In this episode of The Passing Lab, we discuss offensive system design and passing game organization with Jefferson County (TN) Offensive Coordinator Trevor Denton. The episode examines strategies for creating a flexible, organized passing attack that streamlines quarterback decisions and challenges defenses. Coach Denton outlines his organizational methods, describing how "bucketing" concepts allow play-callers to integrate pass protection, quick-game, and screen packages into a unified system. The discussion showcases efficient route combinations, especially the benefits of pairing Deep Choice with the Dagger concept to challenge secondary coverages. The episode also covers film study for game planning, building a coaching network, and refining game-day routines, presenting a practical guide for offensive coordinators seeking to improve their passing game. Chapters Passing Game System Design and Foundations System Bucketing: Organizing Concepts for Fast Communication Protection Mechanics: Pairing Quick Game with Screen Packages High-Efficiency Pairings: Merging Deep Choice with Dagger Play Design Workflow: Using Film to Build Weekly Game Plans Coaching Evolution: Mentorship and Building an Offensive Network Game Day Mindset: Routines, Sideline Flow, and Superstitions Building a Streamlined Air Attack Connect on X: Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski Josh Herring: @joshherring1 Trevor Denton: @Coach_TDenton Story of the Season's Recruiting Profiles - Give your players better college exposure with Story of the Season's new web-based recruiting profiles. You can build a custom team recruiting page with interactive player profiles, highlights, headshots, stats, academic info, Hudl links, coach comments, and more. Set up is quick, easy, and free to try until 2027 at https://recruiting.storyoftheseason.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Coach and Coordinator Network, presented by Modern Football Technology, host Keith Grabowski sits down with Joseph Loyd, wide receivers coach at Texas powerhouse DeSoto High School. Together, they discuss how the DeSoto coaching staff navigated its state championship run by replacing traditional paper-and-pen charting with real-time, actionable game-day insights. Coach Loyd describes his path from coaching in DeSoto's middle school feeder program to helping lead the varsity team to a state title. He stresses the importance of alignment, trust, and staff loyalty. The conversation takes an in-depth look at game-day operations, detailing how Modern Football Technology helps coaches track play efficiency, run-pass tendencies, explosive plays, and key target distributions between series. Rather than waiting until halftime or Sunday film study, Coach Loyd explains how access to live data enables play-callers to make instant adjustments, get the ball to their top playmakers, and optimize an up-tempo offense while the game is still on the line. Chapters Feeder Roots: Lessons in Mentorship & Staff Alignment The Pipeline: Connecting Middle School Development to State Championship Standards Building Trust: Engaging Young Athletes and Fostering Roster Loyalty Lead Assistant Mindset: Supporting the Head Coach & Staff Cohesion Beyond the Notepad: Ditching Paper and Pen Charting for Modern Football Technology Between-Series Adjustments: Tracking Targets, Touch Distribution, & Yardage Tempo Control: Managing Fast-Paced Offenses & In-Game Efficiency Information into Insight & Making Decisions That Matter Next Connect on X: Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski Joseph Loyd: @jjljr23 Modern Football: @modernFB Presented By Modern Football Technology: Modern Football helps coaches turn information into better decisions when it matters most. From live tendencies and situational data to AI-powered reports and in-game insights, Modern Football provides actionable information that can help coaches make better decisions before the next series—not after the game is over. Learn more at https://www.modernfootball.