OverDrive - Edwards on Parsons' future with the Cowboys, hold-in impacts and Rodgers leading the Steelers

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

ESPN NFL Analyst Herm Edwards joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines from the NFL, Micah Parsons' future with the Cowboys, the hold-in impact to the entirety of the roster, the Patriots making improvements on their roster, the Chiefs' journey back to the Super Bowl, Aaron Rodgers' role on the Steelers and more.

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I made it to my tournament and lost in the first round. But you got there on time. Intact Insurance. Your auto service ace. Certain conditions apply. from tariffs to trade deals the markets are changing is your portfolio ready for what comes next for all your questions you need a money guy calvin the money guy will help you develop a financial plan that includes the right levels of diversity the best way to navigate uncertain times with strategic advice from kelvin you can not only protect your investments you can grow them don't wait call 416457 plan or visit ask kelvin dot ca a Herm Edwards, thanks so much for doing this, Herm. I mean, when you hear Baker Mayfield talk about the smelling salts

and the effect that it could have on his own performance, what is your reaction on it? Well, a lot of players are, you know, this is kind of one of the routines they have when they play football. And I can go back to the era that I played. I mean, there were some guys, you know. Before the game, they had to, you know, they took a little hit, and then during the game at times took a little hit.

never one of those guys for each individual that they have different things they like doing and that was a big it's always been a big one in the NFL. Herm, there's obviously a big situation brewing down in Dallas with the Micah Parsons coming out saying he's done wants to get traded. Jerry's saying we're not going to trade him but unwilling to give him the big contract. How do you think Jerry Jones I guess has handled this whole situation? How has to play out? Well, I think Jerry is one of the best owners in the league of really keeping his team in the forefront. And if you think of the Dallas Cowboys, we talk about Dallas Cowboys all the time.

I'm headed back to the studio tomorrow, and I used to say all the time every time I go in there, I said, we're going to talk about the Cowboys Day, right? Because we're always talking about the Cowboys. It doesn't matter if they win, lose, which is Cowboys. And now it's Parsons, another star player. Look, this thing's going to get done. Jerry's not losing Michael Parsons. He's going to be a cowboy.

And so it's just another way that just cowboys stay in the news. And that's what they do well. They stay in the news. Don't you think the cowboys, like, everyone's going to talk about the cowboys regardless, whether they're making news or not, don't you think it's kind of in their best interest at times to maybe conduct business a little more quiet or discreet? Because we're going to talk about them anyways.

It's Jerry Jones. when has Jerry Jones ever done that? Yeah. That's not what they do. You know, this is what Jerry Jones does. And so that is part of the deal. And we all know what we sit here and we talk about it. And say, well, Jerry, why is Jerry doing that?

That's Jerry Jones. It's the Cowboys. Well, Herm, I mean, something like this situation got, you know, Michael Parsons wants to trade out. Tara McLaurin said that he's put in a trade request. got a couple of sit-ins at practice with Cook and Trey Hendrickson. Like, you know, as a man who's obviously been at training camp and you've been through a bunch of these, like, how, I guess, disruptive can these be toward the rest of the team? Well, it can be if you don't handle it as a head coach.

And when you're going through something like this, we went to this with Larry Johnson when I was in Kansas City. And basically what you tell the players, look, there's a side of football that none of us like. It's the business side of it. and if you're a good enough player in your career, there's going to be a business side of it where all of a sudden you're going to be negotiating the contract

is not going to go well. I try to give me advice. I said, whatever you do, don't negotiate it through the media. Just let your agent do it. You sit back. Don't worry about it. But if it gets out there, and I said at times it does, I tell guys on the team, look, when he comes back,

he's always telling him, he's coming back. Okay, he's going to be back. He's going to be on our team. want him on our team. Just embracing when he comes back, you know, and call him. Some of you players need to call him. If that's your buddy, call him and let him know, hey, man, you're going to be okay. You know, he needs to hear from you guys. And so

that's kind of hot to what went about doing it. Herm, Edwards, our guest here in our three of overdrive. Shadur Sanders, expected to start Cleveland's preseason opener against Carolina this coming weekend. Herm, does that mean anything to you as far as what Shadur could do for Cleveland this season? Well, I think if you're sure, you love this opportunity to do that, to be the starter.

