Joe Daniel Football Quick Clinic: Recent Episodes
Joe Daniel Football
Joe Daniel Football Quick Clinics are short podcasts covering questions our listeners submit, or anything that is rattling around in my brain. The Quick Clinics are recorded in my car on the way to practice, or coming home. These 5-10 minute discussions are a supplement to The Football Coaching Podcast and JoeDanielFootball.com.
When all your players are about the same, it is hard to know who should play what positions. And at a smaller school, it is likely some guys will have to move around during the season.
Today's JDFB Quick Clinic answers a listener question from Twitter. Should you focus on teaching general football skills so that your players can play multiple positions? Or put more energy into teaching position specific skills for players who do not really fit into those positions?
Football is a game of blocking and tackling. If your defenders cannot block destruct, you have a hard time winning that game. Here's how to coach it.
Getting to the red zone is one thing, but your red zone efficiency determines how good your offense is. Nothing is more frustrating than turning the ball over on 4th down when you are knocking on the door.
Do not let your offense chew up yards between the 20s then stall out when it counts. This week's JDFB Quick Clinic answers a listener question on Red Zone Efficiency.
Answering a listener question on the best run play and RPO combinations to run against the 3-3-5 Defense.
This is an alternate method of making linebacker strength calls for your defense. Find out what you should never do with your linebackers on defense.
Offenses are always looking for a new way to attack your defense. Today's listener question looks at a one of those new ways and how we have adjusted with the 4-2-5 Defense.
We'll take a look at defending the Counter Read play out of a spread 2x2 formation against a 1-high Cover 3 4-2-5 Defense.
A big source of frustration for football coaches is keeping your athletes motivated during a long season. Or worse, during an exceptionally long off-season like many have had in 2020.
This episode takes a look at the source of motivation for athletes. Find out how coaches can create a more successful environment for your football team using success oriented goals.
This week's listener question asks what the best defensive front to run against a run-heavy schedule would be. Then we look at whether you should have multiple fronts in the plan, or changing the defensive front every week to match the opponent.
To hear your question on the JDFB Quick Clinic, send a DM to @footballinfo on Twitter, or email joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Defending screen passes is tough. Good offensive coordinators are setting you up all game long to hit a big screen play. It's a great way for them to get an athlete in space who's hard to bring down, too.
The secret to defending screen passes starts with removing that word. Stop thinking about a screen pass as a pass.
Screen plays are an extension of the run game. They are used as a constraint play for the passing game. Specifically, screen plays are a constraint against your aggressive pass rush.
No matter how good your athletes are, playing a great man coverage package takes a lot of work. Just like any other coverage you’re going to have to put in a lot of time getting the technique just right.
And if you have great athletes running man coverage with poor technique, you might really be taking away from their ability. In this episode, we take a look at how much man coverage to run when you have a great set of Defensive Backs.
Coaching the linebacker stance for your defense seems like such a simple thing. Feet apart, squat down, eyes up, back flat… you know the basic coaching cues.
But I see a lot of coaches making just a handful of mistakes that really cost your defense. You may not even know it.
The cost of mistakes in stance isn’t as obvious as bad tackling or poor key reads. But the cost to fix these stance problems is cheap. You need to do it.
I've done a lot of experimenting with different schemes, but half-slide pass protection has been the primary protection scheme in the Pistol Power Offense for several years. It just makes sense with what we do.
That's the critical key. It makes sense with what we do.
The protection scheme is intricately tied into the entire passing scheme. The check release by the back is critical to the Quarterback's trigger reads.
We usually only hear the 5-3 Defense associated with youth football defense today. For coaches trying to learn the defense, it’s hard to find as much information as you might find about a 4-4 Defense.
There’s great news though. This is a great defense for stopping the run at the youth level. But it’s actually being run at High School and College programs across the country. Just by a different name.
This episode takes a look at the basics of the 5-3 Defense, and how you can learn more about running it if you decide it is right for your football team.
When they hit the football coaching scene a few years ago, defensive coordinators were scratching their heads defending RPOs. But while it's a great tool for offenses to attack, run pass options are not as mystical as they may seem.
If you've got a good RPO team on your schedule this season, you don't need to panic and change your whole defense. Follow the 5 tips for defending RPO's in this podcast to shut 'em down.
The force player in football is responsible for turning run plays back to the spill defenders. In this episode we define the role of the force defender and how to identify who he is in your defense. I'm also answering a listener question on the force player in the 4-3 Defense with 2-high safeties.
My favorite comment when we post a new 4-2-5 Defense article or podcast to the Joe Daniel Football Facebook Page has got to be, “So it’s a nickel defense ”. You got me, dude.
There seems to be a small counsel of football terminology gatekeepers out there. No one knows who appointed them, or what authority they have. But they’re pretty sure they have it.
Today’s episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic isn’t to fight those guys. After all, they’re right! The 4-2-5 Defense and the 3-3-5 Defense are at least, in theory, a Nickel Defense.
But it is important to talk about terminology and what we mean when we say Nickel Defense. While it can certainly be used to describe a 4-2-5 Defense, and there is no harm in doing so, most coaches are not talking about the two as being one and the same.
