The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

We've discussed revolving offenses in previous episodes, and how there is no king of the mountain. However, the spread offense has held its own for several years. In today's episode, we will skim the surface of the spread option, why people continue to use it, what its key formations and plays are, and what weaknesses a coach can expect from year to year.

Sometimes the season just doesn't go your way. Every season, at every level, there are teams at the bottom of the standings. Every season there is even an NFL team who is so bad, they get the #1 draft pick. Most of us have had to deal with it at one point or another. But, regardless of the score board or district standings, you can successfully utilize the games you have left. In today's episode, we will discuss playing out a season that hasn't gone your way, when to pull the plug, and what your plan moving forward should be.

Linebackers are often considered to be the most "torn" position in football. They have twice the responsibility of other position groups, and multiple reads at the snap of the ball to get them to their assignments. Tonight's episode we will discuss drills specifically for the linebacker corps, to help get your players reading and reacting more efficiently and playing their assignments with muscle memory.

Many pro and college athletes have made the change to coaching their sport. While some find success, this is not always the case. In today's episode, we're going to try to break down why this happens, why skill doesn't always translate to coaching ability, and why you don't have to be brilliant to be successful.

Blitzing in football is a lever that many coaches pull for different reasons and with widely varying frequency. Some want to send an additional player every snap, some wait for the planets to align on the perfect situation. In today's episode, we will discuss three primary purposes for blitzing in football and what each of these bring to your playbook.

Every coach knows tackling is a key to winning games, but do you know the physics of football tackling? The two most basic functions of American football, at any level, are blocking and tackling. If you're coming up short at either job, you're probably not seeing a lot of success on that side of the ball. Tackling, much like every other aspect of the game, has evolved over the years. Players have gotten bigger, faster, and stronger. The game has opened up in regards to playing behind a row of blockers, to getting the ball in open space. In today's episode, we're going to discuss the fundamentals of tackling, and some drills that you can use to better prepare your athletes to make all types of tackles, whether it be open field or round the edge of the OL trying to hit a sideline.

In 1906 Saint Louis University (eventually named the Billikens) completed the first official forward pass in college football history. Everyone else was playing checkers (Rugby style football to be exact) and SLU's head coach Eddie Cochems was playing Chess. Today's episode is all about the offense, and how it has cycled over the years. From the "Rugby" beginnings, the Split-T of the 50s, the Wishbone of the 70s-90s and into the Air Raid era. We will look at how each of these offenses, and a few others, were phased in and phased out, and where they're still useful today.

From depth charting players in the pre-season to trying to stop your cross-town rival's power play, understanding your defense is of utmost importance. The better you know your system, what each lever is best at stopping, the more efficient you'll be at adjusting on the fly. This episode of The Football Coaching Podcast delves further into the idea of having the best 11 on the field, by concentrating on your overall understanding of your defensive system.

When you're filling out your football depth chart for your defense this season, you should be pencilling in the 'Best 11'. In Youth and High School Football where we do not recruit, we coach the kids we have. They might not always fit into a perfect mold for each position. This episode of The Football Coaching Podcast kicks off Season 10 with a look at what the Best 11 really means for your defense. Find out how to pick the right guys and put them in the right places on your football depth chart.