Doug Patterson joins this episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Patterson, the co-offensive coordinator at St. Cloud State (Minn.), discusses how to help players take ownership of the learning process, making the most of positional meetings and why coaches—not players—should be on the hook when a player makes a mistake on game day. He and Keith also dissect Patterson’s go-to play: the inside zone paired with a bubble play.

Show notes

• 1:08   Getting started as a football coach
• 2:44   The jump to college
• 3:20   Key points in career development
• 5:04   Establishing culture within an offensive line unit
• 5:58   Keys to offensive philosophy
• 7:19   Flip learning—and empowering players to take ownership of learning
• 10:04   Maximizing positional meeting time by making them player-centric
• 11:58    Coaching is not playing Madden
• 12:41   Holding players accountable
• 13:20   The ins and outs of Patterson's inside zone
• 17:58   Playcall with the game on the line
• 20:18   Mistakes made as a young coach
• 20:45   What you see on film = who you are  
• 21:53   Book recommendation
• 23:33   Independent pass protection punch
• 25:00   Participation--a concern for the future
• 26:55   Advice to a young coach

Subscribe to the USA Football podcast on iTunes here, and listen to the full episode of the Coach and Coordinator podcast below: