Andy Reid needs a Super Bowl Victory to Cement His HOF Legacy

Is this the season Andy Reid changes his legacy?

At 61 years old, with 21 years of head coaching experience, his teams experienced incredible regular season success. Of 21 season with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, he only missed the playoffs six times. Most recently, with Kansas City, their regular-season records include:

  • 11-5
  • 9-7
  • 11-6
  • 12-4
  • 10-6
  • 12-4
  • 12-4

His teams won 10 division titles and they had an overall 61.8-percent winning percentage. But, even with all of the wins, his teams have still fallen short of the big game. Andy Reid is largely looked at one of the greatest coaches to never win a Super Bowl. He’s been called out for poor clock-management, letting his foot off the gas and losing in critical games. His 12-14 playoff record hangs over any of his feats. And he’s ridiculed for it every, single season.

But, with a Super Bowl victory, he can change all of that and vault himself into a new category of NFL coaches.

Andy Reid’s coaching tree is already better than Bill Belichick’s

Everyone knows Bill Belichick’s success with the New England Patriots is otherworldly. However, his coaching tree produced very few winners. In a recent article by Matt Lombardo of NJ Advance Media, he compared in detail the differences between Andy Reid and Belichick’s legacy of head coaches. In comparison, Reid’s successors are far better in comparison:

Belichick’s Coaching Tree

  • Combined Record: 281-330-1
  • Playoff Appearances: 8
  • Super Bowl Titles: 0

Reid’s Coaching Tree

  • Combined Record: 350-307-1
  • Playoff Appearances: 19
  • Super Bowl Titles: 2

Even without a Super Bowl title himself, Andy Reid’s success lives through his coaching tree. Although, if Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs win this year’s Super Bowl, his legacy will boom.

Andy Reid, Offensive Genius

With respect to Philadelphia and Kansas City’s scouting, drafting and signing, Andy Reid’s coached so many offensive powerhouses. It takes only a second to think of incredible playmakers from the Eagles and Chiefs. Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Terrell Owens, and DeSean Jackson highlight his years in Philadelphia. While Patrick Mahomes, Jamaal Charles, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce are huge in Kansas City.

But, even without the superstars, he’s gotten the most out of every running back and receiver on his teams. He even made Alex Smith look like an NFL MVP. Regardless of the players available, Reid’s teams put up points. 13 of his 21 teams ranked in the top-10 of offensive points per game in their respective seasons. Additionally, nine of them ranked in the top-six in scoring offense.

Now, with Patrick Mahomes at the helm with Travis Kelce, Tryreek Hill, Damien Williams, Mecole Hardman, and Sammy Watkins to utilize, Reid’s offense is at full force. This offensive power was on display in their 51-31 win against the Houston Texans. With a Super Bowl victory, Andy Reid’s genius will be immortalized.

Reid is too good to not have a ring

In his two decades of experience, Andy Reid amassed 207 wins, 10 division titles, and one Super Bowl appearance. In terms of head coaching success, Reid ranks seventh all-time in regular-season wins. Don Shula, George Hala, Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, Curly Lambeau, Paul Brown and Marty Schottenheimer each join him in the 200-plus win club.

Despite his exceptional company, he is the only one of them without an NFL title. This Super Bowl victory would vault him into the discussion of a future Hall of Fame coach.

Andy Reid has the wins. He’s known as an offensive genius. Any layman can name countless elite players from his teams. All he needs is two more wins to get the respect he deserves.

Alston v. NCAA: Judge Rules for Plaintiffs But NCAA Keeps Amateurism

Alston v.NCAA ruling on student athletes educational benefits

On March 8, 2019, amid the March Madness excitement, the highly anticipated ruling in the Alston v. NCAA case was released. In what appeared to be a victory for the plaintiffs, the NCAA still managed to come out essentially unscathed. Judgment was entered in favor of the plaintiffs. However, the NCAA was, unfortunately, able to retain a substantial amount of discretion over student-athlete compensation. Even though the plaintiffs won, the NCAA did not exactly lose.

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In the 104 page ruling, the court willingly acknowledged the disparity between what student-athletes receive in comparison to what coaches, the NCAA, and other college sports administration officials receive. However, that acknowledgment was not enough to make the court fully strip or severely limit the NCAA’s authority over student-athlete compensation that is unrelated to education. Thus, proving the courts’ and the general public’s inclination to refuse to acknowledge that there really is nothing “amateur” about college sports.

Alston v. NCAA Summary

Last fall, Judge Claudia Wilken presided over the Alston v. NCAA case. Judge Wilken also presided over the Obannon v. NCAA trial. In Alston, the plaintiffs included several current and former student-athletes. The defendants included the NCAA and eleven of its conferences that participate in FBS Football and Division I Basketball.

The plaintiffs challenged the legality of the NCAA and its’ member institutions practice of capping grants-in-aid at the cost-of-attendance based on federal antitrust laws. Contrarily, the defendants contended that the rules were necessary because they served several procompetitive purposes permissible under federal antitrust laws. However, only two procompetitive purposes were discussed at trial.

