For most programs, January is the start of the off-season.The gains made in the next six months are critical and must happen in order to have success in the fall. Keeping players focused and moving toward their goals and the team’s goals sometimes is a challenge when the season is so far off. Having a system to provide feedback and recognize the accomplishments of players as they develop themselves helps motivate and create excitement while working through the winter months.

Today Keith Grabowski shares four examples from both the high school and college level of how the staffs he worked on accomplished this and tailored to off season to meet the team's needs and objectives.

Meeting Athlete And Team Needs In The Off Season

On this installment of the "Game Plan for your Next Job" series, Keith is joined again by Frostburg Head Softball Coach and CEO of CoachingPortfolio.com Bill Vasko.

The discussion centers around how the portfolio has become an important tool in the job search process and how to maximize the technology of today to show who you are, your branding, and how you can bring value to a program.

Related:

Game Plan for Your Next Job Playlist:
https://soundcloud.com/user-804678956/sets/game-plan-for-your-next-job

Game Plan For Your Next Job - Showing How You Bring Value - Bill Vasko, CoachingPortfolio.com

Having trained more than 60 Division 1 quarterbacks in the past several years, quarterback coach Will Hewlett has quickly become one of the country’s most sought after experts on the position. Hewlett is known for his focus on elite-level passing mechanics, helping quarterbacks improve speed of release, accuracy, and performance under pressure.

“Traditionally, the quarterback has been one of the most under- coached positions on the team,” says Hewlett. “Playing QB can be both frustrating and rewarding. I love seeing the progression from a youth camper into an elite position player – physically and mentally.”

Parents and coaches alike have seen the progress Coach Hewlett can bring about in a young QB – often referred to as the “difference maker”.

Hewlett is constantly traveling throughout the country working with quarterback prospects from coast to coast.

Hewlett says, “I love working with developing talents all over the country. To meet with a young player’s coaches, see the programs and even watch the progress unfold on Friday nights is as fulfilling to me as anything in my career.”

Hewlett has consulted with NFL, UFL, and NCAA coaches and continues to work with quarterbacks in the SEC, ACC, Big 10 and other conferences. In addition, Coach Hewlett is a top-ranked speaker at the Glazier Clinics tour, the largest football coaching clinics with over 26,000 active members and has co-authored a top selling book on passing mechanics.

Hewlett is the first Australian-born quarterback to play NCAA football. His playing career extended to the pro-ranks, with a stint in the Arena League. His college experience included the University of Nevada and the University of Dubuque.

Training Skill - Will Hewlett, QB Technician

Today's guest is Colin Bruton, head football coach and offensive coordinator at Lakeland University.

In 2021, Lakeland had one of the top producing offenses in the country in NCAA Division III. Total offense they produced 523.4 yards per game (#4) and 45.1 points per game (#10).

Coach Bruton talks about making the transition from defensive coordinator to offensive coordinator as well as what makes their 10 personnel uptempo offense successful:

Shownotes:
-Start in coaching
-Evolution as a coach
-Start in coaching the back end of defense
-How he expects his young coaches to develop years 1-3
-Mentor - Mike Emendorfer - learning how relationship make a difference
-Kevin Daugherty
-Moving from DC to OC
-Promoting from within
-Controlling the game O vs D
-Leveraging knowledge develop on defense as the OC
-Things that give defenses trouble
-Speed option
-Make all skill players a threat
-Operating at the fastest tempo
-Toughest concepts to defend at tempo
-Psychological effect of how many series are played
-Playing complimentary football as a high tempo team
-Approach to play calling
-How speed option helps play calling in 10 personnel offense
-Key to successful speed option
-Winning Edge - get our guys healthy and happy to Saturday

NCAA Leaders - Moving From DC To OC, Colin Bruton, Head Coach, Lakeland Univerity

On today's podcast, Joe Matheson, offensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls joins us to talk about their Top Gun Offense which was #2 in NCAA Division 3 in total yard in 2021 at 544.3 yards per game.

He discusses how they utilized the pandemic to take care of their players and create a brand behind what they do.