Nickel Defense or Nickel Package? The most common place you’ll hear coaches talking about a Nickel is really not in describing a 4-2-5 Defense. As I’ve pointed out many times, the 4-2-5 Defense that we’re running is really the same as a 4-4 Defense. I just like calling those guys safeties because it makes them feel faster.
Instead, the Nickel Defense usually isn’t a defense at all. More commonly, coaches are talking about a package in their defense. The Nickel Package is a personnel package that 4-3 Defense and 3-4 Defense coordinators use in passing situations or when there is no Tight End, to replace a Linebacker with a Defensive Back.
You probably knew that. You’re a smart guy. You’ve played Madden before.
But that’s the critical element. The Nickel Package is not a change in the actual defense. It’s just a change in one player because the skill set needed is different that the skill set the base defense requires. You need a better pass defender, or a better player in space, than your normal base defense uses.
Yes, you might have some coverage change-ups. Maybe even a special blitz or two for when the Nickel is on the field. But your core defense remains the same. You did not change from a 4-3 Defense, a 7-man front defense that uses a 2-gap Mike Linebacker, to a 4-2-5 Defense with an 8-man front and 1-gap defenders.
Is the 4-2-5 Defense a Nickel Defense? But when you talk to a coach who says he runs a 4-2-5 Defense, what he’s really running is a variation on a 4-4 Defense. He’s got two outside linebackers that are called Safeties. Maybe they even spend the majority of their time in man coverage, or playing a deep half safety in a Split Field Coverage package.
Most coaches who run a 4-2-5 Defense don’t think of themselves as running a Nickel Defense. And truthfully most coaches who call their defense a Nickel Defense as a base package fall into the same boat. They call it a Nickel because it’s the terminology, but the thought process is the same. It’s just their defense.
These guys don’t decide to take a DB off the field and replace him with a Linebacker, then all the sudden call it their 4-3 Package.
When coaches are running a 4-2-5 Defense, they consider it the base defense. Except in extreme situations like a Double Wing Offense, they’re going to run with that base 4-2-5 Defense every week.
It comes down to one thing, and one thing only. Don’t get caught up in terminology. Or the difference between a 4-4 Defense and a 4-2-5 Defense. We don’t need gatekeepers in football coaching!
When you look at that exchange film and find out you’ll be defending a running quarterback this week, it gives you the chills. The best athlete on the field is going to have the ball in his hands on every single snap.
But don’t worry. There is hope. Check out this week’s JDFB Quick Clinic for a few simple tips to prepare your defense for that tough assignment. You can listen to the episode using the player at the bottom of this post or wherever podcasts are available.
Game Planning for Defending a Running Quarterback There’s a few big mistakes coaches make when preparing to defend athletic QBs. We’re focusing on shutting down a quarterback that is a primary runner here. This is NOT about defending the extremely dangerous Dual Threat Quarterback. That’s a whole different discussion.
The first step to defending a running quarterback is making sure you’re really seeing what you think you are seeing. Is that play really a Zone Read? Or is it a designed QB keep? While they may look the same, the blocking scheme completely changes what you’ll be working on with your Defensive End all week.
Figure out what the plays are really designed to do. Is the QB creating on his own? Or are these carefully constructed blocking schemes to feature his athleticism? Is he reading it? Was that a play action or a keep all the way?
Diagram a few of the top plays out. This is a huge help for really understanding what an offense is trying to do. And how sophisticated the system is. I’ve included a download for a blank play sheet below – just enter your email address and it will be sent straight to your inbox.
Run Fits and Option Responsibility The next critical piece is your run fits. High School running plays pretty much fall into two categories. Zone blocking schemes or gap blocking schemes.
So that running quarterback doesn’t really change too much. You’re still going to see one of the two. Maybe with an extra blocker, since the Quarterback is carrying the ball. But the concepts remain the same.
Are your run fits in order? If you don’t know the answer, you need to learn the Umbrella Principle for perfect run fits. Learning the Umbrella Principle and teaching it to your players also takes care of your option fits.
Build the Package for Defending a Running QB You know what they do. You know your defense can stop them. Now you just need a few tricks up your sleeve to seal the deal.
If you have a good defensive football system, that shouldn’t be a problem. You can easily make adaptations by pulling levers to give your defense an edge. Alignment adjustments and assignment adjustments are going to be the keys here.
Just listen to this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic to find out a couple of simple adjustments any defense can make when you’re defending a running quarterback!
Drawing up complex X's and O's on a napkin can be a lot of fun, but the best offenses often rely on very simple football plays that just plain work. Not always sexy, but they get the job done.
The inspiration for this episode was a conversation on our private Chalk Board Forum for JDFB Coaching Systems clients about some simple football plays for a youth football team. Then the topic of the Wedge Play came up. That got my thinking.
The Best Simple Football Plays
At JDFB it's always about the Coach Simple, Play Fast, Win philosophy. If you're not familiar with that yet, you can learn all about this core principle here.
The basics are this: Keep your coaching simple so that your kids understand what they are being asked to do. That gives your players confidence to execute. Confident players play fast. No paralysis by analysis. Fast kids win more football games.
I've worked with a lot of football programs. That Coach Simple philosophy has never failed. I've never had a coach come back and say, "we just didn't have enough in the playbook!"