The Procompetitive Purposes Discussed at Trial

The first procompetitive purpose discussed at trial was that the rules were necessary to protect and promote amateurism and retain consumer interest in college athletics. Specifically, defendants argued that fans only engage in college sports because it is distinct from professional sports and that distinction is predicated on the fact that college athletes do not receive payment.

The second procompetitive purpose discussed at trial was that the rules were necessary to promote student-athlete integration into the greater college campus. Specifically, defendants argued that if student-athletes were paid above a cost-of-attendance scholarship other students would essentially become jealous and harbor resentment. The plaintiffs offered three alternatives to the current system. The court accepted a modified version of one of them.

The Alston Ruling

Judge Wilken ruled that the NCAA can no longer “limit compensation benefits related to education.” The ruling also mandated that the NCAA allow conferences to create their own rules and policies for scholarships. Essentially, the ruling will allow student-athletes to potentially receive a scholarship valued at greater than a “full ride” to college.

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Additionally, the NCAA will not be allowed to limit benefits related to education that is not included in the cost-of-attendance. Those benefits include items such as computers and musical instruments. In sum, the NCAA is no longer allowed to limit education-related benefits for student-athletes. This part of the ruling is essentially a win for the Plaintiffs. However, the ruling is not a total loss for the NCAA.

The Small, Yet Major Victory for the NCAA

The court found value in the defendants’ argument that the rules were necessary to serve the procompetitive purpose of keeping college sports distinct from professional sports. The defendants did not provide a clear definition of amateurism. However, the court reasoned that the distinction lied in the fact that college athletes are not paid unlimited sums unrelated to education.

With that, the court allowed the NCAA to maintain its ability to limit non-education related benefits for student-athletes. The NCAA is even permitted to define what “related to education” means. Thus, giving undue value to the NCAA’s farce of amateurism and the mythical distinction between college and professional sports.


Why do People Ignore the Other Similarities Between College and Professional Sports?

In response to the Alston ruling, the NCAA’s chief legal officer Donald Remy released a statement. Mr. Remy stated, “the decision acknowledges that the popularity of college sports stems in part from the fact that these athletes are indeed students who must not be paid unlimited cash sums unrelated to education.” This statement re-enforces the NCAA’s argument that rules limiting payment to college athletes are necessary to serve the procompetitive purpose of keeping college sports distinct from professional sports. However, is college sports really distinct from professional sports?

College Sports is not Very Distinct from Professional Sports

Aside from college athletes not being paid like professional athletes, there is no real distinction. For example, Division I college football and basketball garner very similar media deals that professional football and basketball garner. The March Madness tournament generates a billion dollars in revenue for the NCAA. Likewise, the NBA playoffs and Finals generates billions of dollars for the NBA. College football generates billions of dollars for the schools and the conferences. Professional football generates billions of dollars for the NFL and team owners. The coaches make millions in college sports, just as the coaches make millions in professional sports.

Given all of those similarities between college and professional sports, how can anyone claim that Division I college sports are largely distinct from professional sports? Why is payment unrelated to education the crux of the distinction between college and professional sports? Division I college sports resembles professional sports in almost every other way. However, the NCAA is still allowed to claim a distinction based on lack of payment to the athletes who propel the industry. Why are the courts and the public so willing to ignore the other similarities and give deference to a distinction that is largely predicated only on lack of payment?

Ten Stats That Prove Rob Gronkowski is the Greatest Tight End of All-Time

Ten stats show that gronkowski is the greatest nfl tight end of all time

Rob Gronkowski: Greatest Tight End to Ever Play

On March 24th, 2019, following another Super Bowl-winning season, Rob Gronkowski finally decided to call it quits. Through nine NFL seasons, Gronkowski has been the most dominant tight end in the league. Whether blocking or running routes, Gronk has been the best. Now that he is officially retired, it is time to review his status as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) tight end and Hall of Fame player with these ten stats.

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The Gronk Stats

Gronk-Stat No. 1: 133.52

Since 2000, Rob Gronkowski has the highest recorded Total NEP (Net Expected Points recorded by numberFire) for a tight end season. His 2011 season was unworldly. In fact, Gronkowski has four of the thirteen highest totals at the position since 2000. As a receiving weapon, Gronk was a major contributor for his team. His ceiling and dominance as a player was unmatched.

Stat No. 2: 535.89

When we compare Rob Gronkowski to other pinnacle NFL tight ends like Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham, Gronkowski’s efficiency stands out even more. Compile each of their top-five seasons in Total NEP and you get a chart that looks like this:

SeasonsGamesTotal NEPNEP per Game
Rob Gronkowski2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 201771535.897.55
Antonio Gates2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 201478511.296.55
Tony Gonzalez2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 201280514.76.43
Jimmy Graham2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 201679463.015.86

What is incredible is that Gronk compiled more NEP than all of the others in only 71 games. He averaged an entire point more per game than the next man up, Antonio Gates. Gates, Gonzalez and many other tight ends may have given us longevity. But Rob Gronkowski provided more for his team on a per-game basis than any other tight end. When he was on the field, he changed the game.

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Stat No. 3: 88.7

Per PFF grading, Rob Gronkowski has a career run-blocking grade of 88.7. He also holds a career pass-blocking grade of 72.6. Gronkowski was “one of the few modern-day tight ends that [was] as formidable as a run-block as he [was] a receiving weapon”. At the NFL Combine, the University of Arizona product had the following measurements:

  • 6-foot 6-inches
  • 264 pounds
  • 10 ¾-inch hands
  • 34 ¼-inch arm length

As a blocker, Gronk used every inch and pound he had. Utilizing his 88th-percentile arm length, large frame and 84th-percentile Speed Score, Rob Gronkowski was an impressive blocker. He was “a monster” on the field, according to New England Patriots’ teammate Rex Burkhead. Jason McCourty called him “a beast” and Tom Brady referred to Gronkowski as one of “the most dominant blocking tight ends in the league.”

Stat No. 4: +0.6

When it comes to scoring touchdowns, not even the Patriots could match Gronk’s prowess. When Rob Gronkowski was out of the lineup, the Patriots scored 0.6 less touchdowns per game. As Mike Clay’s numbers show, Gronkowski’s impact extended to more completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns, overall touchdowns, completion percentage and yards per attempt. All that with less pass attempts per game. Gronk made the entire Patriots offense more efficient whenever he was in the game. Of note, the 7.0 YPA would have ranked 22nd in the NFL over that time span, while 7.9 YPA would have ranked 1st. Gronkowski’s impact on an already prolific offense is unbelievable.


Stat No. 5: 5

In the NFL’s history, a tight end has recorded a ten-plus touchdown season only 38 times. Tony Gonzalez owns two of those seasons. Antonio Gates has three. Jimmy Graham notched an impressive four. However, Gronk sits atop at his position with five. Rob Gronkowski was a touchdown machine. His spikes were a regular occurrence when he was active. In fact, Gronkowski turned 10.4-percent of his targets from Tom Brady into touchdowns. Unreal.

Stat No. 6: 9.9

As Graham Barfield noted on Twitter, Rob Gronkowski’s efficiency was better than any other tight end in yards, touchdowns and yards per target (since 1992). While Gronk was adept at catching first downs, making diving catches or securing the football in the endzone, he was also a YAC (yards after the catch) monster. Gronkowski compiled YAC with stiff arms, broken tackles, spins or just outrunning the defense. As seen in this 79-yard catch and run, The colossal tight end made NFL secondaries look like featherweights.

Stat No. 7: 90.2

Through his nine-season career, Rob Gronkowski graced the NFL with 16 playoff games. Accumulating his PFF grades for each of those games results in a PFF grade of 90.2. Per Sam Monson at PFF, this grade would have ranked number-one overall in 2018 for tight ends. It would rank top-ten among all tight end seasons PFF has graded. Gronk already was listed on PFF’s Top 101 six separate times for his regular season performances, but in the playoffs he exceeded the highest expectations. Everyone talks about Playoff Edelman, but Playoff Gronkowski was on another level.

Stat No. 8: 330.9

In 2011, Rob Gronkowski put together the greatest single-season for a tight end. 90 receptions, 1,327 receiving yards, and 18 total touchdowns. His 330.9 PPR Points are the most ever scored by a tight end. Gronkowski’s career 15.52 PPR (Points Per Game) would also rank first all-time for tight ends.

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Stat No. 9: 13.9

As PFF’s Twitter account mentioned, Rob Gronkowski ranks higher than tight end Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, and Antonio Gates. Yet again, Gronkowski puts distance between himself and other tight end legends.

Stat No. 10: 129.6

When Tom Brady targeted Rob Gronkowski, he had a passer rating of 129.6. Through nine seasons, holding a passer rating that high is remarkable. Brady and Gronkowski turned 753 attempts into:

  • 516 Receptions
  • 7,786 yards
  • 78 Touchdowns
  • 13 Interceptions

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady were the best quarterback to receiver duo in the 21st-century.

Rob Gronkowski is a First-Ballot Hall of Famer and the GOAT Tight End

The sheer dominance that Rob Gronkowski possessed when he played football is unlike any other. With that being said, there are still doubters that Gronkowski is the greatest tight end. One argument against him is that he was plagued with injuries. However, his injuries should be an argument for his greatness. Gronkowski overcame a forearm fracture, multiple herniated discs, a torn ACL and MCL, in addition to other back, ankle, thigh, knee, hamstring, hip and lung injuries. If he didn’t have those injuries, Gronkowski would have made his 2011 season a regular occurrence. Nevertheless, he still managed to create an NFL resume that is the best of all time for tight ends.

Another criticism of Gronkowski is his shorter NFL career. Gronkowski only played nine seasons, whereas Tony Gonzalez had 17 seasons and Shannon Sharpe played for 14 years. Antonio Gates just played in his 16th season and Jason Witten will have his 16th in 2019. Admitted, Gronkowski’s career doesn’t have the longevity of others. But Barry Sanders also retired early, after just ten seasons played. That didn’t stop him from being a first ballot Hall of Famer. Neither should Gronkowski’s nine season.

Bottom line, Rob Gronkowski is without a doubt the GOAT tight end and should be an easy first-ballot Hall of Fame vote.