The Football Coaching Podcast With Joe Daniel

The Single Wing Offense has one of the oldest and most storied histories in all of football. After seemingly disappearing from the game, it has come back in force in recent years. And that’s what we’re going to talk about on this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast. The modern day Single Wing that you can run with your own football team, right now. I’ll be looking specifically at the Unbalanced Single Wing as popularized by Coach Rick Darlington from Apopka High School (FL). Learn the philosophy and the thought process behind this unique offensive attack. Whether you want to install it, have to defend it, or are just curious - this is going to be a great episode!  

You’ve got the playbooks printed. The players will be there. Are you ready, coach? This week in The Football Coaching Podcast we’re looking at preparing for those critical pre-season practices. Getting your team ready for Week 1, when it really counts. Everyone wants a cookie cutter answer to installing your offense or defense. It’s not that easy. You can’t just run practice plans someone hands you. It’s the same as running a playbook you download from the internet with no understanding of the How or Why. This episode shares my 4-Step Blueprint for Pre-Season Practice Planning. I’ve established the four main goals of pre-season practice, and then put together a framework for planning how to get all of this in. Links In this podcast, I referenced a few other podcasts and resources… Episode 125 - 5 Keys to Perfect Practice Planning Episode 80 - The 4 Types of Defense in Football The 33 Stack Defense: Run Fits is on my YouTube Channel

The Wing-T Offense has always been a fascination of mine. Even though I’ve never really coached the system. For this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’m indulging that fascination by exploring the origins of the Delaware Wing-T Offense. You might know the story. You probably don’t. I didn’t. Tubby Raymond is not a major part of this tale. In fact, he marks the end of the story. Instead, we’ll talk about the true origins of the Delaware Wing-T Offense. A story that begins with Dave Nelson, Harold Westerman and Mike Lude. And it doesn’t even start at the University of Delaware. Nope. This story starts in Maine. A few key resources for this episode… I’ve had a blast gathering information for this episode. Here are the key pieces so you can read them for yourself: Dave Nelson, Tubby Raymond and the Rise of the Wing-T Offense by Doc Bear. Big help in getting started on the right path. Mike Lude… An Originator of the Wing-T by Hugh Wyatt. Coach Wyatt has been on the podcast, and this kind of first-hand

This week is a special Football Coaching Podcast mailbag episode. I’m answering questions from coaches on all kinds of topics. I’ll be discussing… How to coach the 7-technique (or 6i) Defensive End. This is a follow-up on the last episode about the 6-Tech Defensive End How do you get into coaching, when you don’t want to be a teacher? What coverage options do you have for Trips formations in the Miami 4-3 Defense? ...some other things, I don’t clearly recall, because I was recording this episode at about 3am before leaving for vacation the next day. That in itself should make Episode 202 of The Football Coaching Podcast a must-listen! I’ll have to listen too, because I have no idea what’s in there. For an in depth look at the 4-2-5 Defense, I’ve got an exclusive video series you can check out at http://425defense.com/podcast. You’ll get instant access to the first video on the foundations of the 4-2-5 Defense, with two more videos to follow.

You’ll find out the advantages of using a 6-tech Defensive End, how to coach this technique, and whether or not your football team has the right guy to play that position. The 6-tech Defensive End won our poll topic getting 33% of the votes and beating out Kick Return Strategy. There won’t be a poll next week, but I do need you to send an email to joe@joedanielfootball.com or tweet me your questions for next week’s Q&A Podcast. I started using the 6-Tech Defensive End when we switched to the 4-2-5 Defense. We continued to use it in our 3-4 Defense front, as well. For an in depth look at the 4-2-5 Defense, I’ve got an exclusive video series you can check out at http://425defense.com/podcast. You’ll get instant access to the first video on the foundations of the 4-2-5 Defense, with two more videos to follow.

In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’ll talk about advantages of Press Quarters Coverage, the basics of coaching Press Quarters, and adjustments that you’ll need to be ready to make if this becomes your base coverage. You can use press quarters coverage with any traditional defensive front. I’m focusing on the viewpoint of a 4-3 Defense, since that’s where we have used Quarters most often. You can run this with your 3-4 Defense, 3-3-5 Defense, or your 4-2-5 Defense. If 4-2-5 Defense is your thing, I’ve got a special 3 video series that you can get instant access to right now as my special gift. Just visit http://425defense.com/podcast to sign up for that series right now.  Links Coaching Press Quarters Coverage video on YouTube that was made for this episode. Quarters Coverage video - this is the foundations of the Quarters Coverage I teach in The 4-2-5 Defense System. Football Coaching Podcast Episode 189 - How To Coach Pattern Read Coverage Football Coaching Podcast Episode 196 - Defending T

