Go full speed and there's at least a chance to make a play.

Hesitate, however, and it's no different than watching from the sideline.

For Notre Dame's young corps of linebackers, that's the basic message offered by Allen Pinkett, the former Irish running back (1982-85) and current radio analyst for Westwood One. Pinkett liked what he saw from the Irish defense during the Blue-Gold Game last month, and the advice he offered to Notre Dame's most inexperienced position bordered on copyright infringement for a certain shoe company.

Just do it.

"If those guys play with reckless abandon, they'll be fine," Pinkett said. "If you make a mistake, make it at full speed. As the season progresses they'll gain more confidence and play better even if they get burned a couple times."

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