FNF Coaches | Fall 2021 | Tech Edition by A.E. Engine

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fall 2021

Tech Up!

The Fish Podcast

The 7 States Mafia

Celebrating 60 years of Porta Phone

joins the FNF Coaches Podcast Network

Products to streamline & enhance your program Coaches Who Bonded during the Pandemic

3 things

high school coaches need to know about NIL

l a i c o s e us

if l p m a o ed i a t

ts r o f f e y y o ur

s t l u s e r e t a r e n e ,g

COACH’S CONTRIBUTION

Attacking with Deep Choice Concepts Shawn Liotta, Burrell High School (PA)

SIDELINE SPOTLIGHT

football Technology

CONTENT

FALL 2021 TECH EDITION

PG.20

Q&A WITH ALBANY HEAD COACH GREG GATTUSO

03 gear & Goods 09 3 things high school coaches need to know about NIL 12 Influencer profile: Nate “nasty” leonard 13 influencer profile: Jim pusateri 14 Sideline power bowl for spina bifida and autism awareness

PLAYBOOK PORTA PHONE: CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

16 the 7 states mafia 18 coachcomm tempo go: the ultimate gamepreparation tool 26 the Fish Podcast 32 I am ready for friday night lights

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Attacking With Deep Choice Concepts

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREPARATION, 1975 STYLE

Gear & Goods COACHCOMM COBALT PLUS COBALT PLUS COACHING HEADSETS PROVIDE MORE

full-featured users and more flexibility, and now with player communications options, too. Featuring easy setup, extended range, and exceptional performance, the system is also coupled with the industry’s most trusted D-1 SmartBoom® headset. Backed by outstanding service, Cobalt also has a two-year warranty on parts & labor. It’s a powerful combination - a great coaching headset solution to fit your needs and your budget. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT COACHCOMM.COM/COBALTPLUS

TD 900 “HD” WIRELESS BY PORTA PHONE PORTA PHONE’S NEW TD 900 HD WIRELESS

THE COLD DADDY BAY TUB THE FIRST EVER OF ITS

kind, this tub can be used with ice or any Cold Daddy chiller. Extra thick walls, pressure injected foam and rotomolded construction mean unmatched cold water retention. Less ice. Less stress. More chill. MSRP: $1,200 WEB: colddaddy.com/thebay-tub

headsets have been upgraded and now provide expanded capacity of up to 17 coaches along with digital, High Definition performance. The TD 900 HD are totally self-contained headsets that do not require belt packs or base stations. They utilize a special operating system known “Frequency Hopping” which means they constantly monitor the air and switch channels automatically to avoid interference. Coaches also benefit from the “Auto Mute” boom that shuts off the microphone when set in the straight up position. In addition, the 900 Mhz band provides over twice the output power and are designed for use in University and Pro stadiums. WEB: portaphone.com

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THE SPORTS ATTACK AERIAL ATTACK INTRODUCING THE NEW AERIAL ATTACK

Football machine that is designed for football programs on a tight budget. This unit will deliver right-footed deep spiral punts that turn over as well as end-over-end kickoffs for coverage and return practice. Plus… it throws both long and short passes for receiving and defensive drills. The machine pivots in any direction to challenge the defensive coverage or to instantly throw to an exact location. The two solid polyurethane throwing wheels grip the ball for a tight spiral and precise ball delivery. The Aerial Attack is easily moved around during practice or can be used with the Universal Cart Clamp to attach to any cart. Now all programs can afford to practice like the pros and make the most of every practice. MSRP: $2,999 WEB: sportsattack.com/football/aerial-attack/

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SECTION

Q&A with albany head coach

greg gattuso BY BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN

lbany head football coach Greg Gattuso is heading into his eighth season at the helm with the

Great Danes. He led Albany to its first FCS playoff win and a nine-win season in 2019, and in 2016 he led the program to its first win over an FBS opponent (Buffalo). When he took over in 2014, the program had a six-win turnaround the first year, going from one to seven wins. Gattuso was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award in 2019, given to the top FCS head coach in the country, and he won CAA Coach of the Year honors. His freshman quarterback in 2019, Jeff Undercuffler, took home CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year and returns this fall as a very experienced sophomore and one of the nation’s leading passers. Gattuso, 59, was a starter on the defensive line for Penn State under Joe Paterno in the early 1980s, playing on the 1982 national championship team. He later went into coaching and won several league titles with Duquesne, sporting a 97-32 record in 12 seasons with eight conference championships before becoming an assistant coach at Pitt under Dave Wannstedt. He later coached at Maryland under Randy Edsall. He was the primary recruiter of a then three-star Pitt signee Aaron Donald, who has gone on to much success in the NFL. A native of Pittsburgh, the coach and his wife Colleen have two daughters, Jacqueline and Kaitlin.

ff Alright, coach, my first question for you is vitally important to ask: Since you’re the head coach of the Albany Great Danes, do you actually have Great Danes as canine pets? Yes, actually we do. We have two -- Blitz and Bruno Sammartino. Bruno is named after a legend in professional wrestling who was from Pittsburgh and one of my heroes when I was a kid. My wife had always wanted a Great Dane, actually. So, when we were on my second interview at Albany, we were driving around, and my wife Colleen said that if I got this job, I’d

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have to get her a Great Dane now. Blitz is a Harlequin Great Dane (the largest breed), and Blitz ran in front of the team when we came out onto the field the first year. We also have two Maine Coons (large cats), a horse, and a Llama. We love animals, as you can tell.

ff When you played at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno in the early 1980s, how would you sum up that experience? I had a fabulous experience at Penn State, and coach Paterno was a huge influence. You know, back then, you didn’t see as many 80,000-seat stadiums with that massive amount of people. Then you go somewhere like Penn State and see that stadium. Wow. It was an incredible experience, and we were ranked in the top 10 pretty much the whole time I was there. I played against Dan Marino and Marcus Allen, and we beat six top-20

teams the year we won the national championship (in 1982).

ff The teams and the coaches you played against form like a Who’s Who of College Football, don’t they? Alabama, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Miami, Southern Cal … and Bear Bryant, Tom Osborne, Howard Schnellenberger, you name it. Did being around Paterno and facing iconic figures like this impact your desire to be a coach one day? You know, not as much as you’d think. I was a policeman for four years after college, and I wanted to be an FBI agent or chief of police. It never dawned on me to play in the NFL, and I wouldn’t say being around the big-name coaches caused me to go into coaching. I got to know Johnny Majors and Jimmy Johnson during recruiting, too, and many others. But if anybody did get me inspired to be a coach, it was my high school coach, Tom Donahoe. He went on to be a general manager in the NFL (Pittsburgh, Buffalo). He was my mentor, and he still keeps in touch with me.

ff Does recruiting drive you nuts, or do you truly enjoy the ins and outs of it? You’ll hear a lot of people complain about recruiting, but I love when I get to meet families and see a young man in his environment. We don’t often get that pick-of-the-litter kid. We may get more of the pick of the litter now that we’re having some success as we’ve grown, and I’ve always tried to recruit guys like that, but also we look for the underrated guys. When I was at Pitt, Aaron Donald was a hidden gem (signing class of 2010). We love to find guys like Aaron. When someone loves a kid, whether it’s

a mom or a dad or a grandparent or an uncle or aunt, I feel great about recruiting a hidden gem. If something’s not going right, and I can call that family member who loves him? That makes me feel good about a kid because I know they’ll have my back. It doesn’t have to be a traditional family, as things have changed so much, but I look for that in a kid and with his family. And once we find that kid, we try to make him into a bigger person and player. That’s what I enjoy.

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ff How has technology changed your coaching career since you began in the 1980s? Oh, it’s like the difference between a car from 1940 and a brand-new car off the lot in 2021. It’s funny you ask that question. I literally was just talking about this the other day. One of my good friends had me and my staff over, and that came up. And I was telling a story about being on a recruiting trip and having a map in one hand, having to pull over and scramble to find a quarter or a dime to call a recruit on a payphone. Kids today probably don’t even know what a payphone is. Then I’d have to grab the map and keep driving. Of course, I didn’t have GPS – I’m dating myself here. You would call the high school coach and leave a voicemail that you’d be there around 10 a.m. or something and try not to get lost getting there so you could make the time. Honestly, the access today is so good for the kids and the coaches. You should have no problem being in touch with anybody. The access with the kids is through the roof, and if the kids want to know about you, they can look up articles on you. They and their families have the information out there to look at you and the school. And then there’s the other part of technology … the video side …

ff What kind of technology would you say you rely on the most these days?

