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FALL 2020

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5 Coaching innovations Coaches Share Challenges Getting Players Recruiting Looks How the Game Will Change Forever

X’s and O’s

Receiver Drills | TE Hot Routes Blitz Packages | Double Move Technique Cover subjects include (from left) North Forsyth High (Ga.) head coach Robert Craft and assistant coach Cecil Flowe.

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THE FUTURE OF High school FOOTBALL Page 6

CONTENT

OCTOBERNOVEMBER

LONGTIME GEORGIA ASSISTANT WINS BIG

07 08 10 11 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 30

Coaches Sound Off on Pandemic Ways to Honor Seniors Gamewear Adjustments for 2021 Expert Predictions on Permanent Changes Apps Coaches Are Using in 2020 Ways to Sanitize Surfaces The Pluses of Video Conferencing Use School Buses for Fundraisers 4 Coaching Innovations Blueprint for a Spring Season Blueprint for a Winter Season Coach: How It Felt to Lose Football Tech Spotlight: Sound Systems Mental Performance: Think Positive Teach an Advanced Tackling System

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What recruiters want to see on film

How to

Coach in Quarantine

playbook PRESENTED BY 26 27 28 29

Teaching a TE Friendly Hot Route Teach Receivers a Double Move When In Doubt, Blitz Three-Ball Drills for Receivers

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COACHING Q & A

Georgia Up-and-Comer Continues Legacy of National Powerhouse After a decade and a half as an assistant, Buford High (Ga.) head coach Bryant Appling has kept the highly successful Georgia program at the top. The local legend has learned many lessons from coaching during a pandemic. BY ALEX EWALT

There are few programs in Georgia that call to mind excellence like Buford does. With 12 state titles, a handful of nationally televised games at the school’s Tom Riden Stadium, and numerous alumni who have played at the major college and NFL levels, Buford has cemented its place among the elite programs in the country. Bryant Appling, the second-year Wolves head coach who rose up from his position as ninth-grade defensive coordinator and varsity safeties coach his first year with the school in 2004, has set the template for exercising patience while rising through the ranks of a top-notch program. Appling was named Buford head coach in 2019 at age 39 after serving as an assistant for 14 years at the school, located in the northern part of talent-rich Gwinnett County near Atlanta. Appling talked about his coaching background and shared his experiences of coaching during a pandemic with FNF Coaches.

realized just what a special place it was, the family atmosphere and the things they do for their employees and their kids, between facilities and everything, it was bar none the best I had ever seen. … I didn’t want to leave.”

ff What tips would you give assistants who have aspirations of becoming head coaches? “You don’t ever want to be the first guy to leave the building. So I’m a ninth-grade grade DC, but I’m in there all night long with them on Sundays just trying to learn and pick up things. I started to work as hard as I could every day. Not really to impress people, but I was brought up to attack every day by my parents.”

ff What are some things you can do to stand out on a coaching staff? “Maybe it’s just picking up water and putting it on the truck at the end of the game. No job is too small for a high school football coach. From the head coach all the way down to a ninth-grade coach, it doesn’t matter. So if you work your tail off at a good program, you will be rewarded.”

ff How did you remain so patient over 15 years as you worked toward a head coaching job?

ff Was your goal always to wait until the head coaching position at Buford opened up?

“I thought I’d come in here and learn some stuff from some great coaches, and move on to be a coordinator or a head coach within three or four year. And then I got to Buford and

“I didn’t even see myself possibly being the head coach until the first time I interviewed. Coach Simpson told me when he was leaving, ‘I think you should try, you should do this.

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COACHING Q & A You fit, you have the tools.’ I still didn’t see it at that point.”

ff What’s the most important thing for a coach to know before he decides to make the jump to a head coaching position? “It’s all about timing and it’s all about the right spot. A lot of guys jump and go to a spot just because it’s there and it’s an opportunity right now. That doesn’t mean it’s the right thing. I wanted to make sure that my first opportunity to be a head coach was in a good place and a place that I had a chance to do something special.”

ff How is high school football going in Georgia this fall? Do you feel that it’s safe to be playing? “It’s been good so far, but we need to remain vigilant. A lot of programs are getting lax, they’re thinking, ‘We’re good, we’ve been practicing for seven or eight weeks straight with no issues.’ But it could happen at any time. I just keep saying don’t fall asleep.”

ff What’s been the biggest adjustment since the return? “It’s been getting the kids to do the right thing. It takes a little coaching. Some of these kids hardly changed during the quarantine. Some hung out together and socialized more than we wanted them to. We had to train them to stay apart on the field and through conditioning.”

ff You have 145 players in your program. How did you keep them apart? “We could only have 20 in the weight room at a time for a while, so I joked with the kids that there was nowhere to hide. There’s three coaches and 17 players. We spread out the kids in the weight room and they had to spot themselves. It’s hard to joke around when you’re by yourself. Everybody was getting every rep done.”

ff Has the cleaning and disinfecting been difficult to manage? “The cleaning aspect is easy. We walk around with spray bottles and disinfect everything. In the weight room, we have one kid on a bar for four or five sets. Then a coach comes by with gloves and a mask and sprays and cleans the bar before the next kid uses it. We broke everything down that way. When you start thinking that way, it becomes a habit. Start organizing every set that way, and you don’t have to clean and disinfect after every rep. That extends to every drill we do, so it hasn’t been as bad as everyone thought.”

ff What advice would you give coaches for running safe practices during the pandemic?

Paying His Dues APPLING JOINED THE

Buford staff in 2005 after serving as the defensive coordinator for his first two seasons of high school coaching experience, both at his alma mater of Lithonia High School in nearby DeKalb County. A happenstance meeting with ■■Buford High (Ga.) coach Bryant the Buford principal at the Appling spent 14 years as an assistant time, at the gym where he before becoming a head coach in 2019. was working as a trainer, led to an opportunity offered by Buford’s head coach, Dexter Wood, who gave Appling his first job as the ninth-grade defensive coordinator and varsity safeties coach. The Wolves were coming off three consecutive state championships under Wood, the first in Class A and the next two in Class AA, and expectations were always high. “When I hired him, several things impressed me,” Wood said. “He just struck as me as a young, intelligent and hungry football coach. At that time, we were looking for some expertise in the weight room, too. “In some ways he started at the bottom of the totem pole. But he had a real hunger and he was a sponge, he just absorbed everything so quickly. So although I only got to coach with him for one year, it was really a good year of watching him grow.”

“You’ve got to be vigilant.”

BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING Pandemic has Clouded the Future of High School Football BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

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As coaches, we like to offer our players a predictable path. Lift consistently, and you’ll get stronger. Study your playbook, and you’ll know the plays. Put in the work, and you’ll see the results. The pandemic has called even those certainties into question. Life’s not always fair, but that has never been more true than the last six months. Seniors have missed sports seasons, football has been put on hold in many states, teams have shifted to abbreviated schedules, and in many cases, the promise of a state championship run has been broken. What do we do as coaches? How do we find the good in what is seemingly a no-good situation? We have to look at the big picture. Yes, we all got into coaching because we love X’s and O’s and watching film. Yes, we also love spend time -- in-person -- with other members of our staff as well as our players. But those are no longer luxuries that all coaches are afforded. One thing we can control during this time is providing leadership and support for high school student-athletes who are going through something none of us has experienced. As coaches, there has never been a better time to show our players love.

SOUNDOFF

COACHES SHARE JOYS, FRUSTRATIONS OF COACHING DURING PANDEMIC The mental rollercoaster of coaching during a pandemic can be exhausting. With emotions on high and plans changing from minute to minute, coaches have been tested like never before. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

LESSONS LEARNED

TRENT LOWMAN

East Surry (N.C.) STATE START DATE: FEB. 26

“We have a handful of 2021 graduates who will lose out on an evaluation period. They lost the spring and we won’t play a game until after the NCAA signing date. It could really hurt them in the process. We’ll also lose the momentum of winning a state championship in December.”

JESS CURTIS

Many High School (La.) STATE START DATE: OCT. 1

ASK COACH HOW HIS SEASON IS GOING

this fall, and you’re bound to get a different response every time you ask the question. We decided to put that theory to the test and ask 10 coaches from 10 different states what their biggest takeaway from the fall season has been.

“The Governor wants to prolong this,

SHANE RICHARDS

Sacred Heart (Kan.) START DATE: SEPT. 4

TIM MCFARLIN

Blessed Trinity (Ga.) STATE START DATE: SEPT. 4

“I’m more concerned about the rate of injury moving ahead. I don’t feel players have that foundation with weight training as they normally would.”

“THERE’S JUST AS

much cleaning involved as coaching this year. We changed up practice a little bit where it’s constantly moving and going.”

ANTHONY STONE

ERIC KJAR

Corner Canyon (Utah) STATE START DATE: AUG. 13

“Kids were struggling with different things during those times, so seeing how much it’s made a difference, talking to the parents, it’s just made a big difference for them. Even with my own kids. I have two kids on the team and being able to be involved in things has made a huge difference for them.”

Milton High (Mass.) “Practicing outdoors in February is going to be tough and, in some cases, may be impossible. However the MIAA is allowing us to have ‘out-of-season’ contact with our athletes so hopefully we will be able to condition them and prepare them with Zoom calls for installation of concepts to avoid down time.”

Odessa High (Miss.)

STATE START DATE: MARCH 5

February, and we’ll have a 7-game schedule. There will be snow on the ground. It will be the opposite of a normal season in that it will go from freezing cold to hot. The passing teams will love it when we get to April and May.”

STEVE DEMBOWSKI

MARK THOMAS

Boyland High (Ill.) “We’re not starting practice until

and it’s a frustrating thing. Everyone in the South is playing besides us. All states are moving forward, and we’re the only state in the South not playing.”

MIKE MAGGIORE

West Covina High (Calif.) START DATE: JAN. 8 “IT IS NICE TO SEE

others playing football, but to be honest it makes me wonder how they can play during the same pandemic that we are going through. It does stir a little jealousy that they are able to start their seasons and we are not even able to get our team together. It’s really tough on these teenagers. They are not getting the socialization that they crave at this age.”

STATE START DATE: AUG. 28

“When I found out about choosing between the fall and spring, I was leaning toward moving it to the spring because I felt that gave us the best chance to play an entire season. We were stopped four times over the summer, and I still feel to a certain degree that if we try to play this fall, there will be shutdowns.”

DANIEL NOVAKOV

Parish Episcopal (Texas) STATE START DATE: SEPT. 25

“In a good way, we learned to be more efficient. We had to figure out ways to reach players without bringing them in here. We don’t bring kids inside anymore; we don’t bring them in on the weekends. It’s all virtual.”

HONORING SENIORS

5 Ways Schools Honor Seniors Honoring seniors is an important part of each season for high school football coaches. That recognition is all the more important this season with so many seniors getting adversely impacted by the pandemic. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

ne common theme from the fall season is that Senior

Nights all over the country took place earlier than ever before. Typically an honorary night that is reserved for a team’s final home game, Senior Night -- in many cases -- was pushed to the beginning of the season in 2020. In fact, many teams had Senior Night celebrations on the same night as the home-opener this fall to ensure that the seniors would get the recognition they deserved even if the season was cut short. Here’s an example of five creative ways schools have honored seniors during the pandemic.

Dixon High (Martinsville, Va.) School Signage, Social Media Spotlights The school plans to run three seniors’ names per day on the sign in front of the school and post senior spotlights for each student on social media pages. The school also will have yard signs for each senior to put in front of their homes that will be distributed in the coming weeks.

■■Seniors at Dixon High (Va.) will be recognized with yard signs.

Bucktail High (Renovo, Pa.) Mother/Grandmother Celebration Senior Night 2020 was truly a special occasion in September before the Bucks hosted Northwest. Bucks coach Jared Hurlbert decided to make the celebration special for the home-opener out of concern that his seniors might not have a chance to be recognized if games are cancelled later in the season. Precautions allowed the team and their mothers and grandmothers to enjoy a night of celebration of a close knit team and classmates.

Torrey Pines High (San Diego, Calif.) Sponsored Lawn Signs from Alumni “The Torrey Pines High School football program celebrated its 14 graduating seniors with surprise lawn signs last week, giving a boost of encouragement to those seniors who are missing so much with a postponed season. The special signs came courtesy of the football team’s parent liaison Romina Notarainni. She got the idea from Marco San Antonio at One Day Signs in Encinitas and got local real estate agents from The Guiltinan Group to sponsor the yard signs.

Grayling High (Grayling, Mich.) YouTube Videos for Each Athlete

The Grayling High School athletic department, instead of hosting a physical ceremony, honored its Class of 2020 student athletes with a video released on YouTube. Due to current restrictions on gatherings in the state of Michigan because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the school’s athletic department opted to replace the usual Senior-Athlete Awards Night with an online version.

5 ■■Alumni at Torrey Pines High (Calif.) sponsored signs for seniors.

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Conrad Weiser High (Reading, Pa.) Multi-Sport Senior Night Conrad Weiser had a Senior Night for football players, band members and cheerleaders -- at a party that came nearly 24 hours after a Friday night football game. It was scheduled the day after a game in order to allow more family members to attend the recognition ceremony. Senior Night is traditionally the final home game of the season, but with so much uncertainty due to COVID-19 many schools are not waiting until late October for such an important night.

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SECTION

The Future of High School Football Gamewear Suppliers of football equipment are scrambling to produce gear that will help prevent the spread of the virus on the field of play. The future of game-day equipment figures to look significantly different in the years to come.

f a die-hard football fan went into hibernation in early March, and suddenly woke up for high school football season, he might be surprised by how much the game has changed in 2020. Why are the coaches wearing masks? Why are the players standing six feet apart on the sidelines? Some of these adjustments to safety protocols and equipment do not figure to go back to normal any time soon. Here is our vision of how equipment might evolve in the post-COVID 19 era.

Virtual Reality Goggles NFL AND NCAA ATHLETES ARE USING VR

technology for training to limit exposure to other athletes while getting in the mental reps. Virtual reality allows athletes to get unlimited repetitions, without the exposure to other athletes. Players strap on a headset and are placed on a virtual field where they have to quickly recognize formations and make decisions.

Masks/Gaiters SOME TEAMS HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED MASKS OR NECK

gaiters for their players to wear while conditioning — during water breaks or while talking to each other — this past month. In some states, players and coaches are encouraged to wear masks on the sideline, although only Michigan is requiring players to wear masks inside their helmets on the field of play. Companies such as Sideline Power are customizing masks and gaiters for entire teams.

Helmet Fans LSU, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A LOUISIANA SPORTS TECHNOLOGY

startup, has developed new helmet cooling technologies to make customizable air circulation devices for athletic helmets with the goal of helping to protect the players from coronavirus. The improvements will help them stay cooler and more comfortable on the field, allowing the athletes to keep their helmets and additional COVID-19 safety gear on longer. Contact sales rep or call

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Helmet Shields THE OAKLEY MOUTH SHIELD -- A PRODUCT DESIGNED BY OAKLEY

in collaboration with doctors and engineers from the NFL and NFL Players Association to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus on the field of play -was distributed to all 32 teams. Players were encouraged to use the face shield by the NFL’s medical experts for protection against the spread of the virus. There are airways and openings on the mouth shield but none that allow the direct transmission of droplets, according to the chair of the NFL’s engineering committee, Dr. Jeff Crandall.

Heart Rate Monitor Wearable BY MONITORING CHANGES IN AN INDIVIDUAL’S TEMPERATURE, HEART RATE, HEART RATE

variability (HRV) and respiratory rate, Oura Rings can also potentially detect abnormal fluctuations in asymptomatic carriers as well as previously healthy individuals who are experiencing the onset of a disease. Oura Health is the technology company behind the smart ring that provides users with biometrics and analysis into their sleep and overall health to improve performance and monitor for potential illness.

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PANDEMIC IMPACT

Expert Predictions: How Will the Pandemic Impact HS Football Beyond 2020? High school football has changed in many ways in 2020, from abbreviated seasons, to increased safety protocols, to decreased operating budgets. While we all hope we’ll get back to normal in 2021, there will be a lasting pandemic impact. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

HIGH SCHOOL COACHES CAN SEE THE

way the pandemic has impacted their staff and players. But how will it impact the sport as a whole. With participation numbers heading in the wrong direction heading into the 2020 season, it’s clear the sport is at a crossroads. FNF Coaches asked state association executives, medical experts and athletic directors to predict how the game will be impacted beyond 2020. ■■Coaches may be responsible for increased sanitization efforts beyond this season.

Steve Roberts ARKANSAS ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“We’ve obviously learned a lot through the pandemic. Adjustments have been made, and some will be permanent. There may be more opportunities for teaching and meetings on Zoom and HUDL. The virtual platforms offer a forum to teach the game.”

Clark Ray D.C. STATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“We’ll be at the beck and call of the science and data and what the Department of Health allows us to do. I don’t see them relaxing standards on disinfecting or hygiene. Those are good practices going forward. Whether fans will be allowed in games, that will be decided by science. We’ll continue to host virtual coaches conferences because it beats the hassle of travel. But the fellowship is missed.”

Rudy Alvarado ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL (PHOENIX, ARIZ.) ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

“I think COVID will have a negative impact on my athletic funding until we can get back to some sense of normalcy with playing sports and having crowds to watch. The longer we go on without sports, football and boys basketball in particular, the longer it’ll cut into what I can do. The gate receipts on those two sports provide the bulk of what we take in each year.”

THE LONG-TERM MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT DR. TIMOTHY

McGuine, PhD, ACT, led a team who surveyed more than 3,200 young athletes across Wisconsin in May. Reports of moderate to severe depression were up by more than 20 percent among those who took the survey. Meanwhile, 65 percent of recent survey respondents reported feeling a level of anxiety that’s typically treated by medical intervention. At the same time, physical activity was down 50 percent. “We think that these psychosocial effects will really impact not just these kids now but our health care spending and how we deal with it as a community and culture going forward in the state of Wisconsin,” he said.

Steve Figueroa GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION MEDIA RELATIONS

“We’re not sure we’re done making adjustments this year. We are still trying to get to Dec. 30 with a goal of handing out trophies. We haven’t even looked beyond this year, but we’re tracking all of our changes to see what we’ll keep in place for next year.”

