Andy Reid got a lot of grief at the end of his highly-successfully tenure in Philadelphia. Looking back, it was all love between the coach and his adopted city.
One local Philly radio station, SportsRadio 94WIP, has deemed Jan. 30 as “Andy Reid Appreciation Day” and their hosts are pulling out all the stops. On Thursday, Reid called into the “Jon Marks & Ike Reese” midday show and reflected on his 14-year career patrolling the Eagles’ sidelines. It was all positive.
“Well listen, I loved my time in Philadelphia,” Reid told Ike Reese, his former Eagles player turned radio host. “I mean I was there 14 years, that’s a long time versus life. We had some great times. The support was phenomenal, always phenomenal, and I appreciated that. And I had great players.”
Andy Reid on going back to the Super Bowl for a second time.
Reid was always considered a players’ coach, a larger-than-life father figure that guys got amped up to play for. Remember, he guided the Eagles to their first Super Bowl berth in 25 years when they reached the pinnacle in 2005.
“You got one sitting next to you, Jon. He (Ike Reese) was one of my favorites,” Reid said, talking about Reese. “I told him back then and said, ‘You’d be a great coach.’ He said he wanted to do the media. So I don’t know. He’s a heck of a person. But I was blessed to be around guys like that every day and they brought great energy.”
Reid Has No Regrets or Remorse about Time in Philadelphia
There is a small minority of people in Philadelphia that turned on Andy Reid after he left town for never delivering the ultimate prize: a Super Bowl victory. Not many but a handful.
There was also a sense that Reid himself felt remorse for not bringing the Lombardi Trophy home. Maybe the former Eagles coach felt jealousy toward Doug Pederson since he was the one to finally break the curse.
Remember, Pederson played quarterback under Reid before Donovan McNabb took the reins in 2000. Pederson was also Reid’s offensive coordinator in Kansas City prior to taking the head gig with Philly in 2016.
Well, Reid cleared both of those misconceptions up in a heart beat. There is no jealousy or remorse. Nothing but love.
“I was so proud of Doug (Pederson) and the job that he did and then the organization and Jeffrey (Lurie) and Howie (Roseman), and all of the hard work that went into that year for them,” Reid said, via SportsRadio 94WIP. “And then the players, some of those guys were my guys when I was there. Just for them to have that opportunity.”
Andy Reid tells @MarksReeseWIP it was not bittersweet Eagles won Super Bowl 2 years ago
“If it’s for my guys and my city that I lived in, I want the best for them”
“I was so proud of Doug and the job that he did. I loved my time in Philadelphia. I loved every minute of it”
“And then how about the city? The city, they’re so passionate about football in Philadelphia,” Reid continued. “The city got to enjoy that, that parade with the players embracing everybody, it was really a nice thing.”
Angelo Cataldi Not Celebrating ‘Reid Appreciation Day’
One local sports talker won’t bow down to Andy Reid’s suddenly God-like ascension. In fact, he’s boycotting the whole thing.
Despite “Andy Reid Appreciation Day” happening at his own radio station, SportsRadio 94WIP, Angelo Cataldi has made it perfectly clear that he won’t be participating in it. He still blames Reid for how poorly things ended.
Plus, he doesn’t like the fact that the former Eagles coach continues to employ perceived pariahs, guys like Tyreek Hill and Michael Vick.
“I knew nothing about this (Andy Reid Appreciation Day) until right after our show,” Cataldi told the Inquirer. “Our show will not participate.”
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Andy Reid Sends Special Message to Eagles Fans in Philadelphia