The 90-Day Gameplan is a straightforward Productivity Planner for Leaders & Coaches.
We overestimate what we can get done in a day, but we underestimate what we can get done in year.
In the past 10 years of coaching athletes and leading teams, I’ve found the most powerful accelerator of my productivity is to attack my goals with a 90-Day Gameplan. In 90 Days of focused effort you can establish habits that will lead to long-term Personal and Team Success.
9 Minutes a Day for 90 Days
Here’s practical advice that I have found helpful the last couple years.
Michael Lombardi has written extensively on Bill Belichick’s game management. Belichick stresses the importance of winning the “Middle 8” - the last 4 minutes of the first half and the first 4 minutes of the second half.
As a coach, it is important to be sharp in the Middle 8.
My advice is:
“Don’t wait for halftime!”
Spend the first quarter deciding if you need to make adjustments. Spend the second quarter identifying & implementing 3 specific adjustments. Use halftime to solidify those 3 adjustments for the second half.
There is nothing worse than a coaches meeting at halftime asking, “What adjustments should we make?” Don’t waste too much time discussing. If you wait for halftime, you’re too late!
The goal is to go into halftime having already identified any changes that need to be made and be on your way to implementing those adjustments.
Don’t overdo it - maximum 3 adjustments.
I am officially stepping down as the Head Football Coach at St. David’s School in Raleigh, NC.
I am unbelievably grateful for a school community that was willing to take a chance and promote a 24 year old to lead the entire program for the past 4 years. More than anything I appreciate the parents who supported me as I grew and the athletes who embraced the vision.
The best part of being a coach is seeing people achieve more than they ever thought possible. These are a few of the stories I cherish:
A Freshman Quarterback who threw interceptions on 3 straight throws in his first 7on7 tournament. He asked me to switch positions, but he persevered and his Senior year he was named All-State in his first year as a starter.
Two Lacrosse guys who joined the team their Senior year to play Offensive Line and helped take us to a State Championship Game.
A 120lb Running Back who was cut from the football team at another school, transferred in and became the State Player of the year his Senior Year and went on to play Division 1 Football.
A Defensive Linemen who fell in love with our off-season Speed Program and got so fast that he’s going to be a Division 1 Sprinter.
There are so many more stories to tell, but if you played for me I am proud of you. Thank you for all the time you spent, the sweat you poured and the tears you cried to make coaching you an unforgettable experience for me.
I have three core values for my life that hopefully permeate every team I lead.
Transformation
No one stays the same. Keep Growing. If you are a part of my team I want to see you transform. That means growing, maturing, and developing as a whole person - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
Courage
Every obstacle you face will will test and reveal your character. If you are a part of my team I want to see you progress in the three stages of courage:
The Courage to be yourself.
The Courage to better yourself.
The Courage to lose yourself in love and service to others.
Creativity
Team success boils down to connection. Creativity is the ability to both connect ideas and connect people. If you are a part of my team I want to see you fully express your creativity by solving problems for each other both on and off the field.
In the past two years, my wife Grace and I have added two beautiful children to our family. “Coach” will always take a backseat to “Dad” for me. In these critical years of development for my kids, I am committing to being a present father to them. I am attempting to construct a life for my family that is authentically aligned with my values, while still allowing me to do what I love.
Football is special to me, in part, because when I was a kid I attended 3 different high schools in 3 different states in 3 years. For each of those challenging transitions, I had coaches and teammates who welcomed me with open arms. That kind of hospitality is why I believe football is the greatest sport.
I love football and because of that love, I want to change the game for the better. I want to help equip coaches to make football the most engaging and impactful experience possible for their athletes.
I am not stepping away from the game - far from it. I absolutely intend to be back on the sidelines soon - at the right time with the right people.
In the meantime, I have more projects like The Ultimate Guide to Counter and The Coaches Collective Podcast that I want to devote time and energy toward. Stay Tuned - there are a lot of projects coming!
Thank you for all your love and support through my coaching journey!