Oh, all of my young coaches, that’s what I’d say I rely on. But seriously, I’m a good technology coach, even though I’m a little bit older (59 years old). I have the iPad, I have the smart phone, and I have my smartwatch. Sometimes I might need a little help here and there, but I keep up on that. GPS was an alien technology to me at first, and now I’m just amazed by GPS and not having to stop on the side of the road to find a payphone and directions. That makes recruiting so much easier these days. It changed everything. When ff Yes sir, let’s get into that – take us through you look at the sequence of events, technology that: How much has the art of breaking down has really changed everything about football. film changed? Vince Lombardi said football is all about I was talking to Tony Wise, who has been blocking and tackling, but now coaches an offensive line coach in the NFL for 30 also know every play. That’s thanks to how years and was once at Albany (1973 as an accessible and easy to work with the film is. If assistant). He told me stories of working I, as a coach, can find those little things to give with 16-millimeter tape, cutting it with my players an edge, we now have reduced the scissors, hanging it on the wall, and splicing gap between us and a team that may be better ■■Gattuso recruited NFL Star Aaron Donald in endzone and side shots. The stories are than us, talent-wise. I say our talent gap is 20 out of high school. spectacular, listening to them. I don’t know percent, we might get it to 50/50 if we as a staff when they slept, and how often they just worked through the can prepare for it, and technology allows that to be possible. Don’t night. Just the pressure to get one cutup done must have been get me wrong, I trust my gut, and I think that’s a part of it, too. tough. Can you imagine walking into the head coach’s office But analytics is an interesting animal. God bless Hudl. The days and you didn’t splice it right, and all the stuff starts burning up? of getting VHS tapes in the mail and then the VCR tape breaks, Just the technology of preparing tape for a game has changed or the tape gets chewed up? Well, Hudl for recruiting has been a so much over the years. game-changer in that aspect.

COLLEGE Q&A ff If you hadn’t had Zoom or other platforms to connect with your players last year during the pandemic, what would that experience have been like? For instance, what would have been like when you were head coach at Duquesne in the 1990s if COVID-19 had hit? How would you have kept your team glued together, communications-wise? Obviously, Zoom is going to change the world. I’m sure some business people may not be happy because it may cost them a trip they wanted to go on, but it’s here. But Zoom would have been awesome to have back in the 1990s if this had happened back then. It was tough not being allowed to meet with people in person, and I think the pandemic was brutal on these poor kids, and it was a way to stay connected. When you can’t train together as a team, and they cancel your season, that’s tough. People have it a lot harder in this world than just players and coaches, but in our world, it was brutal, and that was one way to stay in touch.

■■Coach Gattuso thinks tools such as Zoom are going to not only change football, but also the world.

ff Coach, you won nine games and captured the first FCS playoff victory in school history in 2019. The past year was a roller coaster because of the pandemic, but you were able to get four games in (spring 2021), and you retain a lot of that 2019 talent. How are things looking heading into the fall? I think when you look at what we went through, our situation – we didn’t wear pads at all in 2020, and we had maybe two weeks of weight training that wasn’t cancelled. It showed up when we tried to play a few games this spring when we had injuries. We did beat a good New Hampshire team to start the spring, and we lost in overtime to Rhode Island, and then a close one to Stony Brook, and the injuries took their toll. I don’t know how to predict what we’re going to do, but the kids are fired up about this year. They talk about it every day, and there’s a buzz around our football team right now.

ff You open with a trip to national powerhouse North Dakota State, and in week three, you travel to Syracuse – and you play in one of the FCS’ power conferences, the CAA. You have a talented roster, so how pumped are you to have these challenges on the schedule – these opportunities to rise to national prominence? I made this schedule. Nobody forced anything on us. I’m not one of those coaches who is just handed the schedule. We believe we play in one of the best conferences – there are no weak sisters here. Nobody anymore can say they have an easy game in the CAA. And of course, we want to play NDSU. We’ve heard so much about the FargoDome and can’t wait to get there. We know our CAA games will be tough. We know our challenges will come every week, but the kids are buzzing about it – and it helps in recruiting to play these kinds of games.

ff Last question, coach. When we reached out originally, you hit us back with a photo of your feet propped up at the beach, and you said you were heading back from vacationing in the Florida Keys. You and your wife love that part of the country, it seems? Oh yeah, we love the Keys. We’ve gone eight straight years, and our daughter was even married there a few years ago on the beach. The people are incredibly nice, and it’s the most relaxing place. I have no urge to pick up my cellphone to call anybody or pick up when it rings. We go into town at night and have a wonderful time. My secret goal is to retire and go drive the Conch Train tour in the Keys. That’s going to be me one day. I’m good at talking the whole time, and I can just make stuff up, and it’ll be great. Nobody will know I just made it up.

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3 things high school coaches need to know about name, image, likeness (NIL) BY MALIK S. JACKSON, ESQ.

e on alert: NIL pay is not for high school athletes.

Coaches that teach interscholastic athletes and mentor intercollegiate athletes must understand the new laws and eligibility rules to keep players eligible to compete. Although the NCAA waived enforcement of NIL-related eligibility rules, they have not deleted these rules. Families and coaches jeopardize player eligibility when mistakenly suggesting athletes enter NIL agreements for pay while in high school. Until intercollegiate athletic participation has a definition and start date, every player, including multisport athletes, should avoid entry into any NIL deals until obtaining a high school diploma, GED or an equivalent. Establishing this “fence” around players is necessary to protect their high school eligibility, especially since licensed and unlicensed agents are ready to pounce in states where NIL legislation has taken effect.

FIRST CATEGORY: Inform players and families: No NIL deals until a player’s

high school graduation

To be safe, coaches and players must treat NIL rights to compensation as beginning upon a player’s high school graduation. The executive director of the NFHS says the NCAA’s waiver of athletics eligibility requirements for NIL deals is “disturbing and contradictory” and clarified that NIL pay is not for high school athletes. Coaches need to counsel intercollegiate athletes to define the scope of any representation for NIL deals in a written agreement after graduation.

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ATTORNEY ENGAGEMENT ON NIL “Nationally, interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics stakeholders need help interpreting legislation, regulation, administration and litigation developments on NIL rights and compensation.”

SECOND CATEGORY: Inform players and families of the special NIL treatment

for elite minors

Obtain court approval for NIL deals: intercollegiate minors must engage courts to approve NIL deals since minors lack the capacity to contract. This affects early enrollees, minor freshmen and NIL pay providers. Parents entering NIL deals on behalf of a minor may create legal exposure and potential high school athletics ineligibility. For example, NIL agreements entered by parents on behalf of minors related to gambling and performance-enhancing drugs will imperil a minor’s eligibility to compete.

THIRD CATEGORY: Stop any attempts to recruit high school players

with NIL deals

Avoid any college recruiter that uses NIL deals to recruit players to join or stay in an athletic program since this violates the law and NCAA rules. Coaches must counsel all intercollegiate players to avoid any NIL deal in exchange for participation or achievement in an athletic program, and players must avoid pay or inducements to participate. Additionally, a player must avoid pay or inducements to dissuade the player from transferring away from a school.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Malik S. Jackson, Esq. is a sports attorney with Smith Hulsey & Busey in Jacksonville, Fla. As a former NCAA quarterback, middle school teacher and football coach, he brings a unique perspective to his practice. Jackson helps clients navigate NIL issues, including: ■■ Federal and state legislation ■■ Federal and state regulation and rulemaking ■■ Institutional, conference and associational administration ■■ Federal and state court litigation ■■ Contract drafting on NIL Contact him at 904-359-7717 or mjackson@smithhulsey.com

SECTIONPHONE: 60 YEARS PORTA

Celebrating

60of Porta Years Phone

■■John Hooper was an outstanding athlete

headset systems

Porta Phone is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2021 -- a remarkable feat for a company that has always specialized in making simple, affordable, cutting edge communication systems for coaches. While the headset technology has evolved over the years to digital wireless systems, the one thing that hasn’t changed is Porta Phone’s ability to provide the outstanding service that football coaches need.

■■At Colgate Hooper publishes the Football Scouter

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

■■Hooper - young coach and innovator

PORTA PHONE: 60 YEARS

ohn Hooper Sr. started Porta Phone in 1961 when he was head coach at Upsala College

in New Jersey. As a former scout for Colgate University, Hooper had previously authored “The Football Scouter”, a widely used booklet that scouts used to record opponents’ tendencies. Recognizing the need for trustworthy technology for in-game communication in his new post at Upsala, Hooper created his own set of wired sideline telephones. He later offered the product to coaches as a package with “The Football Scouter”. Hooper Sr. kept his sons, John Jr. and Paul, close to the Upsala football program -- and the Porta Phone operation. When it came time for John Jr. and Paul to take over leadership roles at Porta Phone, they had an appreciation for the challenges football coaches face and the importance of providing personalized customer service. John Hooper Jr. joined FNF Coaches to reflect on Porta Phone’s 60 years.

What was it like growing up as the son of a football coach and innovator? “It was certainly a lot of fun and we were learning about the football industry growing up. I can remember my dad would often take a pill that was used to keep people from getting seasick the night before big games just to help him sleep. We didn’t even realize it back then, but there was tremendous pressure on him to win just as there is for coaches today. That helped shape this company. Being on the bus and the sidelines with Dad’s teams as kids, my brother Paul and I got to experience the emotions of the game early on. Now, when it comes time to service our coaches, we have an appreciation for the obstacles they have to overcome.”

