Coach and Coordinator Podcast

Casey Jacobsen, the co-defensive coordinator at Morningside College (Sioux City, Iowa), joins USA Football’s Coach and Coordinator podcast. He’s been at Morningside for over 12 years, starting as an offensive line assistant, then transitioning to special teams coordinator before becoming the co-defensive coordinator. Jacobsen sits down with Keith to discuss the “Wolf Pack Pyramid,” maintaining tempo with the scout team and the importance of attention detail. :22 Why he became a football coach 1:02 Transitioning from an offensive line coach to a defensive coordinator 2:17 3 biggest influences on his coaching philosophy 4:14 How consistency has contributed to success 5:07 The “Wolf Pack Pyramid” and how it encompasses the team culture 7:02 Morningside’s defensive philosophy 8:25 Paying attention to the details 12:37 How to get fast tempo out of the scout team 16:34 Getting too “fired up” at players 17:29 Book recommendation 19:12 Learning unbalanced formations from the NFL 21:19 Doing the small jobs right 21:46 Balancing family and football Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes.

Anthony Petruzzi, head coach at Raritan High School (N.J.) is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. He and Keith discuss modular defense, the importance of keeping language simple and why coaches should think twice before issuing ultimatums to players. Show notes :27 Start as a football coach 4:08 Football as a vehicle to teach life lessons 6:26 Importance of relationship building and building culture through community service 11:03 The advantages of a modular defense 14:28 Keeping language simple 17:03 Making adjustments from the base defense 22:19 Don’t allow 3-step drop routes—make them beat you over your head 24:01 Why Petruzzi regrets giving players ultimatums 26:06 “Reserve your right to punt.” 32:41 Advice to a young coach 36:00 How to create a balance in life 38:49 Two-minute drill 42:55 The winning edge

Mike Turk is the head coach and athletic director at Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Ala.), and he’s today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. He discusses the wishbone inspiration for his shotgun zone read, why Dive is still a top play call and why it’s important to give players a second chance. :34 Start as a football coach 2:51 Lessons learned as a young coach 4:29 Developing as a coach 7:01 The most important part of every play 9:15 Building culture 11:35 Offensive philosophy = balance (and not just run/pass) 14:33 "As it gets wider, it gets less deep." Why simplicity and mastering a few plays is key. 17:02 Wishbone-inspired zone read from the shotgun 22:12 Wishbone influence on coaching QBs, and why Dive is A Number 1 24:34 Playcall with game on the line 28:15 The importance of second chances for players 30:15 Best coaching advice received 32:44 Coaching technology: A long way from 16mm film 34:40 Concerns for future of the game 38:52 Young coaches need to be ready to sacrifice 41:30 Maintaining balance 44:42 The winning edge

Nick Inzerello, USA Football’s senior director of partnerships and education, joins the Coach and Coordinator podcast to share the inside scoop on Rookie Tackle, a gateway between flag football and traditional 11-player tackle football that USA Football announced on Wednesday. Inzerello discusses the genesis of Rookie Tackle, how it’s different than 11-player football and why creating a better experience for young people playing football can help with participation. Show notes 3:09 How it all came to be 7:06 Response to people who say "This changes the game too much." 8:49 Rookie Tackle and participation numbers 12:32 Monitoring the 2017 pilot leagues 14:45 The American Development Model and Long-term Athlete Development (LTAD)

Brandon Houston, offensive coordinator at Rockdale High School (Texas) joins the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Houston is also the founder and CEO of CoachHuey.com, a place for coaches to communicate and share ideas. He and Keith discuss his offensive strategies, improvements in coaching technology and how to install a team culture. Show notes :28 Start as a football coach 2:36 How alignment, assignment and execution are crucial to success 5:08 Building philosophy from a great playbook 6:20 Shaping team culture with daily slogans 8:58 Running shotgun and spread 18:32 Mistakes made as a young coach 21:21 Learning to pick and choose your battles 22:52 Advice to young coaches 24:27 Book recommendation 27:23 Ways to incorporate running backs into pass routes 30:06 Creating a balance between football and family 32:18 Concerns for the future of the game 34:11 Two minute drills 35:59 The winning edge

T.J. White sits down with Keith in today’s episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. White currently serves as head coach at Birmingham-Southern (Ala.). Under White's guidance as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Centre College (Ky.) averaged a team-record 499.1 yards per game in 2015. He dishes on life as a Division III coach, the importance of the little things and why coaches should never claim that “not having enough heart” was the reason for a loss. Show notes :31 Start as a football coach and lessons learned early on 3:48 Philosophy and why Division III football is a "volunteer army" 8:08 Removing emotion and why "we didn't have enough heart" isn’t an excuse 9:54 Importance of repetition 13:14 No magical identity to White’s offense. Just good players executing plays. 18:19 Tendencies 22:05 Schematics in the red zone (with limited vertical space) 24:20 VHS tapes and why, no matter how small the task, your signature is tied to the end result 27:45 Going the extra mile 29:30 "If you just want to stand outside with a visor and headset and look cool--you're not gonna make it." 33:50 Creating balance 37:02 The winning edge

Ron Lewis is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Lewis is entering his sixth season as an assistant coach at Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio), where he works with the team’s wide receivers. Lewis breaks down how he succeeds with receivers who lack top-flight speed, how he gets his receivers accustomed to winning the deep the route and the one factor that will cause him to reject any new play idea during the season. Show notes :56 Making the transition from HS to college 3:16 Learning to be a WR coach in college and the adjustment to seeing more press coverage 6:08 4 keys to success with WRs who lack top speed 8:46 Drills to win the deep routes 14:46 5 characteristics needed to start as a WR at Baldwin Wallace 17:25 Developing a "hustle" mentality 22:33 Can draw up plays all day long--but what can you practice and get good at? 28:27 The athlete development pathway 32:34 Frustrations of assembling a staff at the high school level 35:10 Two-minute drill Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes.

Joe Eisenmann, USA Football’s Director of High Performance and Education, returns to the Coach and Coordinator podcast in today’s episode. He and Keith discuss the concept and definition of conditioning, why it’s important to involve the mental side into a program’s conditioning efforts and how the development of a Fatigue Index can help programs assess football-specific conditioning. Show notes :38 Defining "conditioning" 2:21 The three energy systems and why training for cross country should be different than training for football 5:44 Energy systems are not light switches--they're dimmer knobs 7:51 Don't condition just for the sake of conditioning 10:45 Blending mental conditioning and physical conditioning 17:45 Repeat Sprint Ability (RSAs) and creating a Fatigue Index 21:15 The two cornerstones of recovery Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes.

Jim Meyer is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Meyer currently serves as the defensive coordinator at Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, Ohio). He sits down with Keith to discuss why it’s critical that coaches stick to a schedule, why head coaches need to be respectful of their assistants’ time and how he contains the perimeter with his blader and razor concept. He also dishes on his most famous football pupil—LeBron James, who Meyer coached on the gridiron during his freshman and sophomore seasons at St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio). Show notes 1:08 Coaching at every level of football 2:51 Why it's critical that head coach starts on time (not early) and ends on time (not late) 5:05 "No new plays go in after 10 p.m." 8:20 There are people behind the Xs and Os 12:15 Your opponent is working, too--and you need to do more 14:15 The art of coaching is understanding what your kids can and cannot do 17:23 Shutting down the outside perimeter game with the blader and razor concept 22:49 Importance of a strong relationship with the offensive coordinator 24:56 Coaching LeBron James in high school 28:54 Coaching Jason Taylor in college (and Taylor's transition from OLB to DE) 32:51 Respecting other coaches' time 37:02 The winning edge

USA Football Master Trainer Vince DiGaetano is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. DiGaetano, a defensive assistant at Wagner University (Staten Island, N.Y.), also has experience as a U.S. National Team coach, serving as head coach during International Bowl VIII. He discusses the intricacies of coaching at the Division III level, the role of a defensive analyst and the importance of the “yards after first contact” metric. Show notes 1:00 start as a football coach 2:55 Key points in development as a coach 5:04 Learning not only about the players you coach, but the place where you coach 8:47 What exactly does a defensive analyst do? 13:12 Maturing from a young coach who is always trying to validate his existence 15:01 Do what you do best and what you believe in 16:20 Backwards planning from the end of a play 17:44 Evaluating effort by defining what effort is (not pointing out lack of effort) 20:48 Columns in DiGaetano's breakdown system 24:55 Importance of "yards after first contact" metric 28:54 Designing drills with a purpose

