Coach and Coordinator Podcast

The guest on today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Erik Chinander, defensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska. This is Chinander’s first season at Nebraska after spending the last two seasons at the University of Central Florida. Chinander moved to Nebraska when Scott Frost moved from being the head coach at UCF to the same position at Nebraska. UCF’s defense forced an increased number of turnovers, ranking second in the nation in takeaways in 2017. And Chinander helped the UCF team to a 13-0 season and ranking top three in the American Athletic Conference in defensive touchdowns, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense. Before coaching at UCF, Chinander spent two seasons at the University of Oregon. Chinander coached the outside linebackers in his second stint at Oregon. He coached one year in the NFL in 2013, working as an assistant defensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Chinander first came to Oregon in 2010, working as an intern for a year and a defensive graduate assistant from 2011-12. His other coaching experience includes time at the University of Northern Iowa from 2004-09 and one season in 2003 at Ellsworth Community College (Iowa). Chinander played as an offensive lineman at the University of Iowa from 1998 to 2002. On today’s show, Chinander and host Keith Grabowski talk about the “black shirts” at Nebraska, running an up-tempo practice and using specific language in the game plan. Show Notes 0:49 Learning coaching strategies from big-time coaches 2:27 Making the decision to get into coaching after playing 4:33 Transition when a coaching staff moves to a new program 7:25 Learning from Chip Kelly in being the best at practice 10:52 Balancing between practicing up-tempo and teaching players 14:15 A language to make players understand the coaches better 17:04 Spending time coordinating between offensive and defensive staff 19:03 Installing up-tempo style in the meeting room 22:48 Using brief, concise language to communicate to players 24:49 Teaching effectively in postgame evaluation 28:52 Being efficient with practice time during the week 31:40 Splitting up different parts of the game across the coaching staff 33:25 The set work flow in practice throughout the week 36:05 Getting many reps of the game plan before the game 39:12 Utilizing the outside linebackers in the odd front 40:59 Working with the defensive line in an odd front 43:06 Understanding the traditions at Nebraska 44:56 The meaning of the “black shirts” with the Nebraska defense 46:37 The Winning Edge

The guest on today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jeff Janssen, expert in sports leadership and founder/president of Janssen Sports Leadership Center. Janssen first worked in sports leadership when he launched his leadership academies more than a decade ago. He works with coaches and student-athletes alike, and is seen as a pioneer in sports leadership development. With the Sports Leadership Academy, Janssen works with high school and college football programs across the country, including Michigan, LSU, Baylor, South Carolina and more. Janssen has written several books on coaching and sports leadership. On today’s podcast, Janssen and host Keith Grabowski discuss vocal leadership and the importance of players stepping up as leaders. Show Notes 2:30 Differences between leader by example and vocal leaders 4:50 Tips on encouraging players while pointing out mistakes 7:04 Advising teammates on how to help their teammates 11:00 Suggestions on when players don’t meet team standards 15:54 Installing team guidelines early in the season 20:05 Getting players to buy into the team’s culture 22:18 Ways of holding players accountable

Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast guest is Richmond Flowers III, CEO and founder of QB Collective, which trains high school, college and NFL quarterbacks. Flowers coached four seasons as an offensive assistant for the Washington Redskins under head coach Mike Shanahan, a QB Collective staff member. Flowers – a wide receiver during his playing days – was drafted in 2001 by the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent three combined seasons on the Dallas Cowboys and Redskins practice squads. Flowers also played in NFL Europe, the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. He played three years at Duke, before spending his last collegiate season at Tennessee-Chattanooga. On today’s show, Flowers and host Keith Grabowski talk about Flowers’ coaching experience and how it helped him create and develop QB Collective. Show Notes 1:46 What is QB Collective? 3:48 Instructors at Collective camps 8:56 Influence of his father in football 10:39 Why he picked Duke to play college football 13:03 Meeting Kyle Shanahan at Duke 14:57 Experience in the NFL and NFL Europe 20:39 Being out of position in the NFL 23:04 Takeaways from playing career 24:08 Time between playing and coaching football 26:35 Differences from playing and coaching 30:37 Learning while with the Redskins as a coach 39:10 A system to develop players and coaches 46:02 Favorite moments from QB Collective camps

Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast guest is John Marinelli, now in his fourth season as head coach at Greenwich High School (Connecticut). Last year, Marinelli led Greenwich to a 12-1 record and a state runner-up finish. It was the program’s first 12-win season since its state title in 2006. Marinelli has a 23-10 record in three years coaching at the school. Before coming to Greenwich, Marinelli worked for six seasons at New Canaan High School (Connecticut) as offensive coordinator, including four state-title campaigns, all under his father, Lou Marinelli, who’s in his 38th season as head coach. As a quarterback, he won two state championships at New Canaan, then played at Fordham University for one season, then three more at Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut), where he played safety. On today’s show, Marinelli and host Keith Grabowski talk about setting up in-game communication between coaches, and how to adapt to different situations. Show Notes 1:34 Planning coaching staff communications 3:38 Maintaining consistency in communication 4:43 Ensuring communication plan is clear and concise 13:00 The importance of letting the play-caller call the plays 16:59 Protocol for coaches conveying critical information 22:07 Process of charting important in-game data 28:01 Communication in the locker room at halftime 33:16 Coordinating with the medical staff on player injuries 37:31 Postgame communication and evaluation

Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast continues it “Home Town” series with guest host Joel Nellis, joined by Eric Treske, offensive coordinator at Lakeland University (Wisconsin). Treske enters his third season as the Muskies' OC, in his second stint at the school. Treske also serves as quarterbacks coach and strength and conditioning coordinator. Last season, Lakeland finished in the top 10 in NCAA Division III in yards per game, first downs and scoring offense. Before Lakeland, Treske spent two seasons at his alma mater, Wisconsin Lutheran College, as wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator. He made his first stop in Lakeland as a wide receivers graduate assistant from 2011-13. After playing four years as a wideout at Wisconsin Lutheran, Treske stayed with the team as an assistant. He also coached at Cedarburg High School (Wisconsin) and played two years in the Continental Indoor Football League. On today's show, Treske discusses his combination of job titles, and how he manages coaching while raising his son. Show Notes 3:20 About Treske’s son Caiden 4:45 What about his son makes him proud 5:49 The unique situation of his family dynamic 7:28 Managing football while raising a child 9:49 Balancing time between being a dad and coach 11:20 Collaborating with his family in job changes 12:22 Including his son in the decision-making process of a new job 14:41 Dealing with distance in wanting to make time for his son 16:19 Making coaches’ kids a part of the football program 19:26 His son’s involvement in helping him coach the team 22:14 Being efficient and not spending too much time in the office 25:24 Overcoming struggles in his career 27:02 Setting an example as a father to his players 30:27 Legacy he wants to have for his family through coaching

This is the weekly recap of this past week’s Coach and Coordinator podcasts! Host Keith Grabowski was joined by two high school football coaches and two college football coaches. On the shows were Jason Eck, Jason Bornn, Thad Wells and Joe Ashfield. Listen in to hear a preview of each show!

Today’s guest on the Coach and Coordinator podcast is Joe Ashfield, who enters his first season as offensive line coach at Rice University. Prior to Rice, Ashfield spent five seasons as an offensive assistant at Stanford, where he prepared opponent scouting reports and statistical analysis. Other coaching stops include New Mexico Military Institute, Loras College and Delta State. He also coached the North Harbour Pride in New Zealand and the New Zealand National Team. After playing college football at Saint John’s University, where he graduated in 2000, Ashfield played professionally as a quarterback in the German Football League On today’s show, Ashfield and host Keith Grabowski talk about his experience playing and coaching overseas and developing as an offensive line coach. Show Notes 2:15 Going from football player to coach 7:18 Practice style of his college head coach, John Gagliardi 10:52 Playing football abroad 12:33 Putting players in the best situations to succeed 14:34 Coaching football overseas 17:14 Developing schemes later in coaching career 18:24 Transition from playing quarterback to coaching offensive line 21:49 Building the offensive line at Rice 25:43 Giving control to the players 29:02 Players modifying the scheme to their advantage 32:32 Implementing successful and safe technique 35:09 Using strongest part of the body in blocking 38:21 Best drill to unlock the player’s hips into the block 40:47 Ashfield’s go-to play to call 42:19 Why he uses the wing on the gap scheme 43:45 The Winning Edge

On today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast, host Keith Grabowski discusses a rarely used play in football. It comes from NFHS Rule Book, Article 10.2.4(a), that says when a fair catch is made on a kickoff or punt, the receiving team doesn't have to immediately go on offense: SECTION 24 KICKS, ART. 3: A free kick is any legal kick which puts the ball in play to start a free kick down. After the ready-for-play signal and before the kick, each player other than the kicker and holder for a place kick must be behind his free-kick line. A free kick is used for a kickoff, for a kick following a safety, and is used if a free kick is chosen following a fair catch or awarded fair catch. ART. 7 : A place kick is a legal kick made while the ball is in a fixed position on the ground or on a kicking tee. No material or device may be placed on the ground to improve the kicker’s footing. The ball also may be held in position on the ground or on a kicking tee by a place-kick holder who shall be a teammate of the kicker. A place kick may be used for a scrimmage kick, a kickoff, a free kick following a safety or for a free kick following a fair catch or awarded fair catch. The last time the fair catch-free kick was seen in the NFL was in 2008, when San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson attempted a 71-yard free kick field goal. It’s only happened a handful of times in NFL history, with the lone success coming in 1976, when San Diego Chargers kicker Ray Wersching made the free kick against the Buffalo Bills. In recent history, it’s been used sparingly at the high school level, like here. Grabowski talks about the meaning of the rule, and how it can impact your game plan. You can find more tips and information about the fair catch-free kick in this blog by Grabowski. Show Notes 1:36 The NFHS rule of the fair catch-free kick 2:53 Understanding what the situation and rule means 4:25 Important tips when considering the fair catch-free kick 10:29 Defending against the free kick situation 11:25 Strategies for using the free kick in-game 13:38 Considering this play at the end of the game 14:29 Installing the fair catch-free kick situation in camp

Today on the Coach and Coordinator podcast is returning guest, Thad Wells, head coach at Mooresville High School (North Carolina). Wells made his first appearance on the podcast on June 4th, 2018. He begins his first season as head coach at Mooresville, after he was the head coach at Blacksburg High School (Virginia) for three seasons. Under Wells, Blacksburg went 27-12 overall, including winning a state title in 2016. Last season, Blacksburg went 11-2 overall, but lost in the regional final game by a single point. Wells got his first head coaching job in 2014 when he was hired at Colleton Preparatory Academy (South Carolina) when he was 27 years old. Learn more about Wells and some points talked about in this podcast at http://www.thadwells.com/usa. On today’s show, Wells and host Keith Grabowski talk about setting up an efficient game plan and being creative with how you run a football program. Show Notes 0:52 Setting up a program by putting family first 2:56 Being efficient with practice and film time 18:40 Each position coach’s responsibility in the game plan 22:29 Using Hudl in practice and preparation 26:31 Going beyond the two-play series 30:10 Creating randomness and asking questions in practice 33:32 Outside of the box sets in the offense

