Andy deserves his spot among the all-time great NFL coaches
A day after the Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five years, many asked if Patrick Mahomes could be the GOAT of all NFL quarterbacks.
But another conversation arose after Mahomes put Andy Reid among the top coaches in NFL history.
“He’s one of the best coaches of all time,” Mahomes said following the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory in Super Bowl LVIII. “I believe he’s the best coach of all time.
“I know he didn’t have the trophies yet and I have a lot of respect for some of those great coaches. But the way he’s able to navigate every single team he has, continue to have success no matter where he’s at. He brings out the best of me because he lets me be me.
“I think that’s important, is he doesn’t try to make me anyone else. I don’t think I’d be the quarterback that I am if I didn’t have coach Reid being my head coach. And other than that, he wants to be the best person you can be. And that’s something that I think is truly special.”
At this point, it’s hard to argue with Mahomes.
Sure, Bill Belichick is the benchmark of all NFL coaches. He has a record of 333-178 during his 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. Belichick also has an incredible mark of 31-13 in 44 career postseason games with six Super Bowl titles.
But Reid deserves to be in that same conversation among the great coaches in NFL history.
Former Steelers coach Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls during the 1970s. Former Washington coach Joe Gibbs and former 49ers coach Bill Walsh each won three titles.
But out of all those coaches, only Reid, Belichick, and Noll won back-to-back Super Bowls.
Now it’s time to place Reid in the same pantheon with Belichick. Why? Reid has had two separate Hall of Fame coaching careers.
Since becoming the Chiefs coach, Reid has a 128-51 record and three titles. With the Eagles, Reid accumulated a 130-93 mark with one Super Bowl appearance.
Reid leading the Chiefs to another Super Bowl championship was unimaginable at one point. After losing the season opener to the Lions, the Chiefs reeled off six straight wins. But Kansas City lost five of eight games, which had many doubting if the team could even reach the Super Bowl, much less win it.
The Chiefs led the NFL in dropped passes (64) and were the sixth-most penalized team during the regular season (126). But instead of being led by Mahomes and a dynamic offense, the Chiefs’ defense took over. Kansas City ended the regular season second in yards (289.8) and points allowed (17.3).
The Chiefs came into the playoffs as the third seed in the AFC. After defeating the Dolphins at home in the AFC Wild-Card round, the Chiefs went on the road to beat the second-seeded Bills and the top-seeded Ravens to reach the Super Bowl. Then Reid and Kansas City put on a master class to win their fourth Lombardi Trophy.
The Chiefs dealt with adversity to overcome a 10-point deficit to force overtime. Travis Kelce angrily bumped Reid after he was left on the sidelines during an Isiah Pacheco fumble in the first half. But Reid remained composed and made all the necessary halftime adjustments.
After the Chiefs drive down the field 72 yards in overtime, Reid ordered a play called Tom and Jerry in which Mahomes threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman to win the game.
That was the same Hardman the Jets traded last October, the player Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett couldn’t find a way to use after signing him to a one-year, $4 million contract.
Now Reid can do something no coach has ever done: win three consecutive Super Bowls and four out of five championships.
“Back-to-back is rare for this football team and this organization,” Reid said. “I don’t know what a dynasty is. You guys have the thesaurus, so you can figure it out.
“It’s a great win because I know how hard it is to do and how hard the season was. The ups and downs of the season and how proud I am of the guys for just hanging with each other and staying positive with each other. The young guys grew up, and nobody ever pointed fingers at the offense when the offense was growing.
“It all kind of came together during the playoffs and worked out well. Great leaders in Patrick, Chris Jones and Trav, the job that they’ve done. They’re passionate players, and I love that, even if they chest bump me to the other side of the 50. I appreciate it. I just love that the guy wants to play and wants to be in there playing.”
What separates him from his coaching peers is Reid has succeeded with many different quarterbacks. Reid has won games with Doug Pederson, Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia, Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Vince Young, Nick Foles, Alex Smith, Nick Foles and now Patrick Mahomes.
Belichick was successful with one quarterback, Tom Brady. Noll won all of his Super Bowls with Terry Bradshaw and Walsh won his three with Joe Montana under center.