Herm Edwards delivered one of the most iconic lines in NFL history when he passionately stated during a 2002 news conference, “You play to win the game.”
He and Judy Battista – the reporter who asked him the question that prompted the famous spiel, during which Edwards encouraged any players who didn’t care about winning to retire – reminisced about the moment during a May 19 appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
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“It was instincts,” Edwards explained of his passionate response to Battista’s question. “I never knew it would take the avenue that it took.”
Edwards explained he was blissfully unaware of the virality of his press conference moment until he returned home from work.
“As a coach, you go to work, you go back up to the office and you start working,” Edwards explained. “And I can just remember going home that night, and I get home at about 12 o’clock at night, and my wife opened the door. She said, ‘What did you say?’ And I forgot everything I said. I don’t remember. And she said, ‘It’s everywhere!’ And I looked at her and said, ‘Is it good?’ And she said, ‘It was good. It’s OK!”
Edwards also detailed that his speech had occurred during the week, when players were not in attendance at the team facility. He saw them the next morning at a team meeting and recalled getting a positive response from the team.
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“I looked at the team. I literally looked at all these guys and said, ‘Are we good?’ They looked at me and said, ‘Coach, we’re good,'” Edwards said. “‘Go to work.’ Then we went on a run. Ended up winning the division.”
Indeed, the Jets finished the 2002 season with a 9-7 record, which was good enough to win the AFC East. They went 7-2 after Edwards’ rant and crushed the Indianapolis Colts 41-0 in the wild-card round before falling to the then-Oakland Raiders in the divisional round.
Thanks to that, Edwards’ one-liner has been permanently entered into the NFL’s proverbial lexicon, with it being frequently referenced by coaches and analysts alike. A clip from the presser was also included in a Bud Light commercial while Edwards titled his self-help book after the line.,
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But Edwards also contends there is a key word that is often omitted from his legendary quote.
“I tell people all the time, don’t forget the jingle. The ‘hello.’ That’s important,” Edwards said. “A lot of people say, ‘You play to win the game.’ I always correct them. Make sure you say hello first.”
As for Battista, she fondly remembered Edwards’ response and shared her thoughts as the iconic moment unfurled before her and the other reporters present for the news conference.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is the easiest story we’re ever going to write as a beat reporter for the New York Jets,'” she said. “He just laid it on a platter for us.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Herm Edwards shares inside story of ‘You Play To Win The Game’ speech
