There is no brighter spotlight on any person than Andy Reid this Sunday. Chiefs fans have been waiting 50 years for a return to the Super Bowl. The organization is looking for redemption after last year's gut-wrenching loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship. Patrick Mahomes is aiming at his first chance for a Lombardi. And the head coach is now two wins away from immortality.
No pressure, guys.
Luckily for Kansas City, their quarterback seems immune to such things. Upon staring a 24-0 deficit in the face as a huge favorite last weekend, Mahomes lit the sky with fireworks. An enormous hole was filled in a blaze of dazzling throws and speedy scrambles, with the Chiefs seizing the lead before the half was over. That moxie is exactly what Reid needs against the Titans because his career has unfortunately been defined by a lack of it.
Bill Cowher's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was an emotional one last week. At the same time, the Texans were wondering the license plate of the truck that drove over them, the former Steelers coach was being visited in the CBS studios by HOF president David Baker. Cowher's chin, intensity and 15 years at the helm of the Steelers is iconic. But aside from his Lombardi trophy in 2005, not much different than Reid's resume.
Of course, holding that trophy with confetti falling down is a huge "different." Hold that Lombardi up and immortality is forever cemented. Brett Favre, Len Dawson, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, Steve Young, Kurt Warner all won only one title, but found their way into Canton. If Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees don't win another, they too will have that exclamation point on their Hall of Fame plaques.
Reid has been close. He has been to six championship games, winning only once heading into this weekend. He has heart-breaking losses in those games, like the Bucs closing down the Vet in '02 and last year's OT misery versus the Patriots. He lost his only Super Bowl, again to Bill Belichick in '04. And some of his playoff losses are inexplicable, like the gag against the Titans at home a few years ago.
But he also has a list of accomplishments that top Cowher's. Reid has been to the playoffs five more times than Cowher. He has five more seasons of 10+ wins. Reid has 60 more regular season victories than Bill. He has four more division titles, and Sunday puts him past Cowher in championship appearances. The Steelers also had a number of head-shaking losses as favorites in the AFC Title Game, including falling to the Chargers, Broncos and Pats twice.
Cowher is known for his grit and his tough Rust Belt demeanor, an exterior that football fans easily relate to. Reid is a cerebral, West Coast offensive mind who doesn't say much behind the placard of exotic plays. He's not in-your-face like Cowher, no spittle clinging to that mustache of his. He has no oversized chin jutting into linebacker's facemasks. Reid is a pleasant, portly man, especially since he's arrived in Kansas City. Cowher is known for a scowl. Reid is known for kids dressing up like him on Halloween.
But that moment that elevates Cowher into the halls of the immortal is now at the feet of Reid as well. Will he ever have a better chance than this? No Patriots to torment him. No road crowd to deal with. The final team in the AFC playoffs, a squad averaging less than 100 yards passing in the playoffs, is the opponent. Arguably the best quarterback in football is only starting his ascent. The time is now for Reid to finally get that championship, and Mahomes is the best man to deliver it.