ASU Football: Five takeaways from Herm Edwards’ SportsCenter special

ASU football coach Herm Edwards is a showman, and his “SC Featured” segment with ESPN didn’t disappoint. Here are five observations that stood out from the seven-minute video.

You might be able to take the spotlight away from Herm Edwards, but you sure won’t be able to take the spotlight out of him.

Just eight months removed from being hired as Arizona State’s head football coach and 13 days away from his first college football game, the 64-year-old found himself back in front of ESPN cameras Sunday morning, documenting his daily coaching routine for a SportsCenter “SC Featured” segment titled “Back to School.”

The story was narrated by former ASU grad and current SportsCenter host Matt Barrie, who knows the Sun Devil culture better than anyone in Bristol. Aside from having a one-on-one discussion with Edwards, Barrie highlighted the new ASU coach’s passion for the game, his communication techniques with a younger generation and the lessons he teaches them off the field.

It’s a pretty cool story, and it certainly won’t be the last time that Edwards brings national attention to the ASU program. However the team does this season, it’ll be dissected and discussed by several members of the media.

With that being said, what are some of the big things that can be taken from ASU’s first national appearance on Edwards’ train?

Let’s take a look.

1. We all want to look like Herm Edwards at age 64.

At the beginning of the video, Edwards rolls up to the Sun Devil workout facilities at 5 a.m., ready to exercise a hour before his coaching day begins. Yeah, I wouldn’t want to do that either.

After taking a look at the grass of Sun Devil stadium, he walks back to the weight room to do bar dips and shoulder exercises. Although the full hour of the workout (sadly) can’t be seen, it’s admirable to see the phenomenal physical shape he’s in one year shy of fully being considered a senior citizen.

The early-morning start gives Edwards the energy necessary to commit to a daily routine. In the daily life of a college football coach, where you have to deal with practice, game preparation and the media, among other things, it shows that he’s prepared for long hours and excited to challenge his team on the field.

While committing to that routine for just a day would frustrate a majority of people, you couldn’t ask for a better standard to set for the student-athletes.

2. He’s confident in his ability to coach.

Like he stated at his introductory press conference and his sessions at Pac-12 Media Day, Edwards insisted in the video that his nine-year absence from the sidelines hasn’t hindered his ability to coach football.

“Give me some grass, and watch me coach,” Edwards tells Barrie.

The video then shows Edwards in drill work and instruction with his defensive backs, the same position he played in college and the NFL. His experience and vocal nature appeared to keep their attention focused.

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In some of those sequences, we saw some of the enthusiasm that Edwards is well-known for. While walking through a mock play with his defense around the three minute mark, he breaks out into a celebration for a simulated interception, pounding his chest and firing his players up about making the big play.

That excitement translates well for his coaching ability, but it works even better for his ability to connect with his players. And that’s what we’ll talk about next.

3. His personality is beginning to connect to the younger generation.

Edwards has been around the game of football his entire life, including 30 years of experience at the NFL level. But as Barrie documented, Edwards only had one stint in college as the San Jose State defensive backs coach in 1986.

One of the big concerns coming with Edwards’ arrival in Tempe was how he’d connect with players ranging from their late teens to early 20s. Several critics felt his “old school” approach and methodologies wouldn’t stick with a younger generation.

In spite of that, Barrie pointed out Edwards’ emphasis on connecting with his players. His enthusiasm appeared to bring out some of those relationships, with the cameras showing Edwards cracking a smile out of Frank Darby while singing and dancing to the music that played during practice.

No, Edwards probably won’t have the ability to break out the sticks and compete with his team in a game of Fortnite, but there looks to be a “cool” vibe to him that some of the players have bought into.

"“Guys believe in him,” ASU offensive analyst and former NFL All-Pro center Kevin Mawae told ESPN. “I think he connects well with the players in the locker room.”“He’s just a likable person, he’s got enthusiasm and energy. He’s the same guy today that he was 15 years ago when he was our head coach for the New York Jets.”“If we could win here at Arizona State, he could change the way people do things in college football.”"

4. He has a strategy built for coaching millenials.

It’s one thing to connect with players from a personal standpoint, but it’s another to be able to teach them ideas that stick in their heads.

With a generation that grew up with the Internet and social media, Edwards understands that the messages he was given at a younger age have to be taught in a way that suits the generational gap.

“How do you coach them? You have to tell them ‘why’ first,” Edwards told ESPN. “You can’t tell them ‘why’ last.”

Edwards continued. “They multitask so much, they think that way. So in your meetings, you have to be very prepared to do things that keep them stimulated on and focused on the one event.”

It’s a different strategy for both the coach and the player, but redshirt sophomore defensive back Chase Lucas appeared to have taken a liking for it.

“He doesn’t yell, he doesn’t shout when you do something wrong,” Lucas told ESPN. “He’s going to correct it, and I think that’s the best thing about him at practice. He doesn’t want to shame you or embarrass you, he wants you to get the best technique so you can be the best player you can be.”

The team’s play on the field will dictate just how well this teaching strategy works, but it’s good to see that Edwards has kept an open-mind and showed commitment to negating his doubts.

5. He’s set on building high-character men.

The best part of the entire story came at the very end, when Edwards took some time in the film room to show the team a video of the Sun Devil kitchen crew rapidly cleaning a fire-alarm flood that occurred 30 minutes prior to one of the team’s scheduled dinners.

He encouraged his players to recognize the efforts of the crew, saying he that he wanted people with that kind of perseverance on his team. The players responded, showing up at dinner to shake the hands and hug the crew that had recently dealt with high stress.

We knew that several lessons like this would come from Edwards’ tenure, but it was inspiring to see an example that had already taken place.

The impact of Edwards in terms of wins and losses is yet to be seen, but the story gave solid insight on what’s to come in 2018. No matter how the season may go, it’ll be exciting to see how it unfolds.

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