Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates another AFC Championship.
The 2023 Super Bowl may already be nicknamed the “Andy Reid Bowl” because the long-time head coach split his career between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, but it’s also the “Kelce Bowl” and Big Red has the unique experience of drafting and working with both Travis and Jason Kelce throughout his career.
Media members asked Reid about the similarities and differences coaching the two brothers in KC and Philly during his January 30 press conference, and the Chiefs HC had quite the response.
“Yeah, so Travis is the little brother,” Reid began with a devious grin on his face, “and I think big brother probably protected him so Travis could do some crazy things.” He went on with the joke, voicing that “[Jason] probably talked [Travis] from jumping off a ladder into the raked-up leaves once or twice” in their youthful days.
The rare zinger from the typically serious Reid must have caught reporters by surprise, because he appeared to be the only one laughing at the end of it — unless, of course, everyone else on the zoom call was muted, which is certainly possible. Either way, Big Red looked to be in a tremendous mood after winning the AFC title for the third time in four years.
Andy Reid’s Real Take on Coaching Travis & Jason Kelce
After the one-liner, Reid did offer a real response on coaching the two Kelce brothers.
“But listen, they’re both — at heart — very competitive and compassionate. I think that’s the biggest thing, they care,” Reid detailed. “And they care about people, and they care about their game, their trade, and their podcast looks like it’s unbelievable. They’ve got a good mesh there and a good relationship between the two of them.”
He continued on: “I think Travis has grown up a lot. I think Jason came in probably more mature — big brother. And Travis was a little more immature but has really grown into a good person.”
Travis and Jason Kelce have become one of the more successful sibling tandems in NFL history. The KC playmaker has more records and accolades, and will probably go down as the best tight end to ever play the game when he eventually hangs up his spikes, but the Eagles center has been quietly dominant throughout his career in his own right.
Here are their side-by-side accomplishments:
- 1 Super Bowl ring.
- 4 first-team All-Pros.
- 8 Pro Bowls.
- Member of the Hall of Fame All-2010s team.
- 10,344 regular season receiving yards and counting.
- 71 total regular season touchdowns.
- 571 regular season first downs.
- 1,467 postseason receiving yards.
- 15 total postseason touchdowns.
- 80 postseason first downs.
- 1 Super Bowl ring.
- 5 first-team All-Pros.
- 6 Pro Bowls.
- 176 games started out of 176 NFL appearances.
- 10 playoff starts.
- 7 seasons with a pass protection grade of 75.0 or higher on PFF.
- 10 seasons with a run blocking grade of 75.0 or higher on PFF.
It wouldn’t be shocking whatsoever if both were eventually immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after they decide to retire from the league.
Chiefs’ Andy Reid Addresses Facing Former Eagles Franchise
Reid also spoke on the idea of facing the Eagles in the Super Bowl, the organization he spent 14 seasons with before coming to Kansas City. As you might expect, the consistently humble HC downplayed this storyline.
“When you really cut to the chase on it, they’re a really good football team,” Reid told reporters. “And so, I think that’s where the energy goes. Because really when it’s kickoff, you’re playing that team — it’s [those] players that you’re going against and [those] coaches. The uniform, all of that, that’s not where your mind’s at.”
He added that the Chiefs mindset and focus is always to “have a solid gameplan” and “come out and perform to the best of our ability.”
“Doesn’t matter who you’re playing, you try to blank out all the hype that goes with the game,” Reid concluded. “You try to blank that out and make sure that you’re getting the gameplan — what really matters — together.”