The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

Leadership isn't easy. It isn't natural for everyone. But, there are ways to help your players improve their leadership ability throughout their time in your program (it all starts with confidence and competence.) In this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss what it takes to be a leader, how to improve the leadership of your team, and how that leadership can show up on Friday nights.

Shifts and motions are a great tool for offenses to use, but that doesn't mean they have to leave you stumped on the defensive side. You need to have adjustments ready for your kids to use when the offense starts moving around. In this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the keys to keeping a shifts and motions in check by using a complete defensive system, installing your adjustments early in the season, and Drilling players on adjustment communication.

Resiliency is one of the hardest things to train in High School football. In a world where technology continues to make every day life easier and easier, we have to make kids understand that being uncomfortable and straining won't end them. In this episode Coaches Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss preparing your players for adversity through practice planning to cover the hard things, preparing them for things that could happen on Friday nights, and getting rid of the "Here we go again" mentality.

Cover 3 may be the best HS coverage possible. Cover 1 probably holds the crown as the best overall coverage, if you have the cats to run it. Cover 3 just answers all the questions, while being simple to understand, run, and problem solve with. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are covering the fundamentals of Cover 3, simplifying your coverage package, solving all the weaknesses, and making Cover 3 look complicated.

Tackling may be the bane of every DC’s existence, especially when trying to turn a program around. It’s also the part of football that has evolved the most… outside of Travis Kelce type of TEs, and the weird side-arm throwing motion used around the country now. Tackling doesn’t have to be a thorn in your paw, you have to simplify your system so it can happen more naturally and in pairs. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the easiest ways to fix mistakes in tackling, through Umbrella Run Fits, how to do it without running the “Oklahoma Drill” every week, and motivating your players to ATTACK.

The season is a GRIND. Not just for you, but for your players. It’s a grind for the starting QB, it’s a grind for the Sophomore that’s having to play up on Fridays, and it’s a grind for the freshmen that practice week in and week out to never touch the field on Friday nights. Everyone is exhausted! Don’t let it kill your team as you approach the most important games of the year. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to plan your practices to keep kids mentally and physically fresh for game night… during weeks 8-15, How to limit injuries and accelerate your recovery, and how to keep kids focused late in the year.

A lack of confidence in a football player is almost never an actual lack of confidence. What does that mean? Well, you can’t go to the gym and workout your confidence muscles. You can’t drink a magic beverage that increases your confidence score. Confidence is built by simple understanding and preparation for what you’re about to try to achieve. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the building of confidence through the streamlining of your scheme. They talk through the Coach Simple Philosophy, Understand your Why (and coaching to ensure your why is achieved), and game planning to give your players the ability to play FAST!

Coach, your kids are bored… and it’s 100% YOUR FAULT. Okay, extreme ownership says everything is your fault, so you already knew that. But, really, you’ve planned a boring and stagnant practice, so that’s exactly how it feels. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are talking about shorter more high energy practices that achieve a goal, motivate athletes, and put the spark back in your team.

“The one kid that keeps DCs up at night,” aka the dual-threat QB who is nearly impossible to contain. I bet you’ve coached against (or been lucky enough to coach with) at least one of these in your career. All of football seems to be going in the direction of putting the most athletic kid at QB and let him get loose! On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the fundamentals of stopping a dual-threat QB, how to coach pass rush lane integrity, keeping dual-threat guys contained, and how to manipulate the QB with your scheme, so you can control his actions.

Getting Pressure on High School Quarterbacks is quite the challenge. Between terrible fundamentals by HS O-Linemen, to quick game, to QBs generally being run first athletes, you have to really drive home the point of getting D-Linemen to the QB. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to teach your pass rushers to think situationally, how to call your defense to attack the opposition, and the simplicity of using 1-2 pass rush moves for your HS players.

At some point we all struggle with it… consistently moving the ball down the field. You lose a player, the defense has you out-manned, there can always be something to slow you down. But, you can do more before the season starts to prevent it from happening. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to get the ball rolling again in your favor. From attacking weakness, to ensuring your game day isn’t derailed by a flawed offensive playbook, we’re covering it all!

