The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

Building a practice schedule doesn't have to be a big complex thing. Sure, you make a ridiculously nice one on a spreadsheet, add photos, some color… or just scribble it on paper (don't do this, you coaches deserve better)… but the most important thing is the content. To decide what goes into your practice, you need to compartmentalize your coaching. On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss how to use the containers principle, how staying focused leads to faster development, and how to get more done in less time.

On The Football Coaching Podcast, hosts Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel record live at Milton Academy in Massachusetts with guests Brady Bradbury and Kahn Chace, discussing what they wish they'd known before becoming head coaches. Bradbury says he initially assumed he'd run a complex 4-2-5 college system, but learned to tailor schemes to players and staff capabilities, simplify to help coaches teach, and manage constant daily "fires" unrelated to football. The group emphasizes that coaches often overestimate staff buy-in, must intentionally schedule time to educate coaches, and should delegate without trying to control everything. Chace advises not to pursue the title alone, to find and stay with good people and loyal administrators, and to know your "why," sharing that his is watching players improve. Chamberlain adds that persistence through rejections can lead to the right job, and notes head coaching requires year-round time and planning.

"Nothing new under the sun," is a statement that's truer than we like to admit. It also gives you the "okay," to stop pretending you're going to do anything different than any other coach out there. You don't have to build a brand new football idea from the ground up. In this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain jump into system stealing, system matching, and system evolution. Learn how to find proven systems, find the right system for your team, and how to evolve the system year after year.

As Spring Ball gets closer, 7-on-7 is looming, and season seems just around the corner, you're probably looking through your defensive install plan, scratching your head, wondering how to get it all in the most efficient way this season. In this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain talk through the best defensive install plan for the 425 defense, and likely any defense, for this upcoming season. They talk planning what you need to install, how to get it all installed in 5 days, and how to ensure you have enough ready for week 1.

Calling plays for your team's offense on game day doesn't have to be super complicated, but it does need to be methodical. Your plan to take advantage of the defense has to involve finding their weaknesses and exploiting them. In this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the four weaknesses of a Defense, how to build your playbook to attack those weaknesses, and how to identify the weaknesses during a game.

Building your playbook from year to year is one of the most important things you do to ensure success for that season. It is also important to remember that no two years are going to be the exact same. In this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how many plays to carry, how to build around your best play, how to execute that play at the highest level, and how to attack your opponents weaknesses.

As long as football has been around, there have been winners and there have been losers. Some teams find a way to win more than lose… and some teams get stuck in the losing column. It becomes their culture. In this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to break out of that losing cycle by building confidence, getting your players to buy-in, and setting expectations that you already understand will have some adversity.

Being a teacher doesn't stop when the last bell rings and you don your whistle. ""You're not so different, you and I." - Austin Powers" - Football Coaches to teachers everywhere. The skills you master to be a great teacher in the classroom can help your players on the field as well. In this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Ryan Moshak, a former Army Officer, athlete at Army at Westpoint, and current Football Coach. They discuss the use of traditional pedagogy, forced recall, formative assessments and more in teaching football to get kids to better understand your system.

Coach, you really don't need to recreate the wheel every season. There is a whole world of guys who are using the same plays recycled in a new playbook from year to year. We live in an amazing of SYSTEMS. In this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss what a system is, why you need to build one you can believe in, and how to adapt it year after year to fit your personnel.

"There's levels to this, man." That is true, there are levels to calling a defense. Every play in your playbook fits a certain level of play calling, and has a specific task. Calling defense isn't hard, if you have an understanding to your system, and use the tools to solve problems. In this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the finer details to defensive play calling. They talk about the Three Levels of play calling, how you can always know what play to call, and how to use your own weakness to stay a step ahead.

Simple doesn't mean Elementary… but it does mean reducing the clutter and eliminating inefficiencies. Everything about your program can improve with the Coach Simple Philosophy. In this episode Joe and Daniel jump feet first into Season 20 with a deep dive into the Coach Simple Philosophy. What it is, how it can help you reduce, and how it can set you up for future evolutions of your program.

Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel discuss the significant changes in college football due to NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals and the transfer portal. They reflect on the challenges and pressures faced by athletes and coaches under the new system, the destabilizing impact on smaller programs, and the evolving landscape of college athletics. Key topics include the history of athlete compensation, potential future regulations, and the shifting dynamics between traditional fans and modern expectations.

The 4-2-5 has a lot of answers to common problems in high school football. If you're team is struggling to stop the opposition, you'll likely find the answer somewhere within this playbook and scheme. In this episode, the guys are doing a crossover episode on the Coaching 101 Podcast with Kenny Simpson. Check it out to find the basics of installing and running the most hybrid defense in football.

3rd downs on defense are the magic number. This one play, especially if it's the first 3rd down of the drive, can add or subtract several percentage points from the offenses' chances to score. So, how can we get better at stopping our opponent on these critical downs? In this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss situational practice planning to better prepare your players for 3rd down, how you can call your defense to be in better position to stop your opponent, and what we're doing to motivate our players during crucial downs.

3rd and Long is the ultimate, we don't have a great play here, offensive situation. The deep pass is already covered, the run hasn't been great or you likely wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with. So, what are your options? In this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the reality of 3rd & Long, what your real options are to convert, and how you can use situational practice plans to better prepare your players for the tough down and distance.

We've hit that time of year that guys go back "into the lab." This year you've diagnosed some other needs for your team, and the lab is changing from just being the weight room, to needing some speed development. In this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the benefits of Athletic Speed and Movement to get your team faster and more explosive this offseason. They talk through Football Speed Training Progressions, how to coach speed without being a guru, and dveloping the correct skills for football speed.

The screen game is a mighty weapon wielded by offensive coordinators across the land. But, it doesn't have to be your demise anymore. In this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the ways to counter screen plays next season by practicing the screen retrace drill, using the system you're already in, and reading and reacting to any and every screen with your fundamentals.

In football, the run game is the foundation of MOST offensive schemes… and rightly so. Ball control, time control, game tempo control all belong to those who can run the ball. So much so that if it isn't working for you, you may find yourself in the losing column more often than you'd like. In this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the importance of the timing of your run plays, how you can work within your playbook and get plays to break out, and finding ways to increase your yards per carry without adding talent to your team.

Leadership isn't easy. It isn't natural for everyone. But, there are ways to help your players improve their leadership ability throughout their time in your program (it all starts with confidence and competence.) In this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss what it takes to be a leader, how to improve the leadership of your team, and how that leadership can show up on Friday nights.

Shifts and motions are a great tool for offenses to use, but that doesn't mean they have to leave you stumped on the defensive side. You need to have adjustments ready for your kids to use when the offense starts moving around. In this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the keys to keeping a shifts and motions in check by using a complete defensive system, installing your adjustments early in the season, and Drilling players on adjustment communication.

Resiliency is one of the hardest things to train in High School football. In a world where technology continues to make every day life easier and easier, we have to make kids understand that being uncomfortable and straining won't end them. In this episode Coaches Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss preparing your players for adversity through practice planning to cover the hard things, preparing them for things that could happen on Friday nights, and getting rid of the "Here we go again" mentality.

Cover 3 may be the best HS coverage possible. Cover 1 probably holds the crown as the best overall coverage, if you have the cats to run it. Cover 3 just answers all the questions, while being simple to understand, run, and problem solve with. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are covering the fundamentals of Cover 3, simplifying your coverage package, solving all the weaknesses, and making Cover 3 look complicated.

Tackling may be the bane of every DC's existence, especially when trying to turn a program around. It's also the part of football that has evolved the most… outside of Travis Kelce type of TEs, and the weird side-arm throwing motion used around the country now. Tackling doesn't have to be a thorn in your paw, you have to simplify your system so it can happen more naturally and in pairs. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the easiest ways to fix mistakes in tackling, through Umbrella Run Fits, how to do it without running the "Oklahoma Drill" every week, and motivating your players to ATTACK.

The season is a GRIND. Not just for you, but for your players. It's a grind for the starting QB, it's a grind for the Sophomore that's having to play up on Fridays, and it's a grind for the freshmen that practice week in and week out to never touch the field on Friday nights. Everyone is exhausted! Don't let it kill your team as you approach the most important games of the year. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to plan your practices to keep kids mentally and physically fresh for game night… during weeks 8-15, How to limit injuries and accelerate your recovery, and how to keep kids focused late in the year.

A lack of confidence in a football player is almost never an actual lack of confidence. What does that mean? Well, you can't go to the gym and workout your confidence muscles. You can't drink a magic beverage that increases your confidence score. Confidence is built by simple understanding and preparation for what you're about to try to achieve. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the building of confidence through the streamlining of your scheme. They talk through the Coach Simple Philosophy, Understand your Why (and coaching to ensure your why is achieved), and game planning to give your players the ability to play FAST!

Coach, your kids are bored… and it's 100% YOUR FAULT. Okay, extreme ownership says everything is your fault, so you already knew that. But, really, you've planned a boring and stagnant practice, so that's exactly how it feels. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are talking about shorter more high energy practices that achieve a goal, motivate athletes, and put the spark back in your team.

"The one kid that keeps DCs up at night," aka the dual-threat QB who is nearly impossible to contain. I bet you've coached against (or been lucky enough to coach with) at least one of these in your career. All of football seems to be going in the direction of putting the most athletic kid at QB and let him get loose! On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the fundamentals of stopping a dual-threat QB, how to coach pass rush lane integrity, keeping dual-threat guys contained, and how to manipulate the QB with your scheme, so you can control his actions.

Getting Pressure on High School Quarterbacks is quite the challenge. Between terrible fundamentals by HS O-Linemen, to quick game, to QBs generally being run first athletes, you have to really drive home the point of getting D-Linemen to the QB. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to teach your pass rushers to think situationally, how to call your defense to attack the opposition, and the simplicity of using 1-2 pass rush moves for your HS players.

At some point we all struggle with it… consistently moving the ball down the field. You lose a player, the defense has you out-manned, there can always be something to slow you down. But, you can do more before the season starts to prevent it from happening. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to get the ball rolling again in your favor. From attacking weakness, to ensuring your game day isn't derailed by a flawed offensive playbook, we're covering it all!

In this episode of 'The Football Coaching Podcast,' hosts Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel discuss the current excitement of scrimmage week and share insights into recent college football strategies. They delve into the topic of establishing a team's identity by focusing on core principles, non-negotiables, and creating player buy-in. Key themes include the importance of consistent communication, understanding player challenges, and employing a well-defined practice structure. Additionally, they emphasize the value of adopting a 'coach simple, play fast, win' approach and explore the application of military leadership models to coaching. Personal updates include Daniel's office reorganization and exploration of new ventures, highlighting their commitment to personal and professional growth.

Depth wins championships. It doesn't matter how talented your starters are — if you've got no one ready to step in when it counts, you're in trouble. Backups matter. Depth matters. And if you're not preparing those guys now, you'll pay for it later. On this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel talk about how to build depth on your roster, get your backups game-ready, and keep your team competitive no matter the numbers. You'll hear why the Coach Simple philosophy is the fastest way to boost confidence and performance, how to train your scout team to become tomorrow's starters, and how to adapt your drills when roster sizes are smaller than you'd like.

There isn't a perfect defensive scheme in football. Let's say that again, there isn't a perfect defensive scheme in football. They all work. Pro's and Con's… sure they exist. But, the truth is, every modern defense should be able to work successfully against any offensive scheme, you just have to remain adaptable. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain talk about adapting your defense to whatever you'll see this season, how you can shut down the spread specifically, and coaching your defense to SWARM the football!

The offensive line is the HEART of your football team. It doesn't matter what the skill level of everyone else on the field is, you win or lose behind the O-Line. If yours is getting steam rolled each and every game, you're likely losing each and every game. On this episode, Joe and Daniel are talking how to get your O-Line to improve by simplifying your communication, simplifying your scheme, and getting your players to love their craft!

