The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

In a game of inches, giving up “busts” or Big Plays can quickly become a mistake too big to overcome. The other sideline earns a paycheck too, so you likely can’t stamp out big plays altogether, but you can get your team to limit them enough. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to limit big plays against your defense by simplifying your scheme, cutting out the wanted complexity, and getting your players to consistently be in a place to make a play.

Undisciplined teams lose games. And sloppy habits in practice show up under the lights. In this episode, Joe and Daniel break down how to build discipline and efficiency into every rep. You’ll learn how to simulate high-stress situations in practice so your players stay sharp when it counts. They’ll show you how to tighten communication, dial in on the small details, and run drills that actually translate to game-day success.

Wasted time in practice leads to unprepared players on game day. And with limited hours on the field, every minute has to count. In this episode, Joe and Daniel dive into how to run efficient, high-energy practices that get your players ready—fast. They share how to build out practice plan shells, keep the tempo up with smooth transitions, and make sure your drills actually matter. You’ll also hear how to lean on veteran players, use film for faster corrections, and even streamline scouting with tools like wristbands.

A stagnant offense can stall an entire season — even with the right athletes on the field. But constantly adding new plays without structure usually leads to confusion, not results. On this episode of the Football Coaching Podcast, Daniel Chamberlain and Joe Daniel share how to build a dynamic offense the right way — starting with mastery of a base play and layering in variation through motions, shifts, unbalanced formations, and tags. They also introduce the containers principle — a smart way to install new ideas without overwhelming your players or your practice time.

The end of the game of football can be intense! The crowd, the officials, the clock… they all add extra pressure to an already high pressure game. If you keep finding yourself on the losing end of close games, it’s likely that you, your coaches, and your players don’t understand the situation(s) they are in during crunch time. On this episode, Joe and Daniel discuss the need to add situational football into your practice planning, what situations you should practice, and the need to mentally prepare your players.

An undisciplined defense can bring even the best program to its knees. But, as schemes become more and more complex to try to match the offenses running all over the field, the byproduct is often undisciplined chaos. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss fixing tackling and executing through ASKA, fixing alignments, and ensuring players are doing their job and not their neigbors’ jobs through the umbrella principles.

Special Teams, the Third Side of the Ball, can be a secret weapon or a glaring flaw for your team this year. If you keep chasing different schemes week after week, or year after year, you’ll never learn to problem solve within your own game. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss how to simplify your Special Teams, teaching each team one way for the whole season, getting rules put in to place so your players can use them to problem solve.

Getting buy in is the foundation of any system in football. Not just Xs and Os systems, but strength and conditioning, recruiting, culture, etc. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the SCS System, coaching like you’re teaching a new prep for the first time, and what all goes into the Players’ Creed.

Across the Nation there are teams that are struggling to keep the program afloat due to low numbers. The game is slowly dying, and we’re all paying the price. But, you don’t have to watch your program die off. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the need to have a system to get players out to play, how we can get more players to say YES to playing, and how to get your players to be salesmen for the team.

It seems like every coach on Earth has the same three complaints: We aren’t fast enough, we don’t have as many players as the other teams, and we aren’t tough enough. But, a general consensus of multiple 30+ year coaches says kids haven’t changed… expectations have. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss what it means to be tough, how accountability can toughen up your players, and the fact that relationships still reign supreme.

A football coaching staff is often made up of a bunch of the same type of people. Those people aren’t great at communicating, they all think their way is the best way, and often they won’t even speak the same language due to the influence of different coaching trees throughout their careers. Sometimes that inability to communicate can hurt the team. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the ASKA Principle, how to get your staff using the same language, and the benefits of you, your staff, and your team when communication is streamlined and made common.

Every year, the law of averages says you’ll face at least two teams that simply have better talent than you do. But, you don’t have to concede those games. You can have a plan to go out and beat them on the gridiron. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the beating teams by eliminating errors using the Coach Simple philosophy, and how to unlock the potential of your team.

Stopping the run is imperative in the game of football. You have to take away the opponents ability to move the rock, especially between the tackles. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the umbrella run fits, how you can use it with the scheme, coaches, and players you have now, and how you can stop any offensive formation or scheme.

The success of a team is tied to so many variables. X’s and O’s can’t win every game. Jimmy’s and Joe’s can take you far, but how can we get those guys on the field if we aren’t at a powerhouse school? Your support chain, the parents, admin, community, all play a very large role in the success of a team. On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Coach Justin Kinzie to talk all things support. They talk about the groups you need to prioritize to gain supports, what that conversation might look like, and when you’ll know that enough is enough and a situation just isn’t winnable.

Practice makes perfect. WRONG! Perfect practice makes perfect… any your 3 hour practices aren’t perfect. In today’s game, the science says less is more when it comes to “getting in work.” Your extended practices are making your players worse on Friday night. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss all things practice schedules. Being efficient with your time, prioritizing what the “right” things are you need to be practicing, and ensuring your players get what they need, but not everything and the kitchen sink.

So, your passing game is broken. Your QB is terrible, your receivers can’t catch, the O-Line can’t block a soul… we’ve been there. Luckily, you don’t have to install a non-passing offense and become one dimensional. On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the usability and benefits of a simplified passing game, why you don’t need to teach progressions, and how you can add options to your passing game to meet your players where there are and bring them forward.

Relational coaching, although not a brand new concept, has been on the rise as of recently. With the increase of NIL opportunities and Transfer Portal antics, coaches have had to rely on relationships in the locker room more than ever before. On this episode, Joe and Daniel are joined by Travis Davidson of Team Sports Consulting Group to talk about the options available to coaches to ensure they’re building the relationships that matter.

Friday Nights in the fall to the common person is about Friday Night Lights, “the boys of fall,” and the 11 v 11 competition on the field. For the coaches on the sidelines, Friday nights are just an “unstandardized test.” We’ve studied all week, and now we just have to solve the problems as they come along. On this episode Joe and Daniel talk with Jackson Wiggins to cover common Friday Night problems, usual ways that they solve those problems and others, and how to implement changes in the heat of the game!