Mark Lentz KANSAS ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“I honestly don’t know what will change. Without question, there will probably be more emphasis on desanitizing requirements and what’s been put into place. Hopefully we can get back to a little semblance of normal, but I don’t know that we’ll ever get back to the old normal.”

Dr. Mark Levine VERMONT HEALTH COMMISSIONER

“I think the masks are here to stay. I’m not aware of any substance of literature that actually counters the use of masks because it could be harmful. I don’t think there is really a lot of support for that. But again, like anything in a pandemic, where the population has never masked before, I’m sure this will get more and more studied.”

FNFC PODCAST

FNF COACHES PODCAST FEATURES TOP COACHES The FNF Coaches Podcast continues to provide another platform for expert coaches and industry experts to engage with an audience of high school football coaches. Hosted by managing editor Dan Guttenplan, the podcast touches on timely news items and offers coaches and industry experts an opportunity to share their stories. Here are excerpts from two recent interviews on the FNF Coaches Podcast. COACH DAN CASEY

■■Brandon Wilcox

ST. DAVID’S SCHOOL (N.C.) If you follow Casey on Twitter @CoachDanCasey, you know he’s an offensive guru when it comes to X’s and O’s. He can often be seen breaking down concepts seen in pro and college football with a few tweets and a quick video clip.

ff How did the idea to share X’s and O’s content come about? “I got my first head coaching job when I was 24, and I knew next to nothing. Having played in high school and college, I knew different schemes from a player’s perspective. As far as knowing X’s and O’s, I didn’t have a deep understanding. I wanted to learn from more experienced coaches. I was the only coach on campus at my school, so I didn’t have anyone down the hall to ask things like, ‘What’s a good concept to beat Cover 3?’ I had to find that.”

ff How do you find the content? Is it difficult to go through clips from so many games each week? “The way I keep up in-season is I don’t watch games live hardly at all. I spent the weekends with my family as much as I can. I get up early Monday morning and watch highlights from a few games I’m particularly interested in. I skip the commercials and digest a lot of football in a short amount of time.”

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRANDON WILCOX CENTER POINT HIGH (ALA.) Almost a year ago, Brandon Wilcox started a movement among high school coaches that has set a bar for how men should toward women. He started the Man Up Movement in hopes of encouraging coaches to teach male athletes to respect, protect and love our female population.

ff What inspired you to start the Man Up Movement? “Back in 2019, pretty soon after the season was over, I had a friend who got in a situation where her life was taken in a domestic violence situation,” Wilcox said. “Long story short, I was lying in bed thinking about the situation. I laid there for five or six hours and couldn’t sleep. I knew God put something in my heart. I pulled my phone out and started writing a message on Facebook about how men should treat women. It went viral with 2,400 shares in 24 hours.”

ff How did it evolve from there?

■■Dan Casey

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“I created documents with a pledge and pillars of things we as men can do to make women feel comfortable and know they are respected. That’s how it got started. With COVID and all that’s going on, it was a little bit of a setback. I’m excited to get back on it this offseason, and a lot of coaches and teams have expressed interest in presenting to their programs and teams.”

WHAT: The FNF Coaches Podcast is a 30- to 45-minute program (think: radio interview). The podcast gives coaches and industry experts an opportunity to speak to our audience of coaches from 16,000 high schools across the country. WHEN: The podcast is produced twice a week. HOW: FNF Coaches will handle all of the technical aspects of the podcast — recording, editing, producing. For coaches, it’s as easy as connecting on a Zoom call. WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT?: Dan will

interview the guest on the subject of his expertise. This could be X’s and O’s, technology, a product, coaching philosophy, etc. WHERE DOES THE PODCAST APPEAR?:

It will be catalogued on www.fnfcoaches.com/ category/fnf-coachestalk-podcast/ HOW DO WE PROMOTE IT?: We

promote the podcast on Twitter to our 9,000 followers. HOW DO WE SHARE IT?: Spotify, iTunes,

Simplecast & Twitter

TECHNOLOGY

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES SHARE WHICH APPS THEY’RE USING IN 2020 In November, we posed a question to our Twitter audience of high school football coaches. The question: Which apps are you using this fall? BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

FNF Coaches hosted a giveaway on Twitter in November, selecting one coach among 19 that responded to the question asking which app they’re using this fall. Oxford High (Ala.) linebackers coach Justin Bowen was selected and has since been mailed 50 FNF Coaches face masks. He is using the play-design app, Tackle Football Playmaker. The face masks were sent to FNF Coaches from one of our tech partners, Sideline Power. We want to share the responses from the other 18 coaches so that you can investigate if any of these apps can help your program. Here’s a roundup of the responses.

LEARN TO WIN

HUDL

WILLIAM FLY

JARROD REMER

TACKLE FOOTBALL PLAYMAKER

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH AT NW CARRABUS HIGH (N.C.)

OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH AT CEDARVILLE HIGH (ARK.)

JUSTIN BOWEN

COACH ME ELITE

SPORTSYOU

BLAST ATHLETICS

MATT PERKINS

ADRIAN SUAREZ

DAVID CHRISTIAN

HEAD COACH AT WEST PLAINS HIGH (MO.)

SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR AT SAN ANTONIO HIGHLANDS (TX.)

HEAD COACH AT ROOSEVELT HIGH (HAWAII)

LINEBACKER COACH AT OXFORD HIGH (ALA.)

QWIKCUT

GOARMY EDGE

TERRANCE BANKS

HUNTER MCBRIDE

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AT MEADOWCREEK HIGH (GA.)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AT HARLEM HIGH (GA.)

FOOTBALL BLUEPRINT

SCOREBIRD HANK WILLIS

CHAD TALLON

COACH AT GOLD-BURG HIGH (TX.)

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH AT RICHLAND HIGH (TX.)

ZOOM

COACH’S EYE

JUST PLAY SPORTS

SPORT SCOPE

DUSTIN MILLS

DARIN DRISCOLL

LEE WEBER

JOE SCHARTZ

HEAD COACH AT BENNETT HIGH (MD.)

HEAD COACH AT LIMESTONE COMMUNITY HIGH (ILL.)

HEAD COACH AT ROSE HILL HIGH (KAN.)

HEAD COACH AT MANHATTAN HIGH (KAN.)

RECRUITING

25 Things a College Recruiter Wants to See on Film With fewer opportunities for in-person scouting due to NCAA-imposed dead periods, college recruiters are spending more time breaking down game film and workout videos. Athletes need to keep the evaluator in mind when producing that film. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Jacksonville State University (Ala.) coach J.R. Sandlin became a social media star this fall through a series of Twitter posts in which he provided instructions to recruits with the hashtag #Recruiting101. Sandlin knows something about what coaches are looking for. He worked as a recruiter at Alabama under Nick Saban for two national championship seasons. He also recruited for Tennessee, Notre Dame and Central Florida. He shared with FNF Coaches a list of 25 things coaches look for on film, whether it be footage of games, practices, combines or camps.

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES 1 Overall athletic ability

6 Ability to change direction

10 Body control

“Is he the best player on the field?”

“Can he drop the hips and make a cut?”

“Does he have coordination?”

2 Initial quickness

7 Explosiveness

11 Burst/acceleration

“How does he react to the snap?”

“Can he run through someone?”

“Can he separate?”

3 Footwork

8 Lower body flexibility

“Can he make people miss?”

“Is he technically sound?”

“We want kids with a natural bend.”

13 Ball skills/hand position

4 Foot quickness “The ladder drill is a good measure.”

5 Body quickness

9 Balance

12 Reactionary athleticism

“Does he use his hands effectively?”

“He shouldn’t end up on the ground on every play.”

“Can he get to his spot quickly?”

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RECRUITING

DESIRE/ATTITUDE 14 Do you see him hand the ball to the ref? “Or does he toss it away from the pile?”

15 Does he pick the opponent off the ground? “You want to see good sportsmanship.”

16 How does he celebrate? “Does he celebrate with teammates? Does he do it by himself? Or does he just walk to the sideline?”

17 Does he play with passion? “Or is he just executing his assignments?”

18 does he sprint to the ball? “Don’t get caught jogging behind the play on film.”

■■Jacksonville State University recruiting coordinator J.R. Sandlin

19 How does he get off the ground? “You’ll see some linemen use all four limbs to get off the ground. We don’t want to see that.”

20 How locked in is he on the sideline? “Is he supporting his teammates, or is he off in his own world?”

21 How does he communicate with coaches and teammates? “Is he sharing information and providing positive reinforcement?”

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22 How is he outfitted? “Does he have the individual bands and custom stickers? Or is it like the rest of the team?”

23 Does he lead warmups? How vocal is he? “Does he encourage players, or is he a trash-talker? Some coaches don’t like that.”

24 What does the trainer/photographer/ school official say about him? “You might even call the attendance secretary. She knows all the secrets.”

25 How does he interact with officials? “Is he able to move on to the next play?”

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SANITATION

5 Ways Coaches Are Sanitizing Surfaces During COVID Many coaches are spending additional time this fall sanitizing surfaces and cleaning indoor facilities. Put a protocol in place to protect your staff and players from the spread of the virus and other bacteria. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN , FNF COACHES EDITOR

With so much still unknown about the spread of COVID-19, saniziation has become paramount in putting the fears of parents and players to rest. It’s important that each coach has a strategy in place because if a player tests positive for the virus, the coach will be the one who has to answer for it. We spoke with two champion coaches to come up with a list of five measures that are being taken this fall to prevent the spread of the virus.

