Ready for the moment; Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo have the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl
Ready for the moment; Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo have the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl
Looking at a few things Reid and Spags did that propelled the Chiefs into February one more time.
The Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl. AGAIN.
It’s almost impossible to believe in a sense. Remember back in December, when the Chiefs looked lifeless on offense and like the season was falling apart? Remember the offsides, or the pick six (you know the one), or the drop (I could be talking about, like, ten plays there)? In that moment, it felt like there was no way Kansas City could overcome their offensive shortcomings.
On the other hand… did it ever REALLY feel impossible? When I told my daughter Isabelle (10 years old, she knows nothing but Mahomes and this era) that the Chiefs had won and made it back to the Super Bowl, her response was perfect and insightful. “Was there ever any doubt?” And that’s the funny thing about this iteration of the Chiefs. No matter how down they look, there’s always that chance they’ll come out and do something crazy.
And while so much of that is demigod QB Patrick Mahomes and GOAT tight end Travis Kelce (the debate is over, seriously. It’s Travis, and that’s it), tonight it feels more appropriate to talk about the two guys at the top; Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo. Because they were driving forces in Kansas City is once again going to the biggest stage, in ways that are obvious and not so obvious.
Some of the obvious? Well, an easy example is Reid’s gutsy decision to call a shot play on 3rd and 9 with just over two minutes to play. This decision ultimately put the Chiefs into the Super Bowl…
… and was a reflection of so many of the things that makes Reid a great head coach. But we’ll come back to that.
Because as much as we can point to the X’s and O’s of what Reid and Spags did right Sunday (and we’ll be doing a LOT of that, especially with Spags, in the next week), there’s more to coaching than just scheme. And the job Reid and Spags did getting their players ready for a tough, physical, and emotional matchup on the road against a hot and confident Ravens team shouldn’t be overlooked. Nor should the way they managed to keep their guys disciplined and calm (in stark juxtaposition to their opponent) as the game devolved into a punching match in certain moments.
Let’s talk about the guys at the top of the coaching tree in Kansas City, who deserve all the flowers today. We’ll start with a few X’s and O’s things they did that I loved, then talk about one team that was prepared for the moment (thanks to Reid/Spags), and another that was not.