Subject: Defend the Spread Option Offense
Date: August 21, 2026

Does your defense need to stop a Spread Option offense this season? If the answer is YES, then this is for you.

This week on The Football Coaching Podcast, Daniel and I break down how to adjust your defense for the Spread Option.

It can be tough. They’re taking the spread philosophy of delivering the ball to athletes in space. Putting your defenders in tough situations to make open-field tackles.

They combine that with the option principles to always make your defenders wrong. Without built-in defensive answers, your players play slow and confused.

I do draw up some answers for the YouTube audience in this episode. You can listen or watch here:

Watch or Listen to Defending the Spread Option Offense >>

I also included additional resources on stopping the Spread Option on that page.

In the new Coach Simple, Volume 1: The Lost Letters collection I share my 10-minute quick fix for bad tackling. It is the reason our JDFB platinum clients don’t have tackling issues by mid-season.

Tackling isn’t pretty. We stress out over different tackling techniques. Hawk tackle, clinch, bite the ball… then you watch a game film and rarely see any of this.

Against a Spread opponent, tackling is in the open field. It’s grabbing a piece of jersey, then holding on for dear life and waiting for help to arrive.

Tackling your opponent’s fastest player in the open field is a challenge for anyone. It’s an even bigger challenge for the 11th best player on your defense.

He has no chance if he’s all alone.

To make those tackles in space, you need a better weapon. You need angles, leverage and numbers.

Check out that podcast to learn more about it.

Want to be the first to get the Lost Letters manual? It’s available for pre-order now. We hope to start shipping next week. Here’s the link:

Pre-Order the Lost Letters manual now >>

​~ Joe Daniel