

Coach and Coordinator Podcast
Keith Grabowski
Keith Grabowski interviews the most knowledgeable head coaches, coordinators, and position coaches from professional, college, and high school football. Keith and his guests discuss the philosophy, concepts, schemes, and strategies that they have learned throughout their careers. Each show includes a specific idea that can be applied to help coaches at every level find the winning edge.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 14, 2020 • 45min
From The Archives - Joe Dailey, Receivers Coach, Boston College
From the Archives - Joe Dailey, WR Coach, Boston College shares his insight on coordinating an offense. Dailey recorded with us while he was at Liberty. He spent 2019 as New Mexico' Offensive Coordinator and now is at Boston College.
On today’s episode of the Coach and Coordinator podcast Keith Grabowski has Joe Dailey, offensive coordinator at Liberty University. Dailey is a former quarterback at Nebraska and North Carolina and used some of his personal playing experience to help influence his offensive scheme. Keith and Coach Dailey discuss what has impacted Dailey as a coach, his dynamic offensive scheme and coaching process.
01:10 Joe Dailey's coaching journey
02:12 Coaches that have made an impact on Dailey
04:15 Developing offense from previous experience
05:10 Transitioning in coaching and understanding relationships
07:12 Advice for guys that want to be a coach
08:35 Coach Dailey’s mistake as a young coach
09:48 Evolution of the offense at Liberty
10:45 Philosophy of the offense
12:54 Offensive trends
14:30 Defensive trends
16:32 Coach Dailey’s favorite concepts against tight defensive fronts
17:53 RPO in 21 & 22 personnel
19:06 Impact play for Coach Dailey, Outside zone backside RPO
21:20 Coaching the running back
22:02 Offensive line
22:25 RPO read backside
23:35 Coaching the RPO attachments
24:45 Explosive plays, Dailey’s explosive package
25:00 Sail
27:00 Training the quarterback
30:40 Inside practice
34:38 Gameday process
37:00 Tools to acquire data
38:35 Communication at halftime
40:05 What to look for postgame on film
41:25 Winning edge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 1, 2020 • 51min
From The Archives - Erik Chinander, Defensive Coordinator, Nebraska
From the Archives:
The guest on today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast is Erik Chinander, defensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska. This is Chinander’s first season at Nebraska after spending the last two seasons at the University of Central Florida. Chinander moved to Nebraska when Scott Frost moved from being the head coach at UCF to the same position at Nebraska. UCF’s defense forced an increased number of turnovers, ranking second in the nation in takeaways in 2017. And Chinander helped the UCF team to a 13-0 season and ranking top three in the American Athletic Conference in defensive touchdowns, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense.
Before coaching at UCF, Chinander spent two seasons at the University of Oregon. Chinander coached the outside linebackers in his second stint at Oregon. He coached one year in the NFL in 2013, working as an assistant defensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Chinander first came to Oregon in 2010, working as an intern for a year and a defensive graduate assistant from 2011-12. His other coaching experience includes time at the University of Northern Iowa from 2004-09 and one season in 2003 at Ellsworth Community College (Iowa). Chinander played as an offensive lineman at the University of Iowa from 1998 to 2002.
On today’s show, Chinander and host Keith Grabowski talk about the “black shirts” at Nebraska, running an up-tempo practice and using specific language in the game plan.
Show Notes
0:49 Learning coaching strategies from big-time coaches
2:27 Making the decision to get into coaching after playing
4:33 Transition when a coaching staff moves to a new program
7:25 Learning from Chip Kelly in being the best at practice
10:52 Balancing between practicing up-tempo and teaching players
14:15 A language to make players understand the coaches better
17:04 Spending time coordinating between offensive and defensive staff
19:03 Installing up-tempo style in the meeting room
22:48 Using brief, concise language to communicate to players
24:49 Teaching effectively in postgame evaluation
28:52 Being efficient with practice time during the week
31:40 Splitting up different parts of the game across the coaching staff
33:25 The set work flow in practice throughout the week
36:05 Getting many reps of the game plan before the game
39:12 Utilizing the outside linebackers in the odd front
40:59 Working with the defensive line in an odd front
43:06 Understanding the traditions at Nebraska
44:56 The meaning of the “black shirts” with the Nebraska defense
46:37 The Winning Edge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 31, 2020 • 55min
From the Archives - Herb Hand, University of Texas
From the Archives:
In this episode Auburn University’s Coach Herb Hand shares some valuable insight into being a successful coach on and off the field
Coach Hand has been a key coaching component in some of the most explosive offenses in NCAA history. He reunited with Gus Malzahn for the 2016 season, joining Malzahn's Auburn coaching staff as offensive line coach.