In this episode of 'The Football Coaching Podcast,' hosts Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel discuss the current excitement of scrimmage week and share insights into recent college football strategies. They delve into the topic of establishing a team's identity by focusing on core principles, non-negotiables, and creating player buy-in. Key themes include the importance of consistent communication, understanding player challenges, and employing a well-defined practice structure. Additionally, they emphasize the value of adopting a 'coach simple, play fast, win' approach and explore the application of military leadership models to coaching. Personal updates include Daniel's office reorganization and exploration of new ventures, highlighting their commitment to personal and professional growth.

Depth wins championships. It doesn’t matter how talented your starters are — if you’ve got no one ready to step in when it counts, you’re in trouble. Backups matter. Depth matters. And if you’re not preparing those guys now, you’ll pay for it later. On this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel talk about how to build depth on your roster, get your backups game-ready, and keep your team competitive no matter the numbers. You’ll hear why the Coach Simple philosophy is the fastest way to boost confidence and performance, how to train your scout team to become tomorrow’s starters, and how to adapt your drills when roster sizes are smaller than you’d like.

There isn’t a perfect defensive scheme in football. Let’s say that again, there isn’t a perfect defensive scheme in football. They all work. Pro’s and Con’s… sure they exist. But, the truth is, every modern defense should be able to work successfully against any offensive scheme, you just have to remain adaptable. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain talk about adapting your defense to whatever you’ll see this season, how you can shut down the spread specifically, and coaching your defense to SWARM the football!

The offensive line is the HEART of your football team. It doesn’t matter what the skill level of everyone else on the field is, you win or lose behind the O-Line. If yours is getting steam rolled each and every game, you’re likely losing each and every game. On this episode, Joe and Daniel are talking how to get your O-Line to improve by simplifying your communication, simplifying your scheme, and getting your players to love their craft!

We often hear, “Your players won’t be as passionate and committed as you are.” What we don’t hear as often is that your coaches may not be on your level either. Sometimes you’re going to get a guy, or multiple guys, that you have to win games with, but may not be on the same level of football coaching as you. On this episode Joe and Daniel are discussing ways to prevent the feeling of coaching alone. They discuss the need to develop your philosophy and systems, communicating with your staff, and getting buy-in from everyone in the program.

Practice doesn’t always equal performance. You can dominate the practice field all week, but if it doesn’t show up under the lights on Friday night… something’s missing. Maybe practice wasn’t hard enough. Maybe the scout team didn’t look anything like your opponent. Or maybe your kids just didn’t buy in. In this episode, Joe and Daniel dive into how to turn practice success into real game-day results. They break down how to make practice tougher than the game, why specific drills lead to better buy-in, and what to do when your scout team can’t replicate your opponent. They also share stories from their own coaching experience, discuss highlights from the Texas High School Coaches Association Clinic, and even drop a few book recommendations for coaches who want to think deeper about football—and probability.

Coaching is a game of efficiency. Don’t run too much, or you’ll be tired. Don’t run too little, or you’re out of shape. Don’t tackle too much or you’re risking injury… too little, well you get the point. We have to find the best way to get the most out of the talent on our team. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the way they get the most out of their players. They talk about setting up a depth chart, identifying the right guys for the position, and getting kids to play a position they may not want to.

Calling plays when the lights are brightest, things aren’t going your way, or the game is on the line can be a challenge. Especially for coaches who haven’t experienced it before, you can start to be too aggressive or pull too many punches. But, it’s something you can get better at. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are discussing how to better your play calls in the biggest spots in football. They talk setting up a play call sheet, playing the game before the game, and using your play calls to attack weaknesses of the defense.

We’ve unfortunately all been there… the 4th Quarter starts and our best 11 have their hands on their knees and are too exhausted to perform up to the standard. It’s cost many coaches a game or two, but there is a way to prevent it from ever happening again. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the more modern approaches to getting your players in shape for the season, how to condition in practice, keeping things from getting too tyrannical, and how to hold your player accountable so they’ll want to be in shape in the 4th.