Disinfect the field. Collin County Celina High (Texas) coach Bill Elliott, who has led teams to eight state titles, wants to show the players and their parents he is doing everything within his power to make the return to play as safe as possible. At the start of the season, he contracted the owner of OxyTurf Cleaner to see if he could have his entire field sprayed with an EPAapproved hydrogen peroxide disinfectant. “We’re trying to do things to show the parents we’re doing all we can for the kids,” Elliott said. Each treatment costs between $800 and $1,000 and lasts one week, according to OxyTurf founder Adam Hambarian. “It smells like fresh-cut grass,” Hambarian said. “We say it smells like touchdowns.”

Spray the locker room with disinfectant daily.

“Hueytown High (Ala.) coach Greg Patterson or a member of his staff sprays the football locker room with hospital-grade disinfectant each day after practice. “We just hope this gives players and parents peace of mind,” Patterson said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep these players safe.”

Want to Disinfect Your Field? ■■The Celina High (Texas) football team treats its turf with OxyTurf Cleaner.

Line indoor spaces with hand sanitizer distributors. “We have them all over our facil-

Mobilize trainers with hand sanitizer at practice.

ity,” Elliott said. “We had them installed every 10 feet in high-traffic areas. If you have guys touching the same equipment, you need to have hand sanitizer all over the place.”

“Trainers at both Hueytown and Celina walk around the practice field daily and spray the hands of players between drills or even reps, in some cases. Each trainer has a bottle of hand sanitizer and is given the green light to step into any drill to help with sanitization.

5 ■■Coaches must restrict players from sharing water bottles.

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Set up a hydration system.. At Celina, players bring their own water bottles to practice. They are not permitted to share water bottles. During games, trainers carry cups of water while wearing gloves and masks. The cups are one-use only and discarded after each use. “That’s the biggest challenge,” Elliott said. “It’s tough to make sure they’re hydrated if they have to bring their own water.”

OXYTURF OFFERS A

do-it-yourself sanitizing spray plan for schools that do not have the means to have a professional visit their facility. The EPA-registered disinfectant formula can be sent to the school and sprayed from a golf cart. OxyTurf recently partnered with an Americanmade agriculture spray company, and offers this formula to any coach who wants to sanitize the field himself. “We send instructions based on whether it’s a high-traffic field, medium-traffic field or low-traffic field,” Hambarian said. “We have a scale we use for schools. Just hook it up to a golf cart, which every school has, and you can disinfect the entire field in minutes.”

VIDEO CONFERENCING

The Pandemic Unifier

Video conferencing keeps teams together Video conferencing proved to be a platform for coaches and players to stay connected during the spring when schools were closed due to the pandemic. Many teams continue to use video conferencing even after they have returned to the field.

ndrew Jackson High (Jacksonville, Fla.) coach

Christopher Foy didn’t need the pandemic to prove that video conferencing helps bring high school players closer together. His players were already using video conferencing platforms to connect before the pandemic. “Kids already use this stuff,” Foy said. “They use FaceTime and Skype. The difference is now we’re the ones initiating it. The kids thought, ‘This is kind of cool. The adults are coming to our world.’ That made it better.” Foy believes the spring Zoom meetings helped unify his team, and he’s seen the rewards of that in the last few months. “If you stopped and paid attention to the kids when all of this stopped, you would have found inspiration,” Foy said. “Look at how they responded. We went through seven weeks of football practice without a ball, and I had kids who didn’t miss a day. It’s because of the relationships they have with each other, and the Zoom meetings only helped with that.” Many coaches stress that football is family, and that slogan became a reality when the entire country was faced with the same form of adversity this spring. Through video conferencing, Foy’s staff and players found ways to support each other and provide a listening ear.

EXPERT OPINIONS DETERMINING

whether video conferencing can actually make a team closer is difficult because there are so many metrics to consider. ■■ Would the players be just as excited to see each other after a lengthy absence even if they hadn’t had virtual meetings? ■■ How often were the players on screens during the day? ■■ Did they get Zoom fatigue? Jessica Tomasula, a pediatric psychologist based out of Raleigh, N.C., doesn’t believe video conferencing can take the place of in-person communication.

■■Jackson High (Fla.) coach Christopher Foy

“We live in a world now where communication is so fast and automatic,” Foy said. “Facing what we were facing in the spring, we decided our communication had to improve. If you were disconnected from family, your communication had to increase. We were disconnected as a team, so our communication had to increase. That brought us closer.” Although Florida teams are now cleared to meet in person, some schools -- like Andrew Jackson -- continue to have video conferencing meetings. Coy said his offensive coordinator and quarterback still have twice-a-week film sessions over Zoom. The offensive line also meets as a position group on Zoom. Coy will also occasionally lead entire team meetings through video conferences. “I love healthy communication,” Coy said. “We want to limit the stuff we do inside in large numbers. So, we’re constantly using this method. You can split the screen and have a film session with the team for an hour. They can go through their reads while on video. Football is hard work, but the reason the kids love it is because of the relationships they have with each other.”

FUNDRAISING

USE SCHOOL BUSES FOR FOOD BUS FUNDRAISERS Many teams had to cancel fundraisers during the spring and summer due to the pandemic. With social distancing guidelines restricting large gatherings in many states, coaches will need to be creative to offset the losses. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

iley High (South Bend, Ind.) assistant coach Adam

Collins saw firsthand the toll the pandemic took on his team’s fundraising effort during the spring and summer. He also saw the way in which the pandemic restricted local families from going out to eat at restaurants. The former salesman for a mass distributor of automobiles decided to solve two problems at once -- giving his football program a muchneeded financial boost while also giving locals a night off from cooking. Collins bought a decommissioned school bus with the intent of operating a pizza delivery service for high school sports teams looking to make money. The bus now has a 3,000-pound, wood-burning oven that cooks 10- to 12-inch pizzas at up to 1,100 degrees in 90 seconds or less. Pizzas average between $10 and $12 and can feed up to two adults. In fundraising cases, Roundbelly’s gives about 30% of its profits at the event back to the group without raising initial menu prices. His own football team made $4,000 with one fundraiser.

■■Roundbelly’s (South Bend, Ind.) offers a pizza delivery service for school fundraisers.

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3 MORE PANDEMIC FUNDRAISING IDEAS

LAWN VISIT FROM SCHOOL MASCOT (JONES HIGH, OHIO)

■■Riley High (Ind.) coach Adam Collins (right)

Here’s how the fundraiser works: ■■ Collins pre-orders 500 tickets with serialized numbers. ■■ He distributes 10 tickets each to 50 players on the team. ■■ His business, Roundbelly’s, hosts a pre-sale online in which each customer enters their serialized number and pays in advance. ■■ Roundbelly’s gives 30% of the cost of the pizza to the fundraising team. ■■ Roundbelly’s brings the pizza bus to the location of the team’s choosing for an entire day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to allow for proper social distancing. ■■ The customer exchanges the fundraising ticket for a box of pizza. ■■ If the fundraising team refers another team that ends up having a fundraiser, the original team receive $1 per pizza as a referral fundraising fee. “If they have a good time, two or three other teams in the same school will do it,” Collins said. “They may be able to generate an extra $500 of passive income. We looked at fundraising companies locally, and everyone has been doing the same thing for 40 years. We felt we could bring something else to the table.” No fundraising event is too small for the buses. Collins said he is willing to work with consumers on a case-by-case situation. “We make sure the club has a chance to make some money and for us, it’s more building awareness,” he said. “It’s giving a chance to get more people to try it and the more people who try it and like it, the better off we will be.”

To get a Golden Bear visit, people make a $50 donation. They can request the packs be placed in their own yards or elsewhere in the community. The Golden Bears remain in place for 24 hours before being moved to other lawns by Jones parents and students.

TEAM HYPE VIDEO (MIAMISBURG HIGH, MICH.)

The digital-first approach started with a team video created through photos and highlight reels from past Viking seasons and a purpose statement. The two were then distributed out to the community via digital fundraising app RallyAroundUs with contacts submitted from athletes, and promoted on the school’s official athletics website

FACE MASK FUNDRAISER (CUMBERLAND VALLEY, PA.)

Cumberland Valley sold two types of masks -- one for fans and one for players. The masks went for $20. The masks were a fundraising initiative in place of the team’s traditional discount cards.

COACHING INNOVATION

Coaching Innovations During the Pandemic

Coaches have been forced to prioritize all new tech products during the pandemic, with more attention being paid to sanitation, virtual teaching and contact tracing. Several innovative companies have developed products that address those new priorities. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES

Disinfectant spray and masks are not the only new products popping up in locker rooms this season. Here are four coaching innovations that have surfaced during the pandemic.

Virolyze Surface and Air Sanitizer

Brownsville ISD (Texas) Athletic Director Gilberto Leal made the decision to invest in the Virolyze sanitizing solution dispensed as a one-second mist. The tunnel-shaped frame allows athletes and spectators to pass through safely while helping keeps surfaces clean and disinfected.. “We found a company that has a product called Virolyze that has been around for over 20 years, but the focus had never been on using this product for athletics (until now). That company partnered up with some other people to create this solution and help athletic departments out.

