The Redemption of Andy Reid

Sports means something different to everyone. Everyone has their own favorite team, their own memories of “where I was when…”, and that’s what makes sports great. No one person will feel the same about any one sporting event. We relate sports to our own lives, in our own way. It’s that uniqueness of experiences that brings all sports fans together, breaks down all barriers; white or black or brown, male or female, rich or poor, young or old — we are just sports fans.  Each year, we at GoingFor2, give our writers a chance to share that experience, that emotion, that ‘one thing’ that stood out above all else in the past year. The sports story that mattered to them — big or small. The following is one such story. Enjoy…

Embed from Getty Images Andy Reid was hired on January 11, 1999, by the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid’s hiring is a local legend in Philadelphia, as he arrived at his interview with a five inches-thick book on how he would run the team. Jeffrey Lurie was convinced, and after the atrocious tenure of Ray Rhodes, Reid took over. Reid’s first-ever draft pick was a QB from Syracuse, with the number 2 overall pick. Donovan Mcnabb had the unfortunate distinction of not being Ricky Williams, the player everyone wanted. Reid improved the Eagles record from 3-13 to 5-11 his first year. Fans were hopeful. They thought he could maybe be a decent coach. He ended up bringing the best stretch of Eagles football in the modern era to Philly. Legendary defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and the likes of Troy Vincent, Brian Dawkins, Bobby Taylor, and Hugh Douglas helped bring respectability to the team. Reid would bring it over the hump. His innovative offense would propel the Eagles to 5 NFC Championship appearances, a Super Bowl appearance, and numerous division titles. HE took the likes of Mcnabb, Jeff Garcia, and Mike Vick to the postseason He could never get that last win, and the Eagles never did win the Super Bowl. Reid was fired after the 2012 season, as he seemed to run his course in Philadelphia. He was not unemployed long, as he was quickly hired by the Kansas City Chiefs. His tenure with the Chiefs started out bumpy, as he would have strong regular-season records and bitter playoff disappointments. Going into the 2018 season, he even had to watch as his former assistant coach won a title in Philadelphia. He made the playoffs and faced off against the Patriots, the team that stopped him from winning a title. He was an offside call away from winning and again going to the Super Bowl. It seemed he was cursed. Finally, in 2019, it all came together. Patrick Mahomes was a monster, and Reid would go on to win his first-ever Super Bowl. He had to overcome a lot of adversity, both personally and professionally, to get there. Everyone in Philadelphia was happy for Reid, as he finally had the success he could never find there. Reid’s journey to finally winning a title is my Sports Story that mattered to me.