Bleach Blonde Mullets, WWF stunts, and 5'9'' Offensive Lineman, The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers took college football by storm in 2020.
2 top 25 wins, which happened to be the first 2 in program history.
The Chants were ranked as high as No. 12 in the CFP Rankings, which is also a Sun Belt record.
After a few minutes of listening to Coach Chadwell, it's easy to see, this "overnight" success didn't simply happen overnight. It was all part of a plan: You build a culture on values and it's not easy. "And sometimes...you suffer for what you love."
From North Greenville, Delta State, Charleston Southern and now Coastal Carolina, Chadwell has found a recipe to win with less. Coaches across the country have become enamored with how he’s married a number of offensive schemes together, and created a system to fit his team, but the recent success is the result of much more than just a high-powered Offense.
"You can coach fear into your guys, or you can coach love into them. Teams who win, aren't afraid to fail. Failure is a part of growth." If you happened to tune into a Coastal Carolina game this year, it was evident, these guys weren't afraid to fail.
We talk about the culture they've developed, offensive scheme, and the big debate...Moe's or Chipotle?
Get your pen and paper ready for another episode of The Coaches Collective.
-Derick Perkins
In Episode 1 of The Coaches Collective, we had the opportunity to sit down with one of the most successful high school football coaches in the country - Coach Bob Ladouceur, from De La Salle High School in Concord, CA.
In 1979, as a 25 year old, first year head coach, Bob Ladouceur was stepping into a program at De La Salle that had never had a winning season. He found the job posting in the local newspaper.
Little did he know he was about to embark on one of the most storied high school football coaching careers. Fast forward 399 wins later, his teams topped the USA Today Rankings 5 different times.
Most well-known for his historic 151 game win-streak, Class of '01 National High School Football HOF induction, and his career record of 399-25-3, Coach Lad is the last guy to talk stats and accolades.
“I never wanted to coach college ball. I never intended to be noted or famous. I looked at football as a vehicle to reveal character.”
We talk coaching style and philosophy, developing players and staff, and the nuances of his Split Back Veer Offense. No matter the level, if you’re a coach, you can take something from this interview - the guy knows how to win.
“I wasn’t the Knute Rockne guy before the game. I didn’t really believe in that. I thought all the work and the words had to be said already.”
Coaches, get your pen and notepad ready for this one.
By Coaches, for coaches - content you can take from the Podcast to the Field.
-Derick Perkins
Find this Episode on Apple Podcasts & Spotify
Jerry Rice finished his career at Mississippi Valley State with 301 catches for 4,693 yards & 50 TD playing for Archie "Gunslinger" Cooley.
The "Satellite Express" was a 5-Wide, No Huddle Offense that would often align in Empty 4x1 to create isolation opportunities for Rice.
This past off-season I did a Deep Dive on 4x1 Route Concepts from Andy Reid to Mike Leach etc.
The more I dug, the more I realized how important Archie Cooley was to the development of the Modern Spread Passing Attack. He was doing this in 1984!
When you watch the Kansas City Chiefs flood zones with 4x1 Route Concepts you're seeing the same Numbers, Spacing & Isolation tactics that the Satellite Express was using in their Empty 4x1 Stacked Formation!
That being said... I believe a big step in eliminating inequality in coaching (only 3 Black Head Coaches in the NFL) is understanding the history of Offensive & Defensive Innovation in Football & how brilliant men like Archie Cooley have moved the game forward.
Archie “Gunslinger” Cooley
Not only did Archie Cooley orchestrate a Record Setting Offense that averaged over 51 points per game, but he was able to win 17 of 21 games with a recruiting budget of $3,500 a year.
Why don't we have a 30 for 30 about The Satellite Express?
Willie “Satellite” Totten & Jerry Rice
Every play we call on Gameday has a Life & History of it's own.
If we learn the history of the plays we call, we'll realize that Great Concepts come from All Walks of Life & All Levels of Ball.
Learning that history will make us a better football coaches & better people.
