In the Huddle – Nai’ll Diggs

by Andy Little

When you came into your first camp with the team last year you were getting over some off-season surgery. Despite that you still said you felt good at camp. How is your health this season?

I feel even better this mini-camp. Last year, I was coming off a couple of injures from the prior season. I felt good but I wasn’t able to train like I wanted to in the off-season. Now I’m coming off a healthy season, feeling great, and was able to work how I wanted to work with no limitations. Here I am now feeling good and the sky is the limit.

Last season you also said that your biggest challenge would be learning the playbook with a new defense, how do you feel you met that challenge? (Many defensive players with experience on other teams note that the Panthers have one of the larger playbooks in the NFL)

There is a lot of stuff in that playbook. Last year was like being a freshman in high school. This year you know where the classes are, you know where to go and what to expect. I’m still learning a lot just listening to Trgo or Flajole talk. It’s my 8th season playing football, two years here, and I’m a lot more comfortable this year but I’m still learning too.

You’re in your 2nd year here but with Chris Draft gone you find yourself as one of the more experienced linebackers on the team. How does that change your role?

I don’t think it’s going to really change. It’s going to be on the younger guys to approach us, the older guys, and ask questions. We don’t know what they don’t know. We don’t know what they may have questions about so on that role I think a lot of players were really good about asking Draft. I was a first year guy trying to learn all this stuff in a short amount of time and I used him as well. There shouldn’t be any question as far as role goes and older guys. I think Dan being the most experienced one in this system would definitely be the guy to ask about anything else. But it’s really up to the young guys to ask the questions to coaches or players.

When you came into mini-camp last year you had no expectations about how much you were going to play but you got on the field quite a bit. How did you feel about your time on the field last season?

I feel good about last year and how everything turned out. I wished the whole season in itself would have turned out better for us but you kind of just look back and look at the things you could have done better to improve that record to where you want to be. Right now you just take every play and make the most of it.