The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

Coach Joe Daniel from JoeDanielFootball.com helps you build a better football team at any level. Youth Football Coaches, Middle School Football Coaches, High School Football Coaches, College Football Coaches and Semi-Professional Football Coaches will get great ideas and discussion from The Football Coaching Podcast.

The Only Defensive Line Drills You Need | FBCP S21E06 08/13/2026

The Only Defensive Line Drills You Need | FBCP S21E06 Learn how to build defensive line drills around the reads and reactions your players will actually use on game day. This episode explains how to improve alignment, stance, strike point, leverage, block destruction, gap control, pass rush, and screen recognition while eliminating drills that do not transfer to the field. Coaches will also learn how to progress from simple key read work into group and team periods based on the offensive schemes they expect to face. 7:05 - Building Defensive Line Drills on Key Reads 8:46 -Why Rope Chute and Sled Drills Waste Practice Time 13:55 - Old School Defensive Line Drills Are Outdated 15:30 - Why Chutes Don't Fix Playing Too High 18:39 - ASCA Principle for Defensive Line Development 22:29 - Five Key Reads for Defensive Linemen 24:49 - Strike Point and Big Surface Technique 40:16 - Defensive Line Drills That Transfer to the Field 55:58 - Progressing Drills From Indies to Group to Team 1:03:52 - Handling Secondary Blocks and Pulling Linemen Defensive Line Drills Step 1: Build Drills Around the Skills That Actually Matter Stop collecting drills just because other coaches use them. Start with the specific one-on-one game your defensive linemen must win, then build drills that solve the problems showing up on game film. This is the foundation for replacing ropes, chutes, sleds and other activities that do not transfer to game day. READ: Step 2: Fix the Five Problems That Kill Defensive Line Play Use Alignment, Stance, Key Read and Assignment to diagnose why your defensive linemen are struggling. Focus your drill work on correcting high pad level, poor eye discipline, getting trapped, staying blocked and losing pass rush contain. READ: Step 3: Learn to Create Better Drills From Your Game Film Instead of searching for the next great drill, learn to identify the problem on film, break it down to the smallest skill that needs improvement and create practice reps that directly address it. LISTEN: Step 4: Connect Defensive Line Technique to the Entire Defensive System Defensive line technique cannot exist in isolation. Understand how your front, run fits, key reads and assignments work together so every drill reinforces the job your defensive linemen actually have on game day. DOWNLOAD: Step 5: Get More Reps From Your Individual Drill Periods Structure individual periods around focused, high-repetition work where every player is involved. Use the defensive line key read drill to reinforce alignment, stance and reactions while eliminating unnecessary standing around and wasted practice time. LISTEN: Step 6: Progress Individual Skills Into Game-Like Situations Take the reactions developed during individual periods and progress them into pods, half-line and group work. Keep the same one-on-one focus while gradually adding the movement and distractions your defensive linemen will see against actual offensive schemes. LISTEN: Step 7: Make the Skill Show Up on Game Day Carry the same weekly focus from individual drills into group periods and team sessions. Build practices so defensive linemen repeatedly see the blocks and situations they need to defeat that week, then evaluate whether those skills actually transfer to Friday night. LISTEN: /episode/index/show/footballcoachingpodcast/id/42400135

Practice Planning: Group Run Drills for Skill Progression | FBCP S21E05 08/06/2026

Practice Planning: Group Run Drills for Skill Progression | FBCP S21E05 Building an effective run game takes more than calling plays—it requires a practice plan that develops players step by step. In this episode, Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain explain how to structure group run periods that bridge the gap between individual drills and full team sessions, helping coaches reinforce key techniques without overwhelming players. You'll learn how to organize half-line, 9-on-9, inside run, and outside run periods, keep every drill aligned with your weekly practice focus, and script meaningful reps that translate directly to Friday night performance. Whether you're refining your practice schedule or looking to get more from every run period, this episode provides practical coaching strategies you can implement immediately. 5:31 — Progressing from one-on-one drills to live group run reps 9:47 — Chaining one-on-one games into a linebacker's full run fit 14:27 — Using half line periods to organize run drills 17:12 — Bird Walk drill for teaching run blocking landmarks 22:20 — Half line limitations and the eight-man football comparison 29:22 — Scripting group run periods with a play list 32:51 — Organizing nine v nine run periods 35:19 — Nine v nine practice plan progression and seven play scripting 47:35 — Coordinating weekly practice focus across position groups 50:49 — Aligning gap and zone scheme focus days with opponent tendencies Building Better Group Run Periods 1. Master the One on One Game Understand how every successful group period begins with individual skills. Learn how to build drills that teach specific football problems before combining them into larger practice periods. LISTEN: Individual Drill Periods for Skill Development 2. Build Drills That Transfer to Game Day Learn how to create drills that solve real game problems, progress naturally into group work, and reinforce the habits your players need during live football. READ: Complete Guide to Coaching Football Drills that Win Games 3. Organize Your Practice Around a Single Focus Learn how to structure every practice period around one coaching objective so your individual drills, group periods, and team sessions all reinforce the same skill. DOWNLOAD: Perfect Practice Plan Template 4. Script Group Run Periods with Purpose Learn how to organize 9 on 9, half line, inside run, and outside run periods around the specific run concepts your team needs to improve, instead of running random plays. LISTEN: 90 Minutes Means 90 Minutes: How to Make the Practice Plan Work 5. Build Your Run Game Through Repetition Learn how to organize your core run concepts so players repeatedly see the same blocking schemes, timing, and reads throughout practice. LISTEN: How to Design Run Plays That Get Big Yards 6. Connect Individual Skills to Defensive Execution Learn how to carry individual techniques like key reads, block destruction, and run fits into group periods so defenders execute confidently during team sessions. LISTEN: Build Your System Around Your Defensive Run Fits 7. Build a Practice System That Gets Better Every Week Learn how to evaluate each practice by whether your players improved at the day's focus, then adjust future practice plans based on those results instead of simply running more drills. DOWNLOAD: Turnaround Guide /episode/index/show/footballcoachingpodcast/id/42325270

How to Organize Your Depth Chart | FBCP S21E04 07/30/2026

How to Organize Your Depth Chart | FBCP S21E04 Picking your starters for a football team is generally pretty easy. Whether you’re a best-11 guy, have specialized positions for certain players, or fully two-platooned… those guys stand out and make decisions easily. However, once one guy goes down, the carousel begins. In this episode, Joe and Daniel go through talent evaluation, how to pick the best (and next best) player for each position, and how you can convince players to play a position that’s new to them. 9:26 Using ASCA to evaluate positional talent 10:59 Identifying what skills a position really needs 14:49 Building a position rating rubric with five traits 17:20 Ranking players and filling the depth chart like a draft 29:51 Finding the best player for each position based on scheme 34:53 Managing two way players and fatigue on the depth chart 37:30 How depth chart substitutions actually work 57:47 Cross training positions for depth and flexibility 1:02:51 Convincing players to switch to a new position 1:05:37 How to sit a player down and explain a position change Build a Depth Chart That Actually Works on Game Day Step 1: Start With Your Best 11 Build your depth chart around getting your best football players on the field, then determine where each player can contribute most within your system. Do not get locked into traditional position labels or ideal body types. READ: Step 2: Define What Each Position Actually Requires Identify the three to five traits that matter most at each position based on the Alignment, Stance, Key Read and Assignment required in your system. Evaluate players based on their ability to execute those jobs instead of simply using size, speed or their previous position. LISTEN: Step 3: Fit the System to the Players You Have Keep the foundation of your system intact while adjusting how individual players are used. Simplify assignments, change alignments and use personnel strategically rather than changing schemes because your roster does not match the ideal. LISTEN: Step 4: Build the Real Game Day Depth Chart Your depth chart should reflect what will actually happen when a starter leaves the field. Identify universal backups, cross train players at related positions and know which players will move before simply inserting the listed second string player. LISTEN: Step 5: Give Players Transferable Responsibilities Teach principles that players can carry from one position to another. On defense, concepts such as spill, force, alley and stay in coverage give players a common framework that makes cross training and emergency substitutions easier. READ: Step 6: Build a System That Survives Personnel Changes Organize your defense around consistent principles, terminology and responsibilities so injuries, substitutions and changing personnel do not force you to rebuild what you do. DOWNLOAD: Step 7: Get Players to Buy Into Their Best Role Explain how the new position gives the player an opportunity to contribute and why his abilities fit what the team needs. Players are more likely to accept a position change when they understand the job, see a path to playing time and know how their role contributes to the team. LISTEN: /episode/index/show/footballcoachingpodcast/id/42263275