With the defensive philosophy that I subscribe to, the ‘umbrella’ is critical to the success of the defense. That means your Safety reads must be fast and accurate.
You can’t have a lot of confusion or hesitation. And you can’t give up long passes on play action because of a bad read.
In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we’ll look at 4 different methods of coaching safety reads. Then I’ll go in depth on the one that I’ve found to work the best for our guys.
Coach Brent Dearmon has a pretty impressive resume including most recently working as Offensive Coordinator at Arkansas Tech. Now he’s turning around his alma mater at Bethel University in Tennessee.
In this Football Coaching Podcast interview, Coach Dearmon shares how you can install RPOs into your offense, and how to call plays to attack any coverage. Plus he’ll talk about the turnaround process at Bethel, and about his time working for Gus Malzahn at Auburn.
Coach Dearmon and CoachTube.com generously provided a special deal for Football Coaching Podcast Listeners to get $10 OFF Identifying & Attacking Coverages with the RPO. Coach Dearmon teaches everything you need to know to incorporate RPOs into your offense right now. Click here to get this exclusive deal.
The Outside Zone Play is one of the best offensive plays in football. In the NFL, it may be the most frequently called run in the entire league.
But you don’t care about the NFL. You care about your football team, and how the Outside Zone Play can help you.
Listen to this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast for the complete, in depth look at how to run the Outside Zone Play against all 6 defensive fronts - and absolutely anything else you might see. Plus we’ll break down a few variations to get even more mileage out of the outside zone blocking scheme.
The Pistol Power Offense System has a lot of roots with the Washington Redskins playbooks from the 1980s. Today we’re taking a look at one of those playbooks.
Be warned… this playbook was a mess. There’s no way any Redskins player ever received the playbook in this format.
But we powered through! Look at Inside Zone, Outside Zone, and a couple of very interesting variations of 3rd & Medium or 3rd & Long plays from this 1986 Washington Redskins Playbook. You can also download the playbook above here.
Time to shut down the run. Get serious. You don’t defend spread teams every week! Better be ready to play it tough! This week, we’re talking about running that powerhouse 4-4 Defense against all of the most popular offensive run schemes in football today.
Okay, time for true confessions. This is how we teach defending the run in the 4-2-5 Defense System, and you can sign up at the top of this article to get instant access to a free video series on it. The 4-4 Defense, 4-2-5 Defense and 6-2 Defense are all essentially the same.
You can spend hours and hours watching Hudl, hoping to find some little secret nugget that makes you a genius on your defensive game plan. Truth is, you’re wasting a lot of time.
Learn how to watch film efficiently and take care of the things that matter in your life. Listen to today’s episode for efficient defensive game planning, and then download the free Offensive Film Study Sheet above!
The Miami 4-3 Defense is one of my favorite defensive schemes out there. In the previous episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we talked about the foundations.
In this episode, I’ll dive into the 1996 Miami Hurricanes 4-3 Defense playbook. This very detailed playbook gives a look at how the defense was evolving throughout the 1990’s at the college level.
In the Pistol Power Offense System we have a great passing system that can attack any defense. And it’s simple. But it will really accelerate once your Quarterback is able to start reading coverages.
This doesn’t have to be a super complicated graduate level class on reading coverages. There’s only a pieces he needs to be aware of before the snap. 4 to be exact.
Listen to this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast to get your quarterback started on reading coverages. Don’t forget download the PDF document above for the visuals from this episode.
We’re breaking down Georgia Military College’s 2008 Defensive Playbook. You can get the playbook from Coach Hoover’s 3-5 Defense page.
This is one of the best defensive playbooks we’ve looked at on the podcast. The description is fantastic, and useful for any defensive coach (not just 3-5-3 Defense guys!).
We’ll look at the GMC Playbook for the fronts, blitz packages, defensive line play, and an in depth look at the coverages. You’re going to want to download this manual too, so click that link above to get it from Coach Hoover’s website!
This is a special interview with Rick Stewart on his Read & React 4-2-5 Defense.
Nothing fancy. I’m not going all ‘Air Raid’ on you just yet. This week’s Football Coaching Podcast is about attacking man coverage with sound principles that can work in any offense.
There’s nothing more frustrating than getting a loaded box, blitzing linebackers, and not having a way to make the defense pay for it. But all that pressure can really cause chaos for your offense.
To get the balance back and return to your running game, you have to be able to throw simple concepts against man coverage. And you must be able to protect the Quarterback.
The concepts discussed in this episode are all part of the Pistol Power Offense System. You can get access to the System by becoming a JDFB Insider client right now!
Too many coaches use blitzes as a way to just ‘make something happen.’ That something could mean either your band, or their band, is going to play. And the outcome might be 50-50 at best.
Defensive Coordinators can minimize risk in two ways. One is obvious. Study the other team, and call your blitzes with intent and purpose to stop specific actions by the offense.
The other way to minimize risk, is coaching linebacker blitz technique. Coaching techniques that are going to give your blitzing linebacker the chance to make a play.
In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we’re going to look at 7 keys to Coaching Linebacker Blitz Technique. Each individual phase of the blitz game is an opportunity to improve your defense.
In the 2000’s, the West Virginia 3-3 Defense was one of several Odd Stack fronts turning heads across the nation. Along with Georgia Military College’s 3-5-3 Defense, these two variations became the most popular for High School Football teams to emulate.
In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’m breaking down the West Virginia 3-3 Defense playbook from 2002. We’ll look at the philosophy behind the defense, base fronts, alignment, adjustments, blitzes and coverages in this 192 page playbook (download available at the top of this page).
Looking for more ideas to expand your Odd Stack defense or add the front in as a change-up? The breakdown of the West Virginia 3-3 Defense in this episode, along with my previous episode on Coaching the 33 Stack Defense, will get you going.
I started running the 33 Stack Defense in 2006. At the time, it was just gaining in popularity. Many coaches criticized the defense because “you can’t stop the run.”
But the defense gained a foothold. Coaches liked the aggressiveness and the idea of a defense built for smaller players. More speed on the field.
Unfortunately, a lot of myths sprung up around the defense in that era, too. High School Football coaches have done a better job learning the intricacies and executing the defense in recent years.
In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’ll talk about the basics of the 33 Stack Defense. We’ll also look at those myths and how you can use the 33 Stack Defense for your football team today.
Everyone has that team on the schedule. You know exactly what they are going to do on offense. You just can’t stop it.
It’s a great situation to be in. One that seems so simple and obvious. But so many High School football coaches are putting way too much time into coming up with the next great thing.
Instead, work to establish your offensive play calling identity.
Listen to this podcast, and download the document above, to get the steps to establishing your own offensive play calling identity.
For the final Football Coaching Podcast of 2017, I wanted to talk about the football coaching lessons I learned this year.
I sat down and started hammering out a list. It’s a good list. Learned a lot this year.
Unfortunately, several of the things on this list are football coaching lessons I have learned many times before. And just seem to forget them.
So for you, and for me, this year’s list is not only on The Football Coaching Podcast, but you can also download my 10 Football Coaching Lessons Learned in the box above.
I’ll be pinning it up on the wall somewhere, and hopefully looking at it. Before I make the same mistakes again.
Do you need your 4-2-5 Defense to dominate? Take a deeper look at one that has already done it.
We’re going deep into the pages of the 1999 TCU 4-2-5 Defense Playbook. This playbook was used when Gary Patterson was still the Defensive Coordinator for the Horned Frogs.
It’s a great playbook to look at for any football coach. But 4-2-5 Defense coaches should be intimately familiar with it.
I’ll point out what you should take from it, and what you should probably leave alone. And a few things that I’d like to steal, but haven’t done it yet!
Your defense must be ready to stop any RPO the offense can run at you.
Getting your defense ready to defend Run-Pass Options isn’t as hard as other coaches will make it sound. At least, the X’s and O’s side of things isn’t so hard.
In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’ll give you a plan for shutting down RPO’s with your 4-2-5 Defense. Just by running your base scheme.
Plus, I’m going to share the 5 Keys to Defending RPO’s that every defense must follow. If you can take care of these pieces, your defense will be ready to shut down any RPO.
Are you getting everything you can out of every football run play in your playbook? Take a look at the detailed anatomy of an offensive play to find out.
Football seems pretty simple, right? Move the ball down the field. Score.
Block. Tackle. End Zone Celebration or Sack Dance. Not much to it.
Yeah, if you’re a football coach you know that’s not true. There’s a lot of work that goes into this.
On this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’m breaking down the anatomy of a Football Run Play. What goes into the play every time the ball is snapped?
Any good football coach will tell you that it’s all about execution. The best play designs and ideas in the world won’t matter, if your players can’t execute.
If you want to see how we put together some pretty good football run plays (and a play action pass), you need to check out my 3 video series on the Power, Counter and Power Pass plays. Visit https://joedanielfootball.com/podcast to get instant access, at no cost to you, because this is my gift to you.
For the first time on The Football Coaching Podcast, we’re doing something a little different. I’m breaking down the 2004 Utah Offense playbook.
Urban Meyer was in his second year at Utah, running this Spread Option attack. Even though it’s the standard of college football today, this was an innovative and unique offense in 2004.
When I’m looking at this playbook with you, all I’ll talk about is what I would want to steal. For my own players.
You will not hear any talk about the athletes at Utah, or even Urban Meyer himself (except a few shots at Florida, because I couldn’t resist). It’s about what football coaches can learn from an old playbook.
You’ll hear about the program philosophy as presented in the playbook. We’ll talk run game including those Spread Option plays - like that shovel option everyone’s so excited about today.
Then I’ll look at the passing game that Utah was using in 2004. And why it was so effective.
This is a great playbook to examine for coaches. Even though it seems complex watching the offense on TV, the truth is that the Utes kept it simple. There are just a few schemes for players to learn.
In reviewing a Utah game from 2004, I saw that they really stay true to the simplicity in the playbook, too. You don’t need a lot of plays to be extremely successful!
Links
Get Instant Access to my Pistol Power Offense video series at no charge. I’ll detail the Power blocking scheme that is the foundation of Utah’s Shovel Option, along with a Counter and Power Pass (Utah uses the Power and the Power Pass, but there wasn’t a Counter in the playbook).
Defensive play calling might seem simple. Pick a front, maybe throw in a blitz, choose a coverage. But it’s not.
Defensive football in general isn’t nearly as simple as some would make it out to be. Sure, at the heart of the matter you just find the football and get the guy to the ground. But if that was all it took, we’d all be geniuses.
On this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we’re looking at how to call you defensive fronts to effectively stop the offense. More than play calling, we’re talking about how to game plan the fronts you want to use.
I’ll even give you a 6-Step Process for choosing your defensive fronts when you game plan for an opponent. This is a great to figure out how to put your players in position to succeed!
Doesn’t matter what your base defense is, either. No matter what defense you run, this podcast will help you game plan your fronts to shut down the run.
Check it out! And if you want to go even deeper in learning defensive fronts, start your JDFB Insider subscription right now! You’ll get access to 4 Complete Defensive Systems instantly. Click here to get started right now.
It’s just 3 yards. How hard can it be? 2 Point Conversion Plays seem like easy points. But they won’t be unless your team is prepared.
If you have a good field goal kicker, the 2 Point Conversion may be something you only use when you need it. For other coaches, it’s an absolute necessity.
There’s a lot to think about when you put together your 2 Point Package. How many plays do you need? Do the come from your regular offense? Or will you use special plays?
In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we’re going to go into preparing a 2 Point Conversion package. From basic philosophy behind 2 point plays, to specific plays that you can use in your offense right now.
At some point, you’ll have a football game that will come down to the 2 Point Conversion Play. Listen to this episode now to get the jump on your preparation for that moment!
In this episode, I mention the Power Pass and other parts of our Pistol Power Offense System. Visit http://pistolpoweroffense.com to find out how you can get Instant Access to this complete Offensive System right now!
The 3-4 Defense is one of the most popular schemes being used in High School, College and the NFL today. Unfortunately, just saying that you 'run a 3-4 Defense' won't tell anyone else a whole lot.
Sure, you use 3 down linemen and 4 linebackers. But they can be arranged in a huge variety of ways. And flexibility is one of the strengths of the 3-4 Defense.
Within JDFB Insiders, I teach The 3-4 Defense System as my own preferred brand of the scheme. It's not too complicated, and grew from our 4-2-5 Defense playbook.
Find another coach running the 3-4 Defense. It's likely that his version will look different.
You might 2-gap the defensive linemen. Or base out of a different coverage.
Or you might not call it a 3-4 Defense at all. Maybe you call this a 5-2 Defense. They're the same.
Check out https://joedanielfootball.com/80 for my entire rant on how there's only 4 defensive schemes in football. Plenty of people have argued with me, no one has convinced me I'm wrong yet.
For this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we're talking all about The 3-4 Defense. Advantages, disadvantages, and how we teach the scheme inside of JDFB Insiders.
You can get Instant Access to my Complete 3-4 Defense System right now for just $1! Plus you'll get access to 4 other complete football coaching systems inside of JDFB Insider. Visit https://joedanielfootball.com/tryit to start your 14 Day Trial for just $1 right now! Available only during the month of October!
Playing Center is not the most glamorous position. It’s the opposite.
In the NFL, the Left Tackle gets all the glory on the Offensive Line. Probably the only position to consistently get recognized up front.
Sure, there’s a few Centers who become well known. They usually have a high command of the offense and play for many years. And they’re snapping the ball to some of the top Quarterbacks in football.
In High School Football, the Center will rarely get that kind of recognition. His recognition is more likely to come from a bad snap, than from anything positive he contributes to the team.
Offensive Line Coaches know the truth. The Center is often the single most important guy in your blocking scheme.
Within our Pistol Power Offense System, there’s a lot of variation. We don’t always line up in Pistol (less than 1% of snaps this season). And Power isn’t always the top run play (it’s been Zone most of this season).
The one consistent factor in our System is that we are as good as the Center. His talent, work ethic, effort and mastery of the offense go a long way.
Rarely the most talented blocker. It’s more likely the opposite.
How you coach your Center is critical to score more points. In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’ll break down just what you need to do to get more production from your center.
Want to learn more about The Pistol Power Offense System? You’ll get instant access to my exclusive 3 Video Series on the Power Series at no charge, when you sign up at http://pistolpoweroffense.com/podcast.
Links
Jock Sutherland Snap taught by Ted Seay: https://youtu.be/gtboAyXHl_k
Things might be going well. They may not be.
For whatever reason, you feel like you need to make some changes. Big one’s.
It’s time for the playoff push. Or you’re just trying to salvage the season from disaster.
So you’re thinking about making drastic changes. You want to change you a whole new defensive scheme. Right now. In the middle of the season.
In today’s episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’ll explain why you should not change your defensive scheme right now!
At least… why you shouldn’t make any big time, wholesale changes. There’s always room for adaptation and improvement. It’s absolutely necessary if you want to be successful!
If you’re running a well designed defensive system, none of this will be a problem. A good coaching system is easy to adapt and adjust. Game to game and year to year.
But if you aren’t doing that, you may be tempted to make some major changes right now. I’ll help you decide what changes to make, and which changes to avoid. And how to get your team’s defense back on track for the second half of the season.
Don’t forget to visit and follow my Twitter Profile Page @footballinfo to vote for next week’s poll topic! We’ll be talking about Offensive Line, so don’t miss it!
Want to check out the newly updated JDFB Insiders right now? You can get a 14 Day Free Trial for only $1 for a Limited Time. Sign up at https://joedanielfootball.com/tryit.