Following a terrible collapse that caused his team to lose in the last 90 seconds against the Titans on Sunday, Andy Reid’s future as the Chiefs Head Coach has been a hot topic up for debate.
Chiefs Kingdom seems to split down the middle in this discussion.
One side is sick of his antics when managing a football game and want him out of Kansas City; the other side acknowledges Reid’s inability to manage the clock and refusal to run the ball in crucial points of a game. Additionally they recognize the overall inconsistencies that cause the team to beat a Super Bowl contender one week and lose to a dumpster fire the following week, but still continue to feel that isn’t enough to put Reid on the hot seat.
Whatever side you’re on, all points are valid. In the end, the only person that has any say in whether Reid stays or goes is Chiefs Owner and Chairman Clark Hunt.
That’s going to be the focus here, and let’s be honest, we could go all day on fan’s views and opinions about Reid and whether I agree or disagree. However, I’m sure there’s plenty of Chiefs pundits out there already that have that sort of thing covered so I don’t have to.
Instead, we’re going to focus on the real question at hand. Would Clark Hunt fire Andy Reid?
The answer isn’t so simple and the decision to make the move wouldn’t be an easy one. Let’s not forget the state the franchise was in before Hunt hand-selected Reid to rebuild the culture of the franchise following that dreadful 2-14 season in 2012.
Since the hire, the Chiefs haven’t suffered a losing season since. The worst Kansas City has done while under Reid was a 9-7 season in 2014 where they failed to make the postseason.
Nevertheless, Hunt also said it himself on the first episode of the Chiefs’ official reality show, The Franchise: Anything less than a Super Bowl is unacceptable.
Things have changed around Kansas City following the 2018 season. Before, the Chiefs were recognized as a playoff contender. But in 2018, nobody expected Patrick Mahomes to take the league by storm and a third-down stop on defense was the only thing that separated the Chiefs from the Super Bowl.
Since then, it’s Super Bowl or bust. Nothing more and nothing less. The goal in the off-season was to re-tool the defense and get back to the AFC Championship Game for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
Theoretically, the Chiefs still have a chance to do that. Four of their final six games are against division opponents and given Andy Reid’s record inside the AFC West, there’s room for optimism.
However, there’s no guarantee, especially with how the Chiefs have been decimated by injuries this year, particularly along the offensive line. If Kansas City does make the postseason, it’s hard to believe they’ll make a run like last year solely because of the state of the team health-wise.
Likewise, let’s go with a hypothetical scenario and say the Chiefs do make playoffs but with the number of injuries coupled with a bad defense, they go back to their one-and-done selves.
Is that enough to warrant a dismissal of Andy Reid’s head coaching duties?
Maybe, but probably not.
While firing a head coach after a winning season is a rarity in the NFL, it’s happened before. Take long-time Bears HC Lovie Smith, for instance. Smith was fired following the 2012 season for failing to make the playoffs despite his team finishing 10-6 that season.
At the time, the expectation for Chicago was also ‘Super Bowl or bust’ as well. Like the Chiefs in 2018, the Bears were close to going to the Super Bowl but came up short against the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 NFC Championship game. After two seasons of failing to even make the postseason, let alone get to the NFC Championship, the Bears said enough is enough and handed Lovie Smith his walking papers.
Although a one-and-done performance would be very disappointing, I don’t believe it would be enough to result in Reid getting fired. For Clark Hunt to deal the same fate to Andy Reid, the Chiefs would have to finish pretty poorly the rest of the way and the reasoning behind letting him go would have to go much deeper.
His inconsistency, poor play calls, and terrible time management that have led to the Chiefs losing very winnable games against very beatable opponents could be enough to end his tenure in Kansas City.
Take last week’s game against Tennessee for instance. The Chiefs let this game slip in the last 90 seconds in a horrific fashion which is the only reason we’re having this conversation.
The bottom line is, those 90 seconds could’ve been avoided had Reid called a run play up the middle on 3rd and 2 with 1:31 on the clock. Instead, he puts the ball in Mahomes’ hands which leads to him rolling to his right and taking a sack after not seeing anyone open. The play results in the Chiefs getting set further back on the field goal attempt that ends up getting muffed and well…we all know what unfolds afterward.
In the end, Reid’s weaknesses and bad habits are just a small part of what he brings to the table. Something fans might have to understand is how much everyone inside the Chiefs franchise adore him. Reid is highly respected around the league; Clark Hunt respects him and wants him to lead the team and most importantly, the players love him. The culture that Reid created inside the locker room is a major reason that many free agents have their eyes set for Kansas City every spring.
Not to mention, Andy Reid also played a big hand in the decision to draft Pat Mahomes and he was also a huge part of Mahomes’ development.
Unfortunately for the few that still want him out of town, it’s gonna take more than a few bad play calls every year for the Chiefs to cut the cord. Reid would have to lose the locker room and have the same sort of falling out that he did in Philadelphia.
Until then, Andy Reid is here to stay.
