The Play Caller's Club

What does a day actually look like for Kenny Dillingham as the head football coach at Arizona State?We spent the day inside the ASU football program with Dillingham as he moves from meeting to meeting, works with his staff, prepares his team for practice and tries to intentionally make things difficult for the Sun Devils.On this particular day, that meant taking away the energy.No hype music. No manufactured juice. No relying on the environment to get ready to play.The idea was simple: can Arizona State create its own energy when everything around them is trying to take it away?Go to Work With gives you an inside look at the people, routines, conversations and culture behind some of the biggest programs in college football.Presented by TeamworksProduced by Sizzle Media

Iteration beats deliberation, constraints beat infinite options. Part 2 of the Bring Your Own Pencil mini-series.

Bring Your Own Pencil: Bill Walsh's Playbook for Winning at Anything — Dan Casey & Griffin Brand

• Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Your-Own-Pencil-Playbook/dp/B0GGC8JTL4
• Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GK4JHX5D
• Audiobook (3h 38m, narrated by the authors): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HDTYFLXK

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Welcome back: from the Path to the Process00:38 — The pottery class: why the quantity group made the best pots02:09 — Deliberate practice and the truth about 10,000 hours04:06 — You cross the river by stepping on the stones05:05 — Chapter 5: Netflix, a late fee, and questioning the assumption07:02 — Hold strong opinions loosely: the environment Bill Walsh built08:59 — Walsh's first draft: Steve Fuller, Dwight Clark, and Joe Montana12:04 — Idea meritocracy and the believability index14:46 — Shanahan's staff: competing to get your idea in front of the boss15:40 — The tightrope between conviction and humility17:11 — Negotiables, non-negotiables, and mastering the basics18:29 — The 80% rule: why letting go beats holding on21:01 — "That's how we've always done it" is a golden opportunity22:46 — SpaceX parks a 68-foot fake rocket in Washington, D.C.24:07 — Build it yourself: how small wins compound26:08 — Ask the people at the edge (and the man who made one bolt)27:35 — Chapter 6: Todd Graves, four menu items, and the power of constraints29:53 — The essence of art is limitation: bootstrapping and Hurricane Katrina32:44 — Greg Cook's injury and the accidental birth of the West Coast offense35:52 — Boilermaker to Alaskan fisherman: how Raising Cane's got funded36:48 — Bootstrapped vs. venture-backed, and why the NFL salary cap matters39:27 — Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham, and 50 unique words41:22 — Manufacturing constraints: bloated staffs and invented problems43:47 — Zero-based budgeting for your organization45:36 — Dan's mistake: the year he called offense AND defense46:51 — Always be recruiting: Steve Jobs, and Elon's first 3,000 hires49:52 — Chapter 7: Be the expert — or keep becoming one51:31 — Wardak Province, 2019: the Ranger medics under fire53:41 — A blood bank on the battlefield: more Ranger blood than his own57:00 — Rehearsal under pressure and Walsh's 30 offensive line techniques59:37 — Sweating the right small things01:00:33 — Warren Buffett, the salad oil scandal, and margin of safety01:04:44 — Focus on what leads to winning, not what looks good01:06:58 — Optics vs. effectiveness: lessons from two kinds of First Sergeant01:09:19 — Deck chairs on the Titanic and the 80/20 playbook01:10:48 — British Cycling, humility, and moving on from a mistake fast01:13:49 — If you're always learning, there are no wasted attempts01:14:41 — Coming up in Part 3: The People

Dan Casey and Griffin Brand open a miniseries on their book Bring Your Own Pencil, starting with the moment that named it: a rookie Ronnie Lott asking Hacksaw Reynolds to borrow a pencil, and the four-word answer that set the tone for a career. Part 1 covers Section One, "The Path," the internal work nobody sees. Permanent base camps over summit chasing, self-belief before evidence, the Valley of Death, and Bill Walsh's one great regret. Featuring James Dyson's 5,127 prototypes, Sarah Blakely, Phil Knight, Shackleton, the Stockdale Paradox, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Wooden.

Get the Book

Paperback — Bring Your Own Pencil: Bill Walsh's Playbook for Winning at Anything

Audiobook (Audible) — narrated by the authors — Bring Your Own Pencil on Audible

Kindle — Kindle edition

Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck joins The Left Hash Call to talk through one of the most unique coaching journeys in college football.Coach Beck’s story runs from playing defensive back at Pittsburg State, to becoming a Division II national championship head coach, to working with Gary Patterson and Jerry Kill, to helping engineer major turnarounds at New Mexico State and Vanderbilt.In this episode, we get into the details behind Vanderbilt’s offensive identity: quarterback-driven run game, physical offensive line play, strong/quick offensive line structure, option elements, four-minute offense, recruiting toughness, and how the Commodores built the belief to beat Alabama.Coach Beck also shares stories from Pitt State, learning the split-back veer, visiting Bill Yeoman, flipping the roster at New Mexico State, recruiting Diego Pavia and Eli Stowers, and what it takes to adapt as a coach in today’s college football landscape.This is a great one for coaches, players, and anyone who loves the details behind building a real offensive identity.Topics Include:Tim Beck’s path from Pitt State to VanderbiltMoving from defensive coordinator to offensive coordinatorSplit-back veer roots and option football influenceNew Mexico State’s turnaround under Jerry KillRecruiting Diego Pavia, Eli Stowers, and tough football playersVanderbilt’s physical offensive identity in the SECBeating Alabama and controlling the game with tempo, clock, and toughnessStrong/quick offensive line philosophyFour-minute offense and closing gamesAdvice for young coaches in the modern eraSubscribe for more football conversations with coaches, players, and people shaping the game.Hosted by Seth Howard and Dan Casey

Minnesota Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Greg Harbaugh Jr. joins The Left Hash Call to break down his coaching journey, the evolution of the Golden Gophers offense, and what it takes to build a quarterback-friendly system in the Big Ten.Harbaugh dives into his path from Division III football to Western Michigan, working under P.J. Fleck, studying NFL offenses, developing Max Brosmer, building around Drake Lindsey, and designing a pro-style attack that blends under-center run game, play action, RPO elements, motions, shifts, and quarterback autonomy.This episode gets into the real details: how Minnesota structures offseason development, why “job-based offense” matters, how Big Ten defensive football keeps changing, what he learned from small-college recruiting, and why technique, fundamentals, and constant adjustment are still the separator.Topics include:Minnesota’s 2026 offseason focusBuilding around Drake LindseyThe evolution from RPOs to pro-style offenseStudying Sean McVay, Kevin O’Connell, Ben Johnson, Liam Coen, and the 49ersWhy Big Ten third-down defenses are so difficultThe value of Division III coaching rootsWestern Michigan, P.J. Fleck, and betting on yourselfUnder-center quarterback developmentSelf-scouting and letting the quarterback shape the call sheetAdvice for young coaches trying to break into the professionGuest: Greg Harbaugh Jr.Role: Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach, Minnesota Golden GophersHosts: Seth Howard and Dan Casey

On this episode of The Left Hash Call, Seth Howard and Coach Dan Casey sit down with Drew Cronic, Offensive Coordinator at the United States Naval Academy, to talk through one of the most unique offensive systems in college football.Coach Cronic shares how his football journey started in a Wing-T family, how his father’s influence shaped his offensive philosophy, and how stops at Reinhardt, Furman, Lenoir-Rhyne, Mercer, and Navy helped him continue evolving the system. From jet sweeps and buck sweeps to gun option, midline, quarterback run game, RPOs, tempo, and spread formations, this conversation dives into how Navy has blended old-school physicality with modern answers.The guys also discuss how Navy’s offense creates stress for defenses by using one personnel group, shifting into multiple formations, protecting the run game, creating explosive plays, and adapting to the skill sets of the players on the roster. Coach Cronic also shares insight on Eli Heidenreich’s path to the NFL, Navy’s offensive identity, and why great coaching still comes down to developing young people and putting players in position to succeed.Whether you’re a football coach, offensive coordinator, option football fan, or just someone who loves hearing how great coaches think, this episode is packed with scheme, stories, and leadership lessons.

This week on The Left Hash Call, Iowa State Offensive Coordinator Tyler Roehl joins the show for a deep dive into toughness, offensive identity, and what it takes to build a championship-level football culture.Coach Roehl’s résumé speaks for itself: All-American running back at North Dakota State, seven FCS National Championships as a coach, two national titles as NDSU’s offensive coordinator, a major role in Iowa State’s 2024 run game growth, a year with the Detroit Lions under Dan Campbell, and now the keys to the Cyclones’ offense in Ames.But this conversation goes way beyond the résumé.Coach Roehl talks about why he came back to Iowa State, what he learned inside the Detroit Lions building, how North Dakota State built one of the most dominant dynasties in college football, and why A-Gap Power is not just a scheme — it is a lifestyle. He also shares his upbringing in West Fargo, delivering newspapers through brutal North Dakota winters, choosing coaching over a potential six-figure job, evaluating quarterbacks, and building an offensive identity around physicality, conviction, and connection.This is a football guy’s football guy talking ball, culture, toughness, and the future of Iowa State football.

Morgan Scalley joins The Left Hash Call to talk about taking over as the head coach at the University of Utah, continuing the standard built under Kyle Whittingham, and leading the program into its next chapter.A Salt Lake City native, former Utah defensive back, and longtime assistant, Scalley has seen the Utes from nearly every angle — player, staffer, coordinator, and now head coach. In this episode, he reflects on his path from dreaming of playing running back at Utah to becoming an All-American safety, the coaches who shaped him, and what it means to lead his alma mater.Scalley also dives into Utah’s defensive identity, the meaning behind Relentless, Smart, Nasty, Ball Hawks, how culture is actually built inside a program, and why players must learn to “own their 20 square feet.” He also breaks down recruiting in the transfer portal era, the hidden costs of transferring, the importance of development, and why young coaches should never stop watching film.This is a conversation about toughness, growth, leadership, and protecting the standard while building something new in Salt Lake City.

In this episode of The Left Hash Call, Seth Howard and Coach Dan Casey are joined by Keenan Bailey, the Co-Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach at Ohio State. Bailey’s rise through the Buckeye program is one of patience, detail, and relentless work — from arriving in Columbus as an offensive intern to coaching multiple position groups and eventually earning a coordinator role inside one of college football’s premier programs.Coach Bailey dives into his journey from Missouri and Notre Dame to Ohio State, what he learned working under Urban Meyer and Ryan Day, how the Buckeyes have evolved offensively through different eras, and what Arthur Smith brings to the next chapter of Ohio State football. The conversation also covers tight end development, the growth of Ohio State’s offense, the importance of research and note-taking for young coaches, and how the Buckeyes responded to adversity during their championship run.This one is packed with ball, coaching insight, and stories from inside one of the most competitive programs in the country.

In this episode of The Left Hash Call, Seth Howard and Coach Dan Casey sit down with Taylor Mouser, Penn State’s Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach, for a wide-ranging conversation on his path through the coaching profession, his offensive philosophy, and what Penn State fans can expect from this new era of Nittany Lion football.Coach Mouser shares how he went from playing defensive line at Adams State, working at Little Caesars, and cold-calling coaches to earning an opportunity at Toledo and eventually becoming one of the rising offensive minds in college football. He dives into his relationship with Matt Campbell, the culture that followed from Iowa State to Penn State, and the lessons learned from helping build one of the most successful stretches in Cyclone history.The conversation also gets deep into football: 12 and 13 personnel, tight end usage, under-center run game, quarterback development, the importance of empowering the QB at the line of scrimmage, morning practices, game-planning workflows, and why Big Ten football fits the identity this staff wants to build. Mouser also talks about Penn State’s tradition, the running back standard, the quarterback lab, and why the margins matter so much in championship-level football.This is a great episode for coaches, players, Penn State fans, Iowa State fans, and anyone interested in the real climb behind becoming a Power Four offensive coordinator.