Coach and Coordinator Podcast

In today’s “Lessons from 2017” edition of the Coach and Coordinator podcast, Rock Island (Ill.) High School coach and USA Football master trainer Ben Hammer joins host Keith Grabowski. Hammer discusses adjustments after unfortunate injuries, building coaching staff chemistry and on-field tactics. Show notes 1:05: Addressing unforeseen depth issues 5:40: Getting coaches (all the way down to middle school) on the same page 7:25: Family-friendly schedule 8:34: Alternating tempo 10:55: What went right 12:20: USA Football National Conference topic

Today’s guest on this “Lessons from 2017” edition of the Coach and Coordinator podcast is PJ Gibbs. He's the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Gulf Coast High School (Naples, Florida). Before GCHS, he spent 14 years coaching in New Jersey. In 2016, he served as defensive backs coach for the U.S. National Team in the International Bowl. In today’s podcast, Gibbs talks about Hurricane Irma and how the team responded. Show notes 1:15 How Hurricane Irma affected the team’s season 2:05 How Gulf Coast worked around the loss of school and practice time 3:30 How the team selected personnel in a rebuilding year 4:50 How football can help in the community during a crisis 6:20 What Gibbs learned from 2017 as a coach and person 7:30 Sneak peek at Gibbs’ presentation at National Conference

Today’s “Lessons from 2017” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast features Andrew Coverdale, offensive coordinator for high-powered Louisville (Kentucky) Trinity. The Shamrocks capped a 15-0 season with their second straight Kentucky Class 6A championship on Dec. 2, defeated St. Xavier, 38-21. Coverdale talks about in-season game planning adjustments, how he teaches and more. Show notes 1:10 Halftime adjustments Trinity made in this year’s state championship game 4:40 Scripting everything beyond play-calling in state tournament games 6:55 What Coverdale learned about how to address problems as they evolve 9:10 Why it’s OK to have to remind kids of things repeatedly 11:25 Why Coverdale emphasizes having players write things down 14:50 The importance of building a big, flexible base into your game plan 19:20 How Coverdale found out what worked best for his team as the season progressed 20:50 Involving players in the game plan 21:20 The winning edge 26:00 A sneak peek about Coverdale’s National Conference presentation

Today’s guest on the “Lessons from 2017” USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jason Mohns, head coach at Saguaro High school in Scottsdale, Arizona. In five seasons as head coach of the Sabercats, Mohns has compiled a 73-9 record, including five straight state championships. They defeated Salpointe Catholic on Dec. 2 for their fifth straight state crown. In this podcast, Mohns discusses game scheduling, empowering assistant coaches, involving players in the game plan and more. Show notes 1:15 Why Saguaro scheduled tough opponents this season 3:50 When to schedule tough opponents, and when not to 8:00 How Mohns incorporates special teams into limited practice time 11:10 Special teams drills Mohns uses 14:00 Empowering assistant coaches 17:20 Getting feedback from players on the game plan 18:45 Why Mohns took a more hands-on approach with this season’s squad 21:40 Using slogans to build team and community pride 23:30 Schemes Mohns will share when he speaks at the USA Football National Conference 25:00 Why the National Conference is worth attending

Tim Dougherty, head coach at Galesburg High School in Illinois, is today’s guest on this “Lessons from 2017” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. He has been a head coach for 28 years and has a total record of 184-96. In 2009, he was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In the podcast, he discusses what he has learned throughout the 2017 season. Show notes 1:40 Going “beyond the obvious” with player selection 5:20 Always developing culture 7:12 “You can’t lead if you’re unsure” 8:42 Building football IQ 11:21 Defense takeaways 16:43 Thoughts on sideline celebrations 17:49 Lessons learned in 2017 19:10 The National Conference

Today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast features two co-head coaches from Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska. Daniel Esparza and John Jessen discuss sharing the head coach role in the podcast. They also describe how football in Alaska is different from other places in the United States. 1:02 Sharing the head coach role 3:10 Creating consistency 5:25 What makes Alaska football unique 7:37 Team culture 10:45 Wing-T offense 12:23 How they develop the coaching staff 16:36 Overcoming adversity 18:10 The winning edge

In today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, USA Football’s Keith Grabowski and Dr. Joe Eisenmann talk with Dr. Fergus Connolly. He’s the director of performance science for the University of Michigan football program, and he previously held a similar role with the San Francisco 49ers. He has also worked with international rugby, soccer and NBA teams. Connolly talks about his book, “Game Changer,” and why training to develop instinct in players is so essential to a successful program. Show notes 1:45 Connolly’s book, “Game Changer” 3:30 How the ooda loop can translate to football 5:25 How to create a game plan based on relying on instinct 7:20 How to properly use statistics and technology when implementing a game plan 8:37 Why creating game scenarios is so important 11:00 How to budget time for instinct training 13:10 Does virtual reality training work? 14:40 How does a fast-paced offense affect a defense, and how can a defense counteract it? 16:30 How this training builds into a team culture 18:15 The Winning Edge

Rich Alercio, head coach at St. Johnsbury Academy (Vermont), joins today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast with Keith Grabowski to discuss the recent state championship win. He also goes in-depth with some of the lessons he learned in 2017. Show notes 1:45 Buy-in and commitment 4:40 Why he doesn’t schedule Friday practices 6:45 The importance of the senior class 9:32 Halftime at the state championship 11:45 The motto for the year 14:24 Lessons learned this year 16:55 Technical and tactical fundamentals in practice 18:45 Speaking at the USA Football National Conference

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Steve Steele, Riggs High School (Pierre, South Dakota) head coach, whose squad recently won the 11AA state championship. In the podcast, Steele discusses game analytics and tips for scouting opponents. Show notes 1:20 Adding formations into the offense 5:28 Deciding what plays to call 7:00 Game analytics process 10:33 How to find student volunteers 12:10 Top tendencies to look for in an opponent 15:44 Play calling techniques 17:24 Making halftime adjustments 20:30 Discussing mixed-tempo 22:26 Practicing trick plays 26:08 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Michael George, Director of Player Personnel at Texas State University. Before Texas State, George served on the Ohio University staff for six seasons. In the podcast, he discusses what he looks for in recruits. Show notes 1:11  The director of player personal role 4:32  What he looks for in players 6:29  Looking at recruits’ social media 10:24  How to find recruits who fit into team culture 12:27  Why he signs in-state athletes 15:47  Thoughts on recruiting services 21:16  How to get noticed and advice for coaches

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 Focus3, discusses the future of the Leadership Journey podcast today. Show notes 1:12 The future episodes for the Leadership Journey podcast 9:00 An overview of the performance pathway 14:10 Leadership is the base for a successful program 18:05 Why it takes two years to change a program 29:45 Look for immediate impacts 33:12 There are no shortcuts 39:23 USA Football and Focus 3 partnership

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 Focus3, discusses accountability in today’s podcast. Show notes 1:51 How much a team’s attitude can change from week to week 3:35 Leading men in battle and how it applies to football 5:45 How leadership skills are developed 7:30 How to create your own energy 10:20 Accountability never works in isolation 16:00 Why the right thing to do isn’t always clear 18:05 What accountability is 22:30 Why coaches should redefine accountability for their teams 25:00 Reward alignment and create discomfort for misalignment 29:15 How to utilize accountability properly 35:30 Reward based on what players like, not what you like 40:05 Social discomfort is the most effective form of discomfort 43:30 Kight’s National Conference speech and USA Football partnership

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jason Mohns, head coach at Saguaro High school in Scottsdale, Arizona. In five seasons as head coach of the Sabercats, Mohns has compiled a 72-9 record, including four straight state championships. They will compete for their fifth straight championship Dec. 2. In the podcast, he discusses leadership and the upcoming state championship game. Show notes 1:04 How to force opponents to spend more time watching your film 3:41 Forming a leadership council with players 6:43 Breaking down Thursday practices 9:20 Why the team is successful 11:44 Preparing for the upcoming state championship 13:51 The winning edge

Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast, The Game Plan, features former coach Terry Shea, who does consulting work for future NFL Draft prospects. Shea was offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and quarterbacks coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams. The Game Plan is a weekly in-season feature that shares thematic ideas that can help coaches and teams once the season begins. Today’s discussion will be focused a look back at a season after it’s complete. Show notes 2:20 Looking back at memorable seasons 5:37 How to build loyalty within a staff 8:52 Taking accountability 9:39 What makes a team special? 13:07 Players’ definition of roles 20:16 Developing the passing game 25:03 Play action mechanics

Chris Wolfe, the head coach at Male (Louisville, Ky.), is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. He discusses creating competition in practice and why he has embraced shoulder tackling. Show notes 1:05 Wolfe’s “good on good” practice philosophy 5:07 Adapting based on the opponent 8:14 Offense throughout the season 10:54 Breaking tendencies 12:50 Approach on hitting in practice 17:05 The winning edge