Behind The Scenes

From the field to the studio, Herm Edwards loves talking football

 

Herm Edwards has been in NFL circles for the better part of three decades. He played 10 seasons (1977-86) and worked his way through the ranks as an assistant before serving as a head coach from 2001-08. Now in his fourth year as an NFL analyst, Edwards is seen on a variety of ESPN shows each week, including SportsCenter, NFL Live, NFL32 and Audibles. In the interview below, he discusses how he made the transition to television and how he approaches his job.

Editor’s Note: In addition to appearing on ESPN’s NFL shows, Edwards was interviewed by filmmaker Billy Corben for the 30 for 30 documentary Broke which premieres tonight (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) as the ESPN Films’ Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning series returns. The video above offers a preview of the film, which explores the roads to fortune in American sports and eventually, the many detours to bankruptcy. 

How did you translate what you learned on the field to what you do now?
You look into the camera and you’re trying to tell the viewer a story. You want to do it in the simplest forms though; you don’t want to get too technical because everyone that you’re speaking to is not a former football player or coach. You talk to a lot of fans but you’re also talking to the players and the coaches. I think there’s a fine line that you walk to explain what you see through your eyes. We’re not critics, we’re analysts. It’s always easy to tell a story and compare it to things sometimes when you see football being played.

What is your favorite part of your job now?
It’s talking about football during the season. Football fans are so passionate about the game. When you step up and are in front of the camera, they see the game through your eyes. Throughout my career I’ve been a coach and a player, so I’ve seen different perspectives of the game. I like explaining to fans what I see.

Fans seem to love your catchphrases and your personality. With such a busy schedule, how do you always seem to have so much energy?
I think for me that your habits really create who you are whether it’s good or bad. I feel that I have an obligation to the fans, people who watch football, and this company to put my best foot forward. I like talking about football; I’m very passionate about it. It’s been a game that I’ve been involved with for a long time and I continue to be involved in it. You have to have an exciting passion for what you do and this is my job. I enjoy doing this. I always tell people not to waste your life.

With the popularity of the John Clayton “This is SportsCenter” commercial, do you have any interest in having your own “TISC” commercial? If so, what would it be like?
I don’t know how I feel about that. . . John Clayton is my hero. That was quite a unique commercial. . . You’re like, ‘Whoa, that’s John Clayton!’ He pulled that off.

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