Equator Energy Solar-Powered Hand-Washing Machine

The Equator Energy has developed a new solar-powered hand washing machine as part of an effort to fight Covid-19. The automated hand washing machine, named ‘The Agyeman’, comes with a touch-free faucet-operating technology that is solar-powered with an adjustable panel rack and detachable parts for easy conveyance.

equatorenergy.net

Sports Attack Aerial Attack Q&A with North Forsyth (Ga.) coach Robert Craft (featured on the cover) ff How do you use the machine in practice?

Virolyze.com

“It depends on the practice schedule. It’s a weekly thing. We use it in a variety of ways. Our wide receivers use it after practice at least once a week. We have weeks when we’ll use it for our punt returners. Those guys also use it once a week. It’s one of the best things we’ve ever used.”

ff So, you take it out to the practice field every day?

The Whistle Shield

It is a small piece of plastic, a few inches wide, that attaches to a whistle. Sales of The Whistle Shield started in September with 50 online orders in the first 24 hours, and sales continue to grow at a steady pace. When a regular whistle is blown, particles go straight and upward, possibly toward players. When a whistle with The Whistle Shield is blown, the particles are directed straight down toward the neck and chin area of the official and not into the air.

thewhistleshield.com

“We use it in the offseason as much or more than during the season. It’s a great way for our skill players to get out there on their own in the offseason. They can get in work without even having a coach with them. They get a ton of reps in a fairly quick amount of time. It’s not like we have our quarterback or a coach wearing out his arm.”

SPRING START

The Blueprint for the Spring Sports Season As of press time, New York was one of 11 states - plus Washington D.C. -- to push its football season to late February or early March. Weather will be a factor in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest, as will the abbreviated schedule. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

NY Football: Fun & Done

Homer High (N.Y.) coach Gary Podsiedlik isn’t about to complain about a shortened high school football season that starts March 1 and concludes by April 16. “I can live with a shorter season if it gives these kids an opportunity to put on the uniform with the kids they grew up with,” Podsiedlik said. “Even though it’s shorter, I’m excited to see every kid in the state put on the uniform.” In early September, the New York Public High Schools Athletic Association moved football to the Fall 2 block (March 1 to April 16), while lower risk sports, such as tennis, golf, swimming, field hockey, cross country and soccer, remained on schedule for the start of practice Sept. 21. Podsiedlik laid out his ideal plan -- if the NYPHSAA gives the OK to start some form of practice in October.

ff October Podsiedlik and his staff will take advantage of an offer from HUDL to schools that are not playing this fall in which the video software and analysis company will provide additional services at the same charge. He plans to film instructional videos and review game film with players over video conferencing. “I’m putting together instructional stuff,” Podsiedlik said. “We’ll do that through the winter season.”

PERHAPS A

■■A February start date will present challenges in the Northeast.

ff November By November, Podsiedlik is hoping the state will roll out some type of social distanced plan for high school football. He has presented a plan to the state athletic association in which his players will practice without getting within 20 feet of each other. The workouts will consist of skills, speed and agility. He has no problem coaching in a mask or requiring his players to wear them. “The strength component is the most important thing we’ve done in previous seasons,” Podsiedlik said. “It pays dividends. The 7 v 7 stuff is fun, but this is what keeps the kids healthy. Hopefully we start that later in the fall.”

ff December Homer will transition into what is typically its summer training cycle in December. During those months, the players typically hold skill, speed and agility sessions three days a week with a strength component added each day.

ff January/February Podsiedlik is hoping -- by the start of 2021 -- that his team will regain access to its weight room. At the start of the school year, the Homer weight room was cleared out and packed into storage so that a Pre-K program could open with distance learning. If the weight room is unavailable, Podsiedlik plans to have the players do plyometrics and dumbbell workouts. ■■Homer High (N.Y.) coach Gary Podsiedlik

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ff March 1 (Practice Begins)

bigger challenge than programming an offseason schedule in New York is programming the in-season schedule. There are fewer than seven weeks between the official start of practice (March 1) and the end of the season (April 16). There will likely be no postseason for any teams in New York. Instead, there will be a twoweek installation period and a four- or five-game season. “I have no problem with that,” Podsiedlik said. “My top priority is giving these kids a season. I don’t want to see what happened to the kids last spring, when they lost a season. If it’s four games against conference opponents, then we’ll get excited about that. We can worry about installs and virtual workouts and all of those things. But the most important thing is these kids get a chance to play.”

WINTER START

The Blueprint for a Winter Football Season As of press time, only California and Hawaii state athletic associations had committed to moving the football season to a January start date. While inclement weather may not be a factor in either state, the revised calendar will offer some challenges. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

Tyler Roberts has spent most of the school year looking at the California High (San Ramon, Calif.) athletics calendar, trying to find a way to program a football schedule for a Dec. 14 return to practice and Jan. 8 return to games. “We’re hoping to get back out to the field,” Roberts said. “The fact that teams are participating in other states and haven’t seen large breakouts helps our case.” Roberts and coaches all across California will be at the mercy of their particular county’s health protocols. The fall schedule will be dependent on that county’s tier ranking, which is decided by the COVID-19 infection rate. Here is how Roberts has the schedule mapped out at the moment.

ff October (Sunset Period) In Contra Costa County where California High is located, teams are in the “Sunset Period”. The team can congregate in groups no larger than 16 with a 2:14 ratio of staff to students. The football team will host an activity camp, but players can not share equipment and must still adhere to the 16-person limit. For the most part, California High coaches are restricting in-person training sessions to position groups. Team-wide workouts are typically held over video conferencing technology. “Guys will go to a local park or go out in their backyard, and we’ll do the workouts as a team,” Roberts said.

The Season Crunch IN ADDITION TO

the challenge of preparing for a winter football season, California coaches are at risk of losing players to other sports. The typical three-season sports year has been crunched into two seasons. Here are the options for boys: ■■ Fall Sports

■■California teams are preparing to start the season on Jan. 8.

ff November (Tier 1, 2, 3) There is no guarantee for dates or deadlines for moving through the tiers, but Roberts and his staff are planning contingency plans for just about every outcome. During this phase, the hope is that the California High players will be able to return to the weight room in smaller groups as well as host practices for up to 50 players on the field. If that is the case, the team will begin a 4-6 week strength training phase with a goal of laying the foundation before the start of practice on Dec. 14. The coaches will have speed and agility workouts for players in groups of up to 50. Coaches will also conduct install meetings and position meetings over Zoom so that players can review or learn the scheme before the first practice.

ff Dec. 14 (Start of Practice) Some counties are pushing the start of practice to Dec. 7, but Contra Costa County has yet to do that. Coaches will have approximately four weeks to prepare for the season, so it will be similar to a normal preseason schedule -- with the exception of scrimmages. Roberts and many other coaches in California are not expecting to have scrimmages before the Jan. 8 start date. The biggest challenge will be keeping the athletes engaged through the winter break.

Football, boys volleyball, water polo, crosscountry, skiing, snowboarding. ■■ Spring SportsThis Soccer, swimming/ diving, tennis, badminton, wrestling, basketball, baseball, golf, track and field. The one positive about the switch to a two-season school year for coaches is that the football season will not be condensed -- like it will be in many states this fall. The last day of section playoffs in California is set for April 10, 2021. The last day of regional state championship matchups will be April 17, 2021. The leaves 15 weeks for the football season.

ff Jan. 8 (Season Kicks Off)

EXPERT OPINION

Connecticut coach: Learning to cope after losing the season No coach can say he has experience leading high school student-athletes through a pandemic. We’re all learning as we go, and we find ourselves leading in many different ways this school year.. BY JAMES KELLY, HEAD COACH E.O. SMITH HIGH (CONN.) ■■E.O. Smith (Conn.) coach James Kelly

ike all other coaches around the country, I have

EDITOR’S NOTE: JAMES

had to embrace the reality of a football Kelly is a head football season with many changes for our kids and coach and special education coaching staff. However, we also have had to teacher at E.O. Smith High deal with the realization that the decision to in Conn. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic cancel the fall football season was made later in Conference made the our state. decision on Sept. 16 to Edwin O. Smith is in its 24th year as a football cancel the fall football program. E.O. Smith actually shares land with season after originally the UCONN campus, but this year neither the planning an Oct. 2 start date. UCONN Huskies nor the Panthers of E.O. Smith are playing football games. It is difficult to go to bed, get up in the morning, and realize we are not competing against the great schools in our conference and the other coaches in our great league. I feel for them as well because I know what we are going through with our kids here.

HELPING TEENS DEAL WITH LOSS There comes a point where as a coach where you have to take the disappointment of no season and quickly turn it around to finding something positive because the 60 kids we have are in an even worse place mentally and need something and someone to turn to. We didn’t want to have any of our guys get themselves into trouble. so we decided to get back to it as quickly as possible so that they had something positive to do. Our athletics director and school administration recognize how big football is as a part of our student/athletes lives so they allowed us to continue our cohort groups and Covid-19 guidelines set forth by our state so that we could continue.