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 1 was the why. This one is the how. I walk through the actual nine-practice install calendar we built for Bay this preseason — the general information page that acts as the front door to everything, the color-coded system that tells a player what he's about to click before he clicks it, and why our quizzes are built by position group instead of one-size-fits-all. With twenty-two varsity and twenty-two JV players, a lot of our guys are learning more than one job, and this episode shows exactly how we built a system that could keep up with that. (Note: we walk through structure and categories here, not our actual terminology — we're installing a new offense this year and we'd rather our opponents learn it on Friday nights.) In this episode: The number that surprised our players: 60–90 minutes of homework before Practice One even starts The flight-school syllabus, continued from Episode 1's simulator analogy — and where the "checkride" fits Why 44 players with more than 44 jobs made "one place to organize everything" a survival issue, not a preference The Lego analogy: how concept-based teaching turns 7 varsity linemen (and 7 more on JV) into interchangeable parts at guard, tackle, and center — and does the same for hybrid skill players A full walkthrough of our General Information page and the blue/red/green color-coding system Why this couldn't be a Google Doc: what a football-built platform does that a shared drive can't Practice One, broken down: why day one is our heaviest install day, and why it's about vocabulary, not plays How the install calendar gets lighter, then heavier, then lighter again across Practices 2–5 Why our quizzes are split by role — All Players, Skill, O-Line, Running Backs, TE/Hybrids — and what "no quiz, no reps" actually means in practice Why "flipped learning" research is more humbling than the buzzword suggests — and why most attempts at it fail on execution, not concept (114-study meta-analysis, University of Utrecht, 2019; controlled study, Johnson & Wales University, 2013) How our own meetings changed: from a passive, read-the-binder model to 15–20 minutes of interactive application, then a 30-minute walkthrough on the field before practice — and why that's what separates a flip that works from one that doesn't The pivot after Scrimmage 1: why Practices 6–9 stop installing plays and start installing situational football 25 vs. 13: why a two-way HS roster gets barely half the practice reps a college team does before its first game — and why that makes a teaching platform a necessity, not a luxury What we're taking into Scrimmage 2 and the start of the season Quotable: "A few basic Lego shapes can build a race car or a spaceship. The player becomes interchangeable because the teaching was never built around the position label." "Google can host a document. It can't tag a quiz to a position group, gate a rep behind it, or tell me who actually watched the video." "Just Play is the first tool I've used in this game where I wasn't the one doing the stitching anymore." "If you haven't retrieved it, you don't get the rep." "The first scrimmage isn't the final exam on this install. It's the checkride." "That's still a manual. It just has a play button on it now." About the series:One Play at a Time follows Keith Grabowski's return to the sidelines as Offensive Coordinator and QB coach at Bay High School after a decade away, documenting how the staff installs, teaches, and communicates the offense across a full season. This series is presented by Just Play. Learn more about Just Play Sports Solutions⁠ Just Play Sports Solutions is the coaching platform we use to build, teach, and deliver our offensive system at Bay High School. Throughout this series, you'll see how we're using Just Play for installation, player learning, practice preparation, communication, quizzes, and staff collaboration. Subscribe / follow: Coach and Coordinator Network — podcast, YouTube, CoachandCoordinator.com, and weekly newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Champions, presented by Signature Championship Rings, host Keith Grabowski interviews Nixa HS (MO) head coach John Perry about building and sustaining a championship culture in various settings. As part of the Coach and Coordinator Network, the discussion follows Coach Perry's journey from Mississippi to Missouri and spotlights the core principles behind athletic success. Coach Perry shares his belief that "belief is transferable," and explains how clear expectations, consistent daily routines, and purposeful leadership is able to transform team culture. The conversation covers practical mental performance tools, such as the E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome) framework, to help young athletes build fortitude and accountability. From defining core team behaviors to focusing on daily progress, this interview gives coaches clear, practical guidance for building sustained excellence. Chapters State to State: The Journey from Mississippi to Nixa, Missouri The Great Experiment: Testing Core Coaching Principles in a New Room Transferable Excellence: Porting Systems and Standards to a New Culture Unlocking Belief: Fostering Leadership and Accountability in Athletes Systematic Culture: Creating Repeatable Daily Habits for Success