Prior to Auburn he helped develop the offenses at Clemson, West Virginia, Tulsa, Vanderbilt, and Penn State. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 28, 2020 • 21min
From The Archives - Tips For A Pregame Speech
From the Arcvhives - Tips for a Successful Pregame Speech
Host Keith Grabowski shares another page of his notebook giving tips for giving a successful pregame speech.
00:50 The stereotype of the pregame speech
01:15 Opportunity to send team out with a positive mindset
01:45 Build emotion to a crescendo over the course of the week
02:30 Communicate a focus to set the stage for Friday
03:15 12 time state champ Chuck Kyle on the pregame speech
04:29 Motivation is an attitude about what you do
05:02 It’s about getting them to step above fear of failure
06:27 Always be clear and concise
07:18 Coach Grabowski’s first game as a head coach
09:50 Separate reminders from the emotional part of the speech
10:14 Have a routine before you send them out
11:20 Rehearse what you want to say
11:50 Make sure any prop works out how you want it to
14:06 Always be positive in the pregame speech
16:40 Chuck Kyle’s first state championship pregame speech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 28, 2020 • 37min
From The Archives - Brent Dearmon, OC Kansas Jayhawks
From the Archives:
Originally an offensive consultant, Coach Dearmon was promoted by Kansas Jayhawk head coach Les Miles to serve as the program’s new offensive coordinator on October 6, 2019. Due to his previous experience as an offensive coordinator at Arkansas Tech, head coach at Bethel University (Tenn.) and analyst at Auburn University (Ala.), Coach Dearmon was able to handle the task of taking over as Kansas’ offensive coordinator mid-season. Prior to Kansas, Dearmon became one of the hottest offensive names in the game after his one-year campaign as head coach of Bethel University, where they went 10-0 and boasted an incredible 540.3 yards per game to go along with an unheard of 55 points per game, the most for any team in college football.
Show notes
:33 Start as a football coach and the jump to the college ranks
2:02 Job at Auburn
3:01 Prepared yourself for opportunity to coach college
4:31 Transition to Arkansas Tech
6:21 Getting players to buy in
8:54 Building one message on top of the other
9:59 Inspiration from Urban Meyer
11:29 Approach to practice
13:20 Teaching at a fast pace
16:51 Nuts and bolts of Dearmon’s offense
18:45 Go-to RPO play
21:21 What to do to win third-and-long
23:27 Preparing players for RPO
25:37 Mistake as young coach
29:19 Work-life balance
30:46 Two-minute drill
32:50 Winning edge
Twitter:
@CoachKGrabowski
@BrentDearmon
Coach Dearmon Playlist:
https://soundcloud.com/user-804678956/sets/a-masters-class-in-rpo-the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 26, 2020 • 33min
From the Archives - Ken Niumatalolo, Head Coach, Navy
Ken Niumatalolo is today’s guest of the Coach and Coordinator Podcast. Niumatalolo has been on the Navy staff since 2002 and has been the program’s head coach since 2002, posting a record of 77-42 during that stretch. He sits down with Keith Grabowski to discuss program culture at Navy, staff accountability and the advantages to running the triple option in Division I football.
Show notes
0:52 Start as a football coach
1:59 Key points in coaching development
4:41 Why the Triple Option works for Navy
6:08 Building culture at the Naval Academy
9:40 Having a "Why" as a program, and holding the staff accountable
12:56 Onboarding freshmen
15:01 Working in the RPO
17:07 Evolution of blocking in triple option
18:45 The advantages of running the triple option at the Division I level
22:06 Coaches need to have answers. In real time.
23:38 Best coaching advice received (and advice to young coaches)
25:44 Coaching in the Army-Navy Game
27:20 Creating balance
30:06 The winning edge
Twitter:
@CoachKGrabowski
@NAVYCoachKen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 25, 2020 • 46min
From The Archives - Joe Osovet, Currently TE Coach Univ. Of Tennessee
From the Archives - Current Tennessee Volunteer Tight End Coach, Joe Osovet joined us in the first year of the podcast to talk ball:
RPO innovator Joe Osovet is the guest on this episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. The head coach at ASA College in Brooklyn, Osovet sits down with Keith to discuss the ins and outs of his RPO system. He also dives into how young coaches can begin implementing the RPO, the absolute importance of the player-coach relationship and why new offensive coordinators should resist the temptation to try to do too much.