(it is very common, after the fact, for coaches to admit they tried to do way too much)
But these simple football plays go even beyond that principle. We're talking the absolute simplest run play, and the simplest passing play you can run in this JDFB Quick Clinic.
In the run game, the clear winner is the Wedge Play. The one that started this whole conversation. In the passing game, it is the simple look pass.
Why Every Playbook Needs Simple Plays
You might have some real fancy stuff in your playbook. Maybe you're committed to the Run & Shoot passing attack. Or you've decided to run Split Back Veer. Neither of those is simple (that's not a bad thing, if you know how to teach it).
But you're still going to want some simple plays. I don't see any good reason why every single team in football shouldn't run the two simple football plays described in this podcast.
The Wedge Play is in just about every offensive playbook for good reason. It's how you block the Quarterback Sneak. I have absolutely no idea why anyone would not have this play in your playbook.
There have been times where we've literally stolen yardage just running the sneak at a soft spot in the defensive front.
The same goes for the Look pass. I've heard this given a few different names, like a quick screen. It's just a pass to a wide receiver who's being given too much cushion by the cornerback. Because it is so easy to complete, the Double Wing Offense is the only playbook that might not need to have it.
Both plays have been extremely important in my own play calling with the Pistol Power Offense System. Although they are not fancy, they are extremely easy to install and execute for solid yardage.
Listen to this podcast using the player below or in any podcatcher. And you can submit your questions to the JDFB Quick Clinic for a future episode by either emailing me at joe@joedanielfootball.com or sending me a message on Twitter @footballinfo.
If you've decided to simplify your defense with a spot drop coverage, you're probably looking at how to play cover 3 vs 4 verticals. Coaches are realizing the value of the spot drop cover 3's simplicity but offensive coaches are licking their chops to attack it, too.
This week's episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic looks at key points for coaching the deep third defenders. From the basics of Cover 3 alignment and the zone turn, to the much more difficult question of how to stop those 4 vertical attacks.
Critical Free Safety Coaching Points for Cover 3 vs 4 Verticals
The Free Safety is by far the most critical part of how your defense will handle 4 verticals with any 1-high safety coverage. He's got to be patient and stay centered or the Quarterback will take advantage when he picks a side. Most QBs are taught to look off the Free Safety to attack the seams.
Along with staying in his peddle and not getting drawn to a side early, he needs to also key the Quarterback to see the ball come out of his hand. Good Free Safeties need to cover from hash to hash to give your Cover 3 maximum effectiveness against 4 verticals.
Couple that importance with his critical role as the alley defender in your run fits. Your Free Safety should always be the best athlete on the football team. One thing that's remained consistent is that the quality of the Free Safety will dictate just how good your defense can be. You can't hide this guy.
Coaching Cover 3 Cornerbacks
High School coaches usually try to hide a guy at Corner. They aren't directly involved in your run fits, so they don't need to be a great tackler. And he's the farther defender away from the Quarterback, so the throws tend to be lower percentage. Even in routes on air drills.
To maximize the ability of the cornerback, and get any real help from your Cover 3 vs. 4 verticals, you've got to keep his coaching simple. The ASKA for Cornerbacks is detailed but not complicated.
Corners always want to force the Quarterback to throw outside of them. Because it's a longer throw, he's got plenty of time to react and squeeze the go route. He's also got sideline help to the outside. If he can force the Quarterback to overthrow the ball or throw it too far outside, it's an incompletion every time.
Listen to this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic to find out the extremely important coaching point I learned from a Kirby Smart clinic talk about a decade ago. It's the most important teaching point for corners in Cover 3 vs 4 verticals that I've heard.
Do you have a question for the JDFB Quick Clinic? Send your questions by email to joe@joedanielfootball.com or message me on Twitter @footballinfo.
When you see that big time coordinator on the sidelines covering his face with that football play call sheet, it's pretty exciting. You think that's just what a football coach is supposed to look like. What you need to have in your hand on game day to be official.
This week's JDFB Quick Clinic takes a look at those offensive and defensive call sheets. What needs to be on your call sheet? And do you even need one in your hands?
Do You Need a Football Play Call Sheet?
Before you start downloading templates and filling out every call in your playbook, take some time to consider if you even need a play call sheet. If you can't remember your play calls, do you have too much?
The Coach Simple, Play Fast, Win philosophy does not rely on a big playbook. You aren't trying to win a chess match. You're putting the faith in your athletes to execute on the field on game day. You keep the play calls simple so that your players are confident in what they're being asked to do, so that they can play at a high level on game day. The play calls aren't the secret sauce.
But, you probably do need a call sheet. Especially at first. When you start using a new coaching system, it can be hard to keep it all straight in your head. Even if the calls are simple. And if you're going to be using wrist bands for your calls, you might need a play call sheet just as a reference to those calls on the wrist band.
What Needs to Be on Your Call Sheet?
You've made the decision. At least for starters, you need to have a call sheet in your hand on the sidelines. Who knows how long you'll need it. There's a good chance you won't look at it much after the 1st Quarter. At least, not for actual play call advice. It's nice to have if you just freeze up in that regard but you'll find you get into the flow of the game most of the time.
Play call sheets are simple, You can google up football play call sheets and find plenty of templates. I've used a few as a foundation, but eventually they evolve into what I really need. The few call sheets I've made in recent years start as a very, very basic Excel spreadsheet.
In this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic, I'll go into exactly what goes on that spreadsheet at the start. Then we'll look at how that spreadsheet evolves over time.
By the way, if you're going to be a football coach for long, you probably need to get pretty good with spreadsheets. They're a great tool for making everything from call sheets, to practice plans and equipment inventory.
There's a special challenge for linebackers in defending jet sweep motion. When they see it, they forget everything they've been taught and start chasing the shiny object. The Jet Sweep run play is a lot more dangerous because of what it does to your defenders, than it is as an actual yardage gainer.
This week's JDFB Quick Clinic focuses on how to adjust to Jet Sweep motion. It doesn't matter what defensive front you're running, because your defensive front shouldn't be the ones trying to stop the jet sweep. This is more about your coverage.
Threats from Jet Sweep Motion
There are more threats from the jet sweep motion than just the jet sweep itself. Your plan for defending the motion starts with knowing the biggest threats it creates for your defense.
Along with the jet sweep, you need to be ready for plays that can attack your defensive front. Those include the Jet Read variation of Power Read, and any inside run game where the jet sweep motion is just being used as window dressing.
You'll also need to be ready for passing concepts that use the flat route that is usually run by the sweeper. Concepts like Curl-Flat, Slant-Arrow or any number of 3x1 passing concepts will threaten your coverage. And there's always the possibility of an RPO to the sweeper if your force defender loses his leverage.
How to Adjust Your Defense
The adjustments for defending jet sweep motion all start with an understanding of run fits. You need to know how the umbrella works. Check out my article on Umbrella Principle run fits to learn the simplest way to get your players to understand their role in stopping the run.
Spill defenders under the umbrella must stay focused on their key reads. Nothing about the jet sweep will hurt you as bad as having linebackers and defensive ends jumping outside at the sight of motion. Then you're trying to stop Inside Zone with 4 or 5 spill defenders left.
The jet sweep is handled by your force defender and the alley defender. They need to be ready to shut it down.
Start with your force defender. Pull the alignment lever to get him wide enough to stop the sweep. Don't forget that he'll need to maintain that width in case of RPO's to the sweeper after the initial mesh.
You can also roll an alley defender over. When moving from double formations to Trips with the jet sweep, I always want to 'Check Roll' to a 1/4, 1/4, 1/2 coverage. That way you get your alley defender in better position to come down and help out on the play.
For all the details on how to defend jet sweep motion, check out this week's podcast below!
Get the best Offensive Line Drills so you get the best performance out of your Offensive Linemen. Your practice time is too limited to run hundreds of different drills. What drills should actually run?
Over the past couple years, since turning to the 90 Minute Practice Plan, I've had to really examine just which Offensive Line drills were worth what little practice time we had to work.
80/20 for Offensive Line Drills
Enter the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 Rule. Just in case you don't already know it, the Pareto Principle says that 20% of the work you put in produces 80% of the results. That's critical for football coaches to understand. Out of all those cool drills and gimmicks you see at clinics and in catalogs, only 20% are really worth doing.
This episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic looks at applying the Pareto Principle to your Offensive Line Drills. I always hear coaches complaining about how little individual time they have to work with their guys. Or just practice time in general. You're probably better off trying to work within those limitations - as long as you know what to run. This episode helps you figure that out.
Offensive Line Drills to Make Sure You Never Miss a Block
We take a look at what really matters for your Offensive Linemen to make the block. It's all about the first two steps. Not how quick they are, or how long or short they are. In fact, what matters is the angle. Take the right first two steps, with the right angle, and you never miss a block. Of course, if you make him hold that block too long, he might get his tail whipped. That comes down to play design and execution by the skill guys. But he won't miss the block.
Spend over half your Offensive Line drill time on the first two steps. I'll share some simple drill concepts that you can use in your Offensive Line individual periods to get this done. They don't require any contact, either. Do you have a couple of veteran leaders on your Offensive Line? Then let them run these drills in pre-practice or during the off-season.
Spend the rest of your drill time actually blocking someone. But we do a lot of 'Pro Wrestling' in those drills, too. That means there's a pre-determined winner. But it should look very real. These are 1 on 1 drills and 2 on 2 combo blocks for your zone game. Throw in some Pass Protection 1 on 1 and you've got a complete practice.
Waste Less Practice Time
The only other step you'll need is getting your guys to finish blocks. It involves a simple drill you can work for a couple of minutes during special teams... and a chicken sandwich. The true difference maker.
Use the player below to listen to Episode 220 of the JDFB Quick Clinic to hear all about building your Offensive Line practice around these drills and creating better blocking with less wasted hours on the practice field. Then your guys will have more energy for the long season ahead!
Coaches can learn a lot from tagging your game film in Hudl. You can also waste a lot of time. Hudl and other video analysis tools are a powerful tool for football coaches. Not only can you can quickly share film with your next opponent, your entire staff and all of your players. But you can get a ton of data when you tag your film properly.
