October 23, 2025 • 11 mins
In 2002, New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards produced one of the most iconic soundbites in NFL history during a regular midweek press conference with a few simple words: “You play to win the game.” This episode explores how his words literally turned the entire Jets' season around, going from 2-5 to 9-7 by the end of the year.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Among the vast landscape of memorable speakers in sports, few
(00:36):
can claim that their greatest skill was that of speech.
Many of the players were too good at something they
did on the field or court, and many coaches were
too good at tactics, play calling, or game planning. So
on today's episode of Sports Dot m P. Three, we'll
be diving into the story of Herm Edwards, a man
(00:56):
whose greatest skill was his words, and they all culminated
and is unforgettable. You play to win the game quote
during a press conference as head coach of the New
York Jets. So, without further ado, let's get right into it.
(01:46):
On October thirtieth, two thousand and two, Herm. Edwards was
the head coach of the New York Jets. It was
a Wednesday, and he was set to attend his regularly
occurring midweek press conference with the media. One of the
media members in attendance was Judy Bautista, a sports reporter
for the New York Times. Years later, she recounted that
(02:09):
particular press conference and the context surrounding it. Quote the
Jets were two and five at the time, and they
had just lost to Cleveland. I mean it was bad
and it was the Wednesday after that game during his
regular press conference. We were asking questions, and my question
that sort of set him off was do you have
(02:30):
to talk to your team about not giving up on
the season? And he took it from there end quote.
It was Herm. Edward's second year as the coach of
the Jets, and since the team had made the playoffs
in his first year at the Helm, expectations were clearly
set on returning to the postseason, so a two and
five start to the regular season was not a good
(02:51):
way to get there. To make matters worse, the Jets
lost to the Browns was particularly brutal, as they were
leading at halftime to one, tent one to six before
giving up eighteen straight points in the second half and
scoring zero for themselves. The team needed a spark, a
source of inspiration, something to turn their season around, or
(03:13):
else it might just fall apart, and when Judy Battista
asked Edwards, do you have to talk to your team
about not giving up on the season, he saw the
perfect opportunity to provide that very spark the Jets were
in desperate need of, and he did it with one
of the most iconic soundbites in NFL history. Take it away,
(03:34):
Coach Edwards, this was.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Great about sports. This is what the greatest thing about
sports is. You play to win the game. Hello, You
play to win the game. You don't play to just
play it. That's a great thing about sports. You play
(03:58):
to win, and I don't care if you don't have
any wins. You go play to win. When you start
telling me it doesn't matter, then retire, get out because
it matters.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
The clip is absolutely electric, and it's hard not to
feel like the way he said it was just as
important as the words he was delivering. There's almost a
poetic quality to the whole thing. And if you're wondering
why Edwards seemed so offended, so taken aback by that question,
a question that, compared to many of the questions that
(04:33):
have led to other viral rants and soundbites we've covered,
was pretty reasonable. You have to understand who Edwards is.
He's a man who has lived and breathed football his
entire life, never uses curse words, and takes the idea
of quitting as a personal insult of the highest degree.
When you listen to it now, it seems obvious that
(04:56):
it went viral, but at the time no one actually
gave it much thought. Many of the other quotes from
head coaches that I've covered in prior Sports at NP
three episodes immediately went viral, like Denny Green's they are
who we thought they were and we let them off
the hook, or Jim Mora's playoffs we're talking about playoffs.
(05:18):
Unlike those, Edward's passionate rant about playing the game to
win went under the radar well until everyone realized his
message was the pivotal turning point to the Jets season,
a moment that, when looking back on it years later,
would come to define it and Edward's legacy itself. Speaking
(05:54):
things into existence is a concept that's existed for thousands
of years. The idea is pretty universal. You can create
your own reality with your words and thoughts. Even in
modern times. There's been a lot of spin offs, like
Oprah Winfrey promoting the Secret about how if you think
positive thoughts, you'll create those later in your life. The
(06:17):
concept is also central to themes of things like alcoholics, anonymous,
and lots of other philosophies and movements that you wouldn't
think about. Edwards. He seems to encapsulate the concept as well,
and it started long before he became a coach. One
particular story about his early playing days really resonates and
(06:38):
shows how he used his words to create his own reality,
not with some mystic power, but just by living up
to his claims. In nineteen seventy seven, Herm Edwards was
a defensive back not picked during the NFL Draft, so
he was an undrafted free agent looking to try out
for different teams, which took him to the Philadelphia Eagles.
(07:00):
During training camp, while trying to get a spot on
the team, he asked a veteran defensive back how many
dbs they take on the roster, and the veteran replied
they take eight. Herm Edwards immediately replied, who are the
other seven? Now, let me clarify, a lot of athletes
(07:21):
and sports AARs can be cocky, and there's a reason.