We often hear, "Your players won't be as passionate and committed as you are." What we don't hear as often is that your coaches may not be on your level either. Sometimes you're going to get a guy, or multiple guys, that you have to win games with, but may not be on the same level of football coaching as you. On this episode Joe and Daniel are discussing ways to prevent the feeling of coaching alone. They discuss the need to develop your philosophy and systems, communicating with your staff, and getting buy-in from everyone in the program.

Practice doesn't always equal performance. You can dominate the practice field all week, but if it doesn't show up under the lights on Friday night… something's missing. Maybe practice wasn't hard enough. Maybe the scout team didn't look anything like your opponent. Or maybe your kids just didn't buy in. In this episode, Joe and Daniel dive into how to turn practice success into real game-day results. They break down how to make practice tougher than the game, why specific drills lead to better buy-in, and what to do when your scout team can't replicate your opponent. They also share stories from their own coaching experience, discuss highlights from the Texas High School Coaches Association Clinic, and even drop a few book recommendations for coaches who want to think deeper about football—and probability.

Coaching is a game of efficiency. Don't run too much, or you'll be tired. Don't run too little, or you're out of shape. Don't tackle too much or you're risking injury… too little, well you get the point. We have to find the best way to get the most out of the talent on our team. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the way they get the most out of their players. They talk about setting up a depth chart, identifying the right guys for the position, and getting kids to play a position they may not want to.

Calling plays when the lights are brightest, things aren't going your way, or the game is on the line can be a challenge. Especially for coaches who haven't experienced it before, you can start to be too aggressive or pull too many punches. But, it's something you can get better at. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain are discussing how to better your play calls in the biggest spots in football. They talk setting up a play call sheet, playing the game before the game, and using your play calls to attack weaknesses of the defense.

We've unfortunately all been there… the 4th Quarter starts and our best 11 have their hands on their knees and are too exhausted to perform up to the standard. It's cost many coaches a game or two, but there is a way to prevent it from ever happening again. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain discuss the more modern approaches to getting your players in shape for the season, how to condition in practice, keeping things from getting too tyrannical, and how to hold your player accountable so they'll want to be in shape in the 4th.

In a game of inches, giving up "busts" or Big Plays can quickly become a mistake too big to overcome. The other sideline earns a paycheck too, so you likely can't stamp out big plays altogether, but you can get your team to limit them enough. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to limit big plays against your defense by simplifying your scheme, cutting out the wanted complexity, and getting your players to consistently be in a place to make a play.

Undisciplined teams lose games. And sloppy habits in practice show up under the lights. In this episode, Joe and Daniel break down how to build discipline and efficiency into every rep. You'll learn how to simulate high-stress situations in practice so your players stay sharp when it counts. They'll show you how to tighten communication, dial in on the small details, and run drills that actually translate to game-day success.

Wasted time in practice leads to unprepared players on game day. And with limited hours on the field, every minute has to count. In this episode, Joe and Daniel dive into how to run efficient, high-energy practices that get your players ready—fast. They share how to build out practice plan shells, keep the tempo up with smooth transitions, and make sure your drills actually matter. You'll also hear how to lean on veteran players, use film for faster corrections, and even streamline scouting with tools like wristbands.

A stagnant offense can stall an entire season — even with the right athletes on the field. But constantly adding new plays without structure usually leads to confusion, not results. On this episode of the Football Coaching Podcast, Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel share how to build a dynamic offense the right way — starting with mastery of a base play and layering in variation through motions, shifts, unbalanced formations, and tags. They also introduce the containers principle — a smart way to install new ideas without overwhelming your players or your practice time.

The end of the game of football can be intense! The crowd, the officials, the clock… they all add extra pressure to an already high pressure game. If you keep finding yourself on the losing end of close games, it's likely that you, your coaches, and your players don't understand the situation(s) they are in during crunch time. On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the need to add situational football into your practice planning, what situations you should practice, and the need to mentally prepare your players.