Charlie Stubbs is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Stubbs has been a football coach for nearly 40 years, with stops at Oregon State, Alabama, Louisville and others. He is currently the athletic director and head football coach at Oceanside Collegiate Academy, a charter high school in South Carolina. He discusses devising an offensive system that fits your personnel, the importance of positive yardage and why RPOs can be difficult to defend—and officiate. Show notes :33 Start as a football coach 2:15 Being a good listener...and being humble 5:05 Balancing career growth with a humble attitude 6:50 "Kids can tell when you look at them strictly as a football player" 8:55 Offensive philosophies can remain constant in different styles of offense 11:34 Designing an offense to fit the players and conference 13:30 The RPO game and why defenses may be at a rules disadvantage 16:15 Inside zone and the advantage of the zone running game 18:52 Game planning and focusing on what you're actually going to run 22:20 Analyzing practice reps 24:55 The important of positive yardage (and playmakers) in the red zone 27:22 Mistake made as a young coach 28:45 "No success can compensate for failure in the home" 30:50 Book recommendation 32:00 The winning edge Coach Grabowski’s 3 key takeaways 1) Build around talent 2) Run an offense that you can recruit for and compete with 3) Know the temperament of the defense in the red zone

Kevin Turco is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast during Military Appreciation Week. Turco, a former Marine, is the head coach at Lindenwood University—Belleville (Ill.). He details his journey as a football coach, including his spur-of-the-moment drive across the country to South Carolina to attempt to get a meeting with Lou Holtz. He also discusses “unit leaders” in his program, the inverted pyramid of leadership and why he refuses to open the football office on Sunday. Show notes :39 Football player-->Military-->Football coach 2:19 Driving overnight across the country to show up at Lou Holtz's office 6:29 The time Turco did a full game breakdown for Holtz...but on the wrong side of the ball 8:50 How military experience matters in coaching 11:30 Establishing a new culture 15:50 Why Turco doesn't run players 17:08 Coach--> coordinators --> unit leaders 19:43 The inverted pyramid of leadership (and Turco's chain of command) 22:32 Choosing unit leaders 24:54 Why--and how--Turco refuses to open the office on Sunday 28:05 The winning edge

Rob Hinson is today’s guest on the Coach and Coordinator podcast during USA Football’s Military Appreciation Week. Hinson, the head coach at Timber Creek High School (Sicklerville, N.J.), has a combined 25 years of military service under his belt, most recently with the U.S. Army National Guard. He’s led Timber Creek to numerous state titles—including a 12-0 season—and routinely produces Division I recruits. He discusses balancing a coaching career with a military career, the military influence on his program and Timber Creek’s 4-2-5 defense. Show notes :32 Start as a football coach 1:16 Balancing a military career and a coaching career 2:30 Program culture (and military influence) 7:47 Keeping it simple to maximize players' physical ability 8:54 Inside Timber Creek's 4-2-5 defense 12:44 Defending the RPO 17:33 Practice structure 23:26 Don't be someone you're not 24:15 Book recommendation 25:45 Creating balance 28:50 Approach to player development 31:23 Two-minute drill 35:21 The winning edge

Retired U.S. Marine Leo Hand is today’s Military Appreciation Week guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Hand is a seasoned high school football with experiencing leading programs in several different states. He discusses his “Geronimo” philosophy to defeat bigger, faster, stronger opponents and why photos can be more valuable in film breakdown than data. Show notes :33 From boxing to football 3:12 Lessons learned early on 5:32 On becoming a prolific football writer 6:15 Dare to be different 8:13 Defending the pistol and Geronimo's 7 strategies 13:02 Bob Ladouceur, trust, and how to establish team culture 15:40 The importance of focus on the field as a coach 18:10 Being more efficient than Hudl 21:25 Data paralysis by analysis (and why football pictures are worth a thousand words, too) 26:43 Dictating what defense your opponent runs 31:08 The Modern T and why schemes come and go--and come back 33:23 Why your offense needs to be like a good toolbox 35:28 Coaches need to keep healthy 37:25 Teaching football without contact 38:35 What football has taught Hand 40:21 Two-minute drill

Former Army offensive lineman Ted Kimmey is today’s Military Appreciation Week guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Kimmey is now the head coach of Satellite High School (Satellite Beach, Fla.) after coaching youth and semi-pro football during his Army tour of service in Germany. He sits down with Keith to discuss the transition from military service to the high school coaching ranks, creating uncommon leaders and why tempo is hard to detect on game film. Show notes 0:58 The transition from the Army to being a HS football coach 3:13 Applying military lessons to being a coach 9:17 Educating and creating uncommon leaders 14:29 The U-Crew 18:56 Preparing for adversity during the offseason 23:17 Energy Vampires vs. energy multipliers 29:40 Being uncommon on the field 31:42 Tempo and practice 38:26 It’s hard to recognize tempo on Hudl 43:33 Mistakes made as a young coach 47:08 Football pathway 49:22 Creating balance 54:12 The winning edge