Shownotes:
-Start in coaching
-Working for Jerry Kill
-Leading people to meaningful results
-Transition to being an OC
-What can you be great at?
-The Top Gun Offense
-Branding the offense
-Aligning the staff to go fast
-Coaching the mechanics of playing fast
-As much of what you don't do as it is what you do
-Creating a game like environment in practice
-It's about what you emphasize
-Balance of the personnel and how you attack within the system
-Every run has an attachment
-Not striving for balance - run/pass
-Receiver blocking in an RPO offense
-Drills and techniques for receiver blocking
-Millenial Oklahoma drill
-Being great upfront opens up explosive opportunities
-Approach to going for it on 4th
-Trends vs. Tempo Offenses
-Handling simulated pressures
-Winning Edge: Consistency

Twitter: @CoachJMath

NCAA Leaders - Top Gun Offense - Joe Matheson, Offensive Coordinator, UW - River Falls

On today's Coach and Coordinator Podcast, University of Chicago Offensive Coordinator Kyle Derickson joins us to discuss the Maroons' high powered offense which was #5 in NCAA D3 in both total yards (518 per game) and points (48 per game) as well as #1 on 3rd Down Conversions (56.6%) and #8 Red Zone Offense (88.9%).

Coach Derickson discusses the philosophy behind their offense as well as how his football journey has taught him to be adaptable to the coaching situations he's been in.

Show notes:
-Learning on the defensive side of the ball
-Being adaptable in new situations
-From Zone/Play Action to Triple Option to Air Raid 
-Progression as a teacher of the game
-Taking a piece of the last stop with you
-Learning from coaching the Triple
-Adapting terminology - one person vs. 55 people
-Developing a philosophy of offense year to year
-Taking control of the game through running the ball
-Ball control to open explosives
-Giving QB control of the game
-Creating explosives by being simple
-3rd down success
-Red zone success
-Stats that are most important: Touchdowns and Turnovers
-Practicing situations
-Call sheet organization and volume
-Unique characteristic as an OC
-The winning edge - be a part of something bigger

NCAA Leaders - Being Adaptable - Kyle Derickson, OC, U.Chicago

Having trained more than 60 Division 1 quarterbacks in the past several years, quarterback coach Will Hewlett has quickly become one of the country’s most sought after experts on the position. Hewlett is known for his focus on elite-level passing mechanics, helping quarterbacks improve speed of release, accuracy, and performance under pressure.

“Traditionally, the quarterback has been one of the most under- coached positions on the team,” says Hewlett. “Playing QB can be both frustrating and rewarding. I love seeing the progression from a youth camper into an elite position player – physically and mentally.”

Parents and coaches alike have seen the progress Coach Hewlett can bring about in a young QB – often referred to as the “difference maker”.

Hewlett is constantly traveling throughout the country working with quarterback prospects from coast to coast.

Hewlett says, “I love working with developing talents all over the country. To meet with a young player’s coaches, see the programs and even watch the progress unfold on Friday nights is as fulfilling to me as anything in my career.”

Hewlett has consulted with NFL, UFL, and NCAA coaches and continues to work with quarterbacks in the SEC, ACC, Big 10 and other conferences. In addition, Coach Hewlett is a top-ranked speaker at the Glazier Clinics tour, the largest football coaching clinics with over 26,000 active members and has co-authored a top selling book on passing mechanics.

Hewlett is the first Australian-born quarterback to play NCAA football. His playing career extended to the pro-ranks, with a stint in the Arena League. His college experience included the University of Nevada and the University of Dubuque.

Shownotes:
-Overview of Sports Illustrated article, QB creativity
-Progression to teaching fluidity and athleticism
-Allowing creativity and free play for QB self discovery
-Inadvertently coaching creativity out if the QB
-Patrick Mahomes comes along and things change
-What if we encourage creativity?
-Free play approach in training
-Learning from movement specialists - Shawn Myszka
-What happens when the line on the diagram ends?
-Evolution in involving movement coaches - Kurt Hester
-Recommendations for drilling and practice programming
-Football is not an individual sport, timing is developed together
-Teaching the QB to perform in chaos
-Utilizing technology to train
-QB coach as the artist
-Aaron Rodgers foot pop
-Learning through social media
-The QB Collective

Creativity In QB Play - Will Hewlett, Quarterback Developer, QB Collective

Ryan Maiuri joins us on the podcast to discuss the Central football offense which was #1 in total offense (570.1 yards per game) and scoring (53.5 points per game) in 2021.

