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 point:

• Includes an anecdotal history of how Edwards came to develop that lesson
• Shares the wisdom of Edwards's teachers--from top NFL coaches to philosophical locker-room janitors
• Reveals insider details from Edwards's seasons with the Jets and other NFL teams
• Provides an unprecedented look into the inner workings of football's top motivational coach
• Shows you how you can chart your own path to success--in business and in life

Herman Edwards has spent the past three seasons as head coach of the New York Jets. Taking over a losing franchise, he led the Jets to back-to-back play-off appearances in 2001 and 2002, and became the first coach in team history with playoff berths in his first two seasons. A former standout NFL player for the Philadelphia Eagles, Edwards hosts the annual Herman Edwards Football Camp for underprivileged children in Sacramento, and is the first coach from the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship to become a head coach in the NFL.

Shelley Smith is an award-winning ESPN journalist, and was a Sports Illustrated writer and reporter for eight years.