One year after Andy Reid won his first Super Bowl, his players continue with the same message: the Kansas City Chiefs want to get one for their coach, Big Red.
Reid said Tuesday at his early morning press conference his approach to players is likely the reason his charges continue to trumpet his cause.
“We all want to be treated a certain way. If not, I know how I like to be treated. That’s (what) tells me what I need to do to get better at what I’m trying to get accomplished. You don’t necessarily have to yell and scream at me to get me to do something better. I kind of go about it that way, going to treat people the way I want to be treated.
“We’re here as teachers, and that’s what I do. That’s how I look at myself is a teacher of, in my case, men. Whether it’s on the field or off the field if I can give them any experience to become better players, husbands, fathers, that’s what I do.”
Reid is 17-14 in the playoffs and 1-1 in the Super Bowl. He’s in position to become only the seventh head coach to win back-to-back Super Bowls. At 65, Reid is the younger head coach in Sunday’s game but points to experience as a critical element in his own growth.
Prior to winning the Lombardi Trophy last season, Reid was a .500 coach in the playoffs and was 1-4 in the conference championship game. High-profile clock management mistakes and January shortcomings were enough to get Reid fired by the Philadelphia Eagles.
If not for what Reid now calls that “learning experience” he might not be here.
“I’m still part of the geratol crew, we are a little bit older,” Reid said. “There’s experience that comes with that and I guess they say wisdom comes with it. A lot of good young football coaches out there I look forward to seeing continue to grow in this league. By chance a few of the older guys have gotten to this point. I probably contribute that to good players and a bit fortunate there. In my case, I have a heckuva staff.”
Reid said his greatest asset as a coach is communication.
“If you tell the person the truth — a positive with their play or negative with their play — communication becomes important,” Reid said. “It’s not different than raising a child or being in a marriage. If you just keep it open, and real, that’s the best way to roll with it. That’s how I feel. That’s how I’ve been with Patrick (Mahomes). I know he wants to be great. I’m in a business where that’s what these guys do. They want to be the best. … The thing I’ve found with great players is they want you to give them one more thing. That’s the way I approach it.”
Part of being great for Reid and his players is contributing to making others better. Mahomes could become a 25-year-old two-time Super Bowl champion this weekend. The $503 million quarterback said Tuesday he uses Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as a sounding board about helping others off the field.
“There’s a lot of great athletes that are doing things the right way. LeBron is one of them, I can bounce things off of him,” Mahomes said Tuesday. “But there’s so many others. They’re using their voice to make things right in this world. I try to use my voice to make a difference in my community.”
Reid said Mahomes has more than an interest in being great — as a player and person — and more of an insatiable drive.
“He’s got a way about him where he understands people,” Reid said. “They are interested in things he has to say or back and believe it. That presents yourself with a good combination, whatever platform you want to support or take.”
–Field Level Media