I've always told players, hey, when you're the starter, don't let them take your job. Now, I just think it's preseason, and we get all that. I think right now, if they had to play a game to win, Joe Flackle's a starting quarterback. They've got a crowded quarterback room. I think what they've got, five, six quarterbacks now. I mean, there's not enough chairs in that room. They have to bust out of walls. and all these quarterbacks in this one room.

But with that being said, I think for Sjadour, I mean, it's something that he's probably excited about. But this is long from being over. But when you get the chance, you know, go do it. Go do it. Go show out. Like Dion used to always say, go show out. Did you see Mike Brable and what happened to him

and his bloodied face after jumping into a scrum during practice? Like, you know, you've seen that dynamic. I'm sure you've pushed players, you've pushed teams, but how does it get to that point? Like, have you ever had to jump in and say, enough's enough? I've got to get in here. Well, you know, I mean, you don't want players to fight. You don't. And I always tell players, you know, when guys fight, if you're tired, just let me know.

And I'll blow the Wilson, give us the rest. But don't fight to stop practice. I say, because every minute you stop, I might add on more time. And that's why players fight. I mean, you know, if you're tired, just let me know. I'll stop practice, but don't fight. You know, the one time I can remember, we had a brawl. We literally had a ball in New York.

And within about five minutes, it's going on, and coaches are going. I walked off the field. And all the players started listening to where coach are going? I said, practice was over with. And they all looked around and went, get off the field, just go home. And they were all looking at me like, coach kidding. He ain't kidding. He walks off the field.

Then we came back next day and met, and I said, look, if you guys don't want to practice, just let me know. But don't fight. Don't fight. Somebody will get hurt. Because you guys don't want to fight anyway. If you want to fight, I'll get some boxing gloves, and you guys go in the gym, just you and go fight. We're not going to put it on television. If you really want to fight, I think that you guys don't want to fight, you're just tired.

Man, that'd be rough and rowdy NFL edition would be something. Yeah, no doubt about that. I mean, Vrable can handle himself. You want to get the streaming numbers up? You get like a camera going in the practice facility. Some guys just start fighting. Yeah, I mean, Rable's got the ice back on his cheek at the rest of practice. I am curious, coaching Herman Edwards with us on overdrive.

As far as the Patriots go and what you think they could accomplish this coming season, how high are you on the Pats? Well, I think they'll be more competitive. I do think they have a good quarterback. I believe that. I think he is a guy. And I said earlier in the season when the team first started, I said, just start the guy. Why are you guys waiting?

Just start the rookie. You drafted that high starting. Now, you know, they're in a division that when you look at them, okay, you say, are they better than the Buffalo Bills? No. Will they be competitive with the Jets? Yes, I do think the Jets will be better. The Dolphins, this is a big year for the Dolphins. But they can be competitive in that division.

I don't think they win. I think Buffalo, the Bills are the best team in that division. Yeah, I mean, everyone's excited for the bill, especially here in the city of Toronto, not too far from Buffalo. And look, we kind of talked about it earlier about the Chiefs, you know, the Big Bad Chiefs. Could this be the year that they maybe fall off? They've been to six straight AFC championships. When you look at kind of the top teams there in the AFC, Buffalo, Baltimore, you know, the Chiefs, you could throw the Bengals in there. Maybe there's another Dark Horse team you like.

How would you kind of power rank the top teams in the AFC? Well, you mentioned them. I think the charges will be much better. I think the Broncos will be improved as well. Steelers, this is why they went and got Anna Rogers to win games in the playoffs, right? I mean, because Mike Tomlin can win 10 games, but now that when they get in the playoffs, they need a quarterback, and that's why Aaron Rogers is there. You've got to win games in the quarterback in the playoffs.

