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Manny Diaz on Depth Chart Acrimony

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The coordinators sat down with the media today before this afternoon's practice session. Manny Diaz touched on the depth charge topic. On if the players aren't worrying about the depth chart at this point: "I mean, what difference does it make? In reality, how we rank our players on August 1st or August 15th or September 1st, to me it's really irrelevant. Because once the game goes on, things are so dynamic. I actually showed the linebackers a couple days ago, our season opener last year at Mississippi State and I made a point that in the first series we lost our starting corner. In the second series we lost our starting middle linebacker. Our second team middle linebacker was out for the game already anyways, so we had a third team guy that nobody would talk about on a day like today, because no one wants to talk about a third string linebacker. Well that guy played the whole game. So we're trying to press that up on the players. The least important thing on defense is who runs out there on the first play of the game because we intend to play a lot of people. To me what's more important is can we send you across the line. That's what matters. Are you good enough to go across the line? Where if I send you in, the rest of the players look at me and think, "That guy is crazy." Or when you go in, somebody is coming out in turn, they'll think, "Oh, I'm glad that guy is going in because I trust him." So to me, that is the line we're working on right now. That does change every day. Bottom line is do I, and more importantly, does the locker room trust you when you go in that you can represent our defense the way we want to be represented." Right on, right on.