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You Play to Win The Game
Powerful and positive leadership lessons from one of today's most admired coaches "You Play to Win the Game" is the rallying cry of the comeback New York Jets and their visionary coach, Herman Edwards. Affectionately known as the Energizer Bunny of the NFL, Coach Herm is a perpetual motion machine, a breath of fresh air who used his boundless energy and talent for combining hard work with good fun to guide his team to back-to-back play-off appearances in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Now, in this leadership playbook, Edwards shares with you the wisdom and insight he counts on to motivate and sustain himself, his team, and the thousands he has inspired. In writing this book, Edwards turned to his personal bible--a favorite black notebook filled with life lessons he has collected over the years from the people he has admired and respected the most. Here, with his signature one-of-a-kind style, he distills these philosophies and beliefs into wise and witty "Winning Points." Each
- GenresSports
190 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 23, 2026
Love the Coach, Just Wanted More from the Playbook
If you're a sports fan, you can't read the title of this book without hearing Herm Edwards’ voice ringing in your ears. His legendary 2002 post-game press conference rant is etched into NFL history, and that exact same high-energy, no-nonsense, deeply passionate personality shines through on every page of You Play to Win the Game.
As a leader and a man, Coach Edwards is incredibly easy to root for. His core values—integrity, discipline, accountability, and a relentless work ethic—are foundational, and his genuine desire to mentor young athletes is obvious. The book is packed with his signature "Herm-isms" and classic anecdotes from his playing days under Dick Vermeil and his coaching stints with the Jets and Chiefs. If you love him as an analyst or a coach, his voice jumps right off the page, and it’s a quick, entertaining read.
However, from a purely literary and depth standpoint, the book leaves you wanting a bit more.
At times, it feels less like a structured memoir or leadership guide and more like a collection of pre-game speeches stretched out over a few hundred pages. The advice can skew toward the cliché ("give 100%," "teamwork matters"), and the formatting relies heavily on short, punchy fragments that mimic his speaking style but can feel a bit repetitive when read in bulk. It stays pretty surface-level, missing the deeper, behind-the-scenes NFL strategy or raw locker room vulnerability that turns a decent sports book into a great one.
The Verdict:
It’s a bit of a light, paint-by-numbers leadership book, but Coach Edwards' infectious charisma completely saves it. Come for the deep football insights and you might be disappointed; come because you love Herm's classic style and motivational energy, and you'll walk away glad you read it.
If you're a sports fan, you can't read the title of this book without hearing Herm Edwards’ voice ringing in your ears. His legendary 2002 post-game press conference rant is etched into NFL history, and that exact same high-energy, no-nonsense, deeply passionate personality shines through on every page of You Play to Win the Game.
As a leader and a man, Coach Edwards is incredibly easy to root for. His core values—integrity, discipline, accountability, and a relentless work ethic—are foundational, and his genuine desire to mentor young athletes is obvious. The book is packed with his signature "Herm-isms" and classic anecdotes from his playing days under Dick Vermeil and his coaching stints with the Jets and Chiefs. If you love him as an analyst or a coach, his voice jumps right off the page, and it’s a quick, entertaining read.
However, from a purely literary and depth standpoint, the book leaves you wanting a bit more.
At times, it feels less like a structured memoir or leadership guide and more like a collection of pre-game speeches stretched out over a few hundred pages. The advice can skew toward the cliché ("give 100%," "teamwork matters"), and the formatting relies heavily on short, punchy fragments that mimic his speaking style but can feel a bit repetitive when read in bulk. It stays pretty surface-level, missing the deeper, behind-the-scenes NFL strategy or raw locker room vulnerability that turns a decent sports book into a great one.
The Verdict:
It’s a bit of a light, paint-by-numbers leadership book, but Coach Edwards' infectious charisma completely saves it. Come for the deep football insights and you might be disappointed; come because you love Herm's classic style and motivational energy, and you'll walk away glad you read it.
July 27, 2022
Have always been a fan of Coach Edwards and his no nonsense approach to coaching and leadership. He is definitely a throwback to a time when hardwork, discipline, and self motivation were the very fabric of the American culture. Coach Edwards does not go into the great amount of detail of the "how-to's" that I assumed I would find in his book, he does a great job of detailing his life journey and gives nuggets of his experiences in leadership along the way.
July 18, 2012
Herm Edwards is one of my all-time favorite Philadelphia Eagles players. If you have ever heard of the "Miracle Of The Meadowlands" - the iconic win that the Eagles had over the NY Giants in the last seconds of a game that the Giants had in the bag - it was Herm Edwards who picked up the Giants fumble and scored the winning touchdown. I still watch it on YouTube whenever I want a lift, and whenever I need to remind myself that as long as the game is still on, its still worth playing all-out.
Edwards is an interesting character, and so is his approach. He is one of the ones that could do it as well as coach others to do it.
The heart and depth of his character comes out repeatedly, consistently and powerfully - and it is all about right heart, right attitude, right outlook and right action.
This is a book that will help you as a person as much as it will help you as a coach. Read this, and I think you will believe that sports really to teach valuable life lessons. Herm Edwards learned them, lived them, and effectively shares them here.
Edwards is an interesting character, and so is his approach. He is one of the ones that could do it as well as coach others to do it.
The heart and depth of his character comes out repeatedly, consistently and powerfully - and it is all about right heart, right attitude, right outlook and right action.
This is a book that will help you as a person as much as it will help you as a coach. Read this, and I think you will believe that sports really to teach valuable life lessons. Herm Edwards learned them, lived them, and effectively shares them here.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews