God bless Herm Edwards. I may watch this clip everyday for the rest of the summer for motivational purposes. What the former undrafted player, head coach and current ESPN analyst relayed to a group of 155 “freshmen” at the annual rookie symposium related to football, but resulted in speech applicable to everyday life. Nothing last forever, and although it may not seem like it now, the NFL lockout will eventually work itself out. Desperate optimists like myself are expecting sooner than later, especially since both Roger Goodell and NFLPA director DeMaurice Smith attended the event.

Herm’s main message centered around a duo of topics: remaining humble and seizing the moment. Every player who sat in that room has been accustomed to being “the man” at their respective universities, having their choice of everything from clothes to co-eds. In the words of the coach, it’s a privilege to play in the NFL. Treating it like a birthright, regardless of how much talent they posses, is a first class ticket to sitting on somebody’s couch yelling at the TV what they “would have done” had they never blown their chance. You’re blessed with talent. Production, on the other hand, is the result of mental toughness running side-by-side with an undying love fof the game.

Edwards ultimately presented himself more as a father figure/pastor than an authoritative head, which made the message much easier to relate to. Randall Cobb of the Packers and Kyle Rudolph of the Vikings actually tweeted their approvals of the “sermon.” His best piece of advice, however, came at the very end of the clip.

“You’ve got an opportunity, men. Don’t waste your talent.” Run tell that.

Paying The Price For NFL Success [NFL Nation]