(Scottsdale) The Kansas City Chiefs have two assistants who served as head coaches in the NFL, and another who’s been interviewed — and ignored — too many times to count.
In short, old hands are supporting Andy Reid for the Super Bowl against Philadelphia on Sunday.
Led by Nick Sirianni, the Eagles have talented but younger assistants.
“I’ve been blessed with great coaching,” said Reid, whose staff over the years has included Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Commanders coach Ron Rivera, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson and Bills coach Sean McDermott.
Many others — Todd Bowles, Pat Shurmur, Leslie Frazier — have also served as NFL head coaches.
The assistants are people who work hard. Normally, if you have good coaches and good players, you are going to be successful. Mentors, I had plenty.
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid
Perhaps that’s why Reid is so invested in helping his own assistants rise through the coaching ranks.
It may also partly explain why when they fall, as every coach eventually does, they often come back to their side.
This was the case with Matt Nagy and Steve Spagnuolo.
Nagy made his NFL debut as a trainee coach with Reid at the Eagles. He then followed “Big Red” to Kansas City in 2013.
He started there as a quarterbacks coach, became offensive coordinator (when Pederson landed a head coaching job), and then he rose to the No. 1 job with the Bears a few years later.
Nagy made the playoffs twice in four years before being fired. He’s back at KC, in charge of quarterbacks.
“He’s a great coach,” Reid said. He knows people, manages people well. He’s a good teacher. The players react to his approach.
“And he had a connection with Pat Mahomes. So it was only natural for him to come back here. »
Spagnuolo also made his NFL debut with Reid in Philadelphia, before an odyssey that took him to chief with the Rams and an interim stint in charge of the Giants.
When the defensive guru was cut from the full-time job in New York, he returned to Reid who, in 2019, needed someone to revamp his defense.
With his unconventional, lightning and aggressive approach, Spagnuolo did just that with the Chiefs.
“Steve is very creative. Very clever. Hats off to Springfield College, eh? Reid said, referring to the Division III team where Spagnuolo served as a wide receiver.
“He worked his way through the league and had a great mentor in Jim Johnson. He built from there. He showed a lot of innovation. »
As for Eric Bieniemy, he helps Reid orchestrate the Chiefs’ high-flying offense.
During his five seasons as offensive coordinator, the Chiefs appeared in every AFC title game.
They now have the chance to win a second Lombardi Trophy.
Bieniemy is in the running to take charge of the Colts-a process put on hold by the end of the Super Bowl.
His name has also been linked to offensive coordinator positions with the Commanders and Ravens.