Coach and Coordinator Podcast

Coach Grabowski's Notebook - 4-minute and Backed-up Offense by USA Football

Deliberate Practice week 4: Compete In today’s podcast Host Keith Grabowski and guest host Andy Ryland talked about incorporating competition into practices. They discuss putting players in competition settings to have them moving and thinking fast so in game time it’s a natural response. The practice highlighted in today’s episode was the scramble drill and half line drill for special teams. 01:20 Intro to the scramble drill 02:30 Scramble in 7 on 7 03:00 Describing the drill 06:30 Working the drill 08:10 Scramble drill on defense 09:30 Coverage adjustments 10:36 Secondary contain plan 11:33 Defensive communication 14:35 Get it on film 15:00 Adding the line 17:50 Points on reaction for lineman 21:45 Finding time 23:50 Special teams drills and competition 30:00 National Conference Information

Game Plan week 3: Bobby April – Special Teams Keith and guest host former NFL coach Charlie Coiner had the opportunity to interview Coach Bobby April. April is known in the coaching world as a special teams guru, coaching on all levels from NFL, college and high school. The coaches talk about the importance of special teams and how it impacts the game. April harped on the importance of communication for the coaches and for everyone to be moving in the same direction and how that process should be involved heavily throughout the week, so it can translate to the game. Coach April emphasized how important a head coach’s involvement with special teams can be for a team on all levels. 00:40 Bobby April intro 03:45 Bobby April bio 06:35 Gameday organization 07:30 Giving guys responsibility 09:00 Working the dots system 11:42 Special teams transition 14:50 Everybody moving in the same direction 17:22 Head coach special teams relationship 21:25 Being on the same ship 22:30 Communication 27:50 Playing starters on special teams 28:40 Coach April’s formula 30:30 Discussing with the head coach 31:35 Coming back to communication 34:15 Head Coach and special teams synonymous 35:20 Practicing special teams transition 37:30 Providing resources

The Smart Coaching Series on the Coach and Coordinator Podcast is designed to help coaches improve over the course of the season in the areas outside of the X&O’s. Coaches need to be able to take care of people and this podcast will give pause for reflection and well as generate ideas for the coach to be smart about how he improves his players and team. This episode of the podcast takes a deeper look into strength and conditioning especially during the season. The different styles of training that can work in season, and the importance of monitoring the workload incorporated throughout the year. Gearity and Kuklick express how having a plan to follow helps optimize the most of those opportunities to stay safe and healthy. 01:30 Strength and condition for the football player in and out of season 01:50 Different styles for different position 02:12 Offseason per position 03:15 Setting goals and maintaining offseason to in season 04:05 Types of need analysis 05:40 Periodization and technique 08:30 Workouts in relation to gameday 11:00 Working with the discomfort 12:25 Monitoring load training 14:00 Workouts in correlation with practice 14:30 Exercise technique 16:20 Creative work within practice 18:20 Stimulus responses 19:05 Gameday lifts 23:10 Late season workload 26:00 Have a plan set 27:15 Performance measures 28:15 Tips and recommendations

Leadership Journey Week 3 - Confidence by USA Football

Crosstown Rivalry Jenks and Union with Coach Keith Riggs and Coach Kirk Fridrich: Host Keith Grabowski features head coaches Keith Riggs of Jenks Highschool, and Kirk Fridrich of Union Highschool in “Crosstown” series. These coaches compete in Oklahoma’s most treasured high school football rivalry the Backyard Bowl Jenks vs. Union, a rivalry started in 1977. Each team has won the 6A state championship since 1996 Oklahoma’s largest division. Of the 21 championship wins Jenks has 13 and Union has 8. The game is annually played at University of Tulsa’s Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Jenks will have new head coach in longtime assistant, Keith Riggs after former head coach, Allan Trimble was diagnosed with ALS. Trimble had been the coach since 1995. 00:20 Crosstown series intro 00:32 Rivalry history 01:50 Coach Keith Riggs joins the show 02:30 Riggs head coach perspective 03:17 View of the game 04:36 Directing the kids focus 05:32 Community involvement 06:30 Coaching focus 07:30 Making adjustments 08:30 Message to the team 09:20 Stand out moments 10:15 Dealing with the emotion 11:22 Dealing with let down 12:32 Advice for rivalries 13:30 Coach Kirk Fridrich intro 14:20 Community interaction 16:10 Controlling the hype 17:40 Coach responsibility 18:53 Specialty of the Backyard Bowl 19:50 Memorable turning point plays 21:40 Keys to winning big games 22:45 Keeping players balanced 24:00 Mutual respect 25:50 Bouncing back next week 27:10 Winning edge