The problem a lot of coaches run into is figuring out what to tag to actually get a real result. They might tag everything under the sun, or nothing at all. In this episode, I’ll share what I tag on a game film or exchange film - and what order we’ll do it in, based on time available.
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Can you still spill the football with slow linebackers? Find out why teaching run fits isn’t about your players’ talents. This week’s question for the JDFB Quick Clinic is about the spill technique in the Miami 4-3 Defense, but it’s about more than that. This is about the importance of consistent teaching.
And it’s about myths and misconceptions in coaching. The idea that one defense works for this type of player, or one style works for another set of athletes - and you should jump around to find them. This episode is about building your defense on core principles, not a playbook or something you heard at a clinic.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Long Stick Technique is used by Defensive Ends in zone blitzes like the America’s Fire Zone. Find out how to coach it. If you want to run zone blitzes, you need to commit the time to execute. America’s Fire Zone is a great zone blitz, one of the most popular overloads you can run. But you can get yourself in trouble in a hurry.
The Long Stick technique is critical. This is how we get the defensive end to control A gap if he’s needed there - and how to get him in on the play when he’s not.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
What’s the best key to read for Linebackers in the 33 Stack Defense? Don’t make it hard. Lots of coaches have tried lots of different reads for linebackers over time. We’re all looking for that perfect answer so that no matter what happens, we can tell our linebackers that if they just read their key they’ll always be right.
That leads to a lot of over-complicated key reads. And the 33 Stack Defense is no different. In today’s episode we’ll talk about the options you have for teaching key reads to your 3-3-5 Defense or 3-5-3 Defense Linebackers, including how to get the Mike Linebacker the cleanest read.
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Never underestimate a good mailbag episode. We hit on some important topics that you need to hear. This is the final mailbag episode for a while, since we’ve caught up to 2020 finally! And there’s a few good ones in here. Even if we touch on them a lot.
You’ll find out the most important aspects of turning around a losing culture on your football team. It’s not as complicated as many folks make it sound. Plus get the answer to whether you should run the 4-3 Defense or the 4-2-5 Defense. Or at least some help making the decision.
This was a response to a listener questions sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
What do you do when you’ve got a dangerous running Quarterback, but your offense isn’t geared to him? You adjust. Any Offensive System that is worth its salt is able to utilize the best athletes on the field. If that’s not the case, you don’t have a System. Because you’re going to have to completely change the offense for a special athlete one day.
In the Pistol Power Offense System, we have multiple ways to utilize athletes all over the field. Today’s question is about using the Quarterback in your run game in a System that is not on the surface designed to do that.
Find out how easy it is to adapt and utilize the best player on the field with multiple ways to get your Quarterback involved in the run game.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
The Iso Run Play is a classic downhill run play. But how can you make it safe in the modern game of football? This was a great question from a listener in response to an email I sent out last week. Like many of you, I’ve been watching a lot of old football… because there’s no new football.
And those old school fullbacks got me thinking. What a great position! Lots of I-Formation running plays, and the Iso run play is one of the favorites. But the blocking… is it safe? Can we run this downhill attacking play, and still keep our players safe?
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
What’s the ideal personnel for your 4-3 Defense Linebackers? Find out where to put your studs so you’re ready to dominate. The Miami 4-3 Defense has been around since the early 1980s. One of it’s most impressive qualities is the versatility in adapting to the evolution of offensive football over the last 4 decades.
But that’s caused a little bit of a change in where you place your 4-3 Defense Linebackers to put them in the best position.
In today’s episode, we’ll talk about where to play your best linebacker. Then we’ll look at the qualities of your other two positions to look for so your Miami 4-3 Defense maximizes the talents of your linebackers.
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
No one knows when or if the 2020 High School Football Season will start. But we need to be prepared. I’ve heard this question a lot - so today’s episode is not a response to one particular question. It’s a response to a lot of questions from a lot of places, and related to the pandemic that is affecting all of our lives right now.
How long does a High School football team actually need to get ready? I’ll share my thoughts on it here (and it’s not long). But football coaches are going to have to be prepared to get your team ready in that time.
Send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Now these are some good questions. Time to get back in a different sort of mailbag. Usually when we do a mailbag show, it’s just a huge collection of stuff that wasn’t enough for a full episode from my Twitter DM’s. Not this time.
This time it’s 4 questions from an email I sent out, hitting a little bit of everything. Here’s the topics…
- Best advice for a young coach
- OL vs DL Player Traits
- Defending Empty Sets
- Safety Reads
These were a responses to listener questions sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
The Jet Sweep is a great play, if you use it right in your offense. The big advantage comes from the counters. Today’s JDFB Quick Clinic question is a great one. It’s about running counters off the Jet Sweep motion. Probably my favorite reason to even put the Jet Sweep in the playbook.
In the Pistol Power Offense System, Jet Sweep is a fairly cheap play to install. You just use the same blocking as our basic stretch play. But it can have big advantages if you’re using the ‘counters’ we talk about in this episode. Jet Sweep make great window dressing!
This was a response to a listener question sent by Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Defense is played Flat Down the Line. What does that even mean!? Football is a weird game. There’s tons of terminology, and none of it is universal. So to a coach just starting out, it can be a very confusing world.