Coaches are always struggling to create an identity for your football team. We don’t need to create it though - you should be trying to develop the identity. It’s an important distinction, and the biggest takeaway from this podcast. You need to build around the strongest positive character trait that the majority of your team possesses. To find your football team’s identity, you need to examine the community, parents, tradition, and your current players. You also need to look at yourself and the coaches around you. In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, find out just what the Team Identity really means, and how you can develop one that will take your football team to the next level of success. I’ll also share several examples of Team Identity for you to look at, to help you decide what direction your football team’s identity needs to go in. This isn’t about X’s and O’s, but if you want to give your team’s defense a new identity, I’ve got a free gift for you. Visit http://425defense.com/podcast to g

It’s the single most searched term on Joe Daniel Football. “Linebacker Reads.” So it’s about time we do the definitive podcast on coaching linebacker reads. Of all styles. Because I coach them all. It’s about finding what works best for your players, in your defense. And every player is different. Heck, every game is different - but we only have an hour (well, 70 minutes). I’ll talk about backfield keys, guard keys, and the 2-man surface read for your Inside Linebackers. What it is, and how you can read it. No matter what defense you coach, we’re going to talk about Linebacker Reads that you can use for your football team this season. Check out http://425defense.com/podcast to get instant access to my Foundations of the 4-2-5 Defense video series. This is my special gift to you and you can get access to these videos right now at no charge. Visit and follow my Twitter Profile Page @footballinfo to vote for next week’s poll topic!

We’re always looking for new technology to give your football team an edge on the opponent. And there’s an increasing number of options. In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’ll look at a few of those different options. From video analysis, to playbook, team organization and safety - learn new ways to improve your football team. None of these are the magic bullet. You have to become a better football coach to get better results. We’re looking for ways to be more efficient, relay information, and improve safety on the field for your football players. Don’t forget to check out http://425defense.com/podcast to get instant access to my Foundations of the 4-2-5 Defense video series, too! Don’t forget to visit my Twitter Profile Page @footballinfo to vote for next week’s poll topic!

This week's winner on our Twitter poll @footballinfo was Defending Trips Formations. We look at multiple ways to defend 3 by 1 formations no matter what defense you're running. In any game plan, you'll need 3 ways to defend Trips Formations. I'll give you plenty to think about.  As with any other defensive plan, it starts with deciding what the offense is using that formation for. What's their purpose? Then you've got to make some decisions. Man or Zone? Or a combination coverage?  6 man box, or 7 man box? Or 5 man box when they're really trying to sling it all over the place? In this episode I also mention that special gift, my 3 Video Series on Coaching Football's 4-2-5 Defense that you can get access to right now at http://425defense.com/podcast.

The Red Zone is the Scoring Zone. When you get there, you've just got to put points on the board. And a field goal isn't good enough. No, in fact, a field goal represents a failure for the Offense in the Red Zone (still a positive for the team!).  Red Zone Offense needs to be one of your top priorities for the Offense to be successful. In today's episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I'll tell you how to make it a priority. And a success.  In this episode... The Definition of the Red Zone for your Offense How to make your players understand the importance of Red Zone Offense Putting together your Red Zone Playbook How to identify and take advantage of the Defense in the Red Zone Don't forget to VOTE in our Twitter Poll for next week's FBCP Episode Topic @footballinfo. In this episode, I also mentioned a free gift for listeners of The Football Coaching Podcast on Coaching the 4-2-5 Defense. You can get access now at http://425defense.com/podcast.  

Cornerback technique is often neglected. If you focus in on the fundamentals of the position, you can make some huge improvements with these athletes in a short period of time. I'm breaking down the position by coverage and using the A.S.K.A. model.  A.S.K.A. is Alignment, Stance, Key and Responsibility. It tells the story for every position on your defense. It is the pre-snap checklist every defender should go over in his head before every play. Whether you're Cover 2, Cover 3 or Quarters you'll get some great ideas from this week's Football Coaching Podcast.

Get your coaches in the right place is going to be critical to the success of your football team. This takes a lot of thought to get it right. Every coach on your staff is at a different level. A different person. We’re not all great field generals, or great motivators. We each have strengths and weaknesses. And of course, every coach on your staff has a different level of experience. At different positions. Time to get it right. Listen to Episode 193 of The Football Coaching Podcast to find out how to make sure you’re using your football coaches right! Don’t forget about my 3 video series on The Pistol Power Offense System. Those videos are my gift to you. Register and watch the first video right now at http://pistolpoweroffense.com/podcast.

The Offensive Line takes more attention to details and technique than any other position on the field with the possible exception of Quarterback. Your asking big men to do unnatural things. Players can’t just rely on their athleticism. In today’s episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’m going through the key blocks you will use in a Gap Blocking Scheme. That’s plays like Power, Counter, Iso and Trap. This is a detailed look at blocking. Footwork, aiming points, and the upper body. If you want to learn more about Offensive Line play, and every football coach should, I strongly recommend two books: Coaching Offensive Linemen by Dave Christensen and James A. Peterson Complete Offensive Line by Rick Trickett I mentioned that 3 video series on The Pistol Power Offense System. The videos on Power and Counter will show you where I apply these blocks in our System. Those videos are my gift to you and you can access the first video right now at http://pistolpoweroffense.com/podcast.

It’s the longest wait in football. The time from the end of school to kick-off on Friday night. Seems to take forever. Don’t waste that time. You can get a lot out of your pre-game routine! This week’s Twitter Poll winner was Pre-Game Warm Up’s. From the pre-game meal to the opening kick, I’ll go in depth on how you can get your players ready to play. How should you handle your meetings? When do you flip the switch? And on the field, how much contact are you going to have? This is the complete guide to get your players ready to perform from the first drive through the fourth quarter (and Overtime if needed!). I also told you about a 3 video series on The Pistol Power Offense System. Those videos are my gift to you and you can access the first video right now at http://pistolpoweroffense.com/podcast.

There’s a lot of ways to get your Offensive Formations to your players. None of them are the right way, you just need a system. One that’s consistent. Learning football terms like formation calls is like learning a foreign language. So you can’t be too complex (I don’t know how good your kids are doing in Spanish, ours struggle). Formations are usually called using a combination of words and numbers. But nothing is universal. Then there’s the tags. You can get really complicated with tags. Oh, and motions! Shifts! Trades! It’s endless. In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’m going to go into all of that. A whole bunch of different ways you can align your players. And how to put it all together. One of the formation systems I talked about in this episode is from our Pistol Power Offense System. You can get a Free 3 Video Series on one of the core schemes of that System at https://joedanielfootball.com/ppo. Don’t forget to visit my Twitter Profile Page @footballinfo to vote for next week’s poll to

On this edition of The Football Coaching Podcast, it’s a deep dive into Pattern Read Coverage. What is it, and why should your team run it? And also… why shouldn’t your team run it? We’ll talk about making the decision. I’ll talk about the 4 Critical Keys to Coaching Pattern Read Coverage. Then we’ll dive into all of the communication your players have to learn to run a successful pattern read defense. In this episode I mentioned quite a few resources, and they’re listed below: Coaching Pattern Read Coverage by Tom Olivadotti is an excellent overview of pattern read principles. Quarters Coverage Made Simple by Shap Boyd was crucial for me learning Quarters Coverage. Listen to my interview with Coach Boyd on Quarters Coverage in Episode 26 of The Football Coaching Podcast 4-3 Over Cover 4 Defense from Pat Narduzzi is a great resource if you’re interested in Press Quarters. Or defense. Can’t recommend this 2 DVD set enough. Don’t overcomplicate your coaching. Keep it simple so your kids can execute. That’s

For this week’s episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, Defensive Game Planning won the Twitter Poll! You can vote for next week’s poll topic on my Twitter feed @footballinfo.   This could probably make up a month’s worth of show topics. I decided to focus on one aspect - the scouting.   Gathering enough information to give your football team an advantage. Without going overboard. And without digging through too much information and actually falling behind.   I talk about what information the football coaches need to know. And how much of that do your players actually need?   Then we’ll talk about the Game Planning Call Sheet. If you want to go deeper on that, check my article on 24 Things You Can’t Leave Off Your Defensive Call Sheet.   For more ideas on putting your Defensive Playbook together (after all, you can’t get the call sheet right if you don’t have a foundation), download my free eBook Defensive Installation Manual here.

The most important skill for a Linebacker is learning how to defeat blocks. A Linebacker should expect to defeat a block before he makes the tackle. It's also one of the hardest skills to get your Linebackers to execute. The natural tendency is to run around those big guys trying to push you.  I've studied a lot on coaching linebackers. The best resource I've found is Lou Tepper's Complete Linebacking book: http://amzn.to/2mXKjMp If you haven't read it yet, you need to get it. Every football coach should check it out.  In this episode, I talk about 3 styles of block destruction. We focus on the core principles including the strong inside foot, leverage and exploding the hips through the blocker. Then you'll shed the block and go make a tackle!

You voted and this is the topic that won! Coaching Without Leadership means coaching when you don’t have those leaders on your team. The one’s that would make your life so much easier. Here’s the real secret. You have leaders. You have leadership. Now you have to be the coach. Develop it. And there’s a lot going on here. For this podcast, I referenced my interview with Coach Chris Zablocki and his Pyramid of Priorities. Making good decisions is what you’re really after. I also focus on the 5 Levels of Leadership that John Maxwell talks in this video. Maxwell’s books are a must for football coaches. Finally, you can get instant access to Chris Zablocki’s web clinic on leadership from last year, as well as my Max Motivation for Peak Performance eCourse when you join JDFB Insiders. Click here to get all the details.