Andy Reid spent 14 years as Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, before being fired after the 2012 season. Reid was hired by the Chiefs in January of 2013.
Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni began his coaching career in 2004. He had stops at Mount Union and Indiana University of Pennsylvania before joining the Kansas Chiefs as an offensive quality control coach in 2009.
Chiefs then-head coach Romeo Crennel promoted Sirianni to wide receivers coach in 2012. The Chiefs fired Crennel at the end of that season. This left Sirianni’s job in limbo.
Reid took over and chose not to retain Sirianni in January of 2013. It was a decision made about 10 years ago that is coming full-circle today.
Reid explained why he did not keep Sirianni on staff.
“When I came here, I was told Nick Sirianni — this guy is really a special coach. Really, a good football coach. But I had David [Culley]. David was my assistant head coach and he’d been with me for 14 years and so he was coming with me. And I had to make that determination to keep Nick or not.”
“And I knew being as good as he was and the reputation he had, I knew he was going to get something. So, it’s worked out great for him.”
It’s understandable that Reid wanted to bring in one of his own as WRs coach, but not choosing to explore where a “special coach” might fit elsewhere on staff is where the question lies. Why did Reid let go of a coach that he heard great things about?
It has worked out well for Nick Sirianni, as he has guided the Eagles to the Super Bowl, in just his second season as Head Coach.
In some ways, the Super Bowl will be a revenge game for Reid against the team that didn’t keep him. In others, it’s a revenge game for Sirianni against the coach that didn’t keep him.
Photo courtsey of Twitter
