Jump around this article
Click to show
Every year we get a great new batch of quotes from NFL players and coaches. However, some quotes, whether inspirational or funny, stand the test of time. For instance, one of the greatest minds in football history — the late Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi whom the Lombardi Trophy is named after — gives some of the greatest quotes.
Here’s a list of 32 of the greatest quotes to ever come from some of our favorite players and coaches.
Top Football Quotes From NFL Players and Coaches
- “The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work.” — Vince Lombardi
- “What’s that? Playoffs? Don’t talk about – playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!” — Jim Mora
- “You play to win the game. Hello? You play to win the game. You don’t play just to play it. That’s the great thing about sports. You play to win. And I don’t care if you don’t have any wins; you go play to win. When you start telling me it doesn’t matter, then retire. Get out. ‘Cuz it matters.” — Herm Edwards
- “They are who we thought they were. And we let ’em off the hook!” — Dennis Green
- “There is no defense against a perfect pass. I can throw a perfect pass.” — Dan Marino
- “I love me some me!” — Terrell Owens
- “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.” — John Madden
- “Wins and losses come a dime a dozen. But effort? Nobody can judge that. Because effort is between you and you.” — Ray Lewis
- “When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.” — Walter Payton
- “Winning is not everything — but making the effort to win is.” — Vince Lombardi
- “Success isn’t owned, it’s leased. And rent is due every day.” — J.J. Watt
- “If you see a defense team with dirt and mud on their backs they’ve had a bad day.” — John Madden
- “Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I will accomplish what others can’t.” — Jerry Rice
- “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” — Marshawn Lynch
- “Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.” — Peyton Manning
- “You fail all the time, but you aren’t a failure until you start blaming someone else.” — Bum Phillips
- “Football is a game of errors. The team that makes the fewest errors in a game usually wins.” — Paul Brown
- “You cannot make progress with excuses.” — Cam Newton
- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size in the fight of the dog.” — Archie Griffin
- “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” — Vince Lombardi
- “Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble.” — John Madden
- “Work isn’t work unless you would rather be doing something else.” — Don Shula
- “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” — George S. Halas
- “Excuses are the tools of the incompetent.” — Mike Tomlin
- “Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” — Mike Ditka
- “If you ain’t pissed off for greatness, that just means you’re okay with being mediocre.” — Ray Lewis
- “The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable.” — Peyton Manning
- “Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” — Tom Landry
- “When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” — Terry Bradshaw
- “When you don’t give up, you cannot fail.” — Adrian Peterson
- “I may win and I may lose, but I will never be defeated.” — Emmitt Smith
- “You can learn a line from a win and a book from defeat.” — Paul Brown