Eagles vs. Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Andy Reid vs. his former team.

Awesome storyline, right?

No, it’s terrible. If this happened five years ago, it would be a fantastic backdrop for the biggest game in North American sports, but this topic has zero juice in 2023 because both Andy and the Eagles got their Super Bowl rings a few years ago. Doug Pederson pushed the Birds over the hump, then Big Red finally got his ring, and all was made right in the world. Everyone was now able to die happy.

Everyone except grudge-holding Eagles fans and talking heads who need something to discuss in the coming weeks. They’ll force-feed you a nothing burger along the lines of “the Birds can get revenge on the coach who could never get it done here.” It sounds stupid even typing that out. No Eagles fan should be showing animus towards a guy who hasn’t coached here in a full decade, who gave the city 14 years of high-level football and only failed to get over the final hurdle. If there’s lingering hostility, especially after one of Andy’s coaching disciples finished the job, then it means you’re needlessly bitter.

The only justifiable stance over the next two weeks is showing gratitude towards Andy for past Philadelphia accomplishments while hoping the Chiefs get totally shit stomped in Glendale. That’s pretty much it. Nothing personal, but no love at this particular moment. We appreciate his 130 total wins, 10 playoff victories, and 11 winning seasons in Philadelphia, but right now Big Red is on the other side and stands in the way of a Lombardi Trophy.


I wrote this two years ago before the Chiefs beat the Niners to win it all, and it still holds:

Andy’s time in Philadelphia and Andy’s time in Kansas City should be treated as mutually exclusive. They are two different things. When he left, that was it for his tenure here. He has not coached in this city in eight seasons, so if we can’t let it go by now, even after winning a ring, then what does that say about us? And I know that “us” is a minority of older fans who likely listen to Angelo Cataldi, but we’re trying to ‘live and let live’ here. We’re not trying to Live and Let Die, which was Roger Moore’s best James Bond film. If we’re bitching in 2020 about NFC Championship games that took place 12, 17, 18, and 19 years ago, then what’s our problem? We’re holding a fifteen-year grudge? For what?

This is all very simple. There should be no residual animosity here. Andy stands between the Eagles and another Super Bowl, but it starts and ends there. Don’t let the hot take bull shitters convince you otherwise.