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CONNECTING AS PEOPLE We work with our kids 3-4 days a week, conditioning, working on position groups, individual skills time as well as the best part, which is having the daily time to see the kids and talk to them about what is going on in their lives. Talking to and getting to know our freshmen and ask them about their classes are and the transition into high school has been good because they are taking on so much right now, a hybrid schedule in a new school, wearing masks to practice, to classes, learning how to navigate everything and learn coaches and how to be a teammate in a varsity football program. My coaching staff is unselfish and they jumped at the chance to keep coaching our kids which it is obvious to say they should feel this way but I cannot emphasize enough that having coaches that are willing to do what is best for the kids is so essential for any program. If an assistant coach cannot rise above a pandemic or a negativity, they probably aren’t right for the program. The realization for seniors is very traumatic and have struggled with it every day, but again as coaches and adults we have to help them rise above. I talk to them a lot about life and not taking each day for granted as well as how to handle difficulties you encounter in life, like paying your rent and mortgage when you have recently lost a job and how to cope, all real life situations that are great teaching points for all of us. The seniors that love the game have been able to come and run routes, work bag drills, work run fits and get their minds away from the sorrow and focus on getting better at something they love and be around their teammates. For our underclassmen it has been an opportunity to spend time with the seniors and have some laughs, but also continue to learn our systems and refine their skills for the future. The juniors have matured into team leaders, realizing they are a year away from their last time and reflecting on what the seniors must be feeling, realizing to never take a day for granted because you never know in life. Little do they know they are helping to build a program through hard work, perseverance and dedication without even playing a single football game in 2020.

TECHNOLOGY

Portable Sound Systems Improve Distanced Communication The changing landscape of high school football is placing a greater value on clear communication over a variety of platforms. Sound systems have never been more important to coaches as we navigate new challenges posed by the pandemic. BY MATT STARR, CEO OF SIDELINE POWER

SIDELINE POWER LLC IS THE NO. 1

Choice in Coaching Communication providing a wide variety of coaching headsets, end zone cameras, sideline replay and other technology needs for all athletic programs. WEBSITE: http://sidelinepower.com/ PHONE: 1-800-496-4290

’m Matt Starr, Founder and CEO of Sideline Power. Sideline Power works to find and bring cutting

edge technology to the football industry in order to help coaches win. Sideline Power has partnered with FNF Coaches to create an educational article each month on different innovative products. It’s time to get #PoweredUP with this month’s featured product, portable sound systems. With social distancing at the forefront of everyone’s minds these days, one major hurdle is how to communicate effectively to a large student body with minimal complication. Traditional sound systems are fine as long as the event is pre-planned and there is time to run power and cables and set everything up. But just like the fluidity of this pandemic, institutions and organizations have to be fluid and mobile. Enter, portable sound systems. As the name suggests, they are easily portable, but they also take only seconds to set up. They are scalable, so you can add additional speaker sets as needed. There are a variety of sizes, so you can choose a system that best fits your program and needs. Most importantly, they are multi-purpose. With a portable sound system, you aren’t limited to one application. The sound system can be used for various applications around campus. Pep rallies, track meets, school wide assemblies, marching band and color guard practices. If you need a speaker array for an event, a portable sound system is a practical and easy way to get it done. But what makes a good portable sound system? First and foremost is battery capacity and run time. Having a sound system that is portable doesn’t do you any good if the battery isn’t going to last the length of your event. When you are looking for the best battery life on the market, you won’t find any better than Anchor Audio. With up to eight hours of run time, Anchor portable sound systems easily cover almost any event imaginable. Next, you really want something that is durable. There is no sense spending money on a product that could easily break. You need durability for indoor and outdoor environments. Anchor is SO confident in their products that they offer a six-year warranty on all products they make and sell. And finally, it needs to be easy to use. Anchor portable sound systems take less than 10 minutes to set up initially and mere seconds to get them set up and ready to use every time after. As I mentioned earlier, scalability is key. With Anchor AIR you can wirelessly connect multiple companion speakers to increase coverage without changing your base systems. So, the real question is how big do you need to go? That depends on how you want to primarily use your system. An Anchor Go Getter will reach crowds of 500+, while the Anchor Bigfoot will reach crowds of 5,000+. The Beacon is a fantastic option for those who want to reach large crowds, but also want a speaker array that packs down to the size of a large suitcase. For help finding the right Anchor Portable Sound System for your program and school, visit www.sidelinepower.com or call 800-496-4290, and see how we can help your program get #PoweredUP.

MENTAL PREPARATION

Texas Champion Coach: Make the Best of it Part of leading a team in the “new normal” is accepting that things will be different this school year. The sooner the coaches and players embrace it, the sooner they can appreciate that some football is better than no football. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

anadian High (Texas) coach Chris Koetting has a

formula for winning year after year in the most competitive high school football environment in the country. He has established a winning culture to the tune of a 128-17 career record (.882 winning percentage) and two state championships (2014, 2015). The last thing Koetting wants for his program is a disruption from the norm. Enter 2020.

The Koetting Corner NAME: Chris Koetting TEAM: Canadian High (TX) CAREER RECORD: 128-17 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

2014, 2015

TEAM START DATE:

Sept. 4

‘CHERISHING EVERY PRACTICE’

OUTLOOK: “We’ve played well so far. We’re trying to make the best of it, and the kids definitely want to play this fall.”

Like so many coaches in the country, Koetting lost his entire spring program due to the pandemic. His team returned to action in September well before Koetting and his staff felt comfortable that they had laid the standard groundwork to embark on a championship season. “We talk to our kids a lot about how this is not going to be a normal year,” Koetting said. “It’s not like it always has been. We may have guys get sick. We may miss games with teams in quarantine. We’ve got to be very adaptable to any situation. The fact is kids are cherishing every practice and every game. It’s a different season, but not necessarily a bad one.”

‘BE THANKFUL’

“You take it day by day,” Koetting said. “Be thankful for every practice and game you get to play. Really, it’s been pretty good. It’s been close to a normal season, which is better than we expected.” Koetting and his staff spent the spring season connecting with players over Zoom meetings after the shutdown. He also used an app to provide daily workouts to players. He was encouraged by the number of players that remained engaged with the offseason program. “That was a positive,” Koetting said. “The kids did a good job of that. I don’t think it affected team chemistry. It was hard to keep track of everybody, but our coaching staff did a good job of reaching out to the kids.”

As a Division 2 team in Texas, Koetting’s Canadian squad

‘BACK TO NORMAL’

opened on the first Friday in September. The Wildcats went 2-1 in their first three games before having the third game cancelled due to an opposing player’s COVID infection.

■■Canadian High (Texas) coach Chris Koetting

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Canadian resumed strength and conditioning workouts on June 10, and Koetting was surprised by the gains his players made during the stay-at-home period. “It was back to normal,” Koetting said. “The kids were in good shape.” Canadian preseason workouts started on Aug. 5, and the team has had only one COVID case over the last 15 weeks. “You could tell the kids were really excited when they found out we were able to play in the fall,” Koetting said. “There are a lot of protocols to abide by, but the kids have done a good job with that. If all you focus on is the kids, I feel like we’re as prepared as we’ve always been. It’s remarkable how well they’ve done.” If anything, Koetting says the team’s early-season loss was more painful for him than ones in previous seasons because he has seen the way in which the players have persevered in the face of adversity. “It was tough losing a game because the next week’s game was cancelled,” Koetting said. “I don’t want these kids to go a two-week stretch without a win. We’re trying to make the best of it, and I’m following their lead.”

COACHING WITH COVID

The Eye in the Sky QUARANTINED MISSISSIPPI COACH CALLS PLAYS FROM CONSTRUCTION LIFT We’ve seen many innovative and creative coaching adjustments during the pandemic. Coaches continue to find ways to reach student-athletes in a safe way. One Mississippi coach got creative after he was forced to quarantine. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR

rennan Pugh calls his response to a

school district-imposed quarantine a “perfect storm”. How’s that for making the best of a bad situation? The Vardaman High (Miss.) coach was forced to quarantine in early September due to his school district’s protocol for contact tracing. Someone close to Vardaman tested positive for the virus, he reported it, and he was asked to disappear until Sept. 29.

Here’s where the perfect storm comes in. ■■ Pugh lives about 100 yards from the Vardaman High football field. ■■ His step-dad owns a hardware store with a construction lift on site 10 miles from the school. ■■ Vardaman’s coaching headset system extends to Pugh’s back yard. Thus, a viral sensation was born. Pugh started coaching practices and games from the construction lift in his backyard. The image of the coach suspended 40 feet in the air while coaching from his own property has circulated on social media, and just about every local news outlet has told his story. “My attitude about it is I’m thankful to be able to do it and not sit on the couch and wait until after the game to

■■Vardaman High (Miss.) coach Brennan Pugh

find out how we did,” Pugh said. “I will say, after our first win, I would have definitely preferred to be on the field and in the locker room with the guys.” Pugh hasn’t forced his assistants and players to go back to the days of Zoom conferencing during his quarantine, feeling as though they had their fill in

HOW DOES IT WORK? PUGH IS SUSPENDED 40 FEET IN THE AIR FROM A

construction lift in his backyard. His residence is 100 yards from the football field, so his headset coaching system extends to the lift. Pugh gives a pregame and postgame speech to his team by calling an assistant coach and asking to be put on speaker phone. During

the spring during the shutdown. He does ask the coaches to put him on speaker phone in the postgame locker room so he can speak directly to the team. “I’ve been able to keep up with the players from the lift,” Pugh said. “When they go in the field house, they see me. I communicate directly with players through text or phone calls. We haven’t really gotten into a whole lot of advanced technology.” Coaching from 40 feet in the air took some getting used to for Pugh, but it has become routine. He has a good enough vantage point from the lift that he actually calls offensive plays on Friday nights. “The field is very close,” Pugh said. “I can see the whole field. I use the headset and call plays. I’m in a unique situation to be able to do this. When I found out I had to quarantine, I got on the phone quickly and made the arrangements. I’ve told people this is a perfect storm.” Even though Pugh has enjoyed engaging with the team during quarantine, don’t expect him to make this a permanent arrangement. “I can come back Sept. 29, and that’s when this ends,” Pugh said.

the game, he calls offensive plays and manages timeouts and head coach management decisions. During the week, Pugh watches practice from the lift and collaborates on the practice plan and game plan on Google Meet. He has not asked his players to do more Zoom conferences during his quarantine, feeling as though they were suffering from Zoom fatigue after the spring and early summer.

PLAYBOOK presented by TEACHING POINTS FOR TEACHING A TE ‘FRIENDLY’ HOT ROUTE BY CHARLIE COINER, FIRSTDOWN PLAYBOOK

In somes instances, the offensive line might do a great job of switching the protection on the snap to pick up the pressure to the strong side. However, the tight end has no way of knowing this so he might run a “friendly” hot route allowing the quarterback to take advantage of this. There is technique involved with throwing and running a hot route. Often times panic sets in on the part of the quarterback or receiver and a relatively easy throw is not completed. The “friendly hot route” is not the only type of hot route that needs to be mastered. Often times on an outbreaking route the tight end may just expedite his route for the quarterback. However, if the tight end is running a vertical or in breaking route the “friendly’’ route is an excellent way to make himself available to the quarterback. Here are a couple of tips for teaching a tight end how to run a “friendly” hot route for his quarterback.

Teach your tight end to communicate what he sees. The tight end should tell the tackle

and even the quarterback if he can. The more people on the same page the better. Relax. If the tight end tenses up he is likely to spaz out when the throw is going to be a nice, short 5-yard toss that saves the quarterback.

2. We have all watched a lot of football at this point over the last few weeks. One common problem that you have seen time and time again is the inability to protect the quarterback with a hot throw. Sometimes it is a case that the quarterback, tight end or receiver do not understand that they are hot. It is sometimes the case that the tight end knows he’s hot, but the technique is poorly executed. We want to talk about some fundamentals that should be considered as you install your passing game. When you are designing your pass game, do you spend enough time looking at the value of the play vs. pressure? Is your offensive line coach even in the room? The stakes are high every time your quarterback drops back. A lot of bad things can happen. Sack, fumble and quarterback injury are some that come to mind. Any time you put a pass play in your game plan you should think about these things:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Can the offensive line, tight ends and backs pick up any and all pressure that can be called up by the defense? Is there another play that the quarterback can check to get him out of a bad situation? Is there another protection that the quarterback can check to that picks up the pressure if he sees it pre-snap? Do you have built in hots and sights that will give the quarterback a place to go with the ball if he is unprotected?

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The tight end should look as quickly as possible. The tight end not only has to be

available but the quarterback must also see that he is available.

Coach your tight end to give the quarterback his numbers when running a “friendly” hot route. Give the quarterback a nice easy target

as he will likely be retreating with pressure in his face. Finally, don’t get depth with the route. All depth will normally do is get the tight end covered. You can see in the video above how the tight end has room to work after the catch. The last point to make is that hot routes are just like everything else in football. They must be practiced. Working on this prepractice as the quarterbacks are getting their arms loose is a good time to do this. Also you can steal five minutes during a special teams period. Finding time to practice this will do wonders when the game is on the line and you need that one completion to win the game.

One Place. All The Football. HELPING FOOTBALL COACHES, PLAYERS AND FANS AT ALL LEVELS: blog.firstdownplaybook.com

TEACH RECEIVERS TO SELL A DOUBLE MOVE WITH PROPER TECHNIQUE BY CHARLIE COINER, FIRSTDOWN PLAYBOOK

One of the hardest things to teach a receiver about a double move is that he has to sell the initial move before breaking into the second part of the route. There are a lot of things that go into this. Double moves normally work better vs man coverage so the matchup is vital when teaching the route. If the receiver is a good player and gets open a lot on most of the routes he runs, then selling the double move is easier to teach. Let’s face it, if the guy is talented then the defender is scared to death about getting beat on the initial move. This means they will probably bite like crazy on the initial route no matter what. This is why you see great receivers continue to get open in the red zone when defenses try to man up with them. They do not have to sell the initial move as much to get open on the double move route. That’s the easy part, right? The hard part is when the defense brackets your best receiver. Now that receiver is covered and you need one of your other receivers or tight ends to get open in the red zone. This is when the coaching and the technique will help you win. The first thing that you have to do is convince the lesser talented receiver or

tight end that they cannot run the double move route like your great receiver does. The defender is not going to jump this receiver’s initial route as much as he would the great receiver because:

1. 2.

The defender is not as scared of the speed or talent factor as he may be vs the great receiver. The great receiver has probably run the initial route on tape for the opponent to see many times and this receiver has not.

It is important to teach this receiver to be patient and sell the initial route. I usually say at least three steps. This is enough to get the defender to trigger and bite on the initial route. This is harder than you think because the receiver will get excited and impatient thinking the quarterback will give up on him. The quarterback must be coached also that this is going to take a little longer than when the star player runs it but it will still be open. When you are teaching this you have to be sensitive to the players morale and attitude. Most players understand the “why” here though if you slow down to coach it. It also doesn’t hurt when they use this technique and find themselves wide open.

PLAYBOOK presented by

JUST BLITZ, COACH! BY JARRETT M. LAWS, M.ED., SALEM HIGH SCHOOL (GA.) HEAD COACH

In 2016, when I was hired by the administration at Salem High School in Conyers, Georgia, my immediate goal was to revitalize the program by introducing an uptempo style of football to a program that previously was a bare-bones 4-4 Cover 3. By year two, we were fortunate enough to reach the Georgia High School Association Class AAAA playoffs for the first time in four years. We base our defensive pressure package on a concept we call “Deal It”, whereby, when we make a decision to bring pressure to the offense, we make an agreement that regardless of what they present us, we will take it as a “deal” of sorts, and in response, play the “cards” that have been dealt to us. Nearly 70% of our pressure calls come in situations where we determine down and distance needs. For the sake of this article, we are going to examine our “Zone” pressure checks. So that we can focus on the philosophy rather than the scheme, we will limit our presentations to a few commonplace 10 personnel formations. We will start with the nomenclature of the call. When we are in “Deal It”, we have decided to align according to what formation is presented to us. Our language is as follows: we use the name and mascot of a team (in this case, “Salem” for the front of the formation, and “Seminole” for the back of the formation) to indicate where the offenses’ protection void is. This is determined by the location of the running back, thus, where we will bring our pressure. We choose to bring pressure away from the RB, or if they have multiple RBs, we will overload the side of the formation where the least number of players are. In Diagram 1, the formation is 3x1 / RB Near. The front side of the formation is covered protection-wise by the RB, so we would make a “Seminole 31” call, indicating that there is a 3x1 formation, and the backside of the formation is open for pressure. Our front 4 align in a “5-2-2-5” technique set up in order to maintain a balanced look, limiting the offensive line’s ability to make a protection strength call. The Mike and Will LB’s align directly behind the inside defensive tackles in “20” alignments in order to maintain the balance. The Nickel lines up slightly inside of the #2 slot receiver. Our secondary shows a 2-high safety look (which is what we align in when playing a base look). The goal of all our alignments is to originate without a difference between our base

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and pressure looks. We always have the goal of limiting the keys that are available to the offense with the intent of making their play call as difficult as possible. At the snap of the ball, the front side defensive linemen run an End/Tackle stunt, with the 2-tech first working across the guard and tackles’ faces to the C gap, and the 5 tech working behind the 2’s path to pressure the frontside A gap. The Mike plays a zone-drop coverage, working his eyes for coverage responsibility from the #3 receiver to the #2 receiver. The Nickel and Strong Safety play a “2-Trap” coverage on the #3 and #2 receivers. The frontside Cornerback is in a one-onone coverage with the #1 receiver. On the “Seminole”, or pressure side, the 2 technique works a “Bull rush” technique on the guard, occupying him from picking up the weak side end, who is working a long-stick route behind the 2 tech to the back side A gap. The Will LB rushes the QB through the C gap, with the goal of maintaining a tight angle to get to the top shoulder of the QB. The Free Safety uses the RB as a key to determine whether he is a blitzer or a cover down player. If he determines that the RB is working across to pick up the “Seminole” side blitzer, he will then blitz the “Seminole” side through the 1st open space that he can see. If the RB stays frontside, he will play a “Robber” technique to assist in covering the “Seminole” side single receiver. The “Seminole” cornerback plays a zone-depth man coverage technique. He knows that he has help underneath, so he only worries about carrying the deeper routes (Go, Post/Crossing, Comeback). This should always guarantee that we are bringing one more player that they can defend, without forsaking Zone coverage principles.