The pandemic’s impact on the economy underscores how impressive of a feat it is to keep a company in business for 60 years. What has been the key for Porta Phone? “Paul and I started exhibiting at Kellogg’s Coach of the Year Clinics in the 1970’s. We met coaches back then -- some of whom are still Porta Phone customers today. It’s a legacy, and we’ve passed on Coach Hooper’s commitment to excellence to the folks who now work with us here every day. Porta Phone has withstood the test of time, and ultimately my dad gets the credit because he taught us how to treat coaches. Paul and I also played football, and that’s added to the appreciation of what coaches need. Outstanding personal service has and always will be a cornerstone of the Porta Phone Company.”

What does the future hold for Porta Phone? “We’ve been doing this full-time for over 40 years. Paul, like my dad, has a gift for innovation and his product developments will continue to steer Porta Phone forward. My dad just celebrated his 94th birthday; we’re very fortunate to have learned a lot from him. It has been extremely rewarding to have been able to work together as a family. We’re so thankful to all the coaches that have put their trust in us along the way. Everyone at Porta Phone takes tremendous pride knowing that the equipment we supply is on the sidelines with them, and this is what keeps us all focused on the future.”

WEB: PORTAPHONE.COM

PHONE: 1-800-233-1113

INFLUENCERS

INFLUENCER

ff An offensive line coach has 27,000 followers? That’s pretty impressive.

Nate

There’s this unspoken, underground offensive line community that just love o-line clips, techniques.”

“Nasty” Leonard

New Braunfels (TX) High School

ff How do you use it right now at your school?

TWITTER: @COACHNASTYTX

Some people “do” Twitter, others learn to “own” it. Texas high school football coach Nate “Nasty” Leonard owns Twitter. “I’m huge on social media. It’s free advertisement,” he says. FNF Coaches chatted with Leonard about how and why he utilizes Twitter. BY DEREK SMITH

ff Why do you use social media? “You get to promote your student-athletes. You get to promote your school and you get to promote your community. It’s a free display of your culture. What you’re about. What your community is about. What your school is about. What your kids are about. You get to put your place on the map. We aim to make people think about the red team when they think about New Braunfels, the Cougars. We want to control the narrative of the program.”

ff When you say ‘control the narrative,’ that almost sounds political in a way. ff Social media hasn’t been around that long. When did you figure out it would be good for you and the places you coached? “When I was at UTSA I wrote for The Huffington Post. They asked me to write what was called ‘Diary of a College Football Player.’ After that I started writing for the school’s website but it was a way for me to see what else was out there. I created a Twitter account in 2012. I didn’t know what to expect. I got to see how you can use social media as a positive message board for your program. I didn’t have many followers at all. We would tweet about sports things. Then as a coach I started networking with other coaches and tweeting about offensive line things. When I got to Duke I tweeted this one thing about one of our offensive lineman knocking the helmet off a linebacker and it went viral.”

NATE LEONARD’S NICKNAME IS “NASTY.” A NATIVE OF

McKinney, TX, he was a “not very athletic,” 5-11 undersized center who was only offered one college scholarship – to the University of Texas-San Antonio under former Miami coach Larry Coker. After redshirting in 2010, Leonard started all 46 games (2011-14) in his career for the Roadrunners, becoming a Capital One Academic All-American, Conference USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a finalist for the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Trophy. More importantly, it was at UTSA where he was dubbed “Nasty” for his aggressive play.

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ff It sounds like red is a branding thing for you guys. “It is. The main branding is ‘paint this town red.’ It’s our hashtag.”

ff How do you incorporate the players and students in social media? “Anytime they post a highlight, we retweet it. We blow it up. We post pictures of the kids and all the good things they do in the community. The kids love social media and they want that recognition just like anybody else does. It’s a way to get our community excited about the program.”

ff What other social media platforms do you use? “Twitter is my main thing.”

“We want people to see the brightest parts of our program. What we set forth.”

“NASTY’S” BIO

“There are two teams in New Braunfels. The New Braunfels Unicorns. They are blue. And we are the Canyon Cougars. We want people to associate New Braunfels with red, Canyon. Our community is wonderful. We want people to know that.”

ff Is there something specific about Twitter you like? “Twitter is where the kids are. We knew this as recruiters at Duke. It’s still that way. We are able to interact with them. We are able to promote them. That’s why I’m on Twitter as a coach.” We first started using to post scores from the games we covered and then we’d post our stories. “If I re-tweet something then all my followers can see it.”

Leonard, 30, made three stops as a teacher and assistant coach at the high school level – Memorial in San Antonio, TX, (2015-16), Seguin in Seguin, TX, (2016-17) and Reagan in San Antonio (2017-18). A chance meeting with Duke coach David Cutcliff at a coach’s convention in Charlotte, N.C., led to a GA position with the Blue Devils’ offense. Leonard helped coach current New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. But, Leonard’s heart was in Texas and high school football. Leonard spent two years as offensive coordinator at Clear Lake in Houston, TX, before his offensive coordinator at UTSA, Travis Bush, added him to a new staff at Canyon in New Braunfels, TX. @COACHNASTYTX CARICATURE DESIGNED BY @GO4TWOSPORTS

INFLUENCERS

INFLUENCER

“Good Morning Minute of Inspiration”

ff How do you feel like this benefits the player?

Podcaster Jim Pusateri BY DEREK SMITH

term coined from the digital age is social media influencer – someone who has built a reputa-

tion for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic. They post regularly on different social media sites to generate followers that pay close attention to their area of specialty or interest. Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo and Taylor Swift are a few that come to mind, but Florida high school football coach Jim Pusateri has thousands of followers on apps and the internet who subscribe to his “Good Morning Minute of Inspiration” podcast. FNF Coaches spoke with Pusateri about his daily messages before the start of the 2021 season.

ff Tell me about your ‘Today’s Words of Encouragement.’

ff These words of inspiration can be common for business people, coaches and athletes?

“It’s basically designed to give people words of encouragement each and every morning and the one minute video I post is a marketing piece for the podcast. The podcast is around 15 or 20 minutes and is a little motivation to get the day going. It was originally for my students, my players, and it’s kind of grown to being heard all over the world.”

“Anybody that needs a little nudge, move forward, is what we talk about. There are always going to be setbacks, always going to be mistakes, challenges. You just have to move forward through them.”

ff So it’s for anyone – coaches, people not involved in football?

ff Is there a mental aspect to it?

“Yes, definitely. My background is a little bit different. I haven’t been a teacher my whole life. I come from the business world. It was originally for the entrepreneur. And then I started to incorporate the students and my players. Right now we’re being heard in over a hundred countries and a hundred percent of the United States.”

ff From a football standpoint, what do you hope players and coaches take from it? “A little direction to get them through their day. Life skills.” “It’s what we call mental training performance.”

ff What is mental toughness performance? “You have to turn the negatives in your mind to positives. When a negative thought pops into your head, write it down and then re-write it in a positive statement. Researchers say you get 10,000 to 60,000 thoughts a day and 80 percent of them are negative.”

COACH PUSATERI’S BIO PUSATERI, 64, COMES FROM A BUSINESS BACKGROUND, NOT

football. After graduating from high school in Oak Lawn, Il., he owned and operated businesses – advertising and marketing, real estate, sporting goods, printing and publishing – for over 30 years before getting involved in teaching and football. “I didn’t go to college straight out of high school. I went into the business world. I’ve had about four or five different companies. Some successful, some not so successful.” Pusateri held a variety positions in high school, college and indoor football in the Chicago-area and relocated to central Florida in 2014.

“If the football player makes a bad play we teach them, instead of dwelling on the negative, you have to create a positive thought in your mind. If you drop the football, visualize catching the football, tucking it. Now it erases the bad moment. Young kids sometimes take that bad moment and it’s going to hurt them for the rest of the game.”

ff What about a coach? How would he apply this? “Pretty much the same way. You can’t let the bad moments in your life control the rest of your life, the next play. You’ve got to let it go. Say ‘what’s next.’ Go to the next step.”

ff Where can you find the one-minute daily message? “You Tube, Facebook, Shout Engine, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn. We’re on everything.”

ff How would someone search for it? “You could search by my name. Or Good Morning Minute of Inspiration.”

ff Tell me about your upcoming book? “I’m working on it. It’s probably six months away. Everything slows down during football season. It’s going to be on mindset and mental toughness. It also gets into my life story.”

ff Tell me a little more about yourself. “I love the challenge of starting something new. And I love mentoring people on how to do it – the day to day operations of business. It took me a while to figure out that teaching and coaching is really what makes me tick. I’ve found my passion in life. It took me 40 years to get to that point. Some days I can’t believe they pay me to do this.”

