NFL
By: Brock Vierra
The offensive line. The trenches. Where championships are won and where dynasties are established. Not beloved by the general public but adored by their teammates, their coaches, and football’s purist fans, the men on the offensive line dictate everything. They control the line of scrimmage, they move men, they protect their own.
But what about the man behind the men? The coach. When I sat down with Coach Greg Daniels of Keystone Heights High School, we had an opportunity to chop it up over the game and what it means to the men who invest their time and efforts into it. A true example of faith, family, and football, Daniels who works as the program’s offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator has an even bigger interest in his work as his son Bryce is an up-and-coming recruit. Bryce plays center and despite only being a freshman, he plays varsity, is being heavily recruited, and already has an offer from Florida Atlantic.
Greg’s purpose for opening doors for players goes beyond his son as he has recently launched a new initiative to get players their rightfully deserved opportunities. Through social media, he is building a network of players and coaches to get film into the right hands and scholarships to those who have earned it. Without further ado, here’s our discussion on football, fatherhood, and the future of offensive line play.
Let’s Talk Offensive Line
Vierra: Hello Greg, thanks for joining me. As a father and a coach, what are the challenges you face in building a proper work-life balance?
Daniels: There isn’t a proper one. You just put God first, then family, then everything else will fall into place.
Vierra: With your son being a highly touted recruit, how do you determine when it’s time to be his coach and to be his dad?
Daniels: I’m always his Dad but when we step on that field he’s just another player to coach and make better.
Vierra: Let’s talk coaching. How has training lineman improved over the past 20 years?
Daniels: It’s become a lot more complex. It’s not just 1-3-5-7 or 2-4-6-8 and block the guy in front of you like it was 20 years ago. Now its an art you must study on and off the field. All different kinds of sets and cadences and switching plays at the line. Its the most difficult positions to play on the field.
Vierra: Are one on ones a truly beneficial drill for offensive lineman?
Daniels: Absolutely one on ones are beneficial. It takes contact to learn how to properly move 300 pound men. You have to learn to fill your way through it by repetition.
Vierra: I have a personal opinion that guard is the most disrespected position in football due to the history of failed centers and tackles finding new found success at the position, do you agree?
Daniels: Absolutely. It takes 2 guards to play every down in football. All 3 positions center, guard and tackle work together like a fine oiled machine to make everybody else look good.
Vierra: Could you break down the process of how you go about training tackles, guards and centers.
Daniels: I train all my linemen to play at least 2 different positions. I work on their feet, hands and stances first. Then more into each position specifics to develop a complete lineman.
Vierra: Walk us through a standard practice with you and your goals behind what you put your players through.
Daniels: Each day we will go through a standard set of building drills. Working towards the end result. Then we work on individual drills to get better and then on to our game plan for who we are playing that week.
Vierra: What are the specific skill sets you look for when determining how good a player is and will be?
Daniels: I think every player can be good if you coach them up where they are weak and find what they are strong at. Size and strength are things that help them become great if they work hard on the same basics and are coachable. Then we go from there to see how far they want to push to be the best.
Vierra: As a coach and a father of a recruit, what has the process of communicating with programs been like?
Daniels: As a Coach and a father this recruiting process is difficult. I want all my players to get seen and a chance to further their education and to get to play ball. As a Dad it is still really hard. I want my son to have success on and off the field. I want him to he seen by the right coaches and programs that fit him. It is really cool to see him perform at a high level in front of college coaches, knowing they like what they see, because I know how hard Bryce works everyday to chase his dreams.
Vierra: For your son, coming from a coaches’ perspective, what elements in a program do you look for when advising the decisions of a young man?
Daniels: What fits him well. Where he feels really wanted. Where they will help him develop and get even better and most importantly where they keep pushing him to graduate and become a better person on and off the field.
Vierra: Your son plays center. Big responsibilities sit on his shoulders. Could you take us through your preparation with him throughout a week in terms of film, making sure he makes appropriate checks and calls and his practice.
Daniels: His responsibilities are just like every other player. We prepare them all for success. They have to put what we teach to use and go out and perform.
I would like to thank Coach Daniels for his time and efforts. If you are a coach, player or parent of a player and would like to get in touch with Greg and his initiative, the link is below.
I'm looking to build this page into a huge following of athletes looking to promote other athletes and help yall players get exposure to go to college. Will never charge a dime. Good people helping good people. Give me a follow and I will give you one back. Building our youth
…
— Greg Daniels (@GregDaniels_OL) December 26, 2023
For his son Bryce, the future anchor to a FBS offensive line, enjoy some of his game film.