.
Originally from Sterling Heights, Michigan, Maiuri graduated from Lakeland College (Wis.) in 2006 and received Illini-Badger Conference player of the year honors in 2005. He led the Muskies to their first-ever playoff berth and was the league's offensive player of the year in 2004.

Maiuri has been an assistant at Lakeland, Winona State, Adrian College, and a graduate assistant at Minnesota under Jerry Kill.

Shownotes:
-Start in coaching
-Offensive philosophy and culture
-Having undersized, athletic players
-Schemes that fit well with undersized linemen
-Balancing the use of tempo and motions and shifts
-Player involvement in constructing the offense
-Educated freedom
-F.R.E.A.K.S
-Decentralized decision making
-QB and WR meeting time
-More group and team during season than individual
-Group and team periods used throughout the week
-Communication in inside run
-Pass concepts
-Teaching four verticals
-Practicing four verticals
-Most effective plays in the Central passing game
-The need for having Both RPO and play action
-Technology and changes through COVID
-Winning edge - coaching with love

Twitter: @coachmaiuri

Player Ownership In the NCAA's #1 Offense - Ryan Maiuri, OC, Central College

In today’s podcast Keith Grabowski is joined by Tim Sauer head coach at Jesup Community School (IA) in the “Your Call” series. Coach Sauer introduces his F.R.E.A.K acronym that helps control the culture climate in his program. Grabowski and Coach Sauer discuss why it was made and how it is used in his program.

 00:47 Creating F.R.E.A.K
02:20 Process of creating F.R.E.A.K
03:10 Expectations in F.R.E.A.K
Insert Chart
03:15 No Fluff
05:00 Respect
07:00 Enthusiasm
09:15 Always count on me
11:18 Keep swinging
12:55 Sharing F.R.E.A.K with the players
14:26 Integrating F.R.E.A.K into Jesup Football
15:40 Involving the staff to set the standard
16:37 Evolving F.R.E.A.K down the road
17:45 Connect with coach on Twitter: @timothyjsauer

Using An Acronym To Define A Culture - Tim Sauer, Head Coach, Jesup Community School (Iowa)

This is one of our most listened-to episodes from the first years of the podcast.  The QB Collective's influence both in quarterback development and coaching education continues to grow, and you see its influence all over the game today.  This episode tells the story of the QB Collective's beginning and the vision of Richmond Flowers III to grow something that positively impacts the game and the people who are a part of it. 

From the Archives:
Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast guest is Richmond Flowers III, CEO and founder of QB Collective, which trains high school, college and NFL quarterbacks. Flowers coached four seasons as an offensive assistant for the Washington Redskins under head coach Mike Shanahan, a QB Collective staff member.

Flowers – a wide receiver during his playing days – was drafted in 2001 by the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent three combined seasons on the Dallas Cowboys and Redskins practice squads. Flowers also played in NFL Europe, the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. He played three years at Duke, before spending his last collegiate season at Tennessee-Chattanooga.

On today’s show, Flowers and host Keith Grabowski talk about Flowers’ coaching experience and how it helped him create and develop QB Collective.

Show Notes

-What is QB Collective?
-Instructors at QB Collective camps
-Influence of his father in football
-Why he picked Duke to play college football
-Meeting Kyle Shanahan at Duke
-Experience in the NFL and NFL Europe
-Being out of position in the NFL
-Takeaways from playing career
-Time between playing and coaching football
-Differences from playing and coaching
-Learning while with the Redskins as a coach
-A system to develop players and coaches
-Favorite moments from QB Collective camps

From The "Redskins Lab" To The QB Collective - Richmond Flowers, Founder Of QB Collective

Keith Grabowski interviews the most knowledgeable head coaches, coordinators, and position coaches from professional, college, and high school football. Keith and his guests discuss the philosophy, concepts, schemes, and strategies that they have learned throughout their careers. Each show includes a specific idea that can be applied to help coaches at every level find the winning edge.

Popular tracks tagged #high school football