Tank, the safeties you mention all had/have great counterparts in the deep secondary, and usually had outstanding cover corners. This frees them up for more run support, unless it's a pure passing down.
The part concerning the "not hearing their names called", means that the front 7 are doing their job, and safety support isn't needed. When you safety's name is being call often on running plays, that's a very bad sign. It means your getting beat at the point of attack, and allowing the opposing O-line to get to the 2nd level blocking assignments. That's what's been happening at ND the past few years. IMO, the safety should NOT lead your team in tackles. If that's the case, something is dreadfully wrong.
In regards to , "how much time do you give", I think if he's the best we have, we have to be patient regardless of the time it takes. Kelly said, "we need to win now", I'm thinking HS is under tremendous pressure to not give up the big play, but close quickly, and be there for run support. He just doesn't seem to have that "feel" just yet. I think it's really close though, as he only seems a couple steps late, and has been right on time on a few plays. My guess is you'll see a different player this week, provided he can "see" the play action effectively.
Just my opinion, your mileage may vary
