Sports Then and Now

Herm Edwards always tells it the way it is.

Everyone knows, nothing shakes an audience as well as heart pounding, chest thumping speech from that grey-haired, wily coach imparting life truths on his team. It’s a tried and true formula which seemingly will never die. Some of the more brash coaches have been less about inspirational locker room speeches, and more about snarky comments during interviews. But of the many words said by coaches so far, which life truths have been the most truthful? Which words have been most memorable? Let’s break it down.

“You play to win the game!” – Herm Edwards, New York Jets
When asked by reporters if he would rest his players and throw away a game since it had no playoff stakes late in the season, Coach Edwards put himself into SportsCenter lore with not only the unbelievably iconic statement, but also the indignant manner in which he spat it out.
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Few teams in sports history have matched the brashness and brilliance of the 1985 Bears.

It is difficult to believe that it has actually been 25 years since the Chicago Bears completed one of the most dominant seasons in NFL history with a 46-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

Though it has now been 25 years ago since their Super Bowl victory, the 1985 Bears still hold special place in the memories of many football fans as much because of the larger-than-life personalities as for their dominant performances on the field.

The images of Jim McMahon mooning a helicopter, Walter Payton running through tacklers, William Perry plowing into the end zone and Wilber Marshall running through the snow to a game clinching score are still fresh in the memory.

The Bears didn’t just beat opponents, they punished them. Of their 15 regular season victories, only four were not double digit victories.

They made two proud franchises look old and out-manned with a 45-10 victory over the Washington Redskins and a 44-0 white-wash of the Dallas Cowboys.

Only a 38-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in week 13 kept them from a perfect season.

But even that loss didn’t stymie the confidence and brashness of the Bears. The day after that loss, members of the team gathered to shoot their “Super Bowl Shuffle” video.

They then went out and out-scored their final three regular season opponents 73-33 to finish with a 15-1 regular season mark.

The previous season, the Bears had reached the NFC Championship Game, only to lose to the San Francisco 49ers.

This time around the Bears left little doubt that they would be the NFC representative in Super Bowl XX. Read the rest of this entry →