JOE DANIEL / FEBRUARY 20, 2025

How to create a Play Calling System | FBCP S17E21

The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

How to create a Play Calling System

JOE DANIEL / FEBRUAURY 20, 2025

We Cant Stop Dual-Threat QBs | FBCP S19E08

The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

How to create a Play Calling System

The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

We Cant Stop Dual-Threat QBs

The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

We Cant Stop Dual-Threat QBs

Around the globe, football coaches are calling versions of the exact same football plays on offense. But, we aren’t all calling them the same. Some are flipping through a roll-a-dex of plays in their mind, “calling on instinct,” while others are easily answering questions that the defense asks.

On this episode Joe and Daniel discuss the intricacies of using a play calling system with your offense, what it is, and how you can use it with your current playbook and staff.

What is a Play Calling System?

The biggest mistake coaches make is putting together a playbook and thinking you’re going to call plays on Instinct. The second biggest mistake is planning to call plays based on Down & Distance.

Every play call in your playbook has a purpose. It has a reason.

Any System is better than none, but it’s better to work off someone else who has made all the mistakes before.

Your System WILL EVOLVE and become your own, even if you start with a cookie cutter playbook and methodology. Don’t worry about being boring.

You can call the right plays at the right time!

There are coaches who don’t have a “System”, but they do have one. They run a System by instinct. Most coaches are not gifted with that. You need to create your System.

You can start very simple with your play calling System.

Example: Offensive Playbook Philosophy from the Quick Start Guide with offense built around “Power”

How to use your play calling system with your existing playbook and coaching staff

Your players can execute just about any offensive system.

If you follow the Coach Simple Philosophy we teach, your coaches will understand the structure of the playbook.

Focus on teaching the details of just a few plays. Get great at ONE thing. Your coaches only have to be GREAT at teaching one thing!

Remove as many “break points” as possible. The more simple the play, the fewer break points. Everywhere something can (and is likely to) go wrong is a break point. Run plays vs pass plays vs RPOs