The inclination is to anoint the most recent as the best, so Andy Reid could also be topped the king of all coaches if the Chiefs three-peat.
Coaches are sometimes judged by how they dominate in home windows of time, as Reid is doing. He could be the primary coach to win three straight Tremendous Bowls — although Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi received three consecutive championships in one other time.
If the measure have been whole championships, Reid wouldn’t be referred to as the best. He’s making an attempt to win his fourth. Invoice Belichick has probably the most with six. Lambeau and George Halas additionally had six within the pre-Tremendous Bowl period, whereas Lombardi had 5, together with two Tremendous Bowls. Reid is making an attempt to tie Chuck Noll and Man Chamberlain.
He additionally stands fourth all time in victories, 55 behind Don Shula, 43 behind Halas and 29 behind Belichick.
Reid’s accomplishments are spectacular — in some methods as spectacular as any coach’s. However probably the most related comparisons in measuring his greatness aren’t in rings or information — they’re in traits. In Reid, we will see the resiliency of Belichick, the flexibility to maximise others of Shula, the quarterback mastery of Invoice Walsh and Mike Holmgren and the relatability of John Madden.
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Reid has referred to as Belichick arguably the best coach ever. Belichick has referred to Reid as “one of many nice coaches on this league.” They know as a result of every has studied the opposite intently.
On Sunday, Reid will surpass Belichick with 45 playoff appearances for probably the most in historical past.
In head-to-head competitors, Belichick received seven of 12 video games, together with all three postseason conferences.
Belichick is thornier, however each usually tend to win a sport than a press convention. Neither is definitely ruffled. Every has an uncanny maintain on their equilibrium.
Thoroughness is a trademark of each, and it reveals in sport administration.
They’re masters of reverse sides of the ball, strategical savants. No coach has been higher than Belichick at exposing an opponent’s offensive weak spot or neutralizing what the enemy does greatest. Reid, in the meantime, elevates his offensive gamers with imaginative design, grasp chess strikes within the purple zone and play sequences that catch opponents off guard.
“He does job of discovering what his group can do properly and modifying the offensive plan to make the most of the gamers that he has and what they’re good at,” Belichick stated on a current “ManningCast.”
Invoice Belichick and Andy Reid have very completely different teaching types, however they’ve greater than profitable in frequent. (Jim Rogash / Getty Pictures)
Probably the most notable similarity between the coaches is their resiliency, which comes by means of of their consistency.
Belichick’s groups had shedding information in solely 27 p.c of his seasons; Reid’s have been higher, with shedding information in simply 11 p.c. Belichick has gone to the playoffs 65 p.c of the time, whereas Reid has coached a playoff group in 77 p.c of his seasons.
Belichick was in a position to resuscitate his group after three crushing Tremendous Bowl losses. Reid’s Eagles groups didn’t let up after shedding three straight championship video games. The next season, they made it to the Tremendous Bowl — the place they misplaced to Belichick’s Patriots.
Neither Spygate nor Deflategate let the air out of Belichick’s Patriots dynasty.
Reid has continued to teach by means of intense private tragedy. His son Garrett was a 29-year-old assistant energy coach with the Eagles when he overdosed on heroin and was discovered useless in his dorm room throughout coaching camp in 2012, a season the Eagles went 4-12.
After being fired when the season ended, Reid began over 5 days later with the Chiefs. In his first season in Kansas Metropolis, Reid received 11 video games after the group had received two the earlier 12 months.
Producing a second act that’s extra spectacular than the primary is a rarity. Reid is doing it in a approach that’s paying homage to Shula.
Reid had a .583 profitable share as head coach of the Eagles and has a .730 share with the Chiefs.
Shula received an NFL championship with the Baltimore Colts in 1968 earlier than shedding in Tremendous Bowl III to the Jets. Two seasons later, he moved to Miami the place he received back-to-back Tremendous Bowls with the Dolphins in 1972 and ’73, with ’72 being the proper season.
This shall be Reid’s sixth Tremendous Bowl as a head coach, which can tie him with Shula for second most behind Belichick’s 9. A coach couldn’t get to 6 Tremendous Bowls, particularly with two groups, with out an understanding of easy methods to get probably the most out of gamers, coaches and others round him.
Each Reid and Shula have been recognized for pushing their gamers, although Shula was extra stick; Reid extra carrot.
When he took over the Dolphins, Shula didn’t have two-a-day practices. He had 4 a day. Reid is thought for operating the toughest coaching camp within the NFL, typically encompassing 200 performs in a apply.
Shula’s trademark was his jaw and Reid’s is his mustache, however they communicate the identical language. Each have been recognized to be straight-to-the-point communicators, as the most effective lecturers typically are. Doug Pederson, who performed for each and coached for Reid, as soon as famous gamers benefited from how each left little or no grey of their directives.
