Sneak peak of ESPN’s ‘The Kingdom’ reveals a mantra that Chiefs HC Andy Reid has gone by throughout his career
One of many reasons why we love coach Reid.
Andy Reid is respected off the field just as much, if not more, as he is on the field.
The future Hall of Famer is entering his 26th season as an NFL head coach — his 13th with the Kansas City Chiefs, after spending 13 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reid has built of reputation of being able to coach his players hard and get the most out of them, but also treating them with respect and allowing their personalities to shine through. The same can be said about how he’s treated his assistant coaches, many of whom have gone on to become successful head coaches.
Among those is Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh, who served as special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach under Reid in Philadelphia. In a sneak peak of ESPN’s docuseries “The Kingdom,” Harbaugh recalled talking to Reid about a mantra that Reid has gone by throughout his career.
“I looked over his shoulder, and I saw this index card,” Harbaugh said. “It just had two words on it. I said, coach, ‘don’t judge,’ what’s that?
“You meet players where they’re at,” Harbaugh continued about what Reid told him. “You don’t make judgments based on your perception, your bias, what you think they should be or shouldn’t be. Meet them where they’re at, and then try to figure out where you can go with them. Andy was always looking for the best. His dreams for the player were bigger than the player’s dreams for himself. As long as I was there, that index card was up there. I never saw it move.”
Reid also explained why he had the mantra written down on a card.
“Don’t judge,” Reid said. “I try to look at the positive in somebody first. We’ve all got our deals that we’ve been through, so I try to keep that door open. You got to give people a chance.”
Reid has given second chances to numerous players over the years. Many have thanked him and attributed Reid’s help to improving their lives. Perhaps we will see similar stories like this throughout the six-part series of “The Kingdom,” which begins streaming on ESPN+ and Disney+ on August 14.
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