Andy Reid Is About to Enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame…Sort Of
Andy Reid and his Kansas City Chiefs have come up short in winning their second straight Super Bowl this year. However, he can take some solace in the fact that he’ll be headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton this year. Well, a piece of him will be.
Andy Reid makes a fashion statement on opening night
As defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the traditional Thursday night season opener against the Houston Texans.
It was an eventful game for a number of reasons. Before kickoff, the players locked arms in a show of unity against racism. This, of course, earned a few boos from some of the scattered fans at Arrowhead. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs stormed back from an early 7-0 hole to win 34-20 behind a strong showing from running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
But the real talk of the night was head coach Andy Reid. For whatever reason, he eschewed a more comfortable mask in favor of a cumbersome plastic shield that fogged up whenever he talked. It wasn’t until late October that he finally went for a Chiefs’ logo mask instead of the shield. In fact, he had no choice — according to USA Today, the league updated its protocols to forbid anyone from wearing that kind of shield.
Reid’s face shield gets the ultimate trip
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is creating an exhibit dedicated to the challenges created by last season’s COVID-19 protocols. Naturally, there would be no more perfect display for this exhibit than Andy Reid’s face shield.
Fortunately, in the air-conditioned comfort of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the shield shouldn’t get too foggy too often. Of course, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the plastic mannequin head in the picture above.
It may only be a matter of time before Reid himself, and not just his headgear, winds up in Canton. Reid is sixth on the all-time regular-season wins list for head coaches, and all five above him are either in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or, in the case of Bill Belichick, still active.
Other weird items at Canton
Reid’s face shield won’t even be the strangest thing on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as seen on NFL.com. Next time you stop by, be sure to check out the whistle used by referee Fritz Graf during the 1967 NFL Championship Game, famously known as the Ice Bowl.
You can also sample the piece of turf where the Immaculate Reception took place at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium, or Tom Brady’s original draft card from the 2000 NFL draft. Any Jets fans reading? You can’t miss out on Joe Namath’s knee brace.
