Edge must come from outworking your opponents

“Our edge has to come from outworking our opponents in every phase of the game and this certainly includes off-season conditioning. The program is in your hands…. If you are self-motivated and dedicated, you will go to work immediately and work each day to get better. We are going to win in Philadelphia. It is just a matter of being persistent. Go to work."
From the first letter Dick Vermiel wrote to his first team in Philadelphia