The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

The Double Edge Blitz, or the laziest call in Joe’s terminology, can help you when you’re in a pickle or when the offense just has your number for a series. But, there are better and worse places to call it. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the Double Edge Blitz, what they are fundamentally, the benefits they bring to your system, and coaching points to ensure your players know it and execute it to perfection.

Protect your passing game using slide protection. Get the details of how to coach slide protection in the quick game and drop back pass to give your quarterback time to throw the ball.

Defensive Line Stunts are a great way to be aggressive up front in your defensive calls without weakening your coverage packages. This episode takes a deep dive on Defensive Line Stunts including slants and twists. Every episode in Season 8 is a deep dive into a particular play call (or family of calls, in this case). I’ll share origins of the call, why you run the call and how to coach your players to execute it. Then we look at how coaches on the other side of the ball can attack the call and defeat it.

Deep Dive on the Counter Trey run play made famous in the NFL by the early 1980's Washington run game! This play is a feature of the One Back Offense. Learn the origins of the play, how to execute it, and how to stop the Counter Trey.

Part 1: Origins of the Call Where did the Double A Gap Blitz come from? Blood, Sweat and Chalk credits Jim Johnson as DC under Andy Reid’s Eagles teams in the early 2000s. Credit to Cincinnati Enquirer article, Mike Zimmer as Defensive Coordinator in Cincinnati really popularized it (with Paul Guenther?). Teams have been attacking the A Gaps since the start of football. Johnson developed the double A gap scheme to force the Offensive Line to adjust protections by putting immediate pressure up the middle. Zimmer article mentions using the blitzes to disguise coverage. I guess?    Part 2: Execution of the Call   How do you run a Double A Gap Blitz? Blitzing two linebackers (or a linebacker and a safety) in the A Gaps. The Defensive Tackles have to get out of the A gaps, so you’re probably lining up in a 40 front with either 2’s, 3’s or 2i’s that will stunt out.  Walking the linebackers up on the line forces the Offensive Line to either check protection to a slide or gap protection, or let the back handle one of the linebackers on an immediate rush with no help.   An adjustment I like is to stack the two rushers. This is because our guys are not NFL, and so the back guy has a better chance of dropping off for either zone or man blitzes. You can also drop both and play traditional cover 3 if they know how to zone drop. With both guys up, drop the man the center steps to, and blitz the other one. You end up with a 3 under/3 deep Crossfires are great for pass blitzing in High School.    Part 3: Attacking the Call What do you run to attack Double A Gap Blitzes? Teams are primarily running double A gap blitzes to attack a pocket passer. It’s a great blitz in the NFL, but you probably aren’t seeing drop back passers 8 games a season. You can also attack interior run plays like a midline or trap play. Run the ball off tackle. Just run an outside zone play, those backers are locked into the A gap and can’t scrape to build a wall against the edge runs. A toss play or jet sweep takes them completely out of the equation. Linebackers aren’t adept at keying down blocks the way a defensive lineman is. Try to trap one of them. If you can pop to the second level there’s no one there. One on one with the safety.  Slide protection is your best bet, but get the ball out quickly. If you’ve got a 3-step quick pass called, use a slide protection to get the ball out.  Screens!  Get the QB in shotgun (no matter what), and then get him on the move. Sprint out or roll out. Don’t bother with play action, the backers are already sucked up. Hit a quick drag route or TE pop pass, or any sort of moving route. 

Season 8 of The Football Coaching Podcast is focusing on deep dives on individual play calls, so what better play to start with than the Zone Read? In fact, we've come full circle - Zone Read Option was the topic on the very first episode of the podcast back in 2012! The deep dive series will take a look at play calls from every angle. We look at the origins of the play, the details of execution, how to attack or defend the play, and how to evaluate and evolve the play within your playbook.

The season kicks off and that call you’ve been working on for 6 months just is not working. Run plays, passing concepts, blitzes, stunts or coverages. Whatever it is… it’s not working. This is the 5 step process to evaluate that football play call before you just kick it to the curb. You’re always smarter in February than you are in September and October (or whenever your season happens this year!), so let’s figure out what the problem is!

There’s an old saying among option football coaches. OK, really it’s among all football coaches… mostly old football coaches. If you can’t block ’em, read ’em. Pretty simple. When you don’t have anybody that can take that guy 1 on 1, you always have another option. Just make him wrong, no matter what he does. That’s the premise behind option football. Make one guy wrong, no matter what he does. For coaches running a true option football system, this is a way of life. Let nothing get in the way of reading the guy that’s causing problems. Then there’s the rest of us. We run an offense that is not based solely on reading defenders. Are we left out of the option offense goodness? Nope. In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, I’ll show you how to expand your offensive playbook using option football principles. Without confusing your players and causing a total disaster in the backfield.