It's because they've been the best their whole lives. Edwards, however,
is slightly different. Obviously, he loves making bold, lofty claims
as evidence by saying who are the other seven? As
a undrafted rookie, but you can tell he truly believes
(07:42):
in what he's saying when he said, who are the
other seven. It wasn't a cocky quip. It was a
statement of truth in his mind, and one that he
would live up to. He not only made the Eagles
roster as a defensive back, but started every single game
that season and led all rookies, yes even those that
were drafted, in interceptions that year with six. So, to
(08:06):
borrow a popular phrase, he put his money where his
mouth was. Long after his playing career ended and he'd
laced up his cleats for the final time, Edward's greatest weapon,
his words remained sharp as ever, so it's no wonder
he ended up as a coach on both the collegiate
and professional levels. But no single quote or SoundBite of
(08:27):
his has lived on for as long as his Wednesday
press conference rant, and while it didn't make waves in
the media at the time, it certainly made an impact
on his own players. After the Jets lost to the
Browns and Edwards unleashed his iconic quote, the Jets ripped
off a four game winning streak and by the end
(08:50):
of the season held a record of nine wins and
seven losses, good enough to make the playoffs for a
second consecutive season. Edwards first as head coach the team
had lost their first game in the playoffs to the
Raiders by fourteen points. This time around, the Jets were
set to face the ten and six Indianapolis Colts in
(09:13):
the wild card round, a Colts team that, by the way,
was led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning
and legendary coach Tony Dungee. To summarize how the game went,
I'll borrow some more of Edward's own terminology. The Jets
they played to win the game, the Colts they did not.
(09:34):
The final score saw the Jets win forty one to zero,
while they would go on to lose the next round.
(09:56):
The jets emphatic win against the Colts, paired with the
fact that they went seven and two after the Browns loss,
might just solidify edwards rant as the most successful viral
rant from an NFL coach during a press conference ever.
But if you disagree, send me a message telling me
why on our socials at Sports Underscore MP three. And
(10:18):
that does it for today's episode of Sports Dot MP three.
I hope you learned something new and enjoyed the show.
As always, I'll be back next week with a new episode,
so stay tuned and In the meantime, enjoy life, and
if you're ever playing a game just for fun, make
sure Herm Edwards isn't playing with you because he's playing
to win. See you next week. Piece.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
It is don't don't, but it doesn't have a contract.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Don't don't, don't,
Among the vast landscape of memorable speakers in sports, few
(00:36):
can claim that their greatest skill was that of speech.
Many of the players were too good at something they
did on the field or court, and many coaches were
too good at tactics, play calling, or game planning. So
on today's episode of Sports Dot m P. Three, we'll
be diving into the story of Herm Edwards, a man
(00:56):
whose greatest skill was his words, and they all culminated
and is unforgettable. You play to win the game quote
during a press conference as head coach of the New
York Jets. So, without further ado, let's get right into it.
(01:46):
On October thirtieth, two thousand and two, Herm. Edwards was
the head coach of the New York Jets. It was
a Wednesday, and he was set to attend his regularly
occurring midweek press conference with the media. One of the
media members in attendance was Judy Bautista, a sports reporter
for the New York Times. Years later, she recounted that
(02:09):
particular press conference and the context surrounding it. Quote the
Jets were two and five at the time, and they
had just lost to Cleveland. I mean it was bad
and it was the Wednesday after that game during his
regular press conference. We were asking questions, and my question
that sort of set him off was do you have
(02:30):
to talk to your team about not giving up on
the season? And he took it from there end quote.
It was Herm. Edward's second year as the coach of
the Jets, and since the team had made the playoffs
in his first year at the Helm, expectations were clearly
set on returning to the postseason, so a two and
five start to the regular season was not a good
(02:51):
way to get there. To make matters worse, the Jets
lost to the Browns was particularly brutal, as they were
leading at halftime to one, tent one to six before
giving up eighteen straight points in the second half and
scoring zero for themselves. The team needed a spark, a
source of inspiration, something to turn their season around, or
(03:13):
else it might just fall apart, and when Judy Battista
asked Edwards, do you have to talk to your team
about not giving up on the season, he saw the
perfect opportunity to provide that very spark the Jets were
in desperate need of, and he did it with one
of the most iconic soundbites in NFL history. Take it away,
(03:34):
Coach Edwards, this was.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Great about sports. This is what the greatest thing about
sports is. You play to win the game. Hello, You
play to win the game. You don't play to just
play it. That's a great thing about sports. You play
(03:58):
to win, and I don't care if you don't have
any wins. You go play to win. When you start
telling me it doesn't matter, then retire, get out because
it matters.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
The clip is absolutely electric, and it's hard not to
feel like the way he said it was just as
important as the words he was delivering. There's almost a
poetic quality to the whole thing. And if you're wondering
why Edwards seemed so offended, so taken aback by that question,
a question that, compared to many of the questions that
(04:33):
have led to other viral rants and soundbites we've covered,
was pretty reasonable. You have to understand who Edwards is.