Deliberate Practice with co-host Andy Ryland is a weekly podcast which will run throughout the season. Activity does not always equal achievement. Deliberate Practice is focused on a specific topic for the week and then an explanation of how to drill the different aspects of those skills and schemes. Included in each week’s conversation are specific drills/practice considerations for offense, defense, and special teams. Confidence Heading into this week of the season, the focus is on confidence. This is a time where a team is starting to settle in and gain confidence in what they do on the field. However, it could also be a time where a team needs to find some confidence. The show focuses on strategies to help players find confidence on offense, defense, or special teams. Offense 01:33 Focus on the quarterback 01:45 Half side drill 02:32 Keys to the set-up to build confidence 00:32 The quarterback must do all of his progression work 04:15 How to build in cues for the part of progression not being run 04:50 Application of ideas to one on one 05:11 Giving the QB control of the calls in the drill to gain understanding of his confidence 06:13 Helping as the coach and set-up of the drill and variations 06:56 Keep the pressure on the timing 07:32 Learning about the QB’s development by what he calls 08:13 Coach understanding vs. player understanding 08:41 Confidence level of players in each other 09:00 Andrew Coverdale’s “Like it/Love it” list 10:04 Tom Brady and Peyton Manning 10:45 Extending quarterback input into the team script in practice 11:28 "What were you thinking?” 11:45 Chemistry through player and the QB developed in practice Defense 12:23 Building confidence in the safeties and communication 12:45 Adding a competition element 13:19 Let the safety be the quarterback of the defense 14:21 Quarters coverage checks example 15:22 Feeling good about checks and using others as a change-up 16:04 Make sure you allow for debrief between groups 17:25 What did you see? What did that mean to you? 18:41 Making calls that supports the players 19:03 The debrief period/feedback 19:30 Using tempo with planned breaks that simulate the pace of the game Special Teams 20:30 Developing the punt returner’s confidence in order to win hidden yardage 21:00 Limitations of the tradition 22:17 The pressure catch drill 23:27 The drill set-up and variations to give a game-like feel Conclusion 26:06 Building confidence at every position 26:58 The importance of the debrief 27:20 Play to your players strength

The Game Plan with Coach Charlie Coiner and guest John Shoop Guest host Charlie Coiner joins Keith Grabowski this season for “The Game Plan” series. Coiner is a retired coach and the founder of First Down Playbook. Coiner has worked as an assistant coach in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills and ash the college level with a number of teams, most notably, Vanderbilt, LSU, Louisville, North Carolina, and Tennessee. John Shoop has coached at every level. Currently the QB coach at AC Reynolds High School, Shoop spent the majority of his career in the NFL as a quarterbacks for the Panthers, and added offensive coordinator duties with the Bears, Buccaneers, and Raiders. He then went on to be the offensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina and then Purdue. 00:44 John Shoop bio 02:09 Change in the focal point of offense 02:47 Continue developing QB mechanics in season 04:20 The value of the QB coach 04:50 Constant feedback is necessary 05:17 Calibration and timing 06:14 Coaching “that guy” and protecting him in practice 07:09 Working with the second quarterback 08:31 Grading players on their proficiency of the playbook 09:37 Continuing to prepare for contingency plans 10:58 John Shoop joins the show 11:39 Challenge of honing the decision while improving mechanics 12:09 The best coaches think of an entire practice as an individual period 12:50 Always coach techniques 13:50 Working waist up and waist down 14:49 Two things upper: arm speed and a tight circle (Tom Brady, Dan Marino and Aaron Rodgers) 17:28 Lower body: wide base and throw with a small step 18:30 Harder to correct the upper body 19:51 Training the lower body 21:14 “The eye of the hurricane” 21:46 Coaching up fundamentals outside of individual 22:17 The value of 7 on 7 in QB development 24:33 Working with the youth league and 7 on 7 coaches 25:27 Offense today and how they stimulate enthusiasm 29:38 Number one goal in the NFL for a quarterback – start 16 games 30:35 Be intentional about durability 31:05 Dick Jauron – cumulative effects of hits 32:32 A play that can work at all three levels – “Razor” 36:59 The upper body – Peyton Manning 38:36 7 on 7 in practice tips to get a more game like feel 42:00 Getting more out of the drill for number two QB

The Smart Coaching Series on the Coach and Coordinator Podcast is designed to help coaches improve over the course of the season in the areas outside of the X&O’s. Coaches need to be able to take care of people and this podcast will give pause for reflection and well as generate ideas for the coach to be smart about how he improves his players and team. Today’s Podcast focuses on team cohesion. We have finished up the portion of our season where players are fighting for jobs and now everyone is understanding their role. Cohesion is important and we need to think about how we install it as coaches. Grabowski, Gearity, and Kuklick share specific ideas and strategies to build a more cohesive team over the course of the season. 01:00 Shift in fighting for a job to settling into roles and coming together again 01:30 Our responsibility to be sure we don’t drive the team apart 02:24 Setting the stage for bringing creating a cohesive team – mental, social, emotional 03:08 Building upon the existing relationships 03:38 Setting up a plan early on to keep the team aligned 04:58 Using time available to implement tasks, problem solving to enhance communication 06:35 What academic literature says about building a cohesive team 07:12 Definition of team cohesion 09:05 Negative behaviors to avoid as coaches and players 10:30 Dr. Gearity’s example with Philip Fulmer and a display of interpersonal relationships 12:33 Research suggests coaching staff cohesiveness is highly correlated with cohesiveness of the team 13:18 Rituals with the team hazing vs. awarding/fulfilling rituals 14:50 Seniors being servant leaders 16:50 Figure out what they want to do and tie a reward to it 17:31 Define roles and look for ways to recognize the role players 18:59 Grabowski’s example of celebrating role players and bringing a unit together 21:35 Connecting celebrating roles in the offseason as well through video to lay a foundation 22:35 Using social media to celebrate role players 23:03 Getting guys to fight for each other 24:08 Communication and cohesion are skills to be developed 25:19 Little things that build cohesion 25:50 Reinforce behaviors that promote cohesion 26:35 Celebrating as a team 27:34 Installing and practicing celebration 29:40 Example from a high school team in Missouri – “What do you like about being on this team?” 31:31 Recognizing contributors…Who is a teammate who helped you out today? 32:35 Drills/strategies to implement during practice to build cohesion 33:40 A star and a wish 35:03 Embedding a questioning strategy 36:43 Reflective and tips 37:17 Can’t get carried away with this stuff…too much conformity is problematic 40:00 Must practice being a cohesive team

