Honestly, if you ask a casual fan about the Herm Edwards coaching career, they’ll probably just yell, "You play to win the game!" at you. It’s the soundbite that defined a decade. But if you actually look at the nuts and bolts of how Herm operated from the Jets to Tempe, it’s a lot weirder and more complex than a thirty-second press conference clip.
He wasn't just a "quote guy." He was a pioneer who somehow survived the NFL meat grinder twice before trying to reinvent the college "CEO" model at Arizona State. It didn't all end in roses, especially that messy exit in 2022, but the dude's footprint is everywhere.
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The New York Jets Era: More Than Just a Meme
When Herm Edwards took over the New York Jets in 2001, the league was different. He was only the fifth African American head coach in NFL history. That’s a heavy mantle to carry into a market like New York. People forget he actually made the playoffs in his first two seasons.
In 2002, the Jets were sitting at 2-5. The season looked dead. That’s when the "Play to win the game" speech happened. Most coaches would have lost the locker room, but Herm’s weird mix of high-energy charisma and "Cover 2" defensive discipline actually worked. They finished 9-7, won the AFC East, and absolutely waxed the Colts 41-0 in the Wild Card round.
But there was a catch.
Fans started getting frustrated with his "play not to lose" late-game management. He’d sit on leads like they were precious heirlooms. It was ultra-conservative. By 2005, things got ugly. Injuries piled up, the Jets went 4-12, and then came the "trade." You don't see coaches traded often, but the Jets basically shipped him to Kansas City for a fourth-round pick.
The Chiefs and the Slow Burn
Kansas City was a homecoming of sorts. Herm had scouted there under Marty Schottenheimer. He pulled off a minor miracle in 2006, taking a Chiefs team to the playoffs in his first year. That made him one of the few coaches to hit the postseason in year one with two different franchises.
However, the wheels fell off fast.
- 2007: 4-12 record.
- 2008: A dismal 2-14 finish.
The Chiefs were young, and Herm was trying to rebuild through the draft, but the NFL doesn't give you much time to "build character" when you’re losing twelve games in a row. He was fired in early 2009. Most people thought that was the end. He spent the next nine years at ESPN, becoming the face of NFL analysis. He was comfortable. He was safe. Then, out of nowhere, Arizona State called.
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The Sun Devil Experiment: A New "Pro Model"
When Ray Anderson hired Herm at Arizona State in 2018, the college football world laughed. Herm hadn't been on a college sideline since the 80s at San Jose State. The plan was to run the program like an NFL front office. Herm was the "CEO," and he had a massive staff of "analysts" and "directors."
It actually started off pretty decent.
- He beat No. 15 Michigan State early on.
- He went 7-6 and made a bowl game in year one.
- He developed Jayden Daniels (yeah, the Heisman winner) and Brandon Aiyuk.
He had this way of talking to recruits’ parents. He told them he wasn't just coaching football players; he was coaching men. It sounded great. For a while, the "Herm Train" was a real thing. But the "CEO" model has a major flaw: if you aren't watching every detail, things get sloppy.
The Recruiting Scandal and the Fall
The end of the Herm Edwards coaching career at ASU wasn't about wins and losses, although losing to Eastern Michigan at home didn't help. It was the NCAA investigation. Allegations surfaced that the program was hosting recruits during the COVID-19 "dead period." Essentially, they were sneaking kids onto campus when nobody else was allowed to.
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It was a mess.
Several assistants were fired. Herm stayed on through a rocky 2021 season, but by September 2022, the "mutual agreement" to part ways happened on the field after a loss. In 2024, the NCAA handed him a five-year "show-cause" penalty. Basically, he’s barred from college coaching for half a decade.
What We Can Actually Learn From Herm
Herm’s career is a case study in "Soft Skills vs. Hard Management." He was an elite motivator. Players loved him. He coached with a high level of integrity in his personal life, yet his programs often struggled with the technicalities—clock management in the NFL and compliance in the NCAA.
If you’re looking for a takeaway from the Herm Edwards saga, it’s this: Leadership requires more than just a great message. You need a system that can survive the people running it. Herm was the ultimate "People Person," but in a world of spreadsheets and recruiting logs, his "CEO" model lacked the oversight to keep the ship upright.
Your Next Steps for Understanding Coaching Legacies
- Check the Stats: Look up the "Cover 2" defensive trends from the early 2000s to see how Herm’s Tampa Bay roots influenced the league.
- Watch the 2002 Presser: Don't just watch the "win the game" part; watch the three minutes before it to see the actual frustration of a coach who felt his team was quitting.
- Review the ASU Compliance Report: If you want to see how the "CEO model" failed, read the NCAA's summary on the Sun Devils' recruiting violations to understand the gap between leadership and execution.