But switch the word “playoff’s” to “practice” and to me, that is where my passion for coaching lies the deepest.

I remember when Jim Mora gave his infamous press conference about the Colts chances in the “Playoffs” and I thought…uh oh…he’s gonna get fired for that one! Or at the very least, he’s lost it and his players are definitely not going to respect him anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, I love games, especially the playoff’s, but what really get’s me going is setting up an amazing practice.

It all started for me when I was a GA Wide Receivers coach and I had 10 minutes of individual time that I could do whatever I wanted. It was a tiny amount of time every day…but it was mine!

I would draw up these entire one page lesson plans for everything we would get done in 10 minutes.

I’d even schedule it in 30s increments with X’s and O’s and a C (Coach) for every drill.

And let me tell you, it worked. We got an amazing amount of work done and we always outperformed expectations. We didn’t fumble, we caught tough catches, we stalk blocked effectively…we had a great season.

So as I advanced in my coaching career, I still do the same things…no matter what level I am at.

When I was an offensive coordinator, I’d end up meticulously planning out every single formation, motion, play call, defense, etc.

And it still works. When I have all the plays set for the week on my game planner I don’t worry about the opponent as much. I know that we are prepared and have taken care of everything under our control. Even if we don’t win, I know we have given it our best shot. And usually we perform far beyond expectations.

I think that’s why I love coaching so much. The practice time and figuring out ways to practice better are always on my mind. And I know without a doubt in my mind that what we are doing in practice makes all the difference on game day.

Another thing I learned was something I’d been doing for a while, but never put it together until just recently.

I got this from a clinic I was at with Kevin Kelley…you know the Coach that never punts!

Everything he does operates from a belief that every fraction of a percent advantage that you can find matters. Because when you add them all up, it creates a significant difference.

By operating by this principle, I see now how obsessing over 30s increments in my practice plan and having completed call sheets and practice scripts for every practice makes such a difference. Without wasted time, we get so much more done, in such less time. So my players will be fresher with shorter practices. Every play we run matters because it WILL get called on game day.

Are you like this? Do you like to take out a fresh sheet of paper and draw up the practice plans to perfection like me?

If so, I’d love to hear what you obsess over in the comments below.