The guest on today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jason Bornn, head coach at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. Bornn is in his 16th season as the head coach at Saugus. Last season, Saugus finished its season 6-7, but still made an appearance in the state semifinals game. In his tenure, Bornn has compiled an 85-75 record with four semifinals game appearances. That also includes five seasons of seven wins or more. Before coaching at Saugus, has made several coaching stops in California. Bornn was an assistant coach at NCAA Division III school Occidental College for one season in 2002. Prior to Occidental, Bornn coached and taught one year at Canyon High School. Bornn spent five seasons as an assistant coach at John Muir High School from 1996 through 2000 before Canyon. His coaching career started at Village Christian Schools from 1990-95. Bornn graduated from California State University-Northridge in 1995. On today’s show, Bornn and host Keith Grabowski discuss how to prepare for and adjust to opposing offenses, how to conduct practices and more. Show Notes 1:27 What is a specialty offense 2:46 Preparing to play against the specialty offenses 4:40 Adjusting to the different offensive formations 7:34 Planning the practices in the offseason 11:12 Categorizing the different formations a team may see 14:32 Handling unbalanced sets from the offense 18:03 Being in the right position against a misdirection formation 22:57 Using technology to help prepare for different formations 24:39 Ensuring players are comfortable in unique situations 28:00 Avoiding panicking when specialty plays are run 29:05 Effective time management of their practices 31:59 Identifying problems within their own defensive set 35:42 Preparing to face gadget plays on offense 39:35 Focusing on the overall offense and not the trick plays 41:50 Checklist of ways to prepare for specialty offenses

Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast continues its “Home Team” series with guest host Joel Nellis, and today’s guest, South Dakota State offensive line coach and running game coordinator Jason Eck. Eck helped SDSU set single-season records for scoring, total offense and total offense per game last season. The team also had a program-best 11 wins and reached the FCS semifinals for the first time. Eck also had previous stops at Montana State, Minnesota State, Western Illinois, Hampton, Ball State, Winona State and Idaho. After graduating from Wisconsin in 1999, he remained with the Badgers as a graduate assistant, then moved on to the same position at Colorado. On today’s show, Eck discusses the importance of making decisions as a family, and how his commitment to his family inspires his players. Show Notes 3:34 Eck gives the story of how he met his wife 7:54 Invaluable character traits that makes his wife special 9:21 Being married to a coach 10:27 Introducing his children 12:43 Unique characteristics of his sons 14:59 Being a parent, not a coach, to his kids 17:13 Making youth football fun 19:48 Deciding on the right time to have children 22:41 Making a job decision with the family 27:20 Living in different locations 29:37 Changing jobs with the family 33:47 Carving out time in-season for his wife 36:34 Bringing kids to team practices and office 41:22 How he learned from being around his dad 42:29 Overcoming challenges in work/family balance 47:38 Players seeing commitment to family 50:12 Leaving a lasting legacy with his family in coaching

This is the weekly recap of this past week’s Coach and Coordinator podcasts! Host Keith Grabowski was joined by three high school football coaches, three college football coaches and a youth football consultant. On the shows were Brian White, Dave Cisar, Vinny DiGaetano, Noel Mazzone. On the “Your Call” show was Adam Harvey, Cameron Andersen and Chad Stadem. Listen in to hear a preview of each show!

Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast guest is Noel Mazzone, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Arizona. This will be Mazzone’s first season at Arizona after two seasons at Texas A&M under new Wildcats head coach Kevin Sumlin. Prior to that, he was the OC at UCLA from 2012-15 and Arizona State from 2010-11. He spent four seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets as a wide receivers coach/consultant, in addition to collegiate stops at Mississippi, NC State, Oregon State, Auburn, Minnesota, TCU and Colorado State. Mazzone has coached in 12 bowl games with seven different teams. He’s tutored several NFL quarterbacks, including Josh Rosen and Brett Hundley at UCLA, Brock Osweiler at Arizona State and Phillip Rivers at NC State. As a player, Mazzone played quarterback at the University of New Mexico and graduated in 1980. On today’s show, Mazzone tells host Keith Grabowski how he puts together a game plan, integrates players and coaches in that plan, and playing with tempo. Show Notes 1:58 How Mazzone created his offensive system 6:46 Formulating the terminology 9:16 Process of teaching terminology to players 10:03 Plays that work better in tempo 14:14 Preparing the number of plays they want to run on game day 18:48 Recognizing what opposing coordinators are doing 22:32 Building explosive plays in the game plan 25:47 Using the “12 percent rule” in game evaluation 30:36 Delegating game plan responsibilities to coaches/players 34:29 Organizing a week of practice to set up for the game 38:45 Attire and equipment for a relaxed practice day 39:53 Teaching situational “special” plays in practice 41:22 Pros and cons of using VR technology in practice 45:43 The Winning Edge

Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast is another episode of “Your Call,” where coaches from across the country share their thoughts on a variety of topics. This edition looks at how coaches decide what players see the field on Friday nights, platoon systems and program culture. Podcast guests: Adam Harvey – Defensive backs/Co-defensive coordinator, Steele High School (Cibolo, Texas) – Twitter: @coach_harvey18 Harvey is in his sixth season in at Steele. During that time, he’s helped 11 athletes play football at the collegiate level. Steele went 9-5 last season and made it to the state quarterfinals. Over the past five years, they have a 62-13 record and a state finals appearance. Along with coaching football, Harvey’s also head coach of the track and field team. Cameron Andersen – Head coach, Gooding High School (Idaho) – Twitter: @SenatorCoach Andersen is in his 10th season as the head coach at Gooding, and has a 61-31 record, including six straight seasons of seven or more wins. Gooding went 9-2 last season and made the state semifinals. The team’s offense scored an average of 41.5 points per game, while the defense allowed 16.5 points. Chad Stadem – Head coach, Washington High School (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) – Twitter: @Mr_Stadem Stadem is in his sixth season as the head coach at Washington, which is coming off three straight state championships and 34 consecutive wins going back to the 2015 season. Last year, Washington went 12-0 with an average margin of victory of 27.3 points. Stadem also coached six years at both Flandreau High School and Howard High School in South Dakota, and won a state championship at each. Show Notes 1:07 Keith Grabowski on how he coached player participation 13:30 Stadem explains how he uses a two-platoon system 16:27 CS: Practice structure with offense and defense 20:04 CS: Challenges in two-platoon system installation 22:06 CS: Managing players subbed out in certain situations 25:36 Andersen looks at using two-platoon at a small school 28:45 CA: Justification of not playing a talented player both ways 31:08 CA: Developing depth at a small school 34:45 CA: Keeping players from getting complacent in a starting role 39:40 Adam Harvey on having the best 11 players on the field 44:27 AH: Giving players opportunities on special teams 52:39 AH: Using the right players in special teams formations 58:43 AH: Coordinating between multiple position coaches

The guest on today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast is Vincent DiGaetano, now in his second season as volunteer special teams quality control assistant coach at Fordham University. Last season, Fordham finished second in the Patriot League in average yards per punt return, and was the only team in the conference to return a punt and kickoff for a touchdown. Prior to Fordham, DiGaetano spent two seasons at Wagner College as a defensive assistant. He also coached linebackers at Nassau Community College in 2015, spent 10 seasons at SUNY-Maritime from 2005-2014 and had four years at DeWitt Clinton High School (New York) as defensive coordinator. DiGaetano was also defensive coordinator of the USA Football Select Team in the 2015 International Bowl, where his squad won 20-15. DiGaetano is part of the USA Football Master Trainer program. On today’s show, DiGaetano and host Keith Grabowski talk about tackle grading and using systems like Hudl to track progress. Show Notes 1:59 Using player reports to help them improve 6:45 Efficient ways of grading the tackle 13:46 The use of Hudl for grading and evaluating tactics 24:06 Setting up drills to go with specific areas of tackling 29:50 How lessons translate to on-field performance 33:31 Utilizing tackling system in every situation and position