The Football Coaching Podcast With Joe Daniel

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.  

The 2-minute offense is something that only comes around twice per game, but is used in every game! It’s a fairly special scenario in which your offensive play calling may see a break from all other tendencies to take advantage of a short clock. On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss what a 2-Minute offense is, why you need to have a plan for it, and what key pieces go into that plan.

Concussions have, unfortunately, been a part of football for as long as we can remember. Even when it was just a statement, “Dude, I got my bell rung,” they were still happening. Today is no different. In the “Arms Race” between safe football equipment and Bigger, Faster, Stronger athletes, there is ample opportunity for concussions to make a devastating impact on your players and team. On this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by Dr. Samantha Chamberlain PT DPT to talk all about concussions, what they are, what they look like, how we can return to sport, and most importantly how we can mitigate them in the first place.  

In 2023-24 we saw a LOT of football being played out of the two-high safety shell. High School to the NFL, size and league did not matter. What’s this “static” look all about, and how are we coaching our players out of it? Joe and Daniel are joined by University of Tulsa Safety Coach (and friend of the podcast) Dominique Franks top talk differences in 1-high vs 2-high, what coverages fit best, and how safeties are still included in the run fits from their two-high alignment.  

The Quick Game isn’t some new fangled thing in football. In fact, in the passing game, it may be as old as the power/counter combo. However, it is still extremely effective. The quick game can give you a quick strike game plan to take advantage of what your opponent is giving you defensively. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the quick game, what it consists of, why you need it, and how to use it with the offense you already have installed.  

Power, the backbone of the gap-scheme world. A foundational play for offenses the world around. But, with the evolution of defenses, multiple front teams, and high pressure packages, how can we ensure the Power play stays relevant? On this episode Joe and Daniel are talking variations of Power, what base power is, why you need variations, and how to install it with your team.    

Clinic Season is a FULL GO! But, are you getting the most out of it? Do your coaches disappear to the bar on Friday night and show up to catch the ride home? Are they sitting at the back of the room on their phone? We often take “vacations” for clinics when we should be sharpening our sword for next season. On this episode Joe and Daniel, who was excessively late, are joined by Mike Carter to discuss what you should be taking from this clinic season.  

Decentralized command is a tenant of leadership for us military members. In football, you just call it hiring a coordinator. But, that task isn’t always as simple as “just hiring a coordinator.” Sometimes you get to hire someone in, and sometimes you have to promote from the guys you have. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to do each of those things, what to do if no one is ready to be the guy, and ways to bring in someone that’s an expert.  

As with the Defensive Staff Break Down from two weeks ago, we go through all the ways you can organize your Offensive Staff to get the most efficient coach-to-player coverage. This episode was recorded at the 2024 American Football Coaches Association Convention in Nashville, TN.