allows for that — you're not so tight." BGI: Senior Te'von Coney is moving to Mike linebacker this season, which requires a more all-around game than we saw from him last season. How has his progression been? Lea: "He's driven to be a great football player. He's always responded to me pushing him in that direction. "He played Mike some for us last year and in practice played a ton of reps there. Even though his game reps were more Buck oriented, I watched him grow in coverage in practice. My responsibility is to communicate it in a way that gives him direction so that he can use his strengths and be a better coverage player. "Coverage is two things — it's technical and it's instinctive. The instinctive part can be enhanced through meaningful repetition, and that's where we are with him now. "We're poring into the film study, creating a cleaner learning progression to give him more clarity on where he's supposed to go and then have him go out there and execute in those situ- ations. I'm really excited for him." BGI: Junior safety Jalen Elliott had some struggles last season, but during the spring he seemed to show improved play and confi- dence. What have you seen from him since the end of the season? Lea: "He has physical abilities that you want in your defense. I think his lack of back- ground playing defense showed up at the point of attack at times. "Players improve through exposure, and the more exposure they have the more they improve. They're learning to play and react. As the ball is in the air, they are fitting or trying to use the skills they have to make the play. "The one thing that can get in the way is your mental understanding of what's going on. You can over-think, and that can inhibit your physi- cal abilities, your anticipation and reaction. "If I'm Jalen Elliott and I'm thinking I have five things I might have to do post-snap and really it's three, then I just need to know the defense better. "If I focus on three, now all of a sudden my movement early in the snap is way more governed and restricted, and I can be in a better position to play at the finish. "When you have a comfort with, 'These are my responsibilities and here's what I'm anticipating,' you can be so much more effec- tive diagnosing what you are seeing from the opponent. You can eliminate plays by forma- tion when you have an innate understanding of, 'This is what I'm asked to do in a call.'" BGI: What does that advanced knowledge and comfort look like? Lea: "There were times last season where we would have a call that would require an adjustment that we were misaligned on. As a coach it makes you want to bang your head against the wall — it was an elementary part of the package. This, though, was a product of being in year one and everything being new. "Last season on a given week in preparation, I would be going over an elementary aspect of our package saying, 'You have to make this check versus this look.' "We're watching it on film and talking about it. If you don't get that done, you don't have a chance. "Now we're shifting our attention. We don't even talk about that adjustment because it's wired into what we know. Now, let's talk about the split of the receiver." ✦ Lea takes over as the coordinator, but the Irish defense will look very much the same as it did last year when it improved to No. 20 in the Fre- meau Efficiency Index defensive ratings after finishing No. 63 in 2016. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND "We want to do the best we can to dictate the direction of the play, and then disrupt the direction of the play, be it run or pass." LEA