Coach and Coordinator Podcast

Today’s guest on this “Lessons from 2017” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Will Hewlett, one of the country’s most sought-after experts on the quarterback position. Hewlett will be speaking at the 2018 USA Football National Conference, Jan. 26-28 in Orlando, Florida. On today’s podcast, Hewlett speaks about developing a better quarterback and gives a preview of his National Conference topic, Coaching the QB & Eliminating Common Coaching Errors. Show Notes 0:45 Hewlett reflects on what he learned from the 2017 season 3:15 Building confidence in players 6:15 What young QBs can learn from Jalen Hurt’s character 8:15 “Don’t get caught up with what a player can be” 11:15 Continuing to evaluate yourself as a coach 14:35 Breaking out of the everyday drill mentality 16:50 Hewlett talks about top college quarterback talent 20:30 Best quarterback fit for the Cleveland Browns 23:25 Hewlett gives a preview of his National Conference presentation Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes.

Today’s guests on this episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast are Brian and Tim Kight from Focus 3, live at the AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. On today’s podcast, Brian and Tim discuss the importance of organizing, implementing, and simplifying a system for leadership and culture. Brian will be speaking at the 2018 USA Football National Conference, Jan. 26-28 in Orlando, Florida. Show Notes 2:10 Organizing a system to simplify new lessons you take away 5:30 Systems are universal and can be applied to different situations 7:10 “Simple and easy are not the same thing” 8:30 Mistakes people make when trying to build a system 10:10 A system must show you “how to” 11:35 Brian and Tim give a brief explanation of the Focus 3 system Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes.   You can get the coaching leadership system at http://www.usafootball.com/focus3

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Andy Ryland, Senior Manager of Education and Training at USA Football. Ryland was instrumental in the development of USA Football’s Heads Up Football and Master Trainer programs. Ryland will be speaking at the 2018 USA Football National Conference, Jan 26-28 in Orlando, Florida. On today’s podcast, Ryland talks about his experience with emphasizing the shoulder tackle and gives a preview of what he will be presenting at the National Conference. Show Notes 0:45 Ryland explains his playing and coaching background 3:05 Ryland talks about his experience with the Seattle Seahawks and shoulder tackling 6:50 Shoulder tackling can improve player confidence and player safety 9:30 Importance of teaching new tackling trends 12:30 Game planning different types of tackles against different schemes 16:10 The importance of focusing on the technical aspects of football 18:05 Ryland gives a preview of his National Conference presentation 20:00 Ryland gives his perspective on what coaches can gain by attending the National Conference

Today’s guest on this “Lessons from 2017” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jeremy Plaa, the head football coach at Thomas Downey High School in Modesto, California and six-time Conference Coach of the Year. Plaa will be speaking at the 2018 USA Football National Conference, Jan. 26-28 in Orlando, Florida. On today’s podcast, Plaa speaks about leadership and gives a preview of his National Conference topic, Recruiting Players from Your School. Show Notes 0:40 Creating backup schemes and learning through adversity 2:20 Implementing backup schemes in practice 5:40 Blocking different types of schemes 7:00 How to develop leadership 10:00 How to implement new leaders within a team 12:00 How failure can increase motivation 14:50 Continue to seek improvements even when you’re winning 15:45 Preview of Plaa’s National Conference presentation Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes.

Today’s guest on the “Lessons from 2017” series of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Joe Frollo. He's a longtime youth football official, serving as a head referee with organizations in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. He joined USA Football’s communications team in 2010 and currently serves as senior manager of education, working alongside football experts to create online courses for coaches, officials and parents. In the podcast, Frollo talks about officials' roles in games beyond making calls, coach-official interaction and more. Follow Joe on Twitter: @Joe_Frollo Show notes 0:45 Why Frollo got into officiating 2:10 How the game perspective is different when officiating 4:25 How to set the tone for a game as an official before the game starts 9:20 How coaches can best communicate disputes with officials during the game 11:00 The benefits of interacting positively with officials 13:45 How coaches can help fix the shortage of officials 15:45 A sneak peek at Frollo's National Conference presentation

In today’s Lessons from 2017 podcast, Bridgewater College defensive coordinator Rob Everett joins host Keith Grabowski. Everett discusses how his defense finished first in turnovers and second in sacks in-conference this past season, not overthinking on the field, building program culture and more. Show notes 1:15: Creativity in coaching 4:50: How to properly disguise within the defense 8:00: Think fast, play fast 9:30: “Just put the ball down and let’s go” 12:30: Culture lessons from 2017 15:10: USA Football National Conference topic

Elder joins host Keith Grabowski on today's Lessons from 2017 podcast. Now in his 12th year leading the Eagles, Elder's squad won 13 games en route to the Division II state semifinals this past season. On the podcast, Elder discusses how to build a family environment and parent relationships, the results from a new offseason program, that playing time matters most at the middle school level and more. Show notes 1:30: Increasing football participation at Avon 3:00: How the coaching staff markets the program 7:25: Modern parent relations 9:50: Long-term program management 12:00: New models for youth football 16:00: Evolution of offseason approach 18:10: Strength class for younger players 19:47: Coaching staff philosophy 22:45: How early playing time builds for the future 26:00: USA Football National Conference topic

