USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch lays out his expectations

USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was asked to describe his defense, what fans should expect from the Trojans on that side of the ball, and while his answer didn't address much in the way of schematics, it provided a clear insight into the message the players are receiving from him and his staff this spring.

"The calling card has been effort and speed. And one of the things we do from a coaching standpoint is we say, if an individual gives us their max effort and max speed, they're going to have success from an individual standpoint. And obviously the behaviors, the sum total becomes a successful defense," Grinch said while appearing on the Trojans Live radio show Monday night.

"When we've gotten it right, we've been just that. And when we've gotten it wrong, we've had some tough Saturdays. We stick to that philosophy of sound, simple, repeatable, adaptable -- not the group that kind of draws stuff in the dirt each week -- and put our guys in position to be successful and hopefully let it rip and production can come with it."

RELATED: Full transcript of Alex Grinch's comments on Trojans Live on Monday

What Grinch was also very clear about is that his expectations start with the coaching staff first.

While he brought over two familiar partners from Oklahoma (and before that Washington State) in outside linebackers/nickels coach Roy Manning and inside linebackers coach Brian Odom, he's also working for the first time with defensive line coach Shaun Nua and defensive backs coach Donte Williams, the lone holdover from the previous staff.