By Mike Rifkin
As fans, we appreciate the greatness of players because they make the highlights. We don’t give enough credit to coaches who design the game plan. Over the past 20 years, we have talked about the New England Patriots’ domination and their six championships with Brady and Bellichick. Andy Reid, though, has coached two teams into hosting three straight conference championship games. He did it with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2002-2004, and now he is doing it for the third consecutive season for the Kansas City Chiefs. The knock-on Andy Reid was that he couldn’t win the big one until last year when his Chiefs beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl.
In all of their playoff games last year, the Chiefs trailed by double digits. (24-0 to the Texans, 10-0 to the Titans, and 20-10 to the 49ers) and came back to win. The Super Bowl championship is now a guarantee that one day coach Reid will go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Andy Reid’s career record is 221-130-1. He ranks 6th all-time in wins and is six away from passing Curly Lambeau for fifth. He is also the seventh coach in history to take two different teams to the Super Bowl.
Andy Reid is not afraid to take chances, but none were more significant than in the divisional game last Sunday against Cleveland. He lost star quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a concussion in the third quarter. After the 2 minute warning on 4th and inches and backup quarterback Chad Henne in the game, instead of punting and trusting his defense, coach Reid decided to go for it, and Henne completed a sprint out pass to Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs would run out the clock and appear in their third straight conference title game.
Another way to appreciate Andy Reid’s greatness is that the three other coaches left in the AFC last week all coached under Andy Reid. So yes love the players you want because they make a great play, and we get enamored with the highlights like fireworks, but let’s give the coaches credit where it’s due. Andy Reid is one of the all-time great coaches in the league’s history, and let’s appreciate that we got to watch him coach. ( And yes, it’s the power of the Moustache)
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