Sorry Bill Belichick, Andy Reid Is the Best Coach in the NFL
Bill Belichick is often referred to as the greatest coach ever in the NFL. That’s partly true, but let me clear that up for you. The New England Patriots head man is the greatest coach ever in the NFL when he has the greatest quarterback ever in the NFL. Sorry Bill, Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs is the best coach in the game today.
Andy Reid is taking over as the best coach in the NFL
Belichick is a heck of a coach. He has the greatest resume in league history. It doesn’t mean he’s the greatest coach.
He and Brady teamed up to form the greatest coach/quarterback duo ever. Together they won six Super Bowls as the New England Patriots ruled the NFL for two decades. As we’ve come to find out, Belichick needed Brady more than QB needed a coach.
When Brady bolted New England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he immediately won a Super Bowl title, the seventh of his career. Belichick and the Patriots missed the postseason with a 7-9 record. The following season, after drafting quarterback Mac Jones, the Pats made the playoffs with a 10-7 mark but were thumped by the Buffalo Bills. This year, they failed to make the playoffs at 8-9. If you’re counting at home, that’s two losing seasons and zero playoff wins without Brady.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have gone to the last five AFC Championship Games and are headed to their third Super Bowl in five years. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the game and has gone 50-13 in his NFL career, but Reid has clearly shown he can win with or without Mahomes.
Reid has been successful with two teams
Belichick has four years on Reid when it comes to head coaching experience. In 24 years, Reid has compiled a 247-138-1 record. Belichick is 298-152 in 28 seasons.
Reid made his head coaching debut with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999, going 5-11. Since then, he’s had two losing seasons in his 24 years. He went 130-93-1 in 14 seasons with the Eagles. He’s gone 117-45 in his 10 years with the Chiefs. Yes, Reid had Mahomes for the last five years as a starter, but he never had a losing season with Alex Smith running the show, going 53-27 in his first five years in Kansas City.
Belichick began his head coaching with the Cleveland Browns in 1991. In five years, he had one winning season. He finished 36-44 with the Browns.
Even in his first year with the Patriots, he went 5-11. Then came Brady, who guided the Pats to their first Super Bowl in his first year as the full-time starter. Belichick did go 11-5 in 2008 when Brady missed the season with an ACL injury, but Belichick’s record without Brady as his starting quarterback is 79-87.
This isn’t a knock on Belichick. He’s a heck of a coach who has earned the reputation of being one of the greatest coaches ever in the NFL. Many believe he is. Yours truly doesn’t. Reid is innovative, has adapted to the new style of the NFL, and has proven he’s a winner with multiple teams and with multiple quarterbacks.
While the six Super Bowl titles aren’t there for Reid (yet), neither is Brady, and Belichick is figuring out how difficult it is to win one without him under center.