Today’s JDFB Quick Clinic tries to explain one of those terms. “Defense is played flat down the line” is a phrase one of our listeners is hearing, and he’d like a little clarity on what it means. So I’ll do my best.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
It’s another dive into the Twitter Mailbag! We’re talking about Scout Team and off-season coaching preparation. The Mailbag episodes have become a tradition. Not because they need to happen a lot. More because these are questions I never thought we could do a full episode on - then find out we could’ve done a full episode on half of them. Or more.
We start off with a deep dive into why your scout team sucks. And the benefits of scout team wristbands.
Then it’s on to how to prepare yourself as a coach during the off-season. Old coach or new coach. Regular off-season or… whatever this 2020 off-season is (definitely not regular).
This was a response to a listener questions sent on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Show Links * Jason Hahnstadt’s Easy Football Game Planner includes templates you can use for your Scout Team wristbands.
Defending Bunch Formations and other condensed looks can put a lot of stress on your defense. Here’s how to balance it out. Bunch formations are a great way to stress a defense by creating a condensed look for the defense. This week’s JDFB Quick Clinic question is about how you can shut ‘em down.
We’re looking at a condensed bunch formation for this one, plus an adjustment to an unbalanced set. I’ll look at using both even and odd fronts.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
You finally got the big promotion. Your first coordinator gig. How do you prepare old coaches for the new changes? You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. That’s the saying. And if that’s true about the old dogs on your coaching staff, you might be in for a long season.
This week’s Quick Clinic question comes from a coach who was just promoted to Defensive Coordinator. He has a very experienced coaching staff, way beyond his own years, but he’s still got to get them ready to coach the new systems in season. How do you get it done?
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Cover 2 is a strong coverage in the right situations and with the right defensive front. With the wrong front, it’s broken. Great questions this week about the 4-2-5 Defense. It’s a two-part question too, so you’ll even get some bonus content.
The first question is about running Cover 2 coverage and being forced to make adjustments on the weak side. There’s a reason it doesn’t work, and you’ll find that out in this episode. Then we’ll talk a little Option and Iso, and where that can fall apart too.
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
You’re an expert at coaching one position. Now you find yourself being asked to coach something completely different. Great question for this week’s JDFB Quick Clinic. What do you do when you’re asked to coach a position that you know very little about?
It’s good for coaches to learn all facets of the game. If you want to be a coordinator or head coach one day, you should understand every position on the field. But how do you learn? How do you jump into that new position and do a great job for your team?
Today’s question comes from Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Diving back into the Mailbag Questions this week for topics including defending Wing-T and setting the defensive strength. Time to get back to the mailbag for questions that aren’t quite in-depth enough for a full episode. These go all the way back to January 2019, and there’s some good questions!
We’ll talk about defending the Wing-T with the Under Front. And how to get to an under front in the 4-2-5 Defense. Plus a look at setting the strength of your backfield, and more.
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Fundraising is a critical part of running a football program. Here’s a plan for a long-term fundraiser using email. A few months back on a podcast with Ron McKie, we talked about some out-of-the-box ideas for fundraising in our episode on leveling up your football team’s off-season. One that I’ve been getting a lot of questions about was the email fundraiser.
On this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic, I’ll talk about the basics. The shell of the plan. It’s not the ‘holding your hand’ step-by-step guide. But if you have the motivation to put it together, you can get a start with this episode.
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
You put your time in. Now you’re moving up to the big show! Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it seems. Great question on this week’s JDFB Quick Clinic, and one I hear a lot. You’ve put your time in at the Youth, Middle School, Freshman or JV levels… now you’re moving up. Moving up to the Varsity team.
And there’s some nerves. Some concern about whether you are really ‘ready’ for it. Or at least, you don’t know what to expect. How different will it be with the big kids?
Not that different. In fact, the more you treat your guys the same… the better it should go.
This question was sent in on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
You know something is not right. This is not the job for you. How do you know the right time to look for a new team? Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em. Kenny Rogers was right. Or The Gambler. Someone knew what they were talking about. Knowing when to walk away is tough.
How do you know you’re on the wrong staff, or in the wrong situation? When is it time to start looking for your next job? And where do the players figure into all this?
Tough question. I’ll try to answer it on this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic.
This question was sent in on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
You’ve tried everything to get your Quarterbacks to throw the ball on time. But they still hold the ball too long! If you think today’s Quick Clinic question is just about Quarterbacks, you couldn’t be more wrong. And it’s no different no matter what level you coach, or where you coach.
This episode’s JDFB Quick Clinic question comes from a Quarterbacks Coach in England. He’s tried to get through to his QBs, but they just won’t throw the ball on time. They’re forever holding it and making the throws harder than they’d need to be if they were simply throwing with anticipation.
There’s a solution for that. But it’s not a fancy or sexy solution. It’s the one you need though. So check out this episode to find out what the solution is!
This question was sent in on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Use coverage checks to get your defense in the best position to defend the route combinations. But don’t overcomplicate it. In our JDFB defensive coaching systems we use a number of basic coverage checks to get your secondary in the best position to defend potential route combinations. But we can’t be confused doing it - so it needs to stay simple.
Today’s JDFB Quick Clinic question focuses on the 3 basic coverage checks that we use, particularly in man coverage, for defending route combinations based on alignment.