Reid and Shula are additionally alike in that every has maintained a small circle of trusted advisers by means of each acts — and constant counsel has added to the greatness of each.
In Reid’s case, three of his most vital assistant coaches have helped him win on two groups.
In 1983, when Reid was the offensive line coach at San Francisco State, certainly one of his blockers was Tom Melvin. Three years later, Reid turned offensive line coach at Northern Arizona and satisfied Melvin to affix the workers as a graduate assistant. Reid later introduced him to Philadelphia, then Kansas Metropolis. For 26 years, Melvin hasn’t answered to anybody however Reid.
Chiefs particular groups coach Dave Toub has labored with Reid for 20 years — 12 years with the Chiefs, three with the Eagles, three at Missouri and two at UTEP.
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In 1999, his first 12 months with the Eagles, Reid employed Steve Spagnoulo as a defensive high quality management coach, then promoted him twice. The plan was for Spagnuolo to succeed Jim Johnson as defensive coordinator, however Spagnuolo was employed as Giants defensive coordinator in 2007 when Johnson was nonetheless going robust. Reid lastly made Spagnuolo his defensive coordinator with the Chiefs in 2019.
The confidantes who’ve been constants lengthen past Reid’s teaching workers.
In Reid’s sixth 12 months in Philadelphia, he employed a training intern who later was promoted to a training assistant and ultimately turned a scout. When Reid went to the Chiefs, he introduced him alongside as a personnel analyst. Now Brett Veach is his common supervisor, and so they have labored collectively for 21 years.
Reid has had the identical agent since 1997 when he was the quarterbacks coach of the Packers. For Reid, Bob LaMonte is extra consigliere than contract negotiator.
Like Melvin, Rick Burkholder has been by Reid’s facet for everything of Reid’s head teaching profession because the particular person answerable for the coaching room. His present title for the Chiefs is vice chairman of sports activities drugs and efficiency.
Amongst those that adopted Shula from Baltimore to Miami have been Invoice Arnsparger, the coordinator of the “No-Title Protection,” assistant Carl Taseff, who began out as a roommate and teammate at John Carroll College, offensive line coach John Sandusky and personnel director Charley Winner.
A line may very well be drawn from Invoice Walsh to Holmgren to Reid.
Walsh, who mentored Holmgren, received three Tremendous Bowls in eight years as a head coach and redefined offensive soccer. Holmgren, who mentored Reid, made two barren franchises fertile once more, competing in three Tremendous Bowls in a decade. And what all three did in addition to any coaches in historical past was consider, develop and deploy quarterbacks.
Walsh gave wings to Joe Montana and Steve Younger. He additionally lifted Ken Anderson, a Division III participant who turned NFL MVP. Dan Fouts testifies that Walsh had an enormous affect on his Corridor of Fame profession.
Holmgren, a finalist for the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame, revived Brett Favre after the Falcons gave up on him. He additionally nurtured three backups to Favre —Aaron Brooks, Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck. All turned starters with different groups.
Earlier than turning into a head coach, Holmgren helped develop Younger, each at Brigham Younger and with the 49ers.
One of many causes Reid turned a head teaching candidate is Favre was voted league MVP in certainly one of Reid’s two seasons as his place coach.
Mike Holmgren, left, mentored Andy Reid in Inexperienced Bay within the Nineteen Nineties earlier than Reid turned head coach of the Eagles. (Kirby Lee / NFL Photograph Library)
Reid’s first important transfer as coach of the Eagles was drafting Donovan McNabb, who turned a six-time Professional Bowler. However Reid confirmed he wasn’t depending on him when McNabb tore his ACL in November 2006. Reid referred to as on Jeff Garcia, who had misplaced 19 of his earlier 27 begins with different groups. Garcia took the Eagles to the playoffs by profitable 5 of six video games.
In 2009 Reid signed Michael Vick, who had been out of soccer for 2 years and had hung out in jail due to his participation in a dog-fighting ring. The subsequent season Vick reached the heights of his profession, profitable Comeback Participant of the 12 months, ending second in voting for Most Beneficial Participant and Offensive Participant of the 12 months and making the Professional Bowl.
Earlier than Reid left Philadelphia, he drafted Nick Foles. After Foles and Reid had left (they have been collectively for one 12 months in Kansas Metropolis), Foles returned to the Eagles to assist them win Tremendous Bowl LII.
When Reid arrived in Kansas Metropolis in 2013, he wanted a quarterback. Alex Smith was thought of a bust after eight middling seasons with the 49ers, however with Reid, Smith turned the quarterback the 49ers hoped he may very well be, making three Professional Bowls and main the league in passer score in 2017.
