Andy Reid turned a 6-inch binder into a Hall of Fame resume

Jan 31, 2023, 1:33 AM | Updated: 3:35 pm

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates with defensive end Frank Clark, right, after the...

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates with defensive end Frank Clark, right, after the NFL AFC Championship playoff football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 23-20. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)


              Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid holds the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the NFL AFC Championship playoff football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 23-20. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
            
              Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks with defensive end Frank Clark, right, after the NFL AFC Championship playoff football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 23-20. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Andy Reid was an unknown assistant in Green Bay when Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie took a chance on hiring Brett Favre’s position coach to revive a struggling franchise in Philadelphia.

A newspaper headline greeted Reid’s arrival with a headline that said: “Andy Who?”

Everybody knows his name now.

Reid won more games (130) than any coach in franchise history during his 14 seasons with the Eagles. He led Philadelphia to nine playoff appearances, six division titles and five NFC championship games. But Reid couldn’t deliver a Super Bowl victory, losing to the New England Patriots after the 2004 season. For that reason, he was underappreciated by many fans and reporters in Philly.

Reid eventually lost his job after only his third losing season in 2012, and immediately landed in Kansas City. He finally hoisted that elusive Vince Lombardi Trophy with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs three years ago.

By that time, the Eagles had won their first Super Bowl under then-coach Doug Pederson, one of Reid’s prized pupils.

Now, Reid and the Eagles are going head-to-head aiming for that second title. The Chiefs (16-3) vs. the Eagles (16-3) is one of the most-anticipated Super Bowl matchups in recent years.

Just don’t expect the stoic Reid to get emotional about it.

“When you really cut to the chase on it, they’re a really good football team and so, I think that’s where the energy goes because really when it’s kickoff, you’re playing that team,” Reid said Monday.

“It’s the players that you’re going against and the coaches and so the uniform (and) all, that’s not where your mind’s at. Your mind’s at making sure you have a solid game plan and that you come out and you can perform to the best of our ability.

“That’s, I think, where the major focus goes, and you try to — it doesn’t matter who you’re playing — you try to blank out all the hype that goes with the game. It’s a pretty big game for everybody. … It’s a big, big deal. It’s the Super Bowl. But you try to blank that out and make sure that you’re getting the game plan — what really matters — together.”

Nearly a quarter century since he walked into an interview with the Eagles armed with a 6-inch binder containing notes on how to build a winning team, Reid has amassed Hall of Fame credentials. He’s led the Chiefs to nine playoff appearances, including seven consecutive division titles in 10 winning seasons. He’s been to five straight AFC title games, winning three.

“It’s a real testament to the job that general manager Brett Veach and Coach Reid have done over the last several years,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said after the team clinched the division last month.

“We obviously have a bunch of young players and we’ve got some new players, and Andy and his staff have done a tremendous job of incorporating them into the team. That’s just part of the National Football League. They’ve really done a fantastic job, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Reid is a no-nonsense, old-school coach who is respected and loved by his players. He rarely throws anyone under the bus. Part of the criticism he received from reporters in Philly was for his unwillingness to call anyone out and to always shoulder all the blame after losses and poor performances. “I gotta do a better job” became a punch line.

He came across as robotic in news conferences, always opening with injuries before turning it over to reporters for questions by saying: “Time’s yours.”

At 64, Reid has become more of a lovable grandpa in Kansas City. He’s known for wearing floral shirts and cracking jokes about his weight. Ask Reid how he plans to celebrate a victory and he’ll say with a cheeseburger.

“I’m gonna go get the biggest cheeseburger you’ve ever seen!” Reid said after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, 2020.

After a victory over the Seahawks on Dec. 24, Mahomes and All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce presented Reid with a cheeseburger inside a wrapped Nike shoe box as a Christmas gift.

Players in the locker room cheered and hollered.

Reid smiled and shouted: “May you all get a gift as great as this.”

Another Lombardi trophy would be the best present of all.

___

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report.

___

Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/robmaaddi

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

3 months ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

3 months ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

3 months ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

3 months ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

3 months ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

3 months ago

Andy Reid turned a 6-inch binder into a Hall of Fame resume