One Place. All The Football. HELPING FOOTBALL COACHES, PLAYERS AND FANS AT ALL LEVELS: blog.firstdownplaybook.com

THREE-BALL DRILLS FOR WIDE RECEIVERS BY KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY WIDE RECEIVERS COACHES MATTHEW PIROLLI & STEVE HECK

Notre Dame

Villanova

Mini Villanova

Three-ball drills we have done almost every day were: Notre Dame, Mini Villanova and Villanova. We break our ball drills down into how many catches the wide receiver is getting in that given drill. You can find other ways to break them down; this was just easiest for us. The Notre Dame drill is one we use to focus on our wide receivers footwork and knee drive in and out of cuts. The take-off cone should be about 5 to 7 yards away from the cones the wide receiver is attacking. Having one cone at the start, the other three should be arranged with two in line of the starting cone but about a yard or so apart. You can make the distance between these cones larger or smaller depending on how well your receivers perform the more you do the drill. The last cone should be off to the side of the furthest cone. The wide receiver will get a good take off attacking the cone furthest from him. Once they reach that they should breakdown and very tightly work around the cone going inside toward the cone behind them, as they work around that cone should then break off to the one off to the side then break back towards the sideline or where they began. Based on where the coach stands this can either be a sideline toe-touch catch or an over the shoulder fade ball scenario. The Notre Dame drill is one that only involves one ball so in our experience this is one you let the group leader take control of during individual periods. Maybe as the coach you run this one in the offseason during free time after workouts so players get familiar but after that players should be able to control this one on their own. I have found that the older guys teach the young guys and no one slacks off because they all want to get something out of the drill. It doesn’t take a ton of space to set up and is a quick-hitter. For the ball circuit, it is important to have drills that offer various challenges to players in terms of top end footwork, hand and eye preparation and ball skills. Also, try to find drills that are relatively easy to set up. The VILLANOVA drill is a 10-yard box that requires three footballs and three cones/chutes. A coach should manage any ball drills that require three or more balls. The receiver takes off from the sideline running toward cone/chute one where he breaks down and makes a 45-degree curl break and catches ball one. It’s very important to emphasize tucking the balls away in multi-catch drills. After the catch, the receiver flips the ball out of the drill and makes another 45-degree cut. There is no ball at cone/chute two. As the receiver heads to cone/chute three he will make a 90-degree dig or out type break catching and tucking ball two. The final phase of VILLANOVA entails the receiver making a speed cut around cone/chute one to receive a boundary awareness catch for ball three. It is critical to make sure the sideline area is cleared of equipment and players. Coach the receiver to focus on the ball and FEEL the sideline. To save time have any players who are not running through the drill help track down the footballs. Our final drill will be Mini Villanova, this is another quick hitter but has two catches instead of just one. Mini Villanova is an 8 x 10 yard rectangle that requires two footballs, a pop-up dummy, a cone and a hula hoop. The receiver takes off towards the pop up and runs back in a 45-degree curl catching ball one. After a catch and tuck that mandates the receiver seeing himself tuck the ball away, he heads toward the cone. Like the Villanova drill, there is no ball thrown at the second break point. Emphasize arm activity and knee expression on the exit of the break. As the receiver heads toward the hula hoop he’s coached to make a tight speed cut arc around the hoop. Emphasize arm activity as the receiver makes the speed cut. Ball two will be an obstructed view, sideline catch, with the pop up serving a dual role in this drill set up. We want the receiver to lose the ball for an instant while he must also gauge his own proximity to the rapidly approaching sideline. This is a drill student interns or players could manage with some prior tips from the WR coach. Anytime we are introducing a new drill we will go through a dry run pre-practice shake down to make sure everybody sees the drill.

USA FOOTBALL

A New Way to Teach USA FOOTBALL’S ADVANCED TACKLING SYSTEM HELPS COACHES TEACH DEFENSE BY USA FOOTBALL STAFF

t’s the fourth quarter, and your inside linebacker just took a poor

angle on an outside zone play, failing to connect with the ball-carrier...First down. On the very next play, your outside linebacker didn’t drive his feet after connecting with a receiver, who took it to the house...Game over. While grading film after the game, both receive a negative score for a “missed tackle.” But do those two tick marks really help you identify what went wrong on those plays or provide a solution during next week’s practice plan? It’s time for a new approach. USA Football’s Advanced Tackling System, developed in-conjunction with Richie Gray, an international and multi-sport tackling expert, offers coaches a progressive framework to improve their defense’s most critical skill. Within this system, coaches learn easily identifiable and efficient metrics to classify successes and failures within each tackle. Using these indicators, coaches can turn to drills and troubleshooting progressions within the system to provide rich feedback and address specific concerns for each player. “The Advanced Tackling System meets coaches where they are and helps them not only find deficiencies in tackling but ways to measure and help players dominate each tackle,” said Rob Currin, head coach at Alden (N.Y.) High School. “This system enhances any current tackle system and can be implemented immediately.”

■■USA Football’s Senior Manager of Education and Training Andy Ryland serves as the on-screen talent for the Advanced Tackling System. Ryland is a former Penn State linebacker, college rugby All-American, member of the U.S. Men’s National Rugby Team and NCAA Division I college football coach.

■■The second leg drill within USA Football’s Advanced Tackling System teaches players how to transition from single-leg control to full control in order to bring the ball-carrier to the ground. This system, coming to USA Football coaching system site FootballDevelopment.com in January, gives coaches key performance indicators that they can identify, train and correct to develop better fundamental tacklers on the football field.

The foundation for this system was developed by Richie Gray, the founder of GSI and the 5 Fight Tackle System as well as a former professional rugby player who has coached on the highest levels in both that sport and American football. Gray worked in 2016 alongside the Miami Dolphins coaching staff to improve that team’s tackling skills and continues to work with individual NFL coaches and players each offseason. The system breaks down every tackle into five core concepts, each of which can be defined and charted by coaches in both practices and games. ■■ Track: The ability to get from anywhere on the field to the ball-carrier with speed, taking into account scheme, leverage and blockers in order to make the tackle. ■■ Prepare: The ability to transition from tracking to getting into the correct body position with proper foot placement for imminent contact and type of tackle being made. ■■ Connect: Winning at the point of contact through technique, accuracy and the proper mentality. ■■ Accelerate: The ability to generate force through the feet into the ground to provide sustained pressure and generate controlled power. ■■ Finish: Taking the tackle to the ground with full control of the ball-carrier – all the way to the deck. “You’ve got a player who misses tackles, you can track it back to one or two of our KPIs (key performance indicators),” Gray said. “The whole system can be very complex for the highest level, but it can easily be simplified down to whatever level you’re at.” USA Football’s Senior Manager of Education and Training and shoulder tackling expert Andy Ryland serves as the on-screen instructor of the system. “The shoulder tackle is still a part of our system. It’s a great start,” Ryland said. “Now, what we’re doing, is we’re taking a chronological look at the tackle. We look at the pieces that lead up to the finish of the tackle. Within each of those pieces, I have a number of KPIs I can start to look at.” Learn more about USA Football’s Advanced Tackling System by visiting footballdevelopment.com. Coaches can create a free membership and download any three of the videos to see for themselves what the pros are teaching.

TWO SYSTEMS TO HELP YOU WIN EVERY SNAP Build the most critical defensive skill within your athletes

SHOULDER TACKLING SYSTEM Built in partnership with the Seattle Seahawks, explore a foundational approach to tackling to develop better defenders and build a more efficient and physical defense. This free system is endorsed by the NFL and USA Rugby. It starts with instruction, drills and coaching points to help your players with regards to Fundamentals and Leverage.

ADVANCED TACKLING SYSTEM Created with international and multi-sport tackling expert Richie Gray, the Advanced Tackling System focuses on fitting every element of how your team tackles together. From execution in-game to practice planning to film breakdown and drills, this system is a comprehensive and cohesive approach that will change the way your team approaches tackling.

WIN THROUGH BETTER EXECUTION. GET THERE WITH USA FOOTBALL. Explore your opportunities today at footballdevelopment.com

INSPIRATION

Many of the best football coaches and players provide inspiration to the people around them on a daily basis. We often present quotes from former players/coaches on Twitter @FNFCoaches. The following quotes received the most buzz from our followers.

On every team, there is a core group that sets the tone for everyone else. If the tone is positive, you have half the battle won. If it is negative, you are beaten before you ever walk on the field.” –Chuck Noll

Leadership

Flash doesn’t win games. Hype doesn’t win games. Going out and executing and doing your job on a consistent basis is what wins.” –Clay Helton

Execution

AMBITION

If you sit back and spend too much time feeling good about what you did in the past, you’re going to come up short your next turn.” –Bill Belichick

Whether it’s a drill or a game, the most important thing is to do the best you can and to not clutter your mind with things you can’t control.” –Mike Leach

Focus

DISCIPLINE

Discipline to me is sacrifice; it’s willingness to give up something you want to do, so you can better yourself.” –Bobby Bowden

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FNF Coaches - Fall 2020

Articles inside

Three-Ball Drills for Receivers

When In Doubt, Blitz

Teaching a TE Friendly Hot Route

Teach Receivers a Double Move