(670 The Score) The coaching tree of Andy Reid has seen 11 of his disciples become NFL head coaches, including four who led teams in this postseason.
It hasn't been by accident that Reid has developed such a list of head coaches, including Matt Nagy of the Bears, Ron Rivera of the Washington Football Team, Sean McDermott of the Bills and John Harbaugh of the Ravens. Reid hires individuals who possess talent, then challenges them like he does players to reach their potential.
In meetings with his assistants, Reid will interject to make sure they understand each play, protection or coverage. It's part of his process of building them up to be better coaches.
"He tests you," said Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka, who's considered one of Reid's next top coaching prospects.
Reid, 62, is dominating in a coaching industry that has seen an influx of youth at the top. His Chiefs have won five straight AFC West titles and are preparing for their second straight Super Bowl, as they'll face the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on Sunday evening.
But Reid's coaching tree has been viewed with more skepticism in recent years. In the three years since Nagy was hired by the Bears in January 2018 and Doug Pederson led the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship shortly after, just one former Reid assistant has been hired -- new Texans coach David Culley.
While Reid's former defensive assistants like Rivera, McDermott and Harbaugh have been successful, his former offensive proteges have struggled to stick as head coaches. Brad Childress (Vikings from 2006-'10), Pat Shurmur (Giants from 2018-'19) and most recently Pederson (Eagles from 2016-'20) didn't last more than five seasons before being fired. And in Chicago, Nagy is seemingly on the hot seat with the Bears coming off back-to-back 8-8 seasons.
Having the best quarterback in the game in Patrick Mahomes and a star-laden group has unquestionably been a huge part of Reid's success in recent years, but he'll also be coaching in his second straight Super Bowl because he has stayed on the cutting edge in terms of offensive innovation and scheme unpredictability in a way that his proteges haven't.
The struggles of the Eagles and Bears haven't been just because of inconsistent quarterback play. The Eagles' Carson Wentz and the Bears' Mitchell Trubisky were No. 2 overall picks in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and each made the Pro Bowl in his second season. From there, their demise came in part due to poor schemes.
Three years after leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl title, Pederson oversaw an offense that ranked 24th in yards and 26th in scoring. And the NFL has figured out Nagy in the same way it did Pederson.
When he joined the Bears in 2018, Nagy brought with him an innovative and unpredictable offense that was rooted in the principles of Reid and the Chiefs. Chicago ranked ninth in scoring offense in 2018, when it went 12-4 and won the NFC North crown. The Bears have ranked 29th and 22nd in scoring in the two seasons since. Nagy has been too slow to adapt his scheme, instead staying true to what worked in Kansas City while his mentor thrives.
The Eagles' scheme is being overhauled with a new head coach. The Bears' offense is being rebooted by Nagy. Meanwhile, the Chiefs continue to stay ahead of the curve. Reid's offense has been within the top six in scoring and yardage in each of the last four seasons, including first in yards and sixth in scoring in 2020.
"We just challenge each other every single day," Mahomes said of Reid and the offense. "We do whatever we can to put guys in the best situation possible, and we try to do different things that we haven't seen before and that we've kind of made up on the fly."
Reid's meetings become a laboratory for offense, a constant collaboration to keep the Chiefs' scheme ahead of defenses. Kafka played as a quarterback for Reid from 2010-'11 in Philadelphia and joined his Kansas City coaching staff in 2017. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach a year later after Nagy's departure.
Kafka has seen Reid take a concept as simple as a curl route and obsess over making it different. Kafka recognizes how the scheme has changed from when he played for Reid to the present day.
"It's grown, it's evolved," Kafka said. "There's so much more to it ... Things that we put our own stamp on as an offense."
Even with Kansas City's recent success, Reid's assistants aren't being plucked away as head coaches. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who took over after Nagy's departure three years ago, has been passed up in the coaching cycle despite his deserving resume. Kafka understands his opportunity for promotions could be stalled too.
Buccaneers running back LeSean McCoy played for Reid for four seasons in Philadelphia and this one in Kansas City. McCoy believes that Reid taking over as the lead play-caller on offense has allowed him to take greater ownership of his scheme.
Meanwhile, Nagy relinquished his play-calling duties this past November, acknowledging the Bears were better suited with him taking a step back from the offense. While Reid has his Chiefs on course for a potential dynasty, Nagy fights for his job with the Bears.
Reid is one of the more tenured coaches in the NFL, in part because he's constantly evolving in his role.
"Just watching him over the years, how he's developed and changed and adapted to the way players have changed, it's something to see," Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. "You can't just be the same, old-school, 'This is how we're doing it and don't ask any questions.' I think he's adapted to that."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.