Crosstown is our new series for this season focused on rivalry games. We highlight some of the biggest and longest standing rivalries in the country with teams that are just miles away from each other. The podcast is designed for the coach and we get insight on how to prepare for, for and coach in these big games. We talk with the head coaches of each side of the rivalry and get their perspective. This week’s game is one of the biggest rivalries in Iowa as the #4 Valley Tigers take on #1 Dowling Catholic Maroons. The schools are just 2.6 miles apart. Valley and Dowling started an annual rivalry in 1968 and this week are playing for the 51st consecutive regular season meeting, 7 p.m. Friday at Drake Stadium in Desmoines. Drake has a capacity of 14,557. Dowling owns a 32-18 advantage in regular-season games. Valley has won 10 of 21 playoff meetings, though. Dowling won the last meeting 42-14. Dating back to 2000, the two schools have combined to win 13 state football championships — five for Valley, in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2011; and eight for Dowling, in 2000, 2001, 2010 and every year since 2013 (five in a row). Tom Wilson is now in his 14th season at Dowling, and during that time, he’s won 142 games. In his 22nd year overall, Wilson has amassed 234 wins with six state championships. Dowling Catholic is the first 4A school in Iowa to win five consecutive state championships Gary Swenson hit his 350 career win when his Tigers beat Southeast Polk last Friday. During his 25 seasons at Valley, Swenson has amassed 225 victories. He is in his 43rd year of coaching with 6 state championship (five at Valley). . The game can be viewed live and on replay on Youtube: https://youtu.be/XdJ8ik4Fl6c 03:09 What the mean games to Wilson 04:15 What is out of the norm for a typical game week 05:15 Try to keep normalcy and let everyone else hype the game 05:30 Managing being in the spotlight in the media; a lesson learned in 2005 07:11 Finding the balance of soaking in the moment yet keep normalcy 09:04 Growth between week one and two while facing a rival 10:06 Keep it narrowed down to improvement day to day 11:10 What do you say before the team takes the field in this game? 12:54 Appreciate the opportunity of the rivalry and your piece of history 13:29 Managing the highs and lows of the big game 15:51 A play that stands out in the rivalry for Wilson 18:10 Getting ready for the week after the big game 20:00 Wilson’s tips for being successful in and after the rivalry week 22:00 What makes the game special for Swenson 24:06 Balancing the big game and normal preparation over the week 25:48 It’s one contest on our record 27:23 Preparing the uptight team vs. the hyped up team 30:30 The ebbs and flows and how Swenson handles it 32:36 Mutual respect of the opponents starts with the coaching staff 33:19 Swenson’s most memorable moments of the rivalry 35:35 Swenson’s tips for coaching in the big game

Deliberate Practice with co-host Andy Ryland is a weekly podcast which will run throughout the season. Activity does not always equal achievement. Deliberate Practice is focused on a specific topic for the week and then an explanation of how to drill the different aspects of those skills and schemes. Included in each week’s conversation are specific drills/practice considerations for offense, defense, and special teams. Growth - building on strengths This week is focused on a team’s growth between week one and two. This is a time where utilizing replication of game situations can help develop skill in a way that pays dividends over the course of the season. Grabowski and Ryland focus on the power scheme to show how focusing on a specific part of a scheme with multiple variations prepares players on both sides of the ball as well as in special teams. Offense 01:10 Start to develop something we can hang our hat on 01:30 Helping the linemen understand the deuce block on power 02:16 Defend the line drill 02:40 Key is to be patient to let the backside linebacker threaten the vertical line 03:00 Progression for the drill 04:35 Problems with a “chip” block as compared to combo block 05:38 Vision, decision, and action incorporation into drill 06:12 Cumulative effect of reps to build proficiency 06:30 Brace and pop footwork; lazy forearm or single under (Bridge technique) 07:50 Variations of movement in the drill 08:48 Declaring the lane for the running back and VDA cycle cues 09:33 Putting drills into pods and adding the running back 10:27 Developing the running back’s vision Defense 10:45 Defensive drills for defending power 11:24 Identifying a blocking threat 11:45 Pulling apart the double team 12:05 Determining best technique - rip the shoulder or stun the square with Pillar technique 13:15 Stalemate caused by defensive line 14:05 The “nest” for the linebacker 15:06 Different looks in the drill 16:02 Individual periods and pods 16:42 Growth in understanding roles to master the defense 17:00 Look at it within a progression and add VDA cycle 17:58 Thinking of different ways to use pods 18:29 Using different fronts and deployments Special Teams 19:45 Using small groups for kick off return 20:00 Growth is caused by overload 20:15 The count for blocking threats with the front wall 20:30 Challenge them with speed and having to find their blocks with movement 20:55 Simulating the kick return where L4 & L5 would be to overload decision making cycle 22:07 Get depth, find threat 22:43 Break special teams out of the box of 11 vs. 11 reps 23:11 Focus on certain aspects - example left side and right side and two whistle drill 24:05 Growth of our players also comes from our growth as coaches 25:28 Our reps as coaches - coaches need variety to be able to develop and help players 26:19 Ability to see things happen in real time as a coach 26:56 Being over prescriptive doesn’t help us to be able to help our players on game day

