Coach and Coordinator Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Best Eleven of 2023, #3: Walking the Tightrope of Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator – Tre Lamb, Head Coach, East Tennessee State University Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

Tre Lamb was recently named Head Coach at East Tennessee State University. He is currently the youngest head coach in the FCS.

What stands out in this episode – #3 of our Best 11 of 2023 – is how organized and detailed Coach Lamb is. In addition to his head coaching duties, he handled all of the offensive coordinator duties at his previous coaching stop at Gardner-Webb.

He talked to us about how to be successful in both roles, as well as the 30-60-90-day plan he implemented when he took over at GW. He now is just days into implementing that plan at ETSU. Congratulations to Coach Lamb, and best of luck in your new program.

Show Notes:

The drive to be a coach came through growing up in a football family
Obsession from a young age
Learning from good and bad
Taking over as a new head coach during Covid and the challenges
Selling a vision through Zoom
Working to create buy-in from the start with honesty
Being relatable but holding players accountable
30-60-90-day plans
30 days - listen
60 days - build up resources
90 days - share the vision of the program
Walking the tightrope of being both head coach and offensive coordinator
You must spend time with defense and special teams
Balancing the responsibilities and demands of the head coach and offensive coordinator
The offense - a blend of App State and Tennessee
Building off wide zone and play-action pass
Sequencing plays
Really fast tempo or really slow and really wide splits or condensed sets
The thought process on sequencing
Getting more specific on game planning
Every day is an interview

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Best Eleven of 2023, #4: Expert Poker Player Strategies as a Framework for Play Calling – Dub Maddox, Offensive Coordinator, Union HS Dec 29, 2023

Show notes

You can bet that any time that Dub Maddox joins us on the podcast it will be an excellent episode, and that’s certainly true in the #4 episode in our best 11 of 2023.

In this episode, he discusses what he learned from studying poker and then applying it to football. This one will definitely leave you thinking about your approach as a play caller, whether that is as the offensive or defensive coordinator.

Show Notes:

Studying outside of the game
Why Poker players?
Tacit knowledge
Poker strategy
Position and Range in Gaming
Building a Range Position Map
Applying poker to play calling
Game day communication
Efficiency In workflow

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Best Eleven of 2023, #5: Mental Warfare and Calculating the Pass Rush Plan – Siddiq Haynes, DL Coach, UTSA Dec 27, 2023

Show notes

We continue our best 11 interviews of 2023, and coming in at #5 is our discussion with UTSA defensive line coach Siddiq Haynes. In this episode, we focused on how he takes on the role of mentor and develops the relationship on and off the field with the players he leads.

He calls it “mental warfare”, and building those bonds helps him to better reach his players and develop them as elite pass rushers. He also digs into the pass rush plan and how it is developed with the skills of his players in mind.

Show Notes:

A passion developed as a child playing the game
Sports marketing experience
Starting out on the offensive side of the ball for KC Keeler
Learning from Phil Longo
Development as a defensive line coach with Rodrique Wright
The “why” is vital to moving forward in this profession
Mental warfare: Dealing with life and teaching how it applies to the field
Asking the right question to understand where your players are
Recruiting the whole person
You have to be genuine - you can’t just regurgitate things you have heard
Understanding the opponent’s identity
Collecting data and building the pass rush plan
Presenting this plan to the defensive coordinator and the players
Empowering the players in the process
The filter for simplicity
Here’s why we are spending time on QB windows or rush moves etc.
The importance of self-scouting

Related Siddiq Haynes Episode:

Get to Sack City: https://spoti.fi/3yakdti

Watch Coach Haynes' Presentation: https://bit.ly/3ILgZmw

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Best Eleven of 2023, #6: Make the Most of the Reps You Have Available – Caleb Collins, OLB Coach, Baylor Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

As coaches, we have to get our reps just like players do. We study this game in great detail, but we also have to coach and teach it, and we hone ourselves as professionals by actually doing and reflecting on it, and finding where to improve, and that’s something that we discussed in our #6 interview of 2023 with Baylor OLB Coach Caleb Collins.

Coach Collins explains how he did that as an inexperienced coach, and the pointers he gives certainly can help seasoned professionals grow and develop as well.

Show Notes:

How teaching in the high school classroom helped him to an on-field FBS job
Getting reps at coaching your own room
Traits desired in an outside linebacker
Setting the tone with the Jack Linebacker in the install
Setting the edge and rushing the passer
Teaching alignment and recognition
Using technology to speed up the process and get more reps
Stance and start progression
Pass rush progression
Keys instead of ball key
Understanding the set
Hand combat
Upper body violence instead of hip flip
Coaching cues for pass rush
Skill toolbox

Follow Caleb Collins on Twitter/X @BU_CoachCollins.

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Champions: Three Keys to Building a Championship Program – Steve Pyne, Head Coach, Central Catholic High School (OR) Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

On this Champions’ episode, we talk with Steve Pyne, the head coach of the Oregon 6A state champion and the #1 ranked team in the state. His Central Catholic Rams just completed a 13-0 season in route to winning the title – Coach Pyne’s fifth at Central Catholic.

Coach Pyne has been at the helm of Central Catholic since 2003 and has compiled an overall record of 196-54 (.784). Coach has been honored as the Mount Hood Conference Coach of the Year six times, Oregonian State Coach of the Year two times, and OACA Coach of the Year five times.

In this episode, he discusses a different approach to certain areas of what they do, including building their culture, developing fundamentals, and playing time, all of which made a difference in propelling the Rams to multiple state championships.

Show Notes:

First Things First
The “Difference”
The Payoff Seen on Game Film
Creating a Common Language and Coaching Points
The 60-Play “Pitch Count”
How Playing More Kids Led to Championships
Giving Players the Chance to Succeed or Learn from Failure
Creating Depth
Minimum Expectations
Building Culture with Kids First and Winning Second
Building Culture within the Staff
Three Handshakes, Two Hugs, One Compliment

Follow Steve Pyne on Twitter/X @CoachPyne67.

Additional Champions Series Episodes:

Garrett Mueller, Head Coach, Stewartville High School (MN)

Kyle Schmitt, Head Coach, Archbishop Spalding (MD)

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Signature Championship Rings is a leading designer and supplier of championship rings, serving over 10,000 teams and organizations. With a focus on quality craftsmanship, easy team ordering processes, and affordability, Signature Champions celebrate every champion and their achievements, making their moment last a lifetime. For more information, visit www.signaturechampions.com/podcast.

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Best Eleven of 2023, #7: Using the “Why” to Create High-Level Execution – Mike Peck, Offensive Coordinator, Burley High School (ID) Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

Mike Peck, the offensive coordinator for Burley High School in Idaho, is our #7 interview of 2023. He joined us earlier this year to discuss why and how he and his staff install and coach their offense in a way that leads to better learning and understanding of their system.

Going back and identifying the “why” and “how” behind all of what you do on offense, defense, and special teams can pay great dividends as you construct your plans for 2024.

Show Notes:

Spread the field and attack horizontally and vertically
Based out of 10 personnel and empty, but highlight personnel year-to-year
Hang your hat on runs and passes for the base offense
Two factors that create execution: installation and practice
The players understanding of why
Install as a year-round activity leading up to the season
Front loading for better learning
Quarterback school
The quarterback should be out on the field teaching it with you
Tools used to teach in the classroom
Quizzes and competition
Seven-day install format
Practice format
Early outs: walk through
Situational periods in practice
Unscripted situations so play callers get work
Debrief periods so players understand why and what happened right or wrong
Coach learning from the debrief as well
Kids don’t come in on weekends
Technology to allow coaches more family time

Follow Mike Peck on Twitter @CoachPeck11.

Download Coach Peck’s 7-Day Install Template.

Related Episode:

From the Archives – Noel Mazzone

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Best Eleven of 2023, #8: Create a Better Plan and Develop Players with Data and Technology – Billy Riebock, OC/QB Coach, Midwestern State Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we share our next "Best 11" interview of 2023. Our guest is Billy Riebock, the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at Midwestern State University, who focuses on the development of our players through utilizing data and technology.

Coach Riebock explained how he gets a clear understanding of the offense he needs each year, as well as how he utilizes technology to become a better teacher of his offense and the workflow he puts together to create an expert system.

This interview is another one full of useful information as you get ready to start work on your 2024 systems.

Show Notes:

A framework for preparing every position
How a coach’s workflow and process evolve
Find people who will mentor you
Using data and analytics to come up with a simple plan
Understanding how much you need in a game plan
A system must handle all situations, or it’s not complete
Using numbers to dictate what you can do
Preparing and adjusting in spring
Identifying and dealing with trends
Using free technology to prepare players in the classroom
Using interactive quizzes
Using Go Army Edge technology to work through and understand concepts
A more efficient way to walk through
Eliminating uncertainty with an interactive game plan a day ahead of practice
Using technology for blitz pick-up with offensive line and running backs
How the technology fosters better discussions
Stealing time with the technology
What the weekly plan with technology looks like

Follow Billy Riebock on Twitter @RiebockBilly.

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Best Eleven of 2023, #9: The Process of Evolving an Offense – Curt Fitzpatrick, Head Coach, SUNY Cortland Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

We continue our countdown of our “Best 11” interviews of 2023 with an episode from SUNY Cortland Head Coach Curt Fitzpatrick. Cortland just defeated defending D3 national champion North Central in a thriller at the Stagg Bowl 38-37 to win their first national championship.

Coach Fitzpatrick joined us earlier this year at the New York State High School Football Coaches Association Clinic. We discussed the process of evolving an offense each year to be able to attack opponents and best utilize personnel.

As you sit down to plan what your offense will look like in the next season, this conversation is a good one to revisit.

Congratulations to Coach Fitzpatrick and the Red Dragons on their 2023 National Championship. Here is our #9 interview of 2023. Enjoy!

Show Notes:

Being multiple
Advantages of niche offenses
Defining multiplicity
Approach to researching ideas
There are many ways to coach one play: Find the one that fits best
Approach to evolving an offense
Looking at it from an opponent's point of view
Finding a new play isn’t always the answer
Grounding things in your identity
Building complements around the base play
Exercise to figure out if you are attacking the whole defense
Finding the discipline to know what fits your identity is the magic
Embracing new ideas but figuring out how they fit you
Ability to execute is the filter
Andy Kotelnicki: Making the game finite

Follow Coach Fitzpatrick on Twitter @_CoachFitz.

Additional Curt Fitzpatrick Episode:

Devotion Leads to Promotion

Additional Episodes Recorded at the 2023 New York State High School Football Association Clinic:

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Champions Series: Design It and Step Back – Kyle Schmitt, Head Coach, Archbishop Spalding High School (MD) Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

Kyle Schmitt is the head coach of Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland, the 2022 and 2023 MIAA "A" State Champions. He was the 2022 Baltimore Ravens Coach of the Year.

As a player and then graduate assistant at Maryland, he was heavily influenced by Ralph Friedgen and current Penn State head coach James Franklin.

In this episode, Coach Schmitt emphasizes the importance of looking in the mirror and taking responsibility for coaching decisions, which for Coach Schmitt led to more focus on special teams and game management.

Show Notes:

Background and Education
Shift in Coaching Approach
Importance of Game Management
Embracing a Global View
Focus on Special Teams
Implementing Changes in Practice
Tools for Game Management

Follow Kyle Schmitt on Twitter/X @kschmittASHS.

Coach Schmitt's Presentation on Game Planning:

Situational Football - Game Planning Prep

Additional Champions Series Episode:

Garrett Mueller, Head Coach, Stewartville High School (MN)

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Best Eleven of 2023, #10: A Personal and Personnel Approach to Coaching – Andrew Jackson, Defensive Line Coach, West Virginia Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

We continue to share our “Best 11” interviews of 2023. In this episode, we again highlight Andrew Jackson, defensive line coach at West Virginia.

Coach Jackson discusses his approach to coaching and utilizing his personnel effectively. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships and understanding each player's strengths and weaknesses.

He takes a personalized approach, getting to know each player's personality and learning style, and tailors his coaching methods accordingly. He also emphasizes the importance of creating a positive and interactive environment during walkthroughs and meetings to maximize learning and understanding.

Additionally, he highlights the significance of recognizing and respecting the contributions of the support staff within the football program. Overall, he stresses the value of caring for and respecting his players, and having a deep understanding of their abilities to maximize their potential on the field.

This episode was originally recorded at the New York State High School Football Coaches Association Clinic. Enjoy!

Show Notes: