PHOENIX -- Andy Reid's dismissal of then-Chiefs wide receivers coach Nick Sirianni when he took over Kansas City in 2013 has been in the spotlight with the two set to face off in Super Bowl LVII.
Monday, during Super Bowl LVII Opening Night, Sirianni said he understood being let go -- as are many assistants when a new head coach takes over -- and he appreciated at the time how Reid handled the situation.
"Obviously, we weren't good enough in Kansas City when we left there and that's why coach Reid came in," Sirianni said. "He's done a phenomenal, phenomenal job. One of the best coaches of all time. What I always remember is that, obviously when you're getting let go at a place you're down, right? I gotta move my future wife to San Diego -- I guess there is worse places I could go, right -- but you're down in that moment, and I just remember him bringing me in, telling me that his assistant head coach was the wide receivers coach and that he had a guy.
"But I remember him lifting me up in that moment, telling me good things knowing I would get back on my feet. He gave me strength when I was down and I always admired that. Even though I never got a chance to work with coach Reid, how he kind of took us -- the guys that were there that he was letting go -- he brought us in and told us, and kind of gave me a blueprint of what I had to do when I became the head football coach for the Eagles.
"So, even though I never worked with him, I felt like I gained a valuable lesson from him to be able to reach out and talk to the guys. I just always remember thinking of coach Reid in that moment because he gave me a good blueprint of what to do when you have to do the tough parts of this job."
Being dismissed from any job can leave a chip on a competitive person's shoulder. But Sirianni landed on his feet pretty darn well. He latched on in San Diego under Mike McCoy in 2013 and became the quarterbacks coach behind offensive coordinator Frank Reich with the Chargers in 2014-2015 and receivers coach in 2016-2017. When Reich got the head coaching job with the Colts, Sirianni followed him to Indy as the offensive coordinator.
Three years later, he was the head coach of the Eagles. In two seasons, he has his team in the Super Bowl.
Sirianni said his time in Kansas City, even if it ended bitterly, informed the rest of his coaching career, the launching pad for his Super Bowl run.
"I think both professionally and personally, it was a big time in my career," he said. "Obviously, it was my first stint in the NFL was Kansas City; had a lot of good experiences there, met my wife there -- we have three kids now. When we go home to her family's house, they're in Springfield, Missouri, so I get back to Missouri every once in a while. I just learned so many things from good coaches. We were able to win the division in 2010. Todd Haley was a head coach, Romeo Crennel was a head coach, so I learned a lot of football there that helped me develop as a coach, and then, obviously, the best thing to happen to me there was to meet my wife and then starting my family."
Sirianni's task now is to win Sunday and lift his first Lombardi Trophy over his former club.