The Leadership Journey - Week 2, Changing the Culture Brian Kight and Keith Grabowski team up for this special Leadership Journey edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. This podcast will occur weekly throughout the season, focusing on issues that teams face during the season. Kight, the CEO of Focus 3, discusses changing culture in today’s podcast. 01:20 Alonzo Highsmith’s observation on Hard Knocks 01:58 Patience and discipline in changing a culture 03:00 Culture matters to winning and the quality of the experience 04:10 Culture is not the objective; it must have a function and relevance 05:53 What are you changing the culture for? 06:10 Contribute to the environment you are in 08:29 Urgency plus patience with discipline 09:23 Not urgent enough in pressing people now 10:20 Don’t rush when you see the pay off 11:50 Be urgent in the day and patient over two years 12:58 What does urgency done correctly look like? 13:55 Three things: maniacal commitment, intolerant of anything but the standard, do it with a ton of love 17:00 A unique combination 21:54 Being maniacal and intolerant is not an excuse to mistreat people 25:30 Urgency - don’t let empathy stop you from being urgent 26:27 Discipline is required 28:00 The intent of discipline 29:20 Doing things out of compliance, obedience, or discipline 29:48 Weakness of compliance and limitations of obedience 31:38 What can we learn from the opportunities of game day? 32:20 Culture is measured in years 33:00 Look for language change and behavior change 34:00 Look for micro ways to adjust in-season 34:24 Incremental changes begin to build up 35:46 Make significant major changes in the off season 38:35 The outcomes are going to come the we are good enough to earn them

The Game Plan with Coach Charlie Coiner and guest former Texas, DC Bull Reese Guest host Charlie Coiner joins Keith Grabowski this season for “The Game Plan” series. Coiner is a retired coach and the founder of First Down Playbook. Coiner has worked as an assistant coach in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills and ash the college level with a number of teams, most notably, Vanderbilt, LSU, Louisville, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Carl “Bull” Reese joins Grabowski and Coiner to talk about defensive adjustments, calling a game based on key statistics. Carl "Bull" Reese is a retired college coach. Reese served as defensive coordinator for 31 years at six different schools and one USFL team. Most notable coaching stops were LSU and Texas. Reese most recently served as an analyst at Arkansas. 2:42 As offensive coaches being able to pick the brain of your own defensive staff 3:00 Learning about the other side in getting ready for practice and scout team 3:30 Looking at key objectives 4:49 Tony DeMeo’s key stats 5:35 Learning from coaches who are open statistics 7:00 Using stats/analytics at any level 8:50 Defining analytics 11:00 Carl “Bull” Reese joins the show 11:30 Redefining winning football starting with philosophy 12:50 Don’t adjust the scheme; call another defense 15:00 Give the offensive lineman a three way go 16:04 Don’t fall in love with a scheme; fall in love with what works 17:00 Man coverage vs quarter coverage 19:20 Using measurable statistics to call a game 24:24 Calling to the chart 26:30 Changing the players’ mindset 29:25 Preparing players to understand what they need to do to 32:00 Impressions on Coach Reese’s ideas - his magic on game day 33:55 Using a code word for players to understand the situation 35:35 Defensive adjustments within what is in the system 36:30 Example of George Perles’ Stunt 4-3 defense to adjust 37:28 One word calls on defense and in adjustments 38:28 Leave yourself the flexibility to have enough for answers 40:00 Resources available at First Down Playbook

The Smart Coaching Series on the Coach and Coordinator Podcast is designed to help coaches improve over the course of the season in the areas outside of the X&O’s. Coaches need to be able to take care of people and this podcast will give pause for reflection and well as generate ideas for the coach to be smart about how he improves his players and team. Dr. Brian Gearity and Dr. Clayton Kuklick, professors of sport coaching at the University of Denver. Dr. Gearity has been the director of the Master of Arts in Sport Coaching program at Denver since 2014. Before teaching at Denver, Dr. Gearity spent five years at the University of Southern Mississippi as an assistant professor of Sport Coaching Education. As a coach, Dr. Gearity’s specialty is in the strength and conditioning side. Dr. Gearity worked as a strength coach at the University of Tennessee for nine years and received his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Tennessee in 2009. Dr. Kuklick works as a clinical assistant professor for the Sport Coaching program at Denver. The previous two years, Dr. Kuklick has worked as an assistant professor of Athletic Coaching Education at West Virginia University. He also previously received his PhD in Human Performance and Recreation: Administration and Teaching at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2014. In coaching, Dr. Kuklick has worked as an assistant coach for baseball teams at Shepherd University, Georgia College and State University, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and Kutztown University. Dr. Kuklick has also worked as a head coach for several college baseball summer leagues. Today’s podcast focuses on ideas to continue to build the team culture in-season. Show Notes: 3:08 Praxis - integrate critical thinking in practice 4:22 Disconnect in building culture 5:15 Example of integrating cultural beliefs into practices 6:45 When the belief is not connected to the skill 8:45 Implicit messages need to be embedded in drills and activities 9:50 Don’t spread the culture too thin 10:50 Reinforcing and coaching skill 12:02 Definition of culture 12:30 Behaviors must be in alignment with beliefs and values 13:34 Getting specific on culture on the field 16:32 Being mindful of negative effects because of different experiences 18:27 Changing culture 19:00 Teaching players how to practice and integrating believes and behaviors 20:30 Week 1 - Intensity and deliberate practice 22:56 Teaching focus 24:20 What are the things we are doing that are going to cause the outcomes? 26:16 Communicating with players & the coach-athlete relationship 28:34 Developing a plan, evaluation system, and reward system for getting aligned 32:00 Inviting other coaches, athletic director or other stakeholders to observe and give feedback on practice 34:00 A coach having courage and vulnerability as a way to improve 34:33 Evaluation of athletes -behavioral evaluation ideas 36:01 Alternative way for awarding helmet decals 37:20 Practice player of the day or week 37:40 Culture and shared responsibility 41:00 Tips to improve over the course of the season

Tips for a Successful Pregame Speech Host Keith Grabowski shares another page of his notebook giving tips for giving a successful pregame speech. 00:50 The stereotype of the pregame speech 01:15 Opportunity to send team out with a positive mindset 01:45 Build emotion to a crescendo over the course of the week 02:30 Communicate a focus to set the stage for Friday 03:15 12 time state champ Chuck Kyle on the pregame speech 04:29 Motivation is an attitude about what you do 05:02 It’s about getting them to step above fear of failure 06:27 Always be clear and concise 07:18 Coach Grabowski’s first game as a head coach 09:50 Separate reminders from the emotional part of the speech 10:14 Have a routine before you send them out 11:20 Rehearse what you want to say 11:50 Make sure any prop works out how you want it to 14:06 Always be positive in the pregame speech 16:40 Chuck Kyle’s first state championship pregame speech