Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS ó Their bushy mustaches look about the same, and their approaches to building and organizing their teams are similar. Heck, most of their team’s fans want them fired, too.
But Andy Reid and Brad Childress have different personalities and divergent styles, and this branch of the NFL’s coaching tree has several variations and twists.
“He’s maybe a little bit more, if you can imagine this, flat line than I am,” Childress said. “Hard for you to see that, right?”
The football staff at Northern Arizona University in 1986 spawned four future NFL head coaches. The bond formed between Reid and Childress during that season together in the high desert of Flagstaff and the high-scoring Big Sky Conference was strong enough that, 13 years later, Reid chose Childress as his offensive coordinator when he was hired to lead the Philadelphia Eagles.
Childress’ chance to be in charge at Minnesota came seven seasons later, and he has guided the NFC North champion Vikings to a wild-card game at the Metrodome today against Reid and his old team.
“Well, I wish I wasn’t seeing Brad in the first round,” Reid said, “but I am proud of him.”
They’ve shared plenty of anecdotes and advice about coaching, and their families remain friendly. The comparisons quickly turn to contrasts, though.
“Once you start talking about personal aspect, they are nothing like,” said Vikings offensive lineman Artis Hicks, who played four years for the Eagles. “They are night and day.”
Reid? “He hardly talks. You’ve got to punch him, threaten him, or do something to get him to say a couple of words,” