Gotta love Diaco.
"So, you get a defense called and you learn where you're supposed to stand, not only your horizontal alignment but your vertical alignment, and you learn what your key is and you learn what your assignment is," Diaco said. "That would be somewhere between remedial and 100 level; 100 level is they're going to run and they're going to pass the ball and you know your assignment and you don't take a false step on the key to do your assignment. Now you know you're operating at 100 level, but there's so much more that you need to do as you become a better, more productive player."
Two hundred level?
"I'll have to get closer to my assignment; I have to make a call," Diaco said, referring to what a player needs to do. If I'm going to move to my right, to know that, to be able to see it.
"Make that change without the coaches doing it for you; you did it yourself. We call it our toolbox. That's a 200 level."
Three hundred level is a combination of the first two and recognizing formations, knowing what the offense is going to run.
"All I'm waiting for is my key to move so I can get into the play that I already know it's going to be," Diaco said. That's 300 level."
Four hundred level, Diaco said, is when the player has it all down.
"I've got it all. I've used my toolbox. I've seen the formation. I know the three or four plays it's going to be," Diaco said. "As soon as my key moves, I'm going to run into the play. ... Ball is snapped, key moves, [Diaco smacks his hands together loudly] I'm already on my way there. That's how you make a lot of plays. That's when you're operating at a 400 level."
500 level? That's championship level, or am I confusing him with Ollie?
Really great stuff from Dez, Fuller, and our own Matt Schonvisky.