Any time you decide to install a new playbook for your football team, you could run into trouble. It takes time to teach the skills your players need. It takes time for the coaches to understand how to teach those skills, too. The knee jerk reaction when your team isn’t firing on all cylinders in the first few weeks of the season is to panic. Go back to what you were doing before. But that’s not the answer. This week’s Football Coaching Podcast looks at how to make in-season adjustments when your brand new plan of attack isn’t working like you expected. This is how to get your team back on track with the changes you need to make to reach a whole new level of success.

Football drills are a big favorite among coaches. It's our thing. Standing there holding a whistle, watching your guys run around hoops and over bags. That's what coaching football is all about. Except that most defensive drills are a waste of time for high school football players. They end up never translating the drills to the field. Today you'll find out the football drills that really matter at every defensive position to get your players ready to win on game day.

Using a creative evolution in the coverage package leading to a modified 2-Read Coverage in his 4-2-5 Defense, Hollis-Brookline High School Defensive Coordinator Fred Hubert helped lead his team to a New Hampshire State Championship in 2019. Find out the keys to the team's success and how this take the 2-Read Quarters Coverage package can work for your defense.

What’s the best plan for attacking Man Coverage? Here’s how to beat Cover 1, Cover 0 and 2-Man Coverage with your passing game. Nothing fancy. I’m not going all ‘Air Raid’ on you just yet. This week’s Football Coaching Podcast is about attacking man coverage with sound principles that can work in any offense. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting a loaded box, blitzing linebackers, and not having a way to make the defense pay for it. But all that pressure can really cause chaos for your offense. To get the balance back and return to your running game, you have to be able to throw simple concepts against man coverage. And you must be able to protect the Quarterback. The concepts discussed in this episode are all part of the Pistol Power Offense System. You can get access to the System by becoming a JDFB Insider client right now!  

Combo blocking is the key to your Zone run game, and maybe your gap scheme too. They could be the most important blocks your offensive line will make all year. But, the most important part of any system needs to be coached the hardest. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss what combo blocks are, why we use them, and how to coach them to ensure they are executed correctly on game day.

The playoffs are a magical time for football coaches, players, and teams. But, they do not come without their own hurdles. It’s always great to coach the extra games, but you’ll find there’s a little more to it than your regular game week. On this episode Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain breakdown the advantages and disadvantages to playing a new or unknown opponent, as well as some things you can do to better prepare for the game.

Bracket coverages are an advanced way to help lock down, or eliminate the threat of, a star WR. You can also use it to cover a bunched group of WRs. On this episode Joe and Daniel talk all things double coverage, what it is, why you need to carry it, and how to best utilize it in your base defenses.

Shifts and Motions, also known as “Window Dressing,” are growing exponentially in High School football. Not only are they growing in frequency, but in complexity as well. Throwing shifts and motions into an already efficient offense can lead to explosive results! On this episode Joe and Daniel are discussing what shifts and motions are, why they use them in their offenses, and how they gameplan to make use of shifts and motions.

What is a Turnover Culture? Nick Saban put it best, “The ball, the ball, the ball!” Defenses must get the ball back for the offense If you’re thriving in turnover culture, your players are constantly thinking about getting the ball out. Most HS teams struggle to emphasize it Why is it hard to commit to in High School? We’re usually having to focus on more basic principles, such as alignment or run fits. Facing multiple offensive schemes at the High School level means we’re constantly having to coach the basics and struggle to move on to more advanced philosophies How can we use this mindset in our system? Develop drills that highlight a fundamental of defense, such as tackling, and then add a ball security piece to the end of it. Practice ball security/strip drills every week. Keep your defensive scheme simple so you can move on to more advanced tactics.

Every coach identifies the games on their schedule each year that are winnable, and those that just aren’t. We often have that game on the schedule that if we found a way to win, would be considered an upset. But, what is the magic behind the upset, and how can we get there? On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss what makes up an upset, why it’s so important for your program, and how to approach the big game weeks.  

There are MANY situations that play out during a football game. It’s hard to pinpoint any one that’s the MOST or LEAST important. But, without a doubt, playing defense in the Red Zone is very important.  On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the importance of Red Zone Defense, why we’re forced to make changes to our base defense in the Red Zone, and how you can scheme those changes up for your next game.

Playcalling has changed drastically over the years. From running a WR in to communicate each play, to signals, radio comms, and poster boards. We all do things a little differently. On this episode, Joe and Daniel are talking with innovator and Head Football Coach Thad Wells to discuss his “Rooski” play calling system. Listen to find out how the Rooski system can give you an edge by simplifying football for your players.