With the Kansas City Chiefs eliminated from the playoffs and Patrick Mahomes out for the foreseeable future with a torn ACL, many eyes are turning toward head coach Andy Reid.
But count FS1 host and Chiefs superfan Nick Wright among those who think the Chiefs would be making a huge mistake if they fired Reid.
In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday morning, Wright went so far as to call people calling for Reid’s job “idiots.”
“There are some Chiefs fans that wish it were different. There’s a name for those people: idiots,” he said.
“There are some moments this year that Andy would like back. And have they at times gotten spoiled by Patrick’s ability to make the most out of, maybe, a scheme that has gotten a little stale-ish? Sure. But Andy Reid is one of the three greatest coaches in the history of the sport, and is currently, as we sit here today, the three-time defending AFC champion coach.
“Now, would I like to see some updates to the offense schematically? Sure. Am I going to probably put an unfair level of blame on Matt Nagy? Maybe. But Andy Reid’s the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs until he doesn’t want to be, in my eyes.”
In the same segment, Wright acknowledged that offensive line issues and the lack of a running game came back to bite the Chiefs. With Mahomes scrambling, taking sacks and turning the ball over more than usual, the team could not make up for those weaknesses.
However, Mahomes believes in Reid’s ability to improve the structure of the offense. And he clearly thinks that Reid has earned the right to go out on his own terms after overseeing a near-decade run as the most consistently dominant team in the NFL.
Recent history suggests even great coaches do not get to go out on their own terms. Just three seasons after Tom Brady left New England, Bill Belichick was gone and couldn’t find another job in the league.
But if Wright and the significant influence he wields among Chiefs fans and national media have anything to do with it, Reid’s job is secure for now.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.