“When I started thinking about teaching I ended up in Florida because I could get a temporary certificate.” Pusateri taught business at University High School in Orlando and was head coach for three years. Meanwhile, he began offering inspirational messages and mental performance training on multiple digital platforms. He was named head coach at Central High School in Brooksville, Fl., in July of 2021 after four years as a PE teacher, assistant athletic director and head coach at Cornerstone Charter Academy in Belle Isle, Fl. Pusateri holds a degree in Business Management from Benedictine University and Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University, and has Florida teaching certificates in health, PE, social science and business.

TECH CORNER

Sideline Power Bowl RAISING AWARENESS FOR SPINA BIFIDA AND AUTISM BY MATT STARR

M ■■Above: Sideline Power hosted the 1st annual Backyard Battle to raise awareness for Autism and Spina Bifida. ■■Right: Zander (left), Aiden (right)

y name is Matt Starr, CEO and Owner of Sideline Power. Sideline Power

has teamed up with FNF Coaches to bring you the latest and greatest in coaching technology each issue. For this issue however, I want to switch gears a little bit to something a bit more personal. It’s time to get #PoweredUP with this issue’s topic, Spina Bifida and Autism awareness Outside of working and coaching, my wife and I spend exorbitant amounts of energy working with our two boys, one of whom was born with Spina Bifida and the other who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Spina Bifida is a birth defect where the spinal cord fails to fully develop or close properly while in the womb. Spina Bifida affects about 200,000 kids in the entire United States and while medical treatment can help, it is incurable. Autism encompasses a variety of neurologically diverse conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the CDC, autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 kids in the United States. Again, medical treatment can help but, like Spina Bifida, autism is incurable. Energetic and enthusiastic, our boys have always wanted to be engaged with sports and activities like all kids their ages. Most kids their age, however, don’t readily understand the different complications that stem from living with disabilities. When I was a kid, I never knew what kids with disabilities went through, unless I saw it happening at school. For example, over the last

twelve months my boys have had over 50 different doctors appointments, 26 days of hospital stays, multiple surgeries, and months upon months of physical rehabilitations. Even with all the challenges and restrictive nature of their diseases, like any other kid, they enjoy being involved in team sports in any capacity. As a coach, you play an integral role in the athletic AND personal development of every single youth that comes through your program. The culture of your program is the essence of what you encourage your youth to believe, value, and do. It is the visual representation of how youth in your program connect, communicate, think, work and act. Programs with cultures that promote inclusivity, humility, and community have stronger ties with their community and more ardent support FROM their community. Raising awareness of disabilities like Autism and Spina Bifida help youth in your program better understand and empathize with youth who love every day with these disabilities. Youth who, at the end of the day, want to be engaged, active, and part of an amazing team and an amazing culture.

Scan the QR code to check out the inaugural Sideline Power Bowl raising awareness of Spina Bifida and Autism 14

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

FROM THE SIDELINE

The 7 States Mafia

How Seven head football coaches from across the country used technology to come together during the COVID-19 Pandemic – and formed a unique bond. BY CRAIG BARONCELLI

t was March 2020 and Gooding High School (Idaho) head football coach

Cameron Andersen knew COVID-19 was going to take a toll on his life as a football coach, husband, and father. “As coaches, we pour our life into the development of young men, and then you can’t see the young men,” Andersen explained. “Your life is built upon relationships with other coaches and people and then you can’t interact them anymore. It was going to be brutal.” He also knew he had to address the way he was feeling. “I am one of those guys that is very associated with ‘don’t talk about stuff you don’t have a solution for,” said Andersen. “Guys were talking about how (the pandemic) was going to impact them, but I said it wasn’t going to impact me because I was going to get better.” So, Andersen set out to get better. He saw waves of coaches flocking to join an app called Band, which refers to itself as “the app for groups”. High school football coaching “bands” were set up almost overnight as a means for coaches to connect, communicate, and bond. The 39-year-old Andersen joined the app and began to engage, but soon realized he wanted something that would allow him to be more transparent, honest, and personal. Being a teacher, coach, husband, and a father of four young children, he knew he needed to maximize his time to yield the results he expected. For two weeks he started taking notes on a yellow legal pad while using the app – “I am an English teacher, I write”, he said. He jotted down the names of coaches on the app he either learned something from or found they aligned with his core beliefs. He then whittled a lengthy list down to 25 head coaches. Andersen then ran a Zoom call with the 25 coaches – and then another and another. Eventually, he discovered five head coaches who all connected with each other. They were: Denny Molzen, Castro Valley High School (CA); Nicholas

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Garrett. Riverside Military Academy (GA); Nathan McPeek, Frederick Douglass High School (KY); Jon Adkins, MahometSeymour High School (IL) and Derek Tuttle, Andover Central High School (KS). Next, Andersen sent the five coaches a group text message: “Hey, are you guys cool if we start a Twitter chat? I wrote a culture piece called The Forge - would you look at it and give me your thoughts?” The replies were immediate and resounding – all five were on board and inundating Andersen - and each other - with feedback. And with those replies, the 7 States Mafia was born. Well, almost. With six coaches on board, Andersen asked the group to consider one more voice: Mike Peck, head coach of Prairie View (WA) High School. Andersen had previously followed and engaged with Peck on social media and thought he would be a great addition to the group. The group agreed, as did Peck. The group hit the ground running. The 7 States Mafia Twitter chats quickly shifted to group text and Zoom, and they then they added the app Marco Polo into the mix. The conversations quickly evolved from occasional to frequent to daily to hourly. The conversations covered an array of topics … – X’s & O’s, philosophy, culture, family, spirituality, and life in general -- and the more they spoke the more personal it became. Conversations eventually led to team hat exchanges, plane flights and week-long stays - and even included guest coaching appearances during games. Andersen emphasized that regardless of the way they communicated and what was discussed, the common bond for the group was for each of them to be there for each other. Andersen said this group helped save each other during an otherwise dark time. What started to stay connected and grow, has now become, as member Coach Garrett says – the birth of an extended family.

FROM THE SIDELINE Cameron Andersen

IN THEIR OWN WORDS… Denny Molzen CASTRO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL (CA)

Head Football Coach I HAVE GROWN

more as a coach in the last year and half from the expertise in this group than in the first 16 years of my coaching career. It would be impossible to count the ways they have made me a better coach daily, whether it’s over text, Hudl film, Zoom, Marc Polo discussions on scheme or philosophy including the legendary one I witnessed with Coach Adkins and Peck at Pickles Bar & Grill in Gooding, Idaho. More importantly, I am a better man, husband and father seeing how much family means to all these men. The time and energy they put in their programs is impressive enough, but the commitment to their families and loved ones is inspiring. I am extremely lucky to have these six men a part of my life.

Mike Peck PRAIRIE VIEW HIGH SCHOOL (WA)

Head Football Coach THIS IS A SPECIAL

group of men who have not only made me a better football coach but more importantly a better man. The pandemic was a tough time for everybody, and this group helped each other get through it. The daily talks about x’s and o’s, leadership, and development of young men undoubtedly will have a huge impact on all our programs and thus hundreds and hundreds of young men.

GOODING HIGH SCHOOL (ID)

Head Football Coach, Creator of the 7 States Mafia I AM THE CREATOR

of the 7 States Mafia. When the pandemic started, I wanted to be proactive in growing as a coach and a person. I wasn’t going to let the situation dictate my development and growth. I never would have guessed that it would become what it has. From not knowing each other, to traveling thousands of miles to meet and watch each other coach - it has been truly amazing. We have helped each other through extremely tough times and celebrated one another’s victories in life and in coaching. This is truly an amazing group of uncommon men!

Jon Adkins MAHOMET-SEYMOUR HIGH SCHOOL (IL)

Head Football Coach I AM NO DOUBT THE

troublemaker of the group. I am referred to as the “crazy dancing wizard.”. But in all seriousness, these guys saved my life during the pandemic. We would get on Marco Polo and text thread all day, every day and talk football. I found six other guys who love football as much as I do. I am extremely honored and blessed to have gotten to know these guys and their families. I have personally travelled to Idaho, Kansas, and Kentucky to visit some of these guys, and I cannot wait to visit the other three states. I consider these guys great friends. #7SM

Derek Tuttle ANDOVER CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL (KS)

Head Football Coach I TEND TO FOCUS

on player development and core values with my team and this carries over to the 7SM. I’ve improved a lot from learning about McPeek’s “Living the Core,” Peck’s “Falcon Creed,” Adkins’ “Bulldog Pyramid”, Garrett’s philosophy on leadership and culture, Molzen’s player development, and of course, Andersen’s “The Forge.”

