Family Matters: Assist Allows New York Coach More Time to Be a Dad
Aug 08, 2017
2 Min Read
Jay Johnson has his hands full turning around Penfield High School, but Assist allows him to spend an extra four to five hours a week at home.
Jay Johnson readily admits that he, along with almost all other football coaches, should spend more time with his family. Especially during the season, coaching soaks up most of his schedule, and any time he gets with his family is extremely precious.
That’s what made Hudl Assist such a game changer for him last year.
Last season was Johnson’s first at the helm for Penfield High School (NY), a program light on tradition and victories. Tasked with turning the program around, Johnson felt the pressure to hunker down and do everything possible to reverse Penfield’s fortunes.
But with Hudl’s team of professional analysts breaking down his games, Johnson said Assist gifted him back four or five hours each week to keep in touch with his wife and children.
“Every football coach spends more time doing football things than they probably should if they have a family,” Johnson said. “(Assist) actually allows me to be a husband and father. You do what you have to do, and most coaches probably do more than they should football-wise, but it definitely allows me some time to spend with my kids. I’m very grateful for that for sure.”
Johnson may have spent less time in his breakdowns, but Assist still supplied him with the essential data he needed. In fact, he found several impactful moments that made a difference on Friday nights.
During preparation one week, Johnson sorted through all his opponent’s third-and-short plays. He found the other team either opted for a power run or faked that play with a naked boot. Johnson keyed his outside linebackers on this tendency. When the opportunity arose Friday night, his linebacker stayed home to make a turnover-inducing tackle.
“When we’re playing a team, I want to know what they do 80 percent of the time on third and long because that’s going to dictate what kind of defense we’re going to play,” Johnson said. “I want to know when they do run the ball, do they run to the right 80 percent of the time? I’ll take all the run plays and then document which way they went."
Johnson was so encouraged by Assist’s performance last year that he doubled down and added Hudl Sideline to his workflow for this season. One might think that tacking on more tools would eat up his time, but Johnson found the opposite to be true.
“If your program can afford it, it’s literally going to save you so much time,” he said. “As a football coach, if you’re not breaking down those things and those manners, you’re really missing out. If somebody else can do them for you, you should absolutely do it. It’s either going to allow you to do other things or it’s going allow you to do things that you want to do.”
Don’t just take Johnson’s word for it. See for yourself how much time Assist can save you.
