Coach and Coordinator Podcast

Maintaining focus during postseason weeks is essential for coaches and players to perform their best and make the most of their achievements. As coaches, we understand the immense pressure that comes with postseason games. It is crucial to not only instruct players to remain focused but also equip them with practical tools to do so. In this episode, we explore effective strategies for keeping athl...

As we turn our focus to the postseason, we start with one of its most critical aspects – game planning. Game planning in the postseason requires a meticulous and well-rounded approach. By staying focused on main objectives, being prepared for adjustments, and utilizing clues for what the opponent is about to do, coaches develop effective strategies to counter opponents' strengths. The ability to a...

From our archives, we revisit a conversation with Rob Everett, currently an analyst at Wisconsin, formerly the TE coach of the AAF’s Memphis Express and the defensive coordinator at Bridgewater College. In this episode, Coach Everett shares his philosophies and ideas for giving your team a late-season advantage. He specifically discusses different strategies for dissecting opponent film that can g...

As we hit the late season, we face the challenge of keeping our players motivated and focused. Whether it's competing for a championship or struggling to salvage a disappointing season, maintaining a positive atmosphere is crucial for success. In this episode, we explore strategies utilized by four coaches to keep players motivated during the late season. Coaches Featured in This Episode: Dan Carr...

As the season progresses into the late stages, teams face unique challenges in maintaining their performance levels and motivation. And coaches play pivotal roles in ensuring players remain sharp and focused on achieving their goals. In this episode, three coaches delve into their strategies for navigating the late season successfully and keeping teams performing at their best. Coaches Featured in...

In the late season, special teams face different challenges than in the earlier parts of the year. These considerations include personnel management, practice workload, and maintaining positive morale within the team. By carefully addressing these aspects, coaches optimize special teams performance and increase the chances of success in the late-season games. In this episode, three special teams c...

As the season progresses, coaches and coordinators must ensure their defensive units remain sharp and perform at their best. The late season brings unique challenges, such as maintaining fresh and game-ready players, managing injuries, and countering opponents who are familiar with our team’s tendencies. In this episode, we explore three key strategies to navigate the late season successfully and...

As we progress into the late season, identifying and exploiting the weaknesses of opponents often determines success. To do so requires a comprehensive self-scouting process that enables teams to understand their own tendencies and make necessary adjustments. By analyzing intricate details and nuances, teams can gain a strategic advantage on game day. In this episode, we delve into the importance...

Coaches who plan ahead and gradually introduce necessary adjustments equip their defenses to handle all situations and offensive schemes. By borrowing techniques from offensive play calling and constantly adding new elements, you can also create a dynamic defense that keeps opponents on their toes. In this episode, our guests share how they keep their defenses adaptable and unpredictable by buildi...

As we have talked about all season long, self-scouting plays a crucial role in understanding the team's strengths, identifying effective plays, and gaining an advantage over opposing defenses. The late season isn’t the time for something new. It’s the time for what has been the best for you. In this episode, three offensive coordinators from the high school, college, and pro levels focus on what g...

As the season progresses, the talent or skill of a team does not solely determine success. Championship teams often maintain their health throughout the season and continuously improve their performance. As coaches, we play critical roles in ensuring our players remain in optimal condition. As we head into the later part of the season, strategic practice management becomes paramount. In this episo...

Jaime Elizondo joins us again on the podcast. Elizondo has coached at both the college and professional levels, most recently serving as offensive coordinator for the XFL San Antonio Brahmas in the 2022 and 2023 seasons after serving as head coach of the CFL Edmonton Elks in 2021. In this episode, Coach Elizondo provides a wealth of great ideas from his 20-plus year career that are helpful to coac...

Communication becomes even more critical as we get into the second half of the season. It keeps our players focused as well as properly manages the mental-emotional side of the game. In this episode, three coaches share approaches for clear and strong communication with players to have a positive impact on the remainder of the season. Coaches Featured in This Episode: John Tomlinson, Offensive Coo...

When coaches think of player workload, we often focus on skill players and the amount of running they are doing. But we also need to be aware of workload in the context of linemen and the amount of contact they are experiencing over the course of the season. We must also effectively adjust what those players do to keep them performing at their best every week. Ultimately, the healthiest teams have...

In this episode, three coaches give us their approaches to adjustments to their defensive units. These mid-season evaluations are crucial to remaining on the right track or getting back on the right track when necessary. Each coach gives unique insight into how he views the successes and challenges a defense faces and how to continue to coach the unit throughout the season. Coaches Featured in Thi...

In this episode, AJ Smith, offensive coordinator for the Houston Roughnecks, helps us keep our call sheets and game plans simple, while continuing to evolve as coaches. Show Notes: Keeping It Simple Process for Adding/Deleting Have More Things That Beat Everything If You Didn’t Use It in a Week, Retrain It Be Disciplined to Not Add Too Much 80% of Your Game Plan Should Be Stuff You Have Been Doing...

As your team gets to the middle part of the season, it is important to be in tune with what your players are feeling physically as the reps of the season begin to take their toll. Today, coaches have access to all kinds of technology to help be in sync with our players. These tools allow us to better understand what reps to give players in practice, how to scale back, and how to push them when nec...

The mid-season self-scout provides insight into the calls we move forward with as well as what we need to do to keep our culture at the heart of our team’s performance. In this episode, two coaches put together these two aspects of your team’s performance to this point in the season, providing actionable data to optimize your chances for success in the second half of the season. Coaches Featured i...

The mid season is definitely a time to keep a focus on developing fundamentals and football IQ for how those fundamentals are applied within the context of the game. In this episode, we talk with three coaches about how they use competition and accountability to keep their teams engaged, as well as what is emphasized in meetings, practice periods, and drills to accomplish that end. Each coach shar...

The self-scout is an invaluable tool for any offensive coordinator. It involves a thorough analysis of one's own team's offensive tendencies and performance. It helps you identify patterns in your play calling and maximizes your strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, self-scouting promotes adaptability and unpredictability, key elements in outsmarting opposing defenses. It provides a roadmap for im...

When we hit the middle of the season one aspect to pay attention to is the mental and emotional state of our team. To this point in the season, there’s a range of successes or failures a team may have experienced. Things may be 100% on track for your goals as a team for the season, or the goals your team was focused on may be out of their control. This is something that my coaching staff and I had...

On today’s episode, we take a look at mid-season measurements of offensive success plus ideas on how to keep an offense evolving as the season continues. Joining us to discuss these topics are three offensive coordinators North Dakota State’s Tyler Roehl, Fayetteville High School’s Jay Wilkinson, and University of Fundlay’s Kyle Ohradzansky. They talk about key metrics that show them how they are...

This season is flying by! For many high schools around the country, this is week 5 - the midpoint of the season. While it is always time to adjust, the midpoint is certainly a milestone to measure where your team is, the development of your players and depth, and be sure you have covered aspects of the game and season that may come up later if they have not already. Today we talk to coaches from m...

Today’s guest is John Weaver, the associate athletic director, wide receivers coach, and interim offensive coordinator at Madison Ridgeland Academy. He has taken on the role of offensive coordinator for the beginning of the season and has been tasked with creating the identity of their offense which he built upon going extremely fast. Through the first three games of the season, their “hammer down...

Over the course of our Season series, we have heard again and again about the importance of fundamentals from coaches at every level. Today we put the focus back on the fundamentals of tackling with our in-house tackling expert Fordham University assistant coach Vince DiGaetano. Coach Dig joined us during camp to talk about tackling situations that are difficult to work on in practice but are impo...