SHOW NOTES
• :51 Coaching start
• 1:35 Importance of relationships
• 2:33 Development as a coach
• 3:40 Coaching philosophy
• 5:05 3 simple rules for program culture
• 6:58 Developing RPO philosophy (and why football coaches are thieves)
• 8:34 Xs and Os of Osovet's offense
• 10:20 Why you need to practice RPO every single day
• 12:05 Modifying game plan based on QB experience
• 13:23 Repping during the week
• 17:26 Reads and manipulation
• 19:14 Importance of ID'd the defense and relying on call sheets in key spots
• 30:00 Unique RPOs and the Xs and Os of Osovet's most successful plays
• 26:35 How young coaches can get started implementing RPO
• 28:32 Mistake as young coach (trying to do too much)
• 29:32 Book recommendations
• 33:09 Utilizing technology
• 34:40 Creating balance (and the importance of the coach’s wife)
• 36:53 The lessons that football teaches
• 39:31 Two-minute drill
• 41:11 The winning edge
Twitter:
@CoachKGrabowski
@CoachOsovet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 24, 2020 • 48min
From The Archives - Matt Drinkall (Current TE Coach At Army)
Matt Drinkall joins Keith in today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast. Drinkall started as head coach at Kansas Wesleyan in 2014. After his arrival, the team has had great success, winning a school-record 10 games last year and earning a spot in the NAIA Football Championship Series for the first time since 2002. Drinkall discusses his rocky start with the Coyotes, how his team has fun, and breaks down his offense in the podcast.
Show notes
1:10 Drinkall’s start at Kansas Wesleyan
3:50 Balancing fun and hard work
7:07 Defining success and failure outside wins and loses
8:58 How Drinkall prepares incoming freshman
10:21 Why seniors are responsible for creating a legacy
13:11 Breaking down the power spread offense
19:15 Why he keeps a thin playbook
23:31 Focus on being a teacher of the game
27:38 Breaking down the weekly practice schedule
34:10 The benefits of shoulder tackle
40:14 Why the team tackles QB during practice
41:51 The winning edge
@CoachKGrabowski
@DrinkallCoach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 19, 2020 • 44min
STAR Method Of Individual Practice Planning - Rob Currin, Former HC Alden HS, Master Trainer
On today's podcast former Alden HS (NY) head coach and USA Football Master Trainer Rob Currin joins Keith to discuss the S.T.A.R. method of designing individual practice periods. Keith and Rob discuss how this applies to various positions and skills on both sides of the ball by providing specific examples.
Twitter:
@rob_currin
@CoachKGrabowski
Related:
https://soundcloud.com/user-804678956/master-trainers-terry-summerfield-and-rob-currin-share-their-experience-with-ats
Fordham Assistant Vince DiGaetano playlist:
https://soundcloud.com/user-804678956/sets/coach-dig-playlist
Deliberate Practice playlist:
https://soundcloud.com/user-804678956/sets/deliberate-practice-season-2
Richie Gray playlist:
https://soundcloud.com/user-804678956/sets/richie-gray-playlist
Advanced Tackling System:
https://www.footballdevelopment.com
Football Development Model:
https://fdm.usafootball.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 17, 2020 • 44min
Adjusting and Adapting the Season during COVID19 - Rob Pomazak, HC St. Charles North HS
Today on the Coach and Coordinator podcast, Keith is joined by coach Rob Pomazak to discuss the adjustments and adaptations he is making to continue building his football program by design starting . Pomazak is the head coach at St. Charles North (IL), 2018 IL state runner-up.
00:40 Adapting in a time of unknowns
01:45 Adjusting to changing timelines
04:51 Dealing with players emotions
08:48 Message to players as things change
10:17 Plans for the future; remaining fluid
12:07 Having digital resources for the program
15:50 Dealing with “Zoom fatigue”
18:13 Keeping a human touch to the virtual world
21:57 Four quarter development plan shifts
23:57 Digital combine and recruiting fair
28:45 The coaches, players, parents role in recruiting during COVID19
34:57 Best utilizing coaches in the process
36:50 Getting players video from practice to recruiters
38:47 Looking forward to series with Coach Pomazak
Twitter:
@CoachKGrabowski
@RobertPomazak
Related:
Program by Design - Robert Pomazak Playlist
https://soundcloud.com/user-804678956/sets/program-by-design-robert Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