Dan Gonzalez is the guest of today’s “Lessons from 2017” edition of the Coach and Coordinator podcast. Gonzalez, who currently runs his own football consulting firm, played football for four years at University of Texas and lettered as a wide receiver on the 1994 Southwest Conference championship team. His coaching career began when he was given the responsibility of handling passing game quality control during his senior season. After graduating, he served one season as an assistant at Ranger College. He moved on to serve as the quarterback coach at Abilene Christian University, but returned to Ranger, producing all-conference selections at quarterback and wide receiver. Gonzalez then spent two seasons at North Lamar High School in Paris, Texas, bringing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 20 years. Following that, he joined Lenoir-Rhyne University as the quarterback and wide receiver coach and co-offensive coordinator. During his first season there, the team’s quarterback led the South Atlantic Conference in passing and set single-season school records for most yards, touchdowns, and completions. In today’s podcast, Gonzalez talks about how the passing game has evolved and how to counteract a defense’s adjustments. Show notes 1:00 How quick-rhythm looks helped the passing game 2:30 How this type of play gives multiple looks on a single play 3:35 What types of plays he likes to run against man coverage 4:45 How to create timing in the shotgun 6:00 What to teach the quarterback about creating rhythm 7:55 How the passing game needs to evolve in 2018 10:55 The importance of scan reads 11:55 How a quarterback should unmask a coverage and alert receivers 14:55 What he’s learned from watching tape on 2017 games 17:50 How the quick passing game has taken over offenses 19:40 A sneak peek at Gonzalez’s presentation at the 2018 National Conference

Today’s guest on this “Lessons of 2017” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Mark Solis, the head football coach at Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, and the offensive coordinator for the 2018 U-18 U.S. National Team. Solis will also speak at the 2018 USA National Conference at Pro Bowl, Jan. 26-28 in Orlando, Florida. On today’s podcast, Solis speaks about the RPO and how they utilize other offenses. Show notes 1:00 How officials’ points of emphasis changed Olentangy’s RPO game 5:25 How they adjusted their blocking scheme 7:00 How the RPO usage in their offense has evolved 10:10 How to counteract teams’ RPO defenses 11:25 How they use screens 12:30 The most efficient pass play Olentangy uses 14:30 What Solis realized they need to do better defensively 17:45 The value of going across the country to generate new ideas 19:30 A sneak peek at Solis’ National Conference presentation

Jeff Steinberg is the guest on today’s “Lessons from 2017” edition of the Coach and Coordinator podcast. The 20th-year Rancho Verde (California) High School, fresh off his second sectional championship. Steinberg played football in Canada before transitioning to a coaching role in the United States. Today, Steinberg discusses how best to utilize players, the USA Football National Conference at Pro Bowl and more. Show notes 1:30 How simplifying the game plan benefitted Rancho Verde this season 3:00 The process of simplifying the game plan 5:10 How Steinberg used all six skill position players prominently 7:15 How to figure out where players are the best fit 10:20 The role that special teams played on Rancho Verde’s squad 12:30 Why utilizing as many players as possible can help football as a whole 15:30 The importance of one-on-one interaction with players 16:30 The winning edge 17:45 The benefits of attending National Conference 18:55 A sneak peek at Steinberg’s Chalk Talk presentation at National Conference

Today’s “Lessons from 2017” Coach and Coordinator podcast guest is Eric Kasperowicz, head coach at Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pennsylvania) High School, where he led the Rams to a perfect 16-0 season and state championship this year. In the podcast, he talks to host Keith Grabowski about cutting full contact from practices, in-season weight training, maintaining player focus through a long season, senior leadership and more. Show notes 1:50: What it took to win state 4:15: Is in-practice hitting necessary? 6:25: Focus on player safety 9:35: Getting stronger during the season 11:14: Meeting, exceeding expectations 14:30: Building senior leaders 18:30: Player input on practice plans 21:40: USA Football National Conference topic

Today’s “Lessons from 2017” Coach and Coordinator podcast guest is Josh Herring, offensive coordinator at Lassiter (Marietta, Georgia) High School. Herring talks to host Keith Grabowski about an undervalued use for headsets, in-game calls, a new pregame routine and much more. Show notes :57: Using headsets during practice 5:28: Changes to game-planning 7:30: What to do on 2nd-and-10 9:55: Calls against pressure defense 10:47: Pregame chalk-talk 14:40: What went right in 2017 19:55: USA Football National Conference topic

Today’s “Lessons from 2017” edition of the USA Football Coach & Coordinator podcast features legendary high school football coach Chuck Kyle. He’s coached at his alma mater, Cleveland St. Ignatius High School, for 35 years, compiling a 334-85-1 record, along with 11 state championships and three national titles. He also works with the Cleveland Browns as their youth football advisor. In the podcast, Kyle talks about how to properly evaluate the season. Show notes 1:10 How a football season is like a book 3:15 Why you should remember to focus on what went well when analyzing the season 6:05 Remember the human element in the game 8:00 The importance of analyzing what you did as a staff that helped a kid get better 10:30 How to convince a player why playing a certain position is better for them 12:10 Why the group mentality isn’t always helpful 15:00 Why “keeping them honest” isn’t enough 19:05 Why execution suffers when the playbook expands 23:00 What the National Conference offers to attendees 25:55 What Kyle will discuss in his presentations at National Conference 28:15 What sorts of technique you can teach youth football players

Today’s “Lessons from 2017” Coach and Coordinator podcast guest is four-time state champion Josh Floyd, coach at Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High School, where he led the Huskies to their second straight unbeaten regular season this year and an 11-1 record, with that lone loss coming against perennial power Hoover. In the podcast, Floyd talks with host Keith Grabowski about quick-pace offense, one-word play-call implementation, RPO use and how to get the most out of practice. Show notes 1:02: Setting offensive records through evolution 2:43: One-word play-calling 6:22: RPO 8:30: Defensive adjustments 11:30: Efficient practice structure 18:30: USA Football National Conference topic

Show notes :47: Importance of fundamentals 4:07: Modern game-planning 6:25: Game week quizzes for players 7:37: Work distribution among coaching staff 9:35: Using Hudl, film exchanges 12:00: Focus on on-field specifics 14:30: Safety through training 17:30: Takeaways from 2017 season 18:55: USA Football National Conference program