The most interesting personal angle in the upcoming game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles is Andy Reid coaching against his former team. Despite the bitter taste to the ending between the sides, quarterback Michael Vick has nothing but good things to say about his former head coach.
And it shouldn’t surprise anyone Vick feels this way about Reid. After all, Andy Reid was the one who gave Michael Vick his comeback chance in the NFL, as the Eagles signed him after his release from prison and getting cut by the Atlanta Falcons.
Vick was just a backup during his first season, but in 2010 he took over the starting role, playing in 12 games as the Eagles rolled to a 10-6 (8-3 with Vick as a starter), reaching the postseason and earning Vick a six-year, $100 million deal, with almost $40 million of guaranteed money.
The last couple of seasons changed the good-feeling around the duo and the Eagles in general. In 2011, they finished 8-8, with Vick missing three games due to injuries. The Eagles looked even worse in 2012, finishing with a 4-12 record, while Vick played in only 10 games as concussion and the brutal beating he was taking each week were a bit too much for his body.
I’ll never forget the opportunities given to me by this organization and by Andy Reid. That will never change. Andy Reid is a man who will go down in history, in my book, as one of the greatest coaches of all time and one of the greatest men I’ve ever met.
Reid was fired at the end of the 2012 season, as expected. It didn’t take him long to take the head coach job for the Chiefs, which so far turned out quite well for him. The team got Alex Smith to be their quarterback after plenty of problems at the position in the previous couple of years, and started the season 2-0. Philadelphia, with Chip Kelly bringing a new exciting offensive style from Oregon, are 1-1.
Reid, despite the bitter ending in the last couple of years, was hugely successful in Philadelphia during his 13 seasons as the head coach. He won 58.3% of his regular season games, reaching the playoffs nine times, of them making the NFC championship game five times, and going to the Super Bowl (losing to the Patriots) once. No wonder he’s getting a lot of love from former players like Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson.
There are so many good things I could say about him. Excellent person. I think people don’t really realize how good of a person he really was. We definitely miss him, but I mean, it’s football. It’s a business. Coach Reid is a father figure to me. He’s a great guy, and we’ve been keeping in contact throughout the offseason and the preseason. He texted me after last week’s game, so it’s going to be great to see him come back.