Reid’s long wait finally is over
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Maybe now Andy Reid will stick to the plan on date night.
The coach they call “Big Red” has finally won the Big One, which is what all the obsession has been about in 21 years as an NFL head coach.
His wife, Tammy – whom he still calls his “girlfriend” even after 38 years of marriage – has been cutting Andy slack for some time when he came home late for those Friday date nights.
“This year, it kept getting later and later and later,” Tammy told USA TODAY Sports in the aftermath of Kansas City’s 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. “I’m just like, ‘You know
what? Do it. You do whatever you need to do to get us to this.’ And we got there.”
It’s no wonder that her husband – who has always revealed a more human demeanor than the vast majority of his peers – was all mushy when someone asked whether he was looking forward to getting with Tammy to bask in the big achievement.
“That’ll be great,” he said. “I’ve been getting with her for 40 years now. Every day is a special day. I call her my girlfriend for that reason. You never lose interest.”
Then Reid paused to offer some advice. “You guys out there,” he said, “your girlfriends, you always do special things.”
Winning Super Bowls can make people so giddy.
Then again, that may go double when you’ve waited as long as Andy – and Tammy.
Her husband came to Hard Rock Stadium as the winningest coach in NFL history who had never won a league championship. In taking two franchises to Super Bowls and ranking sixth all-time for career victories, he seemed to have the credentials to earn Hall of Fame honors someday, regardless of whether they rallied from a fourth-quarter, double-digit deficit to beat the 49ers or not.
But Reid also came into the Super Bowl with a 14-14 career postseason record – including some meltdown losses – that could certainly fuel Hall of Fame debate.
Thus, a key subplot over the past two weeks has involved Reid’s legacy. Clearly, he was the sentimental favorite for this matchup, and near the end, fans chanted, “Andy! Andy! Andy!” Star players are routinely feted by such chants. Coaches? Almost never.
Before and after Super Bowl LIV, Chiefs players seemed genuine in declaring how much they wanted to win for him.
It’s so believable, too, when recalling how he gave Michael Vick a second chance, with the Eagles, when he tried to revive his career after serving prison time for his role in a dogfighting ring. A few days before Super Bowl LIV, another former Eagles quarterback, Donovan McNabb, dropped in and told the Chiefs players about his love for his former coach.
Brett Favre dropped by, too, to support his former position coach with the Packers. And former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson accepted Reid’s invitation to deliver a mid-week pep talk to the team.
“To have all the people show up like that, that’s respect,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said.
Reid, as you’d expect, will insist as he always does, that it’s not about him. Sure, it’s a team game. And it helps to have Patrick Mahomes throwing the rock for you.
But listen to Bob LaMonte, Reid’s agent for 25 years.
“He never got it done in Philly, and it killed him,” LaMonte told USA TODAY Sports. “He wanted that for the city.”
At least he’s done it for Kansas City, which hadn’t won a title in the 50 years since Super Bowl IV.
And no one can appreciate that quite like Tammy, who has been there throughout the journey. She was there with him when he spent the better part of the 1980s bouncing around as an assistant at four college jobs. There for the Green Bay years. There to raise five children, including Garrett, who was ultimately lost to a drug overdose that put the family’s grievance in the public domain.
And she had a front-row seat for the highs and lows during 14 years as Eagles coach. They’ve been in Kansas City for seven years, still trying to do date nights … although with mixed results.
“Just seeing all the work he puts in, I’m just so happy for him,” Tammy said.
Reid is certainly a grinder. Mahomes said Reid is in by 3 a.m. and out by 11 p.m.
“I try to beat him in and I never can,” Mahomes said.
At least now they have some fresh championship hardware to show for their efforts.