Subject: The ‘Red Queen’ Hypothesis
Date: August 17, 2026

There is an evolutionary theory called the Red Queen hypothesis. The name comes from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.

In the book, Alice and the Red Queen are running and running, but they never get anywhere. Alice asks the Red Queen why this happens.

The Red Queen informs Alice that here, you must run just to stay in place. If you want to get somewhere, you need to run twice as fast.

In the evolutionary hypothesis, all species are constantly evolving. If one species stops evolving, its opponents will overrun it. If a species stops evolving, it will become extinct.

In other words, evolve or die.

It’s true for football coaches, too. The world is changing. You better be ready to change, too.

It is why the most dangerous 6 words you can hear from a coach are…

…The Way We’ve Always Done It.

It’s why I had to completely re-write my Coaching Football’s 4-2-5 Defense, 2nd Edition. The first edition was good. But I keep learning. Evolving.

I learned a simple system for teaching run fits to our players. It takes less than 10 minutes.

I learned a tool for teaching defense that lifts the Football IQ of our entire team. It also keeps our coaching staff on the same page, speaking the same language.

I learned to demand one non-negotiable skill from every position that takes no skill. If you can do it, you can play for us. You can get every player - no matter how small, slow, or inexperienced - to contribute on defense.

That all came from evolution. Years of studying, coaching my own defense, and working with thousands of other coaches.

If you don’t have it yet, I recommend grabbing a copy.

Get the 4-2-5 Defense Manual >>

There’s been evolution in everything. Kids are different, and their parents are different. Expectations from coaches are different.

Schemes have evolved. You are likely to see a Double Wing, Wing-T, Pro Style, Spread Option, Air Raid, RPOs… the list goes on and on. You’ll see some of them in the same game.

The off-season changed. Once upon a time, teams used the weight room to get ahead. Now, if your team isn’t lifting you fall behind.

Today there are more options than ever for kids, too. It’s not just football, baseball and basketball. Cars and girls aren’t the biggest distraction anymore, either.

There’s dozens of sports. Phones. Video games.

We had to adjust. The 90-Minute Practice Plan is one solution.

The drills had to evolve, too. Fast paced drills that teach the skills needed to transfer to the field.

No time to waste.

On this week’s episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, you find out how my Defensive Line Drills have evolved. They became simpler, faster, and more effective than ever.

You can use these drills in practice, right now, to make your defense better.

Listen or Watch the Defensive Line Drills podcast >>

Coach Simple. Play Fast. Win.

~ Joe Daniel