The Football Coaching Podcast With Joe Daniel

Each Season we take a break from talking football for a week and just discuss something else in our lives. This season we landed on video games. On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss games that make them feel nostalgic, what their favorite game from the past are, and what games they’re playing right now.  

The Sprint Out Game can be very useful to every team for a multitude of reasons. Maybe you’re already using it some, and maybe you’ve never known the difference in Sprint Out, Roll Out, and Bootleg. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the  Sprint Out game, what it can do for you and your team, and how you can integrate it into a full offensive playbook that you already have.  

The interior blitz may be every new DC’s original go-to call. But, they are very likely misusing them. Interior blitzes are a great addition to any playbook, and can range from the most simple to excessively complex.  On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss Interior Blitzes, their benefits and weaknesses, and when you should (or shouldn’t) be using them on Friday nights.  

Football is a game of evolution, adaptation, and sometimes… cycles. Option football seems to fit into each of those descriptions, and has since the fall of 1964 when Coach Bill Yeoman told his Offensive Tackle “You can’t block him anyway, so just get out of the way,” and the defensive end was so confused that he ran up the field and out of the play… and the Split Back Veer Triple Option play fell into Coach Yeoman’s lap. Since, we have seen offenses adapt and evolve into spread teams that want to throw the ball all over the place, but they always seem to find themselves looking for “options” regardless if they’re pass or run based. On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss Option Football, what it is, how it can help you be successful, and how to incorporate it into your current offense.  

Quarter Coverage, or Match Quarter, is widely believed to be one of the best pass stopping coverages. In a world full of Cover 1, 2, and 3 “beaters”, pattern matching helps players match up to any passing concept thrown at them. But, “if it was easy, everyone would be doing,” it has never been a more fitting phrase. In this episode Joe and Daniel discuss pattern matching in Quarters Coverage, the pro’s and con’s of the scheme, and when you’ll know if your players and staff are truly ready for the challenge.  

The Double Edge Blitz, or the laziest call in Joe’s terminology, can help you when you’re in a pickle or when the offense just has your number for a series. But, there are better and worse places to call it. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the Double Edge Blitz, what they are fundamentally, the benefits they bring to your system, and coaching points to ensure your players know it and execute it to perfection.

Most of the time, when you’re thinking about passing concepts, you’re thinking about 5-step drop passing concepts. Do you love smash? Four verts? Double slant? Odds are, you’re running these out of a 5-step drop for your QB.  On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Head Coach Dylan Terry to do discuss what the 5-step drop game is, what advantages it brings to your offensive arsenal, and ways to gameplan your next opponent to ensure you’re putting the correct plays on your call sheet Friday night.  

Cover 1 Coverage seems to be in every team’s arsenal on defense. Whether they’re a Primary Man Free team, or just using it as an off coverage for their Cover 3 base, they all want to have and need to have the option to go man-on-man with a little safety help over the top. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the basics and fundamentals of Cover 1 as a coverage, We talk about what Cover 1 is, what benefits it brings to your defensive system, what problems you may have with Cover 1 and how to fix them.

Twist Games can be some of the most frustrating things to an Offensive Line coach who’s just trying to get his unit to perform. Especially early in the season, you can push an Offensive Line unit beyond their skillset with just a few movements by your big boys upfront.  On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Southeaster Missouri State’s DC Ricky Coon to talk about what twists are, how they can give you and advantage, and some quick pointers on installing them into your defensive scheme.

We’ve broken open the mailbag again. We’re digging in to answer the questions you’re asking the most. On this episode, Joe and Daniel tackle everything from Nasty Splits to assigning OC/DC roles. You can review the questions in order below and find the answers on the podcast.

Cover 3 has silently, or maybe less so, become the go to defense of a majority of coaches across the world. Whether it’s run heavy divisions, fear of playing man, or tired of watching Cover 2 Corners getting blown up by the run game, coaches are converting… and for good reason. In this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by Coach Kahn Chace to discuss the fundamentals of Cover 3, what benefits it brings to your defensive package, and how to coach the basics to any age or skill of player.  

The Zone Blitz at its core is one of the two basic blitz types on defense. They can range from simple zone evacuation blitzes in which we want to send an LB or Safety, and expand to some of the most complex blitzes in the business with different versions of America’s Fire Zone Blitz.  In this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the ins and outs of the Zone Blitz, how they fit into your scheme, and a method for game planning Zone Blitzes for your next opponent.

The play action pass could be one of the biggest threats in your arsenal, especially if your run game is explosive. The more you can make a team commit to stopping your run, the more the play action pass can open up. You NEED to carry at least one play action scheme into your game on friday night. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the basics of three play action schemes, the differences in the names of some of them, and why you need them in your scheme.  

You’ve just scored to get within 1. It’s been a hard fought battle up until now, but the game is almost over and you aren’t confident overtime is the best option. What do you do? The entire situation above was unnecessary, we were going for 2 no matter what the situation was. If you don’t know why, then this episode is for you! Listen to Joe and Daniel as they break down some Two Point Conversion analytics, plays, and gameplans for ensuring when you score, 8 points go on the scoreboard.  

In a world where seemingly every small school coach thinks they have to keep the wishbone, flexbone, or wing T alive due to their “lack of size and skill”, the zone run scheme may be the worst best kept secret.  On this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by coaching legend Bill Blankenship to discuss the fundamentals of the Zone Run Scheme. They hit on what exactly a zone run is, why you need to add it to your system, and what the key pieces of a successful zone run scheme are.

The Cover 2 Defensive scheme seems to be outdated and almost extinct. But, the defense has its place in your system, if not in your playbook for this year. On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the Cover 2 Defense, what it is, why you need it, and whether or not it should be a primary coverage, off coverage, or a situational install.  

As we continue our dive into the fundamentals of the game, blitzing has to make the cut. Although new coaches will likely send blitzes at random and ad nauseam, or search for the most complex blitz schemes known to man, the very simple Single Edge Blitz can be the key to success in gameplanned situations. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the Single Edge Blitz’s uses, why you need to have them in your scheme, and exactly how to gameplan them to see positive results.  

When in doubt, kick it out (of the reach of the front lineman and give your player a chance to recover it). That’s the motto that really captures the spirit of a “onside everytime” coach. The onside kick is an excellent tool to use to steal possessions from your opponent when used anytime.  On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the ins and outs of the onside kick, the reasons you need to start using it, and some coaching tips to ensure you’re getting the best out of your onside kick attempts.  

Offensive schemes in football have gone many directions throughout the history of the sport. But, in the run game, two schemes have remained: gap scheme and zone scheme plays.  In this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by O-Line Coach Jack Dingus as they break down the basics of the gap scheme, why you need it in your playbook, and some key coaching points to use to be successful.

In a world where there are a multitude of ways to play defense, and minimal time to install the ways you want to do it, every defensive coverage you use has to have a purpose. The Cover 4 coverage is exactly that, a coverage with a purpose. Whether you’re needing spot drop or quarters pattern match, you probably have a reason to install a Cover 4 coverage look. On this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by coaching great Dominique Franks to talk all things Cover 4. Listen in as we discuss the ins and outs of spot drop Cover 4 and Quarters pattern matching