Keep Your Pads Down!

In Episode #69, Linfield Christian (CA) Head Coach Dechon Burns joins us to talk about his extensive coaching career which spans from high school, division one college football, and the NFL. Coach Burns shares what he learned as a young coach with the Washington Redskins tasked with coaching future Hall of Fame Bruce Smith and how those experiences shaped the kind of head coach he is today. We then get into Coach's philosophy when it comes to the DLine, some of his favorite drills, and then he tells us, "when all else fails...E.H.H.F. it!"

Greg Tepper, managing editor for Dave Cambell's Texas Football magazine and host of "Texas Football Today," joins KYPD to discuss high school football in the great state of Texas. We ask Tepp if he still gets nervous doing his job, what intriguing storylines to we need to look out for in 2020, and then Tepp answers the question: "Will we play football in 2020?" We then test Tepp's Texas high school football mascot knowledge and get his pettiest sports take.

Colorado Mesa Head Coach Tremaine Jackson joins us on KYPD to discuss his rise from Defensive Line Coach to Head Coach, his "212 Defense," and how he coaches up stopping the run with his DLine. Coach Jackson gets into some of his favorite "Every Day Drills," his "React and Attack" defensive front, his most unusual recruiting story, and who he thinks has the better high school football--Dallas or Houston.

For episode #66 we roll out our fourth edition of "Inside Drill" where Coach Taylor, fresh off a trip to the beach, opens up with his "Rules for Dads at the Beach," and then gets into creating mismatches with a "33" alignment.

Former D1 and High School Defensive Line Coach Ernie Lawson joins KYPD for one of our most unique conversations we've ever had on our podcast. Coach Lawson, who is the creator of the website Get2theQB, talks to us about his journey through the game of football, his system for breaking down an offensive line's pass protection, and all of the outstanding resources Get2theQB offers both coaches and players. Finally, Coach Lawson and Coach Taylor spend a considerable amount of time talking about race and things that a white coach can do to root out racism and prejudice within his program, school, and community.

Legendary Coach Bill Curry joins KYPD to share his wisdom and insights from a 10 year NFL career that included two Super Bowl championships and two Pro Bowls. The former Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia State head coach then discusses the role of a coach when it comes to addressing racial inequality with their team and what his message would be to his team in the wake of the tragedy involving the death of George Floyd if he were a head coach today. We then discuss Coach Curry's book "Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle" which was re-released in 2018.

Princeton High School Defensive Coordinator Ty Gower joins us today via Zoom to break down the Panthers' "Okie" front with 4i's and a head up nose. A former self-proclaimed "4-3 guy" tells us why he now believes in the 3-4 and gets into an extensive breakdown of the unique way in which they coach up their 4i's. You can listen to the audio only, but if you would like to watch the video of our conversation, complete with film cutups, click on the link in the show notes!

Former NFL defensive end Ryan Delaire joins KYPD to discuss his unconventional journey through the game of football. After only playing one year of high school football, Ryan signed a scholarship to play football at the University of Massachusetts, before eventually transferring to Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. From there, Ryan's story only gets more interesting as he overcomes extreme odds to make an NFL team, fights through a series of devastating injuries, and endures the painful, hard truth of being cut before ultimately deciding to retire from football for good. After retiring from the NFL in 2019, Ryan took a job in private business and currently resides in Houston, Texas.

University of Texas Permian Basin Associate Head Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach Chris Mineo joins us for Episode #61. The Odessa native and I discuss West Texas football, including what it was like playing for the Permian Panthers. We then get into the Falcon's 4-2-5 attack front, how Coach Mineo structures his practice time during the week, and we ask him who has the better athletes--West Texas or East Texas?

In episode #60 we are honored to be joined by Tim Kight, one of the country's most sought after authorities on leadership and culture. Tim is the founder of Focus 3, a firm whose mission is to help companies around the world align the power of leadership, culture, and behavior to achieve next level results. Most recently, Tim has worked closely with Urban Meyer and the Ohio State football team as the Buckeyes’ leadership coach. His work with Ohio State has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. Tim is the author of several high impact training programs: The R Factor, Lead Now, The Power of Culture, Winning, and Attitude Matters. Today, we discuss what Focus 3 is and how that concept originated, "R" factor, owning your "20 square feet," mental toughness, and more. We also discuss Tim's work with the Ohio State football program and what specifically the Buckeyes have done to build a championship culture.