The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

Similar to making changes in life, making changes in football can be hard, difficult, frustrating… the list goes on. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." is a mantra that comes to mind. But, if it is broken you definitely need to fix it. You can't sit on an unsound system just to claim simplicity and not wanting to confuse the kids. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the reasons why you should,...

Gaining information on your opponent is always beneficial, and for many reasons. But, it's only as beneficial as what you do with the information. Putting all of their formations, plays, and personnel evaluations in a binder and tossing it to all of your coaches may not provide the edge on Friday night that you think it will. You have to know what to take out of all of that data, and how to make a...

Opponent scouting is an event that can quickly eat up most of… if not your whole weekend. In fact, if you don't know what you're looking for, it could steal your whole week away. We've all fallen into the "just one more watch through" trap as coaches. We want to make sure we've taken everything we can from the film to help us win. On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Southside's HC Kenny S...

Yes, Special Teams is one-third of the game of football. If ST hasn't won or lost you a game as a coach yet, it's coming. There are times that Special Teams practices can feel chaotic, like no one knows what's going on, and 1 coach (whomever had that ST Coordinator role thrown on them) is coaching 11 players, and the other Coaches are standing around watching the kicker.  On this episode we're tal...

The first drive, or the first few of them, of any game of football can give you nearly all the information you need to be successful the rest of the night if you use it right. Although we'd all love to run our bread and butter ad nauseam and hope to put some points on the board, you have a low risk situation to ask several questions of the Defense and see if they have answers at all, and what thos...

Now that just about everyone is back to practicing football (with real helmets and everything), it's time to streamline our schedules and get them into the most efficient formats. You don't have to make that a daily chore either! On this episode Joe and Daniel talk with Coach Justin Dottavio about the makings up a practice schedule shell for each day of the week, what key components you need to ad...

Injuries are very much a part of football. We coach a contact sport, and that contact can create a vast number of different injuries to players of any age. A part of being a coach is mitigating the risks that lead to those injuries by modifying the practice schedule to get the most out of our kids without unnecessary risk. On this episode Joe and Daniel talk with Antoine Smith about how he keeps 5...

Getting your players in game shape is usually held as one of the highest priorities in Summer Pride and pre-season practices. There is without a doubt a benefit to being in prime shape as the season kicks off, but maybe it shouldn't be as high of a priority as we make it out to be. On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Southside ( Batesville, AR) S&C Coach Deerick Smith ( www.smithperforman...

Your Pre-camp practice schedule is, as it should be, its own beast. Getting your players ready for the first camp, and laying the foundation for the rest of your season is possibly one of the most important things you'll plan and execute until your first Friday night snap.  On this episode Coaches Dave Dugan and Rick Stewart join Joe and Daniel to discuss pre-camp practice planning. Listen to iden...

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a scientific phenomenon in which people who are relatively new to a field, such as coaching football, often think they have all the answers when they actually have little to no knowledge of the subject at all. This effect is seen in nearly all aspects of life, even growing from a child into an adult (think about a 4 year old who has ALL the answers and a teenager who i...

Linebackers could be considered the most important players in your defensive scheme. Regardless of how you rate them in importance, they can definitely make or break your defense if you aren't playing the right kids in each position. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss what the ideal backer looks like, what the player you'll likely be playing there looks like, and what type of player to fit int...

Picking a defense doesn't have to be a very difficult task, but it is one that can easily be overthought. Some guys get stuck looking for the "perfect" defense, when that simply doesn't exist. In this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the varying levels of difficulty and complexity in running each of the most prominent defensive schemes and what factors you should consider when picking one to run.

As coaches, we're constantly performing a balancing act; run plays vs pass, playing time for our players, time at the office on the weekend… the list goes on ad nauseum. Only one small part of that list is the number of touches our players are getting.  On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by coaches Kenny Simpson and Max Wilson to discuss the pros and cons of spreading the rock around in you...

Our teams are composed of athletes of a large range of experience levels. In football especially, players pick up skills and abilities throughout their career that usually result in them being more experienced and seeing the game differently than younger players. This leads to complications during practice when it comes to running drills that have to benefit everyone on the team. On this episode w...

You cannot expect, through any amount of drills or training, for an incoming freshman to show up and be the stud on the team. Realistically, you probably can't even expect them to be game ready with a single fall camp under their belt. However, you can and should have a plan to make them serviceable as a player. On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Lynn Shackleford and Antoine Smith as we...

"I run six plays, split veer. It's like novocaine. Just give it time, it always works." - Herman Boone Although Coach Boone had T. C. Williams rocking and rolling to a 13-0 season and a state title in 1971 with the Split Veer… Most of us can agree that you likely need more than 6 plays in today's football game. Not that the split veer, wishbone, or other offenses won't work. But, you can at anothe...

"I run six plays, split veer. It's like novocaine. Just give it time, it always works." - Herman Boone Although Coach Boone had T. C. Williams rocking and rolling to a 13-0 season and a state title in 1971 with the Split Veer… Most of us can agree that you likely need more than 6 plays in today's football game. Not that the split veer, wishbone, or other offenses won't work. But, you can at anothe...

As the school year winds down, and football season gets ever nearer, you may find yourself as the newest defensive play caller on your team. Or, maybe you're a new DC on a different team than last year. Regardless, if you're in a position to determine which defensive coverage your team will use, you've come to the right place. Defense doesn't have to be complicated, and it often starts with keepin...

In small town high school football, where the running game reigns supreme, the cornerback position is often greatly overlooked. Many coaches don't know how to properly coach the position, so they're schemed into a deep third of the field and forgotten about until they give up the big play that seals a win for the cross-town rival. However, if the proper personnel are used, you may find the confide...

The offensive line could be considered the most important "team" to take the field on Friday nights. Sure, special teams is one side of the ball and defense wins championships, but you can't win 0-0 and the offense goes as your O-line goes. Piecing that team together can be a daunting task, especially for small schools where you may or may not have five guys that look the part. On this episode Joe...

Coaching kickers seems to be one of the most overlooked and underappreciated skills in the football world. For a team that's supposed to entail the figurative third side of the ball, it seems there is very little info out in the football world about how to take the average high school athlete and make them into the one kid held responsible for all of your special teams situations. It's even been s...

Not every player learns best the same way. I'll say that again. Not every player learns best the same way. Some of your players cannot sit down with a playbook and learn how to play football. The white board looks nothing like a football field to some of your players. You're writing Greek up there. Your practice schedule, as well as your coaching style, should incorporate as many learning styles a...

A hybrid position on defense can bring something different to the game of football that other positions simply can't, flexibility. These positions, and the players that fill them, have begun to pop up on both sides of the football and for some of the same reasons. A "jack of all trades" is more versatile in your defensive scheme than a "master of one". Coaches have quit prioritizing size in an eff...

Regardless of your offensive scheme, the person who touches the ball nearly every play is the Quarterback. Regardless of his skill level, you have to build your offensive scheme around him. Your overall system should include plays and packages to make any QB successful, once you identify what he can do, and what he can't. On this episode Joe, Daniel, and our guest Patrick Taylor discuss the reason...

Having absolute studs on your football team sounds like a dream come true. But, the truth is, even having absolute raw talent in the huddle comes with its own problems. Maybe your best players are pulling an Allen Iverson, "Practice? We talkin' about practice man." Or perhaps they've begun shutting it down with a scholarship already in hand and those around them telling them they're better than th...