But when you think of the Chiefs, let's just close our eyes for a minute. Prior to the Chiefs on the AFC side was Captain America, and that's the New England Patriots. Captain America's Tom Brady. And everyone had to go through New England when you got in the playoffs to go to the Super Bowl. Now it's the Chief's turn. Can the Buffalo Bills beat the Chiefs in the playoffs? Can the Ravens beat the Chiefs in the playoffs?

Right? I mean, that's the bottom line at the end. Can you beat the Chiefs in the press? Not in the regular season, but in playoff competition. And all these teams know that, Cincinnati Bengals, can you beat the Chiefs in the playoffs? And until you beat them, they're going to represent the AFC. That's just the way it is. And everyone knows that.

The players know it on the offseason. To go to the Super Bowl, you get in the playoffs, you're going to meet the Chiefs. Can you beat them? You touched on the Steelers there. And I find the Aaron Rogers thing fascinating. for this reason. When he went to the Jets, it was noisy. It was, you know, Rogers is coming here and he's bringing people in and it's the Roger's show. Now he's with the Steelers and it's quieter. And I wonder, is that, is that the market? Is that Pittsburgh versus New York? Or is that

Tomlin? Like, Mike, you go there and you're just bought into the Mike Tomlin program and you just do your thing and it's less noisy around you now. Well, you said it. It's the program. It's the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's Mike Tomlin, it's just what they do. You know, the Steelers, that organization, and it goes way back. When the era I was playing, and it was Bradshaw and Franco Harris and Lent Swan and all that, it was the Steelers. And the Steelers have a certain way of doing things. It doesn't change your whole lot, you know, and you know it when you go to the Steelers.

This is how they run this organization. That's why they've been so successful for so many years. And when you go there as a player, the culture is the culture. You're not changing the culture. Either you fit the culture or they'll find you up out of there. And they've gotten ready to some good players that eventually have been there for numerous years and kids didn't quite fit. And they get them out of there.

You know, Mike Tomlin, if you think about Mike Thomas, he's going to be the all-time winning coach in Steelers history. Wild. Yeah. Wild. Well, 500 plus record every single year. They've only had three coaches. That's exactly here, right? I know. It's been a pretty good. The previous coach was kind of a legend, too. Yeah, and the one before him.

Herm Edwards, the legend with us here on Overdrive, ESPN, and it was former defensive back in the NFL. And I am curious, coach, to know your thoughts on Travis Hunter, a guy who is expected to be a major factor on both sides of the ball for the Jacksonville Jaguars as the number two overall pick. how do you think this plays out for Hunter as far as his usage on both sides? Well, I'm hoping that they're using correctly and I said it during the course of the draft and just watching the kid and how he plays. He would play corner for me.

He'd be my starting corner. And the reason for that, there's a couple reasons. He tilts the field defensively for you now. You can put him, and I always did this, my best corner always played the number two guy. that way I could double the number one guy and so if you threw it to the number two guy I had my best corner on that guy

and a lot of times it ain't going to work out good to the offense and what makes him so dangerous for me defensively he takes the ball away he just you thought to him he can intercept the ball and then you better go tackle you if you can't he might score a touchdown and then I would use him on offense some I would give him maybe 15 plays maybe some in the red zone maybe some in third down

but that's how I would use him but every coach wants to use it different. I know the kid wants to play both ways. That's physically probably impossible for him to do because it's the NFL. I mean, it's just too taxing on him. He'll shorten his career by trying to do that. So it'll be interesting how to use him. He's a fantastic football player, but even better than that,

he's a great human being now. Preseason action picks off, I suppose, in a real way, the Hall of Fame game last week. We got the Colts, your Colts, Michael, and the Ravens, Bengals, Eagles, amongst other games tomorrow night. So we're getting closer to the regular season. Coach Edwards, thanks so much for doing this. Great to have you on the show.

Hopefully we can catch up with you again soon. My pleasure. Thank you, guys. That is Herm Edwards. The biggest songs in the world. You've heard them countless times. Now learn the details of how they came to be. Join Ruby Carr for Encore, the stories behind the songs you love.

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