Every Super Bowl game is unique for a different reason. This year we have the two No. 1 seeds in the championship game, and they are in Sunday’s contest with identical records, total points and number of players on All-Pro teams. But they have even more connections than that, as each head coach worked for the opposing team.
Of course, we all know that Andy Reid was the longtime coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He went 130-93-1 in 14 seasons with Philadelphia, reaching four NFC title games and a Super Bowl along the way. But his lasting legacy may be that he brought Howie Roseman into the organization, first as an intern and later as vice president before eventually becoming general manager and executive vice president. These days, Roseman is widely regarded as one of the best executives in the league, and he credits Reid for giving him a chance.
“I wouldn’t be in this position without Coach Reid,” Roseman said, per ESPN.com. “I think about the fact that I was this 34-year-old, non-traditional guy, and he was willing to have me as his GM and take the time to talk to me and teach me and be patient with this passionate and persistent person. It just means the world. I’m still rooting for him.”
When Reid left Philadelphia to take the job with the Chiefs in 2013, there was a wide receivers coach on staff by the name of Nick Sirianni. He had worked his way up since being a quality control assistant, but at the time he was still a 31-year-old coach with little NFL experience. Reid had his own wide receiver coach, so Sirianni was not retained on the new staff. Still, he appreciated that Reid took the time to meet with him and explain the decision.
“Andy came in because we weren’t good enough in Kansas City. And he stepped in and did an amazing job,” Sirianni said. “What I appreciated was that he brought everyone in and talked to them. I didn’t train with Andy, but he gave me a good example of what to do with hard part of the job: ‘Hey, I got a guy here.’ He was complimentary. He knew I would be down, so he gave me strength when I was down. I appreciated that, and it seems like that’s who he is as a person and a coach. .
Please check the subscribe box to confirm that you wish to subscribe.
Thanks for recording!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
An error occurred while processing your subscription.
Sirianni obviously would have preferred not to leave, but things worked out for him anyway.
“Did I want to leave Kansas City? No. My future wife was from there, we were engaged at the time, she had a good teaching job there, she had all her friends there , his mum and dad were half an hour away. Of course, I didn’t want to go from there,” Sirianni said. “But when I look at him, God has always placed me in good positions and has guided my paths. I know I don’t say things like that all the time, but I know he did. And so, I needed to go to San Diego to learn, to be in a different place, to be out of my comfort zone, potentially, to meet Frank Reich. Breaking up there and then going to be his coordinator in Indianapolis. Everything happens for a reason.
Despite how things ultimately turned out, Sirianni said the process left her with a small edge.
“Do you still have that little chip on your shoulder? Of course, yes you do,” Sirianni said. “But that’s who I am as a coach and as a person – I want to make sure I’m working hard to be as good as I can be. And of course you hang on to some of those things.”
It is perhaps this advantage that makes him one of the most aggressive coaches in the league, pushing every opportunity to find ways to win from the margins, such as with QB sneaks or going for fourth downs. or two-point conversions. Either way, the Eagles are surely as grateful as he is that things turned out the way they did. And things didn’t go so badly for the Chiefs either, so it seems like everyone came out a winner in this scenario.