Nicholas Garrett RIVERSIDE MILITARY ACADEMY (GA)

Head Football Coach I MET THE 7SM

during the pandemic on multiple zoom clinic platforms hosted by California HS coaches to Illinois HS coaches. Coach Andersen built a group of like-minded coaches that have a passion for selfless service through transformational leadership of young men – all of this is outside of just X’s and O’s. Each member of the 7SM mafia bounced topics from scheme, to coaching development, leadership development, family variables and many other platforms in which coaches don’t spend enough time developing. We constantly check in on each other either in person by car or airplane or through Marco Polo. It’s has been a little over a year since we first came together and there isn’t a better group of men, husbands, parents, and coaches then the men in this group. It is a true honor and privilege to call these men not only fellow coaches but my extended family.

Nathan McPeek FREDERICK DOUGLASS HIGH SCHOOL (KY)

Head Football Coach THE 7 STATES

Mafia, formed by Coach Anderseon really helped me during the lockdown. The mafia has taught so much about life and the game of football. The lasting friendships that I’ve built with this group is amazing and I’m very thankful for each of them. We have managed to see most of the group in person and they are great people that care about one another. #7SM

TECHNOLOGY

COACHCOMM TEMPO GO

The Ultimate Game-Preparation Tool BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

The CoachComm Tempo GO provides a proven D1 practice workflow to help coaches run efficient, scripted practices for any size team. Coaches gain the ability to play music, sounds, and control segments with play clocks so that their practices always stay on schedule.

ecently retired North Forney High

(Texas) head coach Randy Jackson has a new mission. The 54-year-old wants to spend the rest of his career serving as a coach for coaches. The CoachComm Tempo GO is a part of that mission. Through his new business, Elite Coaches’ Mastermind, Jackson shares with coaches his experience of using the CoachComm Tempo GO in practices. “My whole mission in life is to coach coaches,” Jackson said. “The Tempo GO is a piece of that.” Jackson used the Tempo GO during practices for four seasons at North Forney. He was inspired to purchase the product for his program after visiting several college practices and seeing the efficient way in which they operate. “Success leaves clues,” Jackson said. “We try to replicate what winners do. When you visit colleges and they have these huge systems, you’re envious when you think about how much better your practices can be.” Once CoachComm released the Tempo GO at an affordable price point for high school programs, Jackson called the purchase “a no-brainer.” He started scripting practices in two-minute segments. “A lot of people practice in 20-minute segments,” Jackson said. “Most people practice the exact opposite of how games work. Everything we do prepares us for the game. The game is

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the

CoachComm Tempo GO Mobile and affordable practice management

COACHCOMM.COM/TEMPO-GO 1-800-749-2761

A SECOND HALF SPARK JACKSON BELIEVES THE MOST

crucial part of any high school football game is the first four minutes after halftime. For that reason, he spent 11 minutes of practice time mocking the transition from halftime to the second half. That included a five-minute halftime break, a one-minute warmup, a kickoff, and four minutes of offense vs. defense. “That was so much easier using Tempo GO,” Jackson said. “I think every coach should do the same 11 minutes. It’s hard with a traditional segment timer. The Tempo GO allows you to take those creative ideas and put them into practice.”

ebbs and flows. The offense is out for two minutes, the defense is out for two minutes, the kicking team is out for a play. The Tempo GO allows teams to practice that way.” Jackson also found that playing music through the Tempo GO helped lift his players’ energy levels during morning practices. “Everything in sports progresses,” Jackson said. “It’s scientifically proven that music increases energy levels by 7 percent. Any coach who is still practicing the way you practiced in high school ought to rethink that. Periods are shorter, and there are more transitions. Offenses and defenses are different than they were 15 years ago. Why are you practicing the same way?” According to Jackson, the rhythm of North Forney’s scripted practices became ingrained in his players’ collective DNA. For instance, every time players were given a 1-minute period to transition to a new segment, the song, “I Like to Move It,” by Reel to Real, started playing. Players moved to a new station in unison. “They know when they hear that song, it’s time to move it,” Jackson said. “You can put in crowd noise. The head coach can stop it remotely and speak through the speakers. I’m an outsidethe-box, creative thinker, and this allows you to go wherever you want to go with practice. “If I get back into coaching, a Tempo Go will be a non-negotiable ‘must have’ to coach there.”

HEADSETS COACHES TRUST “Our Cobalt system was a great asset to us this spring.”

“The Cobalt system is awesome. It is definitely a no-brainer.”

TONY TESTA WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE

LOUIE RODRIGUEZ BISHOP HS

“Cobalt Plus headsets played a vital role in capturing our first state championship in school history!”

“The communication is crystal clear especially from longer distances, sideline to press box.”

MARK LYONS CENTRAL VALLEY HS

CHRIS SMITHLEY WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY

“They delivered in every way possible...including peace of mind!”

“I have no doubt that we picked the right system with Cobalt Plus.”

ZACH BLUM MIDDLETOWN HS

CHRIS KOETTING CANADIAN HS

“Great clarity allows for coaches to communicate quickly and gives us the best chance to make calls and adjustments for our players.” COACH WOJ DAKOTA RIDGE HS

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sideline spotlight

SECTION

Football There are products that just make a coach’s job easier or more enjoyable, and we want to share some of those with you. Here is a collection of products we at FNF Coaches like.

MAVIC AIR 2S ZOOM SPORTS PACKAGE WITH SMART CONTROLLER The Mavic Air 2s drone is powered by a 1/2.3 inch CMOS 12MP sensor with up to four-times zoom, including a two-times optical zoom (24 – 48mm). Capture ultra-vivid 20-megapixel aerial shots in stunning color detail at practice and during the game. The DJI Smart Controller is designed to maximize your outdoor flying experience with the Mavic Air. It has a built-in 5.5-inch 1080p screen, providing an ultra-bright display to keep your live feed easily viewable, even in direct sunlight. WEB | SIDELINEPOWER.COM

BIG GAME USA Nike and Big Game

HOUR-A-THON High school football teams across the country have been turning to Hour-A-Thon to raise money for their teams. One Hour-A-Thon Fundraising specialist will run the Hour-A-Thon program directly with the coach. They will be with you every step of the way to ensure the success of the fundraiser. HourA-Thon only uses a direct text from the player, followed by a phone call which in turn can lead to an immediate donation. Results are LIVE for the players to see during the fundraiser. High School Football Teams all over the country have raised thousands in only 1 hour! Contact them today to get your Hour-A-Thon Fundraiser scheduled www.hour-a-thon.com WEB | HOUR-A-THON.COM

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

USA have partnered up to create the firstever Vapor Elite customizer for fans and athletes alike. Using our interactive, 3D football configurator at BigGameUSA.com, you can choose the Swoosh colors, laces, leather style, stripes, size, and even add your ID Badge. Football players should be able to design footballs as unique as their game, and we’re here to empower the best in the country. FNF subscribers can get 10 percent off plus free shipping on their orders using the code FNF2021. WEB | BIGGAMEUSA.COM

Technology OXYTURF Gridiron grime has finally met its match. OxyTurf is setting the standard and industry protocol for cleaning and disinfecting synthetic sports turf. An EPA registered synthetic turf disinfectant that kills covid, staph, and 99.9 percent of bacteria

with the game-time scent of fresh, real grass! Keep your players safe and your season intact with the only turf cleaner-disinfectant that smells like touchdowns! Call the owner and creator direct at 714.396.4143 today. WEB | OXYTURF.COM

LoudMouth by ProCom NEW from ProCom. Coaches are in the press box to get the best view of the game. The sacrifice has always been that those coaches can’t talk to their players when they come off of the field. ProCom has solved that dilemma with the LoudMouth! NEVER BEFORE: Like a two-way speaker, coaches can now talk to players on the field and players can even talk back! No more waiting until halftime to make adjustments! WEB | PROCOMHEADSETS.COM/VIDEOS

QWIKCUT VIDEO & ANALYTICS

CAM ASSIST, YOUR AI CAMERAMAN

QwikCut, the fastest-growing

Cam Assist enabled end zone cameras from

video platform in the country, has released an exclusive feature that adds to their all-in-one solution for the 2021-22 season. An all-digital Player Grading Module allows coaches to document and track player performance within the platform. From hustle to technique, the customizable grading system gives coaches a “true” evaluation of a player’s contributions. The Player Grading Module comes complete with detailed reporting, custom grading scales, confidential notes, and digital depth charts. Best of all, it’s included at no extra cost with any platform purchase.

Sport Scope can be set up just like any other, except your cameraman is an iPad, controlling the camera from the press box or sideline. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) powered Cam Assist feature watches the game in real-time, centering and zooming the camera on your linemen every play, giving your coaching staff consistent end zone film for sideline replays and post-game uploads. Spend less time finding a cameraman and let Cam Assist film the game for you.

WEB | WWW.QWIKCUT.COM.

WEB | SPORTSCOPE.COM

FOOTBALL TECHNOLOGY

LEGACY END ZONE CAMERA Reach above the crowds at events, concerts, and sports activities. The Legacy will give your camera an “aerial” perspective from 27ft in the air. The risers are made of sturdy carbon fiber tubes with large latches to make setup quick. WEB | SIDELINEPOWER.COM

HighandTight HIGHandTIGHT training footballs are the world’s only self-contained pressure measuring, multi-sensory, instant feedback training footballs on the market. They have been used by Hall of Fame players, pro coaches, college all-Americans, and players at every level. Who hasn’t heard the term, “Ball security is job security”. Now you can work on ensuring success daily with the HIGHandTIGHT training football. So, let’s start splitting that tip, flattening that wrist, closing that elbow, and hearing that HIGHandTIGHT Beep! WEB | HIGHANDTIGHT.COM

THE COACHPAD The Coachpad streamlines the

PLAYMAKER X Playmaker X is a playbook design, collaboration, and printing app that works on iOS, Android, and computers. Over the past 10 years, more than 50,000 coaches have used the Playmaker apps with their teams. Coaches love the fast and precise play design tools, team sharing, animated plays, and cloud backup. Playmaker’s comprehensive print options include call sheets, wristbands, scout cards, and more. TRY IT FOR FREE AT TACKLEFOOTBALLPLAYMAKER.COM

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scout card process, saving coaches time and allowing them to focus on coaching. Store and use an entire season of scout cards without stuffing binders, and easily see scout cards in direct sunlight unlike with any other tablet. Whether you use drawing software (Hudl Practice Scripts, Visio, Playmaker Pro, etc), or draw them by hand, The Coachpad allows you to store multiple seasons of scout cards, never touching another binder again! WEB | THECOACHPAD.COM

FOOTBALL TECHNOLOGY

RIDDELL

THE HEAD PROTECTION LEADER

PRESENTING RIDDELL’S INSITE

GAMESTRAT | SIDELINE INSTANT REPLAY GameStrat has quickly become the gold standard when it comes to sideline replay solutions for

Analytics, which works in conjunction with Riddell’s sensor-equipped helmets, and features a reporting suite that provides football’s stakeholders a quantitative impact and workload analysis to help improve athlete performance. Riddell’s analytics team will provide automated reports to customer inboxes that compare a program’s head impact data to national norms, by playing level and position, and individual history. WEB | RIDDELL.COM/INSITE

football coaches all across North America. GameStrat prides itself on the quality of its products and customer service, treating every team like their own. GameStrat is the most reliable, easy-to-use, and advanced sideline replay system on the market. There is zero loading time for getting video down to the sidelines, along with automatic downloads for both the press box and end zone angles. Both angles are presented in picture-in-picture viewing and have quick switching capabilities between the two with just a tap. GameStrat is compatible with Hudl and any other film exchange platform, with the full game being ready for intercutting as soon as the game is over. WEB | GAMESTRAT.COM/PRODUCTS/GAMESTRAT-FOOTBALL

YUNMAI SMART CORDLESS JUMP ROPE MANUAL COUNTING IS NO LONGER

required thanks to this innovation from Yunmai. Yunmai’s smart cordless jump rope features three sensors that precisely count each jump within a 360-degree range. The jump rope is equipped with weighted balls and PVC-skinned steel rope, allowing your athletes to skip indoors or outdoors without space limitation. Athletes can check their achievements via the Yunmai app and track how many calories were burned in each session. WEB | WWW.IYUNMAI.COM/US/

GAMEBREAKER UNDER SHIELD GameBreaker Under Shield practice pads offer a breathable, durable and comfortable solution to protecting your players during non-padded practices. Trusted by programs at the high school, college, and NFL level, these pads are powered by D3O impact technology, which means

the greater the force of impact, the greater the protection. Available in sizes ranging from S-3XL and in custom team colors, the GameBreaker Under Shield puts your players in the best position to succeed. WEB | GAMEBREAKER.COM/SHOP /GAMEBREAKER-PRACTICE-PADS/

SECTION TECHNOLOGY FOOTBALL

HOMETOWN TICKETING HOMETOWN’S DIGITAL TICKETING

platform makes it easy to manage your football season, sell tickets, and track revenue. Our online box office has the key features you need, like season tickets, passcodes, seat maps, and more, to support your school’s students, families, and fans. HomeTown Ticketing’s dedicated support teams are always there for you to answer your questions, even on game day! WEB | HOMETOWNTICKETING.COM.

FANFOOD FanFood is a contactless mobile ordering platform for high school concession stands. Fans can skip the lines by ordering from their seats with a QR code, while athletic programs can reduce congestion and increase concessions sales. High schools can also sell in-app sponsorships for additional revenue streams. FanFood currently serves 300+ locations including high schools, colleges, MiLB stadiums, and more. WEB | FANFOOD.APP/FNF

Guardian Caps The Guardian Cap is the soft-shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. It brings padded, soft-shell technology to the outside of the decades-old hard-shell football helmet and reduces impact up to 33%. Testing proves the benefit of adding Guardian Caps in practice. Better protect your team by joining the NFL, youth leagues, 2,000+ high schools, and 200+ colleges nationwide including Clemson, Alabama, Stanford, and Washington. WEB | GUARDIANSPORTS.COM/FOOTBALL/CAPS/BENEFITS/

S.A.F.E.CLIP

ATHLETE INTELLIGENCE

S.A.F.E.Clip is the latest

Athlete Intelligence launches

advancement in facemask clip design to replace standard clips installed on a helmet at the factory or refurbisher. As scientifically proven at various third-party, accredited laboratories across the country, S.A.F.E.Clip can effectively reduce impact by up to 35%. Regardless of your age, size, or athletic ability, S.A.F.E.Clip is designed to fit almost every helmet and facemask combination on the market today.

the CUE+ helmet sensor to bring high school football teams a cost-effective, data-driven approach to improve athlete performance and safety. When secured inside a football helmet, the CUE+ tracks the location and severity of every head impact and can notify sideline personnel when hard impacts occur in real-time. Paired with an automated reporting system, coaches use the information to improve technique, manage workloads, and reduce injury risk.

WEB | GETSAFECLIP.COM

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WEB | ATHLETEINTELLIGENCE.COM

Spectrum Sports Timing Clocks EV-1 The way you practice determines the way you play, and coaches with the EV-1 Practice Segment Timer know how much difference a focused, efficient practice can make. With vivid, 15” tall SpectraBrite™ LED Digits and hyper-loud dual horns, everyone on the field is on the same page. Total customization of segment and snap clock time allows you to craft the perfect flow, and the 12-hour rechargeable battery means the EV-1 is ready to go when you are. And with the handheld stop/pause remote, you have the power to perfect the way your team practices in the palm of your hand.

EB-5 A larger, multi-display segment timer, the EB-5 is a larger profile practice tool for coaches and allows simultaneous display of a four-digit and twodigit display, meaning the big picture is never out of mind. You can shift gears seamlessly with the ability to switch between segment mode and game mode. This allows you to display the game clock and delay of game clock in place of a segment number and a segment timer. Focused programs make the kind of gains they want, and the EB-5 brings those gains within reach, effortlessly getting everyone on the same page. WEB | SPECTRUMSCOREBOARDS.COM/SPORTS-TIMING-CLOCKS/

SPORTSYOU Everybody loves sportsYou’s ability

SHOCK DOCTOR’S MAX AIRFLOW 3D LIP GUARDS The hottest football lip guards in the game are even hotter with new 3D designs like Stripe, Chain, and Slime. Your players can breathe easy, stay comfortable and make their mark on the field with never-before-seen looks. See the full selection at ShockDoctor.com, starting at $22.99 each. WEB | SHOCKDOCTOR.COM

to message, schedule, and share files for free. Now, sportsYou Video gives football coaches, of all levels, the most affordable video platform to save, edit and share film with their team starting at $49.99. Visit sportsyou. com/video to see packages and try it yourself. WEB | SPORTSYOU.COM/VIDEO

FNF COACHES PODCAST NETWORK

The Fish Podcast

JOINS THE FNF COACHES PODCAST NETWORK

he Fish Podcast (a.k.a The Fish Cast) is now part of the FNF Coaches

Podcast Network. Hosted by Charles Fishbein, Corey Long and Chris Demarest, known as Coach Demo, the Fish Cast has become a necessary offseason stop for some of the nation’s top coaches. Corey Long, co-shot of the Fish Cast, sat down with co-host Charles Fishbein, president of Elite Scouting Services, to discuss the show.

ff Hey Fish, it’s been a wild ride with the Fish Cast so far. It’s hard to believe that we’re about 7-8 months into this and have already gotten the coaches that we had and we’re joining the FNF Coaches Podcast network. It’s an exciting time. What were you thinking when you decided to do this? ■■ CF: When I started it, I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. I wanted it to be different than the company I run, Elite Scouting Services, where I am just evaluating prospects. As you remember we just did it to talk about the college football teams in Florida and break down their results weekly. But the college football season only lasts about 18-20 weeks, what are we going to do with the other 32 weeks? We can talk a lot of recruiting of course but getting the coaches to come on has turned out to be our most important thing for the offseason. I think we’re giving fans a real insight to the guys that coach their programs. We get into their history and talk about the guys and styles that influenced them. We hear about their challenges and the growth that’s allowed them to get where they have in the sport. And then when we talk about recruiting, well Coach Demo is one of the best to ever do it and he provides so much

insight to what coaches are looking for in prospects and how they evaluate talent.