Reid and Veach recognized the particular in Mahomes and traded as much as take him. Then Reid gave Mahomes the liberty to turn into the quarterback he by no means got here near being at Texas Tech.
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Reid turned across the Chiefs. After shedding seasons in 5 of the six seasons earlier than Reid, they’ve had 12 straight profitable seasons since.
It speaks to a different similarity between Reid, Holmgren and Walsh. All of them excelled at righting wrong-way franchises, although Walsh did it solely as soon as.
Reid took over an Eagles group that received 28 p.c of its video games the earlier two years and made Philadelphia perennial Tremendous Bowl contenders.
In 24 seasons earlier than Holmgren was employed by the Packers, they didn’t make the playoffs 22 occasions. Holmgren led them to the postseason yearly he was in Inexperienced Bay besides his first. When Holmgren took over the Seahawks, that they had been to the postseason 4 occasions in 23 years of existence. Below Holmgren, they went to the playoffs six occasions in 10 years.
Troublesome choices — a downfall of many coaches — have been a energy of all three. Walsh created an uncomfortable dynamic by buying and selling for Younger when he had Montana. In Holmgren’s first draft in Seattle, he used the nineteenth choose to take operating again Shaun Alexander though Ricky Watters had rushed for a minimum of 1,100 yards for 5 straight seasons. Reid moved on from McNabb and Smith.
Reid, Holmgren and Walsh have one thing else in frequent: ability at hiring coaches. Among the many teaching stars Reid recognized early have been Pederson, Spagnuolo, Todd Bowles, Brad Childress, David Culley, Leslie Frazier, John Harbaugh, Mike Kafka, Sean McDermott, Matt Nagy, Ron Rivera and Pat Shurmur.
Along with Reid, coaches who labored for Holmgren embody Jon Gruden, Dick Jauron, Steve Mariucci, Marty Mornhinweg, Mike Sherman, Ray Rhodes and Jim Zorn.
Fruit from Walsh’s teaching tree, along with Holmgren, included Brian Billick, Dennis Inexperienced, Rhodes, George Seifert and Sam Wyche.
Superiority and relatability don’t all the time combine properly, however Reid is completely different.
In that approach, he’s like Madden. Each have been former offensive linemen, huge guys who wore their huge proudly. Their “common Joe” demeanors resonated, and so they disarmed with self-deprecation.
Reid cracks jokes about his weight and has completed extra for cheeseburgers than anybody since Ray Kroc. He has danced after huge wins and wore a Santa swimsuit this season. He pitches insurance coverage by making an attempt to poach “nuggies.”
Reid is a type of individuals who is aware of your identify if he’s seen you greater than as soon as. And he most likely is aware of your partner’s identify. And your children’ names.
Certainly one of Reid’s teaching superpowers is open-mindedness. The three-x-5 card by Reid’s desk reads, “Don’t choose.”
“Within the NFL, you’re getting folks from each tradition and each setting,” Mahomes as soon as stated. “I believe he does a fantastic job of with the ability to be that father determine or uncle or no matter you need to name it. He can get the most effective out of you, irrespective of if you happen to grew up with some huge cash or grew up with no cash. Regardless of the place you grew up, he is aware of easy methods to relate to you and get the most effective out of you.”
Reid encourages his gamers to be their genuine selves as athletes and people. If a participant has had missteps in his life, Reid typically presents a clean slate. It has labored with some, a minimum of on the sphere, together with Vick, Tyreek Hill, Marcus Peters and even Travis Kelce, who had a bad-boy fame after being suspended one 12 months in school.
When Madden was teaching the Raiders, he rode some wild horses to the entrance of the pack. He tolerated Ken Stabler’s carousing, Ted Hendricks’ oddities and John Matuszak’s recklessness and now has the most effective common season profitable share in historical past.
Reid thought of Madden a mentor. Madden’s widow, Virginia Madden, informed the Los Angeles Instances that Reid was Madden’s “go-to man.” John Madden typically messaged Reid, even throughout Chiefs video games.
Reid was one of many eulogists at Madden’s 2021 funeral. “He took me in like certainly one of his personal,” Reid stated that day. “He stated, ‘You performed offensive line?’ I stated, ‘I did.’ He stated, ‘You’re in.’ I used to be within the membership formally. Coach obtained me to understand every single day, each sport, each play of each sport. He taught me to not again off what I knew could be the most effective for the Nationwide Soccer League. He taught me that coaches weren’t the hamburger flippers of the Nationwide Soccer League, that we had a voice, and if correctly introduced, folks would pay attention.”
Folks hearken to Reid — as they did Madden — as a result of he’s likable. Or greater than likable.
It’s one of many causes he’s excessive on the record of all-time nice coaches.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; pictures: Maddie Meyer, Concentrate on Sport, David Eulitt, Bob Riha, Jr. / Getty Pictures)