Coach and Coordinator Podcast Keith Grabowski

Today’s episode is from our archives. It was recorded with Dub Maddox five years ago, pre-pandemic and at the start of what proved to be a rapid evolution of today’s defenses. Interestingly, the concepts Coach Maddox talks about may be more relevant now than when he shared those ideas originally on the podcast.
Dub is one of the great thinkers and great football minds in the game. I have picked up a ton from him over the years. A trip I took to sit down and talk ball with him for a couple of days in 2010 stands out as highly productive. That visit helped me solidify how I thought about the passing game and how we could bring our receivers and protections together with our quarterback progressions to improve our passing game.
In this episode, Coach Maddox shares insights from studying the U.S. Military that he applies to football. If you listened to this episode five years ago, you will want to sit down and listen again, and bring a pen and notebook. Be sure to listen to our winning edge takeaways and ideas for implementation following this conversation with Coach Dub Maddox.

Please Note: When we originally recorded this episode, there was a lot of static in the connection, but the content was just too good not to air, and it’s also too good to not share again.

Show Notes:

Lessons from the United States Military

Non-Negotiables: Space, Time, and Talent

Breaking Down the RPO

Getting Players to Understand the Game Plan

Creating a Specialized Language to Help Players

Letting Your Players Know When to Adjust

Overview of Adapt or Die



Follow Dub Maddox on Twitter @CoachDubMaddox.

Related Resources:
Harvard Business Review article, “The Best Ideas Come from Outside Your Industry”: https://bit.ly/42ZfY1Z
Free Download of Question Set to Inventory Your Offense: https://bit.ly/3TXhQEq
Dub Maddox’s Book Adapt or Die: https://amzn.to/40T4rzF

Be sure to go to coachandcoordinator.com for enhanced show notes with links to related episodes, resources, articles, and our winning edge takeaways. Also sign up for our free Weekly Tip Sheet newsletter, which highlights the best ideas from the previous week, trending episodes, and featured resources.
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We reached out to today’s guest after we confirmed some eye-popping stats from his 2022 season. 62 touchdowns, 3,204 passing yards, and 1,805 rushing yards, in sum producing an average of 500.9 yards per game and 48 points per game. All at the high school level with 12-minute quarters and a running clock after a 30-point differential.
Those numbers screamed “high-level execution”, and we wanted to dig into the what, how, and why behind it.
Meet Mike Peck, offensive coordinator at Burley High School in Burley, ID.

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.

Related Episode:
From the Archives – Noel Mazzone: https://bit.ly/42UL1fi

Be sure to go to coachandcoordinator.com for enhanced show notes with links to related episodes, resources, articles, and our winning edge takeaways. Also sign up for our free Weekly Tip Sheet, which highlights the best ideas from the previous week, trending episodes, and featured resources.
Coach Peck’s 7-day install template is also available on coachandcoordinator.com.

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Ben Kotwica has 17 years of coaching experience, including 15 seasons in the NFL. Most recently, Kotwica served as the assistant special teams coach for Minnesota in 2022 and was part of a coaching staff that helped the team to the NFC North Division title.
A graduate of Army West Point, where he was a linebacker and team captain, he went on to serve as a helicopter pilot, reaching the rank of Captain and serving in the Iraq War, as well as in Bosnia and Korea.
He began his coaching career at the US Military Academy Prep School as a defensive coordinator before jumping to the NFL as a special teams coach or coordinator for the New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, and now the Denver Broncos under head coach Sean Payton.
On today’s episode, he shares his influences and the importance of our roles as coaches, developing a leadership style, innovation, and the use of technology in teaching and developing players.

Show Notes:

Early influences

Coaches saw ability that translates into being a coach

Military background shaped leadership and coaching

The people make the experience rewarding 

From the military into coaching - offer from Bobby Ross

Mike Westhoff - having standards

Leadership - being the CEO 

You must be yourself as a leader

Coaching with technology

Passive and active learning

Integrating a new piece of technology into workflow 

Enhanced player development 

Post-practice punt protection period

How to be innovative

Advice on implementing technology


Follow Ben Kotwica on Twitter @BKotwica44.

Watch Coach Kotwica's Presentation from Lauren's First and Goal:
Punt Install with Technology and Drills: https://bit.ly/3KjpkP5

Related Episode:
Figure It Out with Mike Westhoff: https://bit.ly/3JVFPPE

Be sure to go to coachandcoordinator.com for enhanced show notes with links to related episodes, resources, articles, and our winning edge takeaways. Also sign up for our free Weekly Tip Sheet newsletter, which highlights the best ideas from the previous week, trending episodes, and featured resources.
Follow us on Twitter @CoachKGrabowski.

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Football is in Lance Zierlein’s blood. He is the son of retired NFL Coach Larry Zierlein and an analyst for NFL.com since 2015. His opinions on the best players in the game are highly respected across the industry.
Today, he joins us to share his involvement in the Joe Moore Award, shed light on the process for determining the award's winning unit, and reveal the characteristics of the highest-performing offensive line units in the country.
Through the conversation, both the physical and mental aspects of elite offensive line play show through, and he shares the common characteristics displayed by the coaches leading these top units.

Show Notes:

How he became involved with JMA

The process is a funnel

Our watchlist is everybody

Duke Manyweather - LSU five-man protections in 2019

Three phases of the block

Learning about how OL play evolves from his dad - NFL Coach Larry Zierlein

Evaluating pass protection of the unit

The true sign of teamwork in pass pro

Run schemes that lend themselves to teamwork

Assessing varied technique

Characteristics of the OL coaches leading the best units


Follow Lance Zierlein on Twitter @Lance Zierlein.

Additional Joe Moore Award Episode:
Aaron Taylor: https://bit.ly/3zchYGr
Related Resource:
The Moore Method - OL University: https://bit.ly/3zchYGr

Additional Offensive Line Episodes:
Sonny Dykes - Putting Together an Offense: https://spoti.fi/42NgiAL
Bob Wylie - Coaching That Builds Relationships (Part 1): https://bit.ly/3TPJgfm
Bob Wylie - Coaching That Builds Relationships (Part 2): https://bit.ly/3nsAuYI
Kyle Caskey - Blitz Pick-Up: https://bit.ly/3lJ9UtZ

Research and Development Series:
Tackles: https://bit.ly/3FYLwLx
Interior Linemen: https://bit.ly/40FMofZ

Be sure to go to coachandcoordinator.com for enhanced show notes with links to related episodes, resources, and articles, as well as our winning edge takeaways detailed in text. Also sign-up for our free Weekly Tip Sheet, which highlights the best ideas from the previous week, trending episodes, and featured resources.
Follow us on Twitter @CoachKGrabowski.
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Adam Cushing is the run game coordinator at Duke and also coaches the offensive line. Prior to serving on the Blue Devils staff, he spent three years as the head coach at Eastern Illinois University.
Coach Cushing spent 15 seasons in a variety of roles at Northwestern University, including ten seasons as the offensive line coach. He also coached the super backs, tight ends, and H-backs, after starting as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line. Cushing had recruiting coordinator responsibilities as well, twice earning national recognition as one of the Big Ten’s top recruiters.
Coach Cushing got his start in coaching as an assistant coach at the University of La Verne.
In this segment from the 3rd Annual Lauren’s First and Goal Clinic, Coach Cushing focuses on what it takes to create a consistent player. While he gives examples with the offensive line, what he describes applies to all position groups, units, and the team.
He establishes that consistency is the hallmark of greatness. His discussion includes mental consistency in training players' minds, especially related to the game plan, player-owned culture, and consistency with cultural messages.

Show Notes:

Consistency is the hallmark of greatness

Mental preparation

Beginning of a meeting

Homework


Follow Adam Cushing on Twitter @CoachCushing.
Listen to Coach Cushing's Entire Clinic Talk: https://bit.ly/42JDa49

Additional Adam Cushing Episodes:
Simplifying Culture: https://bit.ly/3LUgdpg

Additional Adam Cushing Video Course:
Culture and Leadership: https://bit.ly/3z9Y6nq

Please go to coachandcoordinator.com for expanded show notes, including our winning edge takeaways and links to resources. And while there, be sure to sign up for our Weekly Tip Sheet, which shares the best ideas from the podcast.
Follow Keith Grabowski on Twitter @CoachKGrabowski.
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Today’s episode is from our archives and features Brent Dearmon from when he was the offensive coordinator at Arkansas Tech. Since that time, he’s gone on to do big things.
Coach Dearmon is currently the head coach at the University of North Alabama. Prior to his current role, he served as the offensive coordinator for Florida Atlantic in 2022 after spending the 2021 season as OC at Middle Tennessee. His previous experience also includes serving as head coach at Bethel University. In his one season at Bethel in 2018, Dearmon guided the team to an undefeated regular season mark. Bethel earned a number-three ranking while averaging 540.3 yards and the second-highest scoring average in the country at 55.0 points per game. He was named Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year.
Dearmon then made the rare jump from NAIA to FBS when he joined Les Miles' staff at Kansas in 2019 as a senior offensive consultant. Midway through the 2019 season, Dearmon took over as the program's offensive coordinator and led the team to a 24.1 scoring average and more than 400 yards of total offense per game.
Brent Dearmon has always been at the forefront of RPO thinking, and it’s become a big part of the offenses he has directed. In this episode (one of four with Coach Dearmon in our library), he talks about assembling gap-sound RPOs that attack the defense across the entire field.
Be sure to listen to the Winning Edge at the end of the episode for our takeaways and ideas for implementation from this episode.

Show Notes:

Evolving the RPO

Keeping a downhill rushing mentality, while opening up more to the pass

Doing RPOs in a sound way, while protecting the QB

The Hot Gap

Pre-snap reads

The benefits of Power built into RPO

The Counter game

Turning Buck Sweep into RPO

The three questions Dearmon asks for every concept

RPO and practice

Coaches need to ask, "Who do you say you are?"

Winning Edge: Takeaways and ideas for implementation


Follow Brent Dearmon on Twitter @BrentDearmon.

Related Resources:
Coach Dearmon’s Courses: 
Gap Sound RPOs
RPOs
Identifying and Attacking Coverages with the RPO

Coach Dearmon on CoachandCoordinator.com:
The Hot Gap

Additional Coach Dearmon Episodes:
Our First Interview with Coach Dearmon
Creating a Common Language for Coaching
C- and D-Gap RPOs
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