Eagles News: Andy Reid’s Super Bowl win cements his Hall of Fame legacy

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Eagles from Andy Reid’s other Super Bowl team say they knew he could do it - Inquirer
Brian Dawkins, on the phone from his home in Orlando, had a message for the Andy Reid haters, as Dawkins watched his former Eagles coach finally thrust the Lombardi Trophy aloft Sunday night at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Reid’s 21-year quest as an NFL head coach — the first 14 spent with the Eagles — was complete. “This has been a hump on his back. Quit questioning this man! This solidifies him as one of the best coaches in NFL history!” Dawkins said. “To see Big Red hold that dadgum Lombardi Trophy up … I’m just elated for him and his beautiful family, all those [nine] grandkids he’s always bragging about.”

Andy Reid is a Super Bowl champion - BGN
Congrats, Big Red!

Andy Reid’s moment: How a coach, GM and quarterback brought a Super Bowl title to Kansas City - The Athletic
The difference, however, was the plan that Reid had put in place, the culture he’d created. All week long, Veach said, the Chiefs’ staff had talked about what mattered. It didn’t matter which players were faster or better or, in the words, of Veach, “more talented.” “It’s going to come down to mental execution,” Veach remembered thinking. “And it’s going to come down to which players go out there, when they’re down, they’ll pick each other up.” This the culture that had carried the Chiefs past the Texas after trailing 24-0. This is the culture that surfaced against Tennessee. This is the culture that caused defensive tackle Chris Jones to find Reid twice on Sunday. The first time came in the morning, before the spectacle even began. “He’s been coaching for fucking (21) years, man,” Jones said. “He got so close, but he hadn’t won a ring, and I told him this morning: ‘Get used to this feeling of not having a ring, because after this game, you going to have one.’”

Chiefs win Super Bowl: Andy Reid proves the critics wrong and cements his Hall of Fame legacy - CBS Sports
We were so close, so many times,” Reid said of his time in Philadelphia. In reality, Reid had already amassed a resume worthy of Canton. Only now, the naysayers have less to work with. Reid ranks seventh in the history of the game with 207 regular-season wins (207-128-1), with Paul Brown (213), and Curly Lambeau (226) clearly in his sights. This was Reid’s 15th trip to the postseason; only Don Shula (19), Bill Belichick (18) and Tom Landry (18) have more. He has coached in 29 playoff games; Belichick, Landry, and Shula are the only men to ever coach in 30.

Super Bowl LIV: The Backstory on 2-3 Jet Chip Wasp and How the Chiefs ‘Put the Stinger’ in the 49ers - MMQB
Reid’s play-design and play-calling, his best traits, were huge. Not just on “Wasp,” but on several back-and-forths on the sidelines with Mahomes, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Kafka. “That’s one of the advantages of sitting over there with [Mahomes],” Reid said. “You get a feel for what he likes.” All the coaches, and Mahomes, liked the play Shanahan first ran when he was offensive coordinator in Washington in 2010, overloading the offensive line with an extra receiver in a tight formation, and then having the receiver (in this case Sammy Watkins) leak out to an open seam up the left side. Mahomes to Watkins, gain of 28. Every week, Reid has his offensive staff draw up plays on the white board in his office, and in preparing for this game, that’s one of the plays they loved. In fairness, Shanahan called it first, but many teams call it now. And it came back to bite Shanahan on Sunday, on a second-quarter Chiefs field goal.

Five things we learned as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV - Arrowhead Pride
Twice in the first quarter, I counted at least two plays I don’t remember seeing the Chiefs run before. Twice in the first half — while in field goal range — the Chiefs gambled on fourth-and-short to convert first downs. Both times they converted. On the first, the Chiefs eventually punched it in to take the lead. On the second, rookie running back Darwin Thompson couldn’t hang on to a contested catch on a later third down, forcing a field goal. The second new play — which converted the first fourth down at the 49ers 5-yard line — was the one that really caught my eye. With three players set in the backfield, all three stood, spun in place and reset. It was enough of a distraction that Damien Williams took the direct snap and easily gained the first down — and nearly made it into the end zone. It’s one thing for Chiefs head coach Andy Reid to gamble in these kinds of situations — especially in such a momentous game. It’s yet another for Reid to trot out an exotic new play. But it’s quite another for Reid to design a play worthy of legendary Chiefs coach Hank Stram, who was always doing his best to find a way to force a split-second of confusion on the opposing defense.

The Chiefs’ razzle-dazzle goal-line play came straight out of the 1948 Rose Bowl - SB Nation
The Chiefs not only won Super Bowl 54, they were a blast to watch. No, their offense didn’t really come alive until the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t for a lack of innovation. Or should I say, a really inspired bit of throwback trickery. On their way to a late first-quarter touchdown Sunday, the Chiefs ran this razzle-dazzle direct snap to running back Damien Williams to get down to the 1-yard line.

2020 NFL Power Rankings: Way-too-early 1-32 offseason poll - ESPN
14. Philadelphia Eagles. 2019 record: 9-7. Reason for optimism: Carson Wentz. The growth of Wentz made 2019 far from a lost season. Not only did the quarterback make it through the regular season healthy, he ascended into a clear leadership position down the stretch by carrying an injury-ravaged offense on his back to punch Philadelphia’s playoff ticket. Wentz quieted the dissenting voices in the locker room and sent a reminder to the league that one of the top signal-callers in the game resides in Philadelphia.

At 0-0, Eagles join rest of NFL on 2020’s first rung of ladder - PE.com
And as much as the vision is broad and the goals are grand, a reminder is that the Eagles have to take things one step at a time. Winning the NFC East is the operative order of business and for 2020, it’s just so hard to get a feel for what to expect from the division. Dallas should have a strong roster with the new coaching staff. Washington has a chance to gain an impact player with the No. 2 selection in the NFL Draft. New York has some explosive pieces in the offense around which to build. Philadelphia is the defending champion, looking to buck the one-and-done history in existence since 2004. Welcome to the long journey, with all 32 teams – the four in the NFC East especially – on equal 0-0 ground.

Mailbag: A look at potential Eagles wide receiver trade targets - PhillyVoice
Sammy Watkins, Chiefs, 27: He’s scheduled to count for $21 million on the cap next season, $14 million of which the Chiefs will save if they cut him. Any team trading for Watkins will acquire his $14 million in salary and workout bonuses. Nobody is trading for him. I do think he makes some sense in free agency at the right price.

Report: 49ers extend passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur - Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers have started keeping the band together. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 49ers have worked out a new contract with passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur. Schefter says LaFleur planned to go to Green Bay once his contract expired to join brother Matt. The 49ers put a stop to that it looks like. [BLG Note: LaFleur won’t be the Eagles’ OC.]

Redskins TE Vernon Davis announces retirement, plans to pursue acting career - Hogs Haven
Vernon Davis announced his retirement from the NFL today, a move that was expected. Davis, who turned 36 last month, plans to pursue a career in acting. Davis was the 6th overall pick in the 2006 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He spent his first 10 seasons with the 49ers, then spent a year with the Denver Broncos. Davis joined his hometown team, the Washington Redskins, in 2016 and spent 4 seasons here. He started 39 games, and had 122 receptions for 1721 yards and 8 TDs. His final season in Washington was cut short by a concussion he suffered in Week 4, his 5th known concussion during his NFL career.

Report: Dallas Cowboys heading in direction where they’re likely to use franchise tag on Dak Prescott - Blogging The Boys
The offseason will finally be underway for all 32 teams come Sunday night, but the Dallas Cowboys have been preparing for 2020 for some time now. Dallas has changed head coaches, filled out their staff, and are grinding all sorts of tape in preparation for the 2020 NFL Draft. Free agency is also an issue that will need to be addressed as will re-signing certain Cowboys with expiring contracts. The most marquee member of the Cowboys that is in need of a new deal is quarterback Dak Prescott. While it has been speculated for a long time already, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys are likely to apply the franchise tag to Dak Prescott.

Pro Bowl To Broadway, This NFL Star Says The Stage Is Another ‘Team Sport’ - NPR
There aren’t many people who can say they started the decade at the Pro Bowl and ended it on Broadway — but Nnamdi Asomugha can. The four-time All-Pro NFL cornerback is making his Broadway debut in a revival of Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, A Soldier’s Play. It’s been “a pretty surreal journey,” Asomugha says. Asomugha grew up in Los Angeles, the son of Nigerian immigrants. He played for UC Berkeley and then in the NFL for 11 seasons, mainly with the Oakland Raiders, as one of the most respected cornerbacks in the game. ”I could be biased, but I think it is the most difficult position to play in sports,” Asomugha says. “You’re covering someone and they know exactly where they’re going, and your job is to figure out where they’re going and get there before them — while running backwards.”

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