Setting the Standard: Translating Core Values into Concrete Behaviors The Power of 1%: Small Daily Improvements That Drive Big Growth Developing Resilience, Mental Toughness, and Learning from Failure Presented by Signature Championship Rings Championships are about more than wins. They're about the commitment, sacrifice, and relationships that define your program. When it's time to celebrate your team's accomplishments, trust Signature Championship Rings to create custom championship rings that honor your players, coaches, and legacy with craftsmanship worthy of the moment. Learn more about Signature Championship Rings and start designing a championship ring your team will be proud to wear. https://signaturechampions.com/ Connect on X: Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski John Perry: @jperry_nixa Signature Championship Rings: @signaturerings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Coach and Coordinator, host Keith Grabowski is joined by Harbaugh Coaching Academy Leadership Team member, Super Bowl champion, and veteran NFL head coach John Harbaugh, who shares a masterclass on building a sustainable championship-caliber program culture. Coach Harbaugh reveals his core philosophy of "elegant simplicity," explaining how elite coaches turn intricate strategic concepts into clear, actionable systems. The conversation explores establishing core principles when taking over a team, meeting players where they are, and raising daily standards through relentless pursuit of perfection. From creating a "perfect day" for athletes and staff to using continuous feedback to keep teams aligned, this interview delivers a proven framework for coaches at every level who aspire to lead intentionally and build authentic, lasting relationships. Chapters Day One Foundations: Establishing Principles and Program Culture Chasing Perfection: How High Standards Drive Daily Growth The Perfect Day: Structuring Optimal Practice and Preparation Environments Elegant Simplicity: Filtering Complex Strategies into Usable Systems Strategic Evolution: Adapting Trends Without Losing Core Identity Beyond the X's & O's: The Power of Relationships and Shared Experiences Total Alignment: Masterclass in Team Communication and Feedback Developing the Next Generation with the Harbaugh Coaching Academy Looking to become a better coach on and off the field? Check out Harbaugh Coaching Academy—a free resource built for coaches who want to strengthen their leadership, improve team culture, and make a lasting impact on their athletes. Learn from championship coaches looking to help you grow at every stage of your coaching journey. Visit HarbaughCoachingAcademy.org and start elevating your game today. Connect on X: Keith Grabowski: ⁠@CoachKGrabowski⁠ Harbaugh Coaching Academy: ⁠@HarbaughCoach Story of the Season's Recruiting Profiles - Give your players better college exposure with Story of the Season's new web-based recruiting profiles. You can build a custom team recruiting page with interactive player profiles, highlights, headshots, stats, academic info, Hudl links, coach comments, and more. Set up is quick, easy, and free to try until 2027 at ⁠recruiting.storyoftheseason.com⁠. X: ⁠@StoryTheSeason Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I came back to coaching after a decade away and walked straight into the same problem I left: a playbook full of good information that players weren't retaining. This episode is the "why" behind everything that follows in this series — the research on how today's players actually learn, the three-tier video framework (Foundation, Reminder, Connection) we built around it with Just Play, and why NFL teams are now paying people whose only job is to make coaches better teachers. If you coach, and you've ever handed a kid two hundred pages and hoped it stuck, this one's for you. In this episode: The binder, the $20 bill, and what neither one ever taught our players Why coming back to coaching in 2026 felt like starting over The owner's-manual problem — and why install meetings still work that way What the research says about how Gen Z players actually learn (Thomas Kane's "learning recession," the 59% YouTube stat) Why the NFL now employs instructional designers — and what that says about the rest of us The 7-on-7 moment that exposed the gap between knowing a play and understanding it The three-tier framework: Foundation, Reminder, Connection — and the learning science behind each one The analogy that ties it all together: the flight manual vs. the flight simulator Why we explain the "why" to our players, not just the "what" Quotable: "We stopped asking players to adapt to our teaching, and started adapting our teaching to the player." "The playbook was never wrong. It was incomplete." "They knew the play. They didn't understand the play." Mentioned in this episode: Kevin Hoying (Just Play) staff onboarding cut-up Custom GPT presentation Learn more about Just Play Sports Solutions Just Play Sports Solutions is the coaching platform we use to build, teach, and deliver our offensive system at Bay High School. Throughout this series, you'll see how we're using Just Play for installation, player learning, practice preparation, communication, quizzes, and staff collaboration. About the series: One Play at a Time follows Keith Grabowski's return to the sidelines as Offensive Coordinator and QB coach at Bay High School after a decade away, documenting how the staff installs, teaches, and communicates the offense across a full season. This series is presented by Just Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Passing Lab, host Josh Herring sits down with Caleb Corrill to examine the latest trends and developments transforming the modern passing game. The episode explains how top play-callers modify their passing strategies to tackle evolving defensive schemes. The discussion covers the renewed focus on quick game and spacing concepts that challenge vision-based spot-drop coverages. Coach Corrill explains the tactical benefits of pre-snap motion, including its ability to influence coverages, create leverage, and cause immediate post-snap challenges for defenders. The interview also addresses the compromises between play-action and RPOs, as well as strategies for deep choice routes and protection rules, delivering valuable insights for coaches striving to develop an efficient and dynamic passing attack. Chapters Analyzing the Current State of the Passing Game Speed on the Perimeter: The Resurgence of Modern Quick Game Attacking Space: Beating Vision Spot Drop Coverages Pre-Snap Motion: Creating Pre-Snap Leverage and Defensive Friction Play-Action vs RPO: Balancing Run-Pass Conflicts Evolving the Read: Creative RPO Variations and Constraints In-Game Adjustments: Leveraging Headset Communication on Game Day Dialing Up the Deep Ball: Protection Rules and Deep Choice Concepts Emerging Trends and Future Directions in the Air Attack If you're looking for practical ways to build a more efficient, more explosive passing game, the Passing Lab Smart Clinic gives you over 20 hours of instruction from coaches who do it every Friday night. Get instant access today at: https://smartclinics.coachandcoordinator.com/thepassinglab Connect on X: Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski Josh Herring: @joshherring1 Caleb Corrill: @CalebCorrill Story of the Season's Recruiting Profiles - Give your players better college exposure with Story of the Season's new web-based recruiting profiles. You can build a custom team recruiting page with interactive player profiles, highlights, headshots, stats, academic info, Hudl links, coach comments, and more. Set up is quick, easy, and free to try until 2027 at recruiting.storyoftheseason.com. X: @StoryTheSeason Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Turnaround, we explore the blueprint for program transformation with Coach Hastin, revealing what it takes to resurrect a struggling football team. Part of the Coach and Coordinator Network, this episode moves beyond the X's and O's to focus on the human element of building a winning culture from the ground up. Coach Hastin shares strategies for accelerating relationship-building with players and gaining vital administrative support for new athletic initiatives. The conversation covers implementing a unified weight room program, navigating early-season struggles, and adapting offensive systems to fit player strengths and community needs. From leading Sherwood through a challenging transition to balancing coaching demands with family life, this interview is an inspiring tutorial in program building. Coach Hastin shows how a continuous focus on daily character development, meaningful relationships, and steadfastness lays the basis for sustained championship-level success. Chapters The Foundation of Building Relationships and Team Culture Alignment from the Top: Gaining Administrative Support for Your Program Speeding Up the Process: How to Accelerate Connection with a New Roster Navigating Early Pressures: On-Field Performance and Overcoming Initial Challenges The Sherwood Transition: Fighting Through Early Struggles and Adversity Flipping the Script: Practical Steps for Turning a Season Around The Rebuild Blueprint: Managing Expectations and Restructuring Habits Scheme Flexibility: Adapting Offensive Strategies to Fit Player Talents Balancing Career with Family and Winning Through Character Connect on X: Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski Michael Echaves: @coachechaves Story of the Season's Recruiting Profiles - Give your players better college exposure with Story of the Season's new web-based recruiting profiles. You can build a custom team recruiting page with interactive player profiles, highlights, headshots, stats, academic info, Hudl links, coach comments, and more. Set up is quick, easy, and free to try until 2027 at recruiting.storyoftheseason.com. X: @StoryTheSeason Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Passing Lab, host Josh Herring sits down with Bethel University offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Colin Duling to break down the mechanics behind a high-efficiency passing game. Part of the Coach and Coordinator Network, this episode breaks down how to construct a unique, defense-straining offensive system without overwhelming your quarterback. Coach Duling shares his blueprint for a highly evolved, yet incredibly simple RPO philosophy, highlighted by the concrete rules of the "zero read." The conversation explores the micro-mechanics of pairing pass-run concepts, teaching crossing packages, and training wide receivers to make split-second option route decisions. From leveraging unbalanced formations and ineligible blocking schemes to structuring high-efficiency tempo and adjusting sideline-to-box play-calling, this interview is an essential masterclass for coordinators looking to play fast, play clean, and keep defenses on their heels. Chapters Welcoming Bethel University OC Colin Dooling System Architecture: Designing a Unique & Defense-Straining Offense Defining the Zero Read: Simplifying RPO Philosophy for the QB RPO Pairing: Matching Run Schemes with High-Percentage Passes The Crossing Package: Conceptual Route Teaching & Spacing Post-Snap Adjustments: Teaching Option Routes and Receiver Decisions Reading the Field: Front Side vs. Backside Progression Rules Playing with Pace: Merging Tempo, Shifts, and Practice Efficiency QB Evaluation: Critical Mental and Physical Traits for the System Game Day Execution: Play Calling Dynamics & Cold Weather Strategy If you're looking for practical ways to build a more efficient, more explosive passing game, the Passing Lab Smart Clinic gives you over 20 hours of instruction from coaches who do it every Friday night. Get instant access today at: https://smartclinics.coachandcoordinator.com/thepassinglab Connect on X: Colin Duling: @ColinDuling Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Art of Practice, presented by GoRout, host Keith Grabowski is joined by Evan Karchner, head coach at Maumee High School in Ohio, and Lucas Stanton, head coach at Solon High School in Iowa. Together, they explore how coaches can turn practice from script-running into a competitive, pressure-filled environment. Karchner and Stanton share strategies for creating game-day urgency during Tuesday and Wednesday practices, including Purple vs. Gold situational drills, deliberate special teams competitions, and sudden-change two-minute scenarios. They also explain how keeping score through turnovers, explosive plays, and other key metrics builds accountability and reveals how players respond under pressure. The discussion also highlights how GoRout reduces operational downtime, allowing practices to stay fast-paced, efficient, and focused. The result is an environment that keeps players mentally engaged, physically fresh, and better prepared for game day. Chapters The Core Essence of Competitive Practice Environments Keeping Score: Tracking Turnovers & Metrics to Drive Accountability Creative Compete Structures: Organizing Purple vs. Gold Periods Sudden Change: Maximizing Two-Minute and Situational Game Scenarios High-Stakes Third Phase: Special Teams Competitive Drills & Techniques Special Teams Strategy: Maintaining Full-Roster Intensity & Alignment Micro-Competitions: Implementing Pressure Points in Small Group Work The Efficiency Audit: Eliminating Dead Script Time to Keep Players Fresh Tech-Driven Tempo: Utilizing GoRoute to Accelerate Practice Reps Podcast Link: Work Your Special Teams with a Kicking Scrimmage Learn More About Our Partner - GoRout GoRout helps coaches eliminate huddles, increase reps, and maximize efficiency with their game-changing technology. Sign up using code “coordinator” for up to 50% off setup fees at https://gorout.com/podcast/ Connect on X: Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski Evan Karchner: @CoachKarch Lucas Stanton: @CoachStanton20 GoRout: @Go_Rout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices