The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

The fourth phase of the game, the referee, is something that we all need to better understand. We all focus on offense, defense, and sometimes… special teams. But focusing on the Ref crew is often overlooked. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are joined by Mike D the Referee from the Whistle Talk podcast. We talk all things reffing, coaching, and some hilarious stories.

Condition in the days of old was something of a debacle. Due to the increase of research and knowledge in this realm, most of us are moving forward and looking for a better way. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how conditioning is changing from the past to the present, how they’re establishing new norms and following the science, and how to change your own program throughout the training calendar to best help your players.

Option football is as old as the game itself, but it’s also still based on one player making some type of read to know where the ball will go. When defending the option, you are being put in a spot to be WRONG. So, you need to have a plan to force the QB’s hand. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the intricacies of QB Read option plays, why it’s important to have a plan to stop them, and how to game plan them throughout the week.

Unbalanced formations add a lot of stress to the defense. From adjustments, counts, angles… It all adds up on young players trying to communicate their issues to a coach. So use it to your advantage! On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the definition of unbalanced formations, their advantages, and why gap scheme pairs with them so easily.

Parents. More than that, parents of players on your team. Some loathe them, some love them. But, regardless of where you stand on the topic, you need them. You need them to help you build your team, your program, and your culture. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the importance of keeping parents close to your program by letting them have some ownership in it.

“Blitz Paths” are a very convoluted way to say “modular blitzes.” Blitz paths are pieces of blitzes that can be called together to mix and match pieces of different defenses. It’s not the most simple thing to understand either. On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Coach Chris Vasseur, aka Coach Vass, to educate our audience on what exactly blitz paths are, why we should use them, and how to game plan them from week to week.

In football, there are many ways to throw the ball around. Many coaches use two primary types of concepts; full field or mirrored routes. Either can be effective, but mirrored route concepts may fit you best. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the differences of the two concept types, why you should use mirrored routes, and how to game plan to defeat your opponent on Friday nights.

Install season is just a couple of months away! Is your install schedule locked in? How are you getting from new team to playoff contender this year? On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the key pieces of an install schedule, why the schedule matters, and how they’re progressing each side of the ball.

Offseason, and more specifically Summer, is upon us. It’s time to convince kids to come spend their summer mornings (or evenings) picking up heavy things and putting them down. But, we all know you have a lot of competition for their time. So, how do you build the buy in and improve your summer weights culture? On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the intricacies of small school summer workout programs, what you can do to improve your numbers, and what the alternatives are to “mandatory” participation.

2-Tight formations are all the rage in small school football, especially against odd front defenses. If you’re running one of those (3-4, 3-3) then it would be smart to have a plan for how you’ll align to and attack a 2-tight formation. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss everything you need to know about aligning to and defending 2-tight formations this year.

Counter (maybe only falling under Power) is one of the most popular run plays in High School football today! Everyone has a version, and they’re all useful. But, why do so many variations exist? On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the foundations of Counter, why they carry multiple variations, and what the advantages of each are.

In a lot of states, spring time is the second best time of the year, right behind the fall. We get to blow the dust off of the pads and helmets and get back on the practice field for a couple of weeks, and see what our kids (and coaches) remember. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss what your Spring Practice should really be used for, how to organize your practice, and how to evaluate what you installed.

Winning programs have more than “great schemes” in common. The best programs have a sense of accountability built into them. A self-governing team accomplishes more with less, because everyone is bought in. The term we’ve given this trait of accountability is Culture! On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the big buzz word, what it means, why some coaches struggle with it, and how you can ensure your program is on the right path to a great culture.

Developing your Offensive Line is one of the most important tasks you can perform as a coach. Whether you’re the Offensive LIne coach, the Offensive Coordinator, or the Head Coach, you’ll find your success goes as the OL development goes. On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Owasso Rams Co-OC and Offensive Line Coach Justin Morsey to discuss what a developed offensive lineman looks like, how to evaluate the guys on your squad, and what your development program should look like throughout the year.

Offensive Coordinators LOVE trying to break your defensive rules. As defenses get more “simple,” OC’s try to make your simplicity work against you. Even your most basic rules can become jumbled when dealing with condensed edges and TE Nub formations. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are working through defending TE Nub, taking on a condensed edge, and how to do all of that without losing your defensive identity.

You’ve probably noticed that Joe and Daniel have been starting the podcasts a little differently recently. We’re doing what all good coaches do, stealing an idea and making it our own. On this episode, we’re talking about our new “Level Up” section of the podcast, how it’s making us better coaches, and how we hope you can join in and get better yourself.

Teaching Quarterback reads isn’t the easiest part of coaching, for sure. Often coaches start in the trenches and learn the run game. But, eventually you have to get to the passing concepts and how your QB will decide who to throw the ball to. On this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by a friend of the show, Coach Ron Mckie, to discuss QB Reads. We cover pre-snap, and post-snap reads that can help make your QB make better decisions.

Watching game film is just like every other skill in coaching, it takes practice to get good at. Unfortunately, we don’t watch enough film when the pressure is off as coaches. We see it as a time-sink and keep that for weekends before in-season games. But, if we commit to a process to improve, we can get more out of those weekends with less time expended. On this episode, Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are discussing the importance of watching game film, what to look for while watching, and how to put your practice plan into action.

In the current world of high fly, high movement, “formation them to death” offenses that seemingly have all the rules in their favor, just getting an efficient defense on the field can feel like an impossible task. On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Coach Chris Cole to talk game planning an opponent, what adjustments you should or shouldn’t make in your coverages, and how to build a practice schedule to minimize those blown coverages against your opponents best concepts.