He's a man who has lived and breathed football his
entire life, never uses curse words, and takes the idea
of quitting as a personal insult of the highest degree.
When you listen to it now, it seems obvious that
(04:56):
it went viral, but at the time no one actually
gave it much thought. Many of the other quotes from
head coaches that I've covered in prior Sports at NP
three episodes immediately went viral, like Denny Green's they are
who we thought they were and we let them off
the hook, or Jim Mora's playoffs we're talking about playoffs.
(05:18):
Unlike those, Edward's passionate rant about playing the game to
win went under the radar well until everyone realized his
message was the pivotal turning point to the Jets season,
a moment that, when looking back on it years later,
would come to define it and Edward's legacy itself. Speaking
(05:54):
things into existence is a concept that's existed for thousands
of years. The idea is pretty universal. You can create
your own reality with your words and thoughts. Even in
modern times. There's been a lot of spin offs, like
Oprah Winfrey promoting the Secret about how if you think
positive thoughts, you'll create those later in your life. The
(06:17):
concept is also central to themes of things like alcoholics, anonymous,
and lots of other philosophies and movements that you wouldn't
think about. Edwards. He seems to encapsulate the concept as well,
and it started long before he became a coach. One
particular story about his early playing days really resonates and
(06:38):
shows how he used his words to create his own reality,
not with some mystic power, but just by living up
to his claims. In nineteen seventy seven, Herm Edwards was
a defensive back not picked during the NFL Draft, so
he was an undrafted free agent looking to try out
for different teams, which took him to the Philadelphia Eagles.
(07:00):
During training camp, while trying to get a spot on
the team, he asked a veteran defensive back how many
dbs they take on the roster, and the veteran replied
they take eight. Herm Edwards immediately replied, who are the
other seven? Now, let me clarify, a lot of athletes
(07:21):
and sports AARs can be cocky, and there's a reason.
It's because they've been the best their whole lives. Edwards, however,
is slightly different. Obviously, he loves making bold, lofty claims
as evidence by saying who are the other seven? As
a undrafted rookie, but you can tell he truly believes
(07:42):
in what he's saying when he said, who are the
other seven. It wasn't a cocky quip. It was a
statement of truth in his mind, and one that he
would live up to. He not only made the Eagles
roster as a defensive back, but started every single game
that season and led all rookies, yes even those that
were drafted, in interceptions that year with six. So, to
(08:06):
borrow a popular phrase, he put his money where his
mouth was. Long after his playing career ended and he'd
laced up his cleats for the final time, Edward's greatest weapon,
his words remained sharp as ever, so it's no wonder
he ended up as a coach on both the collegiate
and professional levels. But no single quote or SoundBite of
(08:27):
his has lived on for as long as his Wednesday
press conference rant, and while it didn't make waves in
the media at the time, it certainly made an impact
on his own players. After the Jets lost to the
Browns and Edwards unleashed his iconic quote, the Jets ripped
off a four game winning streak and by the end
(08:50):
of the season held a record of nine wins and
seven losses, good enough to make the playoffs for a
second consecutive season. Edwards first as head coach the team
had lost their first game in the playoffs to the
Raiders by fourteen points. This time around, the Jets were
set to face the ten and six Indianapolis Colts in
(09:13):
the wild card round, a Colts team that, by the way,
was led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning
and legendary coach Tony Dungee. To summarize how the game went,
I'll borrow some more of Edward's own terminology. The Jets
they played to win the game, the Colts they did not.
(09:34):
The final score saw the Jets win forty one to zero,
while they would go on to lose the next round.
(09:56):
The jets emphatic win against the Colts, paired with the
fact that they went seven and two after the Browns loss,
might just solidify edwards rant as the most successful viral
rant from an NFL coach during a press conference ever.
But if you disagree, send me a message telling me
why on our socials at Sports Underscore MP three. And
(10:18):
that does it for today's episode of Sports Dot MP three.
I hope you learned something new and enjoyed the show.
As always, I'll be back next week with a new episode,
so stay tuned and In the meantime, enjoy life, and
if you're ever playing a game just for fun, make
sure Herm Edwards isn't playing with you because he's playing
to win. See you next week. Piece.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
It is don't don't, but it doesn't have a contract.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Don't don't, don't,
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