ff The depth of the coaches that we have had on is impressive given we’re less than 50 episodes in. I remember how excited when we could get convince a coach to give us a chance. Now we have coaches calling us! ■■ CF: Think about who we’ve had on so far. Coach John Beam from Laney College, the subject of a Last Chance U season. Tom Allen from Indiana was amazing. We brought in Pete Shinnick from West Florida, the reigning Division 2 National champions, to talk about coaching and recruiting at the non-FBS level. Coach JaJuan Seider from Penn State talked about the art of recruiting and what he is looking for. If you are a coach, it’s a must listen in my opinion. If you are a prospect or a parent of a prospect there is a ton of good information these coaches, who are currently at the top of the profession, are providing.

ff It’s been a good first year so far and we have some great opportunities ahead of us. What are your hopes for the Fish Cast over the next year? ■■ CF: I hope by this point next year we are a destination podcast for listeners that are both fans of football and looking to get something out of their time listening. Yeah, I love having the big coaching names on and we want to have more on like Jimbo Fisher and Ryan Day and Nick Saban...that’s great, but I want coaches on from FCS, from the HBCUs, retired coaches with stories to tell and information to pass on. I want people to be able to tell their stories, offer their philosophies and explain their process. I believe that’s what young coaches, prospects and parents of prospects need to hear.

FISHCAST PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

HERE ARE SOME POPULAR EPISODES OF THE FISHCAST THAT ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING. DATE: June 19, 2021

DATE: June 9, 2021

BRET BIELEMA THE SKINNY: Illinois

head coach Bret Bielema joins the podcast to talk about returning to the college game after spending time in the NFL, coaching under Bill Belichick and the teams and players that stood out to him over the years.

TOM ALLEN THE SKINNY: Indiana

University head coach Tom Allen has a great story of rising up from coaching a small private high school in Tampa, Florida to becoming the head man at the Indiana Hoosiers. He’s got plenty of stories and will get you pumped up!

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DATE: May 26, 2021 MIKE NORVELL THE SKINNY: Florida

State head coach Mike Norvell joins the Fish Podcast and talks about the impact COVID-19 had on the program, going through his first full spring practice, preparing for the upcoming recruiting and evaluation season and hosting the first FSU Mega Camp on June 6.

DATE: Feb. 23, 2021 CHRIS DEMAREST DATE: May 13, 2021 FRANK PONCE THE SKINNY: Frank Ponce, the offensive coordinator for Appalachian State, talks about his road in coaching from Miami high schools to FBS football. He’s worked under some of the best coaches in the business.

DATE: March 31, 2021 DATE: May 6, 2021 DAVID JOHNSON THE SKINNY:

David Johnson, the running backs coach for FSU, talks about program building, recruiting during the coronavirus pandemic and bouncing back from a rough season.

DAVID KELLY THE SKINNY: Florida

Atlantic coordinator of player personnel David Kelly joins the podcast. He talks about building a program, finding the right kids, his recruiting mistakes and what it takes to have a successful football team from the time the kids are rookies to graduates.

DATE: March 17, 2021 FRAN BROWN THE SKINNY: Fran

Brown, the defensive backs coach for Rutgers University, takes us in depth about his recruiting method, coaching under amazing coaches and helping young players focus on having a winning mentality.

THE SKINNY: Chris Demarest, known as Coach Demo, has seen it all in his 20+ years of college football. The former coach at Rutgers, Hawaii, N.C. State, Florida State and others talk about recruiting top kids, how he changed the landscape of recruiting with satellite camps and building bonds and relationships with the players he has coached.

The Fish Podcast (a.k.a The Fish Cast) is hosted by Charles Fishbein (President of Elite Scouting Services) along with Corey Long and Chris Demarest, and has become a necessary drop-in for the nation’s top football coaches.

LISTEN TO THE FISH CAST ON YOUR PREFERRED PODCAST PROVIDER.

PLAYBOOK

attacking with deep choice concepts BY SHAWN LIOTTA, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, BURRELL HIGH SCHOOL (PA)

ur deep choice concept allows us to attack an area of the field with a variety of option routes. We will give our outside receiver the option to run

multiple adjusting routes depending on the reaction of the corner. The quarterback and choice receiver will be reading a specific coverage area of the field. This makes the teaching process for your quarterback extremely simple. Notice I did not say easy as I will preface as you read through this material that this concept is a very “expensive” one. Meaning that you must commit significant practice time to this play through drills and high repetitions to allow your quarterback and receivers to be able to read the coverage and attack in total synergy. With this route we are able to effectively run a multiple adjusting route with total synergy between our receivers and quarterback we will pick up huge chunks of yardage. We will spend a lot of time repping the different looks that we could see from a cornerback alignment and technique standpoint in an effort to defend this play. Over the past two seasons we have passed for over 2,000 yards on this concept alone. The advantages of this concept are that we can take one top receiver and move him around the formation and in essence “Force” the football to him. This is in contrast to if you are running a traditional four vertical scheme and the quarterbacks read progression takes him to the 3rd or 4th receiver in the sequence. This may not be a player that you want the ball going to vertically down the field. Maybe it is a young sophomore or similar type of player. With the deep choice series we can dictate exactly who we want the football to go to. I like to compare this to the old days of Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls when they would just clear the floor and let him go to work one on one. This is a very similar thought process with your best receiver.

THE SCREEN SHOT ILLUSTRATES HOW

FOR THESE REASONS I BELIEVE THAT THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS

concept can be a game changer for those at the small school level who may only have one or two “top” receivers. This concept will allow you to essentially force the football to these players in a situation where the defense is always wrong. At the same time your quarterback will enjoy the simplification of only reading one area of the field. This concept can also be implemented into a variety of offensive systems and personnel groupings.

Traditional four verticals concept

with alignment we are able to isolate a player one on one and place a defender on an island. Notice how all remaining 10 defenders are placed inside the top of the numbers to the boundary side.

outside choice alignments Everything in our offense begins with alignment and assignment and probably none more important than the deep choice concept. I can not stress enough the importance of maintaining these alignments each and every play. If the proper split is not taken you are not effectively segmenting an area of the field by placing the defenders we are going to be reading and adjusting off of post snap “on and island”. We do not want to align ourselves in a position where defenses can cheat their coverage post snap and get help on the deep choice concepts. The base alignments are as follows; if the ball is into the boundary we will align our receiver running the deep outside choice from 3 yards to a maximum of 5 yards from the sideline. We will try to stretch the coverage as far as possible. If the ball is in the middle of the field the

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alignment can be anywhere from 5 yards from the sideline to the numbers (preferably bottom of the numbers or wider). If the ball is on the wide side of the field depending on our quarterbacks arm strength we will align anywhere from the top of the numbers to the bottom of the numbers.

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outside choice alignments (cont.) By maximizing our splits in this concept we are able to isolate the attack area and clean up the read for our quarterback. If we take an alignment that is too compressed to the formation we can allow players from outside of the attack zone to get involved in the play. An example would be a safety coming from inside the hash over the top to make a play on the vertical option. Diagram illustrating the “Attack Zone” as defenders have been placed on an island due to the extreme splits in the deep choice series.

GPS - Open road to end zone The deep choice concept differs from a lot of our other routes as there is not a progression read for our quarterback. We are focusing on reading a particular segment of the coverage and the reaction of certain key defenders both pre-snap but more importantly post snap. We utilize a GPS thought process when attacking with multiple adjusting routes. What that means is we look at the overall picture of the coverage pre-snap. This gives us our GPS (Fastest Route to the End zone). Once the ball is snapped we are “driving the car” and reacting accordingly to defenders who may change their position or get in our way. This is much the same way a GPS will reroute your vehicle to a quicker path, our multiple adjusting routes will provide our receivers with the best path to “open road to the end zone”. When we get to the line of scrimmage we quickly identify area defenders in this manner. We will only be concerned with defenders pre-snap who are aligned in following area on the outside choice route. In the previous diagram you can see our outside choice concept. The ONLY players we will be concerned with in the concept are designated by shapes in the diagram above. As our QB and receivers get to the line of scrimmage they will be identifying these players and setting their initial GPS for the best path to the end zone. The first thing that our WR and QB will check presnap are the alignments of the corner

(designated with a star), and the area outside defender (designated with a circle). Finally they will scan for the safety nearest the hash (triangle). This will provide the road map pre-snap, while also indicating if there is a need to change the play at the line of scrimmage to a companion concept such as inside deep choice. It is important to remember that this is ONLY a pre snap road map, and the defense will most likely change at the snap as the play develops. This is where our multiple adjusting routes will come into play and no matter what the defense attempts to do to you they will be wrong. Defensive coverage categories do not matter when running this concept as much as getting your players to be able to identify individual defender leverage and techniques. We are only concerned with the alignment and reaction of defenders who are aligned in this attack zone. With high repetitions at practice and the synergy of your quarterbacks and receivers, you will be able to navigate any potential defensive roadblocks or detours on your way to the end zone. This is accomplished through high repetitions and our daily choice drills segments of our offensive practice schedule.

