Floral shirts, Air Force 1s: Chiefs players show their affection and respect for Andy Reid
MIAMI — Don’t worry, Andy Reid was back in his typical floral shirt on Monday night.
On Sunday, some of the Kansas City Chiefs players paid homage to Reid by wearing colorful Hawaiian shirts on the flight to Miami. Reid came for the flight to Super Bowl LIV in a suit, but he was more comfortable at Super Bowl Opening Night.
Wearing a red floral shirt with a Chiefs logo on it, Reid was all smiles as he dealt with the typical wacky questions and questioners at the Super Bowl’s annual media carnival. And he appreciated the players who wore the floral shirts.
“I’ve got a great bunch. A great bunch of guys,” Reid said. “They’re fun to be around.
“I wore this one in tribute to them.”
Reid’s influence on the Chiefs is everywhere, including their feet on Monday night.
Chiefs wear Andy Reid’s favorite shoes
On Sunday it was floral shirts. On Monday, almost all of the Chiefs were wearing old-school Nike Air Force 1s, Reid’s favorite shoes.
Yesterday, some Chiefs wore floral shirts in homage to Andy Reid. Tonight at media night, they're rocking Air Force 1s, Reid's favorite shoes. pic.twitter.com/ULZNQYHHsh
— Frank Schwab (@YahooSchwab) January 28, 2020
Players said Reid told them he picked out the shoes as part of the Super Bowl Opening Night outfit — it was likely a joke, as the Air Force 1s were the shoes for both teams — but Chiefs players proudly pointed out another bit of synergy with Reid.
“We all have the Air Force 1s on today, that’s his favorite shoes,” linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “It’s a connection.”
Not all players love the coach they play for. The NFL is a business. Not everyone is going to get along great with their boss. But it’s clear the Chiefs have a genuine affection for Reid. They all talked about how Reid connects with them on and off the field.
“It’s literally playing with a father figure,” punter Dustin Colquitt said.
“He’s beloved by anybody who has played for him,” safety Daniel Sorensen said.
Everyone at Super Bowl LIV wants to win for themselves, of course. It would be the fulfillment of a dream. But the Chiefs also want to win for Reid, whose legacy takes a big step up with a Super Bowl win on Sunday. He’s the seventh winningest coach in NFL history, and all six ahead of him have won multiple NFL championships.
“It would be a hell of a career for him, to finally get it after all the years of being a head coach and coming so close,” linebacker Reggie Ragland said about getting Reid his first Super Bowl ring as a head coach. “I feel like we got the team, we just got to go out there and do it.”
Reid relaxed before his big moment
If Reid is worried about what the result of this game means to his legacy, it hid it behind a lot of smiles and laughs on Monday night.
He had jokes for a female reporter who dressed up as Reid, fake mustache and all.
“It’s good, but not better than the the real thing,” Reid said, stroking his mustache.
He cut off a question about his infamous appearance at a punt, pass and kick competition as a kid to point out someone else holding a picture of it on the other side of his podium.
“He’s got the picture, you guys get together you’d have a great story,” Reid said.
Reid correctly answered a question from the “Extra” TV show about Travis Kelce’s reality show, then waved off a second pop culture question.
“That’s it. I’m on a streak! I can’t break it,” Reid said.
Maybe part of the reason Reid seems so relaxed is he genuinely doesn’t seem to make a big deal about whether or not he wins a Super Bowl. He said he’d be slighting the Super Bowl if he said winning a ring wasn’t important, but he added that this game wasn’t about him. He didn’t bother touching a question about what a Super Bowl win would mean for his Hall of Fame chances.
“I’m not good with all of that,” Reid said. “I’m just trying to get where we can do well against the 49ers and win that game.”
He seemed pretty loose at his first media obligation here for Super Bowl week. Or maybe Reid just seemed relaxed because it’s hard to appear uptight wearing a bright red floral shirt.
“They’re great for big guys,” Reid said of his favorite shirts. “Tommy Bahama must have had a big grandfather.”
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