This question was sent in on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Diving back into the Twitter DM’s for another Mailbag Episode! Find out why 7 on 7 is good, and why it’s not. Not every question that gets sent in for the JDFB Quick Clinic makes it to the air… until now! I’ve been working through the Twitter DM’s answering every question from 2018 and catching up on questions that might not have been ‘meaty’ enough for a full episode.
In this run through the backlog, we talk about the good and bad of 7 on 7 club teams. When are they a benefit to athletes? When do they hurt your football team? Plus some tips on using Scout Team Wristbands to get better performance (again).
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Are you gunning for a Head Coach position this year? Be prepared for those weird interview questions. It’s that time of year when coaches are interviewing for new positions. Or just trying to get the interview experience for down the road. And there’s always a few weird interview questions that come up.
Today’s question comes from Twitter and asks about the ‘5 Year Plan’ a coach expected to have prepared during an upcoming Head Coach interview. We’ll talk about your 5 year plan and what that interview panel really wants to hear. Check it out!
Today’s question was sent on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
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You’re shutting ‘em down on 1st and 2nd Down. Then it all falls apart on 3rd Down. What went wrong? Love this question for today’s JDFB Quick Clinic. If you’ve been running a defense for very long, this has happened to your team. You dominate on 1st and 2nd Down, but then you can’t get off the field.
Seems like everything is clicking until you get the offense’s back against the wall. Then everything falls apart. Their players start making incredible plays and your guys seem to be completely flat.
Listen to this episode to learn how to figure out what went wrong, and how you can fix it.
Today’s question was sent on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
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There are a number of ways to get your blitz calls into your players. Using Partners & Patterns is… a way. I’ve done a lot of experimenting over the years, and one of those was the Partners & Patterns blitz calling. It’s an idea I got from Shap Boyd for our 4-3 Defense System several years back.
I’ll explain how the Partners & Patterns system works. We don’t use it anymore since I didn’t feel it was as ‘simple’ as we needed. But you can evaluate the idea for yourself in this episode!
Today’s question was sent on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Is this a 21 Personnel Twins Formation, or a Single Wing Formation? Offensive Coordinators are bad people... It’s back to normal on this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic, for a look at defending a 21 Personnel… or maybe an unbalanced Single Wing formation… with the 4-2-5 Defense.
When you’re looking for ideas on how to shut down a weird offensive set, there’s no black and white answer. OK, there’s no black and white on defending anything. But these weird ones… yeah, the question is unbalanced? Is it Single Wing? Is it both? Check it out, we’ll decide.
This JDFB Quick Clinic question was sent in on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Rapid Fire! Hitting all of those Twitter DM’s we didn’t get to. Or not even close. But getting a lot of them. Another week of blasting through the DM’s before we get back to our usual Q&A on the show. This week hit a ton of topics. Good, bad and ugly.
What’s the best defense for the Single Wing? How can you get your players recruited? What’s that barcode inventory system you talked about? All the good stuff… and more.
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Time to catch up on the huge backlog of questions in the Twitter DMs this week! I get a lot of questions through Twitter and email. They don’t all make the Quick Clinic just because some of them don’t seem like they’ll work for an episode.
But it’s time to catch up! I’m going back through the log of Twitter DMs. Lots of random topics. Offense, Defense, Special Teams, Program Building and Career Building. It’s all here.
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
You want to get pressure on the Quarterback. What’s the best defense for bringing unstoppable pressure? Prepare to be disappointed. There’s no secret to putting pressure on the Quarterback. No special formula that puts him on his back.
Today’s question is all about getting pressure on the Quarterback without sacrificing coverage. The Holy Grail. And what the best defense to find that Holy Grail is.
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Time to get ready for next season! But not so fast, you need to take a good look at last year, first.
This time of year, everyone’s looking forward to next year. Looking for the keys to winning for the 2020 Season. But you’ve got to take some time to review last year before we get to that.
Let’s take a look at what you need to study when you review your 2019 Season. And why you might not need to change the whole playbook just because last year wasn’t all you ever dreamed of.
You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Can you adjust your 4-2-5 Defense to defend the Power I or Wishbone Offense? Yes, and it’s pretty simple. Great question today for the JDFB Quick Clinic on defending 32 Personnel formations with a 4-2-5 Defense. Specifically, how to handle off tackle runs and outside sweep plays with compromising either one.
In fact, it’s all built into the foundation of the defense. It comes down to having each defender do his job, and then knowing how to adjust from there. Pulling the right levers.
And yes, this episode turned into a bit of a rant.
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
How do you get your Linebackers to defend the run without getting lit up by a great RPO play? You don’t. Great question for today’s Quick Clinic on coaching Linebacker key reads against run-pass options. It’s a chance to remind ourselves that we can’t stop everything!
We also get into coaching your underneath defenders in pattern match coverages. That’s right, it’s another 2 for 1 football coaching question!
This was a response to a listener question sent on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Not a minute to spare. Practice time is valuable. How can you get more players involved during Team sessions? Whether you’ve got a lot of players on one team, or you’re combining your JV and Varsity just to have enough to run a team session, almost every team has some guys hanging out on the sidelines not participating.
In today’s JDFB Quick Clinic, we look at ways to get everyone involved (within your 90 minute practice plan!) and actually produce better football players doing it. These are some tricks that can really help your younger football players develop.
This was a response to a listener question sent on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Head Coaches can wear a lot of hats. How can you see other position groups when you’re coaching the Offensive Line? This week’s JDFB Quick Clinic hits close to home, since it’s something I’m pretty familiar with. How can you be the Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and Offensive Line coach at the same time and still make sure everything is getting done?
It takes a lot of organization and planning to do all of this, and keep a fast paced practice. Check out this episode to find out how you can handle all these roles at once!
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
How do you get better pulls from your Guard in Power? How can you help receivers run better routes? It’s a 2 for 1! The rare 2 for 1 question on JDFB Quick Clinic! Today’s questions are all about the Pistol Power Offense System and how you can get more by focusing on the details.
The first question relates to the Guard wrapping to the front side linebacker in the power. The second question looks at receiver get off, timing, and improving the break on the Curl route.
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Many Youth Football Defenses are geared toward stopping the run. How do you adjust when teams spread you out? OK this question goes all over the place. We’re talking about the 5-3 Defense against the Beast Formation. And against a Double Formation. There’s a lot happening here.
We’re also talking about keeping it simple. Having a philosophy. Not changing your defense. Having principles within your defense that adapt to absolutely any Offensive attack. Really, that last one is everything going on in today’s episode.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
How do you shut down the best athlete on the field? There’s a few tricks you can use to minimize the damage. High School Football has a big range of talent on the field. You’ve got guys who will never play a down of college football (and maybe shouldn’t have played any High School downs), against kids who are going to be in the NFL one day. The elite of elite athletes.
On the Quick Clinic today, I’ll talk about a few defensive strategies for shutting down those really special players. Or maybe a better way to put it, slowing down those standout athletes.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Can you use the right blitz call to destroy a blocking scheme? Maybe. But you better be ready for the offense’s answer. Is there a ‘right call’ for the defense to make in any given situation? Will calling that perfect blitz at the right time bring the offense to its knees?
Sure, there are situations where you can dictate to the defense with the right blitz call. But that call could get you in a lot more trouble down the road if you don’t execute correctly. This episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic takes a look at both sides.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Injuries happen in football. It’s a part of our sport, or any sport. When a key player goes down during practice, how do you refocus your players to get back to work? It’s a hard task. Kids are emotional and… well, kind of over dramatic sometimes. But when there’s a significant injury during practice, how do you get your guys to get that fire back?
This episode shares some strategies both short and long-term to get your players back on track. Whether during a game or in practice, you’ve got to have a plan to get the attention back on the task at hand.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Stacked receivers require some adjustments for your defense. Let’s take a look at zone and man tweaks for those stacks. Offenses are always trying to use formations to break the defense. Get you in a position where you’re not as effective. Stacked receivers are one example.
When the offense stacks two or three receivers up, how do you adjust? What can you do to tweak your man coverage or zone coverage to handle the stacks? I’ll give you some suggestions on this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic.
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
What’s the most critical position on your defense? You need to invest your best coach on one specific group. Are the force defenders the most important players on your defense? It seems like these are the guys that can really break your defense if they’re not getting the job done. Outside linebackers or safeties, whatever you call them - they’re critical.
But are they the most important players? Where should you invest your best coaches on staff? Check out this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic to find out which position gives you the biggest returns on defense.
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
You want to go fast, but how do you get your Hurry Up Offense signals in from the sidelines? Here’s the easiest way. Those signs on the sidelines with funny pictures are great. Unfortunately, many coaching staffs don’t have the man-power to run an operation like that. We want to go fast, but what’s the most efficient way to get the calls in?
In today’s episode, we’re answering a listener question on Hurry Up communication. Hand signals, wrist bands and other methods to get the call in are discussed. Check it out!
This was a response to a listener question sent by twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
If you want to get to the top of the profession, you’ve got to ‘grind all the time,’ right? Maybe that’s not the best way. Great question and topic for this week’s JDFB Quick Clinic. One that I’m kind of passionate about. It’s the ridiculous #grindallthetime #nodaysoff stuff we see on Social Media all the time.
For a young coach trying to move up in the ranks, it might seem like the right way. Spend all your time in the office Outwork everyone. Climb the ladder.
This week’s questions comes from a new coach who wonders if he’s letting himself and his team down by not being the last one to leave the office every day. Check out the show to get my perspective on this ridiculous, old school mentality.
This was a response to a listener question sent by email. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.
Which hand do you put down in your Defensive Line Stance? That depends on what job needs to get done. Does it matter which hand your Defensive Linemen put down in their stance? Well, that all depends on what you’re going to ask those guys to do.
There’s a big difference between the stance for a 2-gap lineman in a 3-4 Defense or a slanting 33 Stack lineman, compared to your shaded 40 front guys. We’ll look at all the differences in this episode of the JDFB Quick Clinic.
This was a response to a listener question sent on Twitter. You can send in your questions for the JDFB Quick Clinic by messaging me on Twitter @footballinfo or sending an email to me at joe@joedanielfootball.com.