Coach Liotta has recently released a detailed book on his passing game titled No Huddle No Mercy- Attacking Through The Air. It can be purchased at nohuddlenomercy.gumroad.com

FROM THE SIDELINE

High School Football Preparation, 1975 style BY JOHN SCANLAN

IT WAS THE SPRING OF 1975.As a Logan Elm High School sophomore, I had just finished football and wrestling seasons, and was now looking for another sport. But I was too slow for track and a terrible baseball player. Enter Dennis Sparks, known as “Chop”. This big, loveable lug was labeled as such because—instead of playing sports at nearby Circleville high school—Dennis practiced karate. But why did Chop need martial arts? At six feet, three inches tall and two hundred pounds, who was going to mess with Dennis? In any case, Chop’s home was on the northeast side of Circleville. There, he had a home gym of free weights in his family’s garage. Barely big enough to hold a single car, his garage was crammed with a bench, weights, and a couple machines, forcing his family to park their car in the driveway. Lastly, to join Chop’s Gym, all you had to do was pay ten dollars a month and buy a “Chop’s Gym” t-shirt. Hmmmm . . . maybe that would be my sport. In the late sixties, a man named Arthur Jones created the Nautilus weight machine—then called the “Blue Monster”. With the goal of developing a fitness machine that more accommodated human movement, the company’s name was changed to “Nautilus” because the machine’s spiral cam resembled a nautilus, which is a marine mollusk in the same family as the squid and the octopus. In the summer of 1975, Nautilus opened a franchise on the north side of Circleville within a mile of Chop’s Gym. Nautilus offered membership specials to members of the Circleville High School football team. And there I was, a young, dumb bonehead. Which would be better in the preparation for football—free weights or Nautilus machines? Lastly, I guess there was a third possibility. Circleville was a small, rural community located twenty-eight miles south of Columbus, Ohio. Thus, there were those who espoused that if you worked on a farm, then you didn’t need to lift weights at all for football. I’m sure that any farmer’s son who has ever bailed hay would certainly vouch for that.

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■■The author as a happy pre-workout high schooler.

Well, my high school football and wrestling coach was Mr. Perry Griffith, hailing from AAA powerhouse, Worthington High School, up in Columbus. Preaching that “lifting weights is like strapping metal around your joints”, Coach Griffith was a free weights advocate. I drank Coach Griffith’s Kool-Aid So after hearing about Chop’s Gym from a Logan Elm senior football player, I checked it out as a potential spring sport—and immediately fell in love. With me being small in stature, maybe weightlifting would be just what the Doctor ordered to make me more competitive for the second half of my high school career in football and wrestling. I also bought a weight belt and a workout journal. Plus, this was the era of a young, up-n-coming body builder in Hollywood named Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold who? Maybe he would provide the necessary inspiration. Thus, as a doe-eyed teen, I joined the motley cast of characters who worked out at Chop’s every evening. This included two men named Dean and Jim. With both being in their late twenties, they had joined the work-a-day world of Circleville, and were looking for a way to maintain their youth. Dean and Jim were both in the Army and had fought in Vietnam; thus, they seemed so... so…so old. Overbearing and condescending, Dean ruled Chop’s Gym. He bought muscle magazines at the local drug store, read them cover-to-cover, and tried to impress others with his knowledge.

FROM THE SIDELINE Possessing a muscular build, Dean was a screamer when he lifted weights, and threw dumbbells around that tiny garage like they were rag dolls. On the side, he sold bodybuilding supplements out of his home. In Chop’s Gym workouts, Dean rode me like a rented mule. More laid back and deferential, Jim was a former track star at Circleville high school. He didn’t care about the muscle magazines or what anybody thought of his athletic prowess. Possessing a runner’s build, he couldn’t keep pace with Dean and Chop—but he tried. On the side, he bought those supplements from Dean. Jim rode me more like a pet pony.

■■The author in his gridiron glamour shot pose.

IT’S FUNNY HOW THINGS IN LIFE TURN OUT. ■■ Chop’s Gym closed because his parents disliked the constant flow of men to their garage.

■■ Jim changed to a fitness regimen consisting of more running and less lifting.

■■ Dennis opened a karate studio in downtown Circleville.

■■ Coach Griffith left Logan Elm for a more lucrative head coaching position.

■■ Nautilus was right next to the drug store where Dean bought his muscle magazines, and went out of business due to a lack of members. ■■ Dean settled into his work-a-day world in Circleville.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR JOHN SCANLAN IS A 1983

■■ Those farmer’s sons played football without ever lifting a single weight. ■■ I continued lifting in my bedroom with a set of weights from the Sears catalog.

graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and retired from the Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel aviator with time in the back seat of both the F-4S Phantom II and the F/A-18D Hornet. He is currently pursuing a second career as a writer and can be reached using ping1@hargray.com.

R U T O S A D C N FI LL POD M T U O A F EUP ES.C LINFCOACH FN Listen to the fnf coaches podcast on your preferred podcast provider.

FROM THE SIDELINE

I Am Ready for Friday Night Lights BY BRENT DRUMMOND, GRANGER ISD, GRANGER, TEXAS

TRUST The biggest thing that I want to say and get across to coaches after the year we have had is to focus on building trust. Trust plays a major role in everything that we do in the coaching world. ■■ Trust your administration and know that they will be by your side during the tough times that we might face ahead. ■■ Trust your fellow coaches and know that they have your back and are in the same position as you for the same reasons as you. ■■ Trust your kids this year. These kids need this trust after the year we just had. Building trust with them will not only allow you to grow as a coach, but also grow the program in a positive way. Once these kids sense trust they will take care of the rest! ■■ Trust God and know that everything he does he does it for a reason and with a purpose. ■■ Most importantly trust yourself. Trust that what you do this year is right and has meaning. This is a very important year for us all as we figure out how to pick up where we left off and grow like we were growing before the pandemic.

HAVE A WHY One thing that I have learned is to you must have a why. Your why is your

fter shutdowns and cancellations, we are finally starting to

feel a sense of normalcy. Like most coaches around the United States, we are all excited to be back working and doing what we love, but everyone still has that feeling of wondering what is going to happen next. Dealing with COVID in the education field is tough. Our kids struggled with grades, they struggled at home, and some dealt with tremendous loss. As an educator during these trying times some of us really had to step up and put in the extra work to make sure our students were staying on track while also figuring out how to keep ourselves on track. As things start to settle down and we get back to Friday night lights I can’t help but feel a rush of excitement and think about how blessed we are to have this opportunity. As coaches who are getting back to doing what we love, there are a few things that I believe we need to remember going forward.

lifeline during your coaching career make sure that is completely from the heart. My first year in coaching I had an Athletic Director tell me that he is all about winning, but at the end of the day he was all about making better men, sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers. This has really stuck with me over the years. While we are here to make better athletes, athletic careers will soon go on and be a thing of the past. But if we can instill in these young men and women good morals that they use every single day those lessons will last a lifetime!

MY MESSAGE TO COACHES Coaches, enjoy this year. Push your kids to excel in the classroom, in athletics, and inlife! Enjoy the moments this year, get excited for the kids when it is time to get excited, and hug your kids when they need that hug! After all the COVID-19 issues we had in 2020 we need to all enjoy this season and bust our butts like this is our last because just like we learned last year you never know when it might come! Check on your kids this year and make sure they are taken care of, trust them with everything you got, create your why and stick to it, and most importantly have fun! This is the best time of the year! Good luck and have a great season!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR MY NAME IS BRENT DRUMMOND AND I

am from Rockdale, TX. I graduated from Rockdale High School. After high school, I attended Sam Houston State University where I obtained my Bachelors of Arts

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degree in History with a minor in Political Science. While working on my degree, I got the chance to coach at Davila Middle School/Rudder High School in Bryan, TX. I coached football and track at the middle

and high school level and was able to learn from some great coaches. This year I am starting my first year with Granger ISD as a high school history teacher and a football, basketball, and track coach.

Discipline to me is sacrifice; it’s willingness to give up something you want to do, so you can better yourself. B OBBY B OWDEN

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FNF Coaches | Fall 2021 | Tech Edition

Articles inside

I am ready for friday night lights

coachcomm tempo go the ultimate game- preparation tool

the Fish Podcast

Sideline power bowl for spina bifida and autism awareness

influencer profile: Jim pusateri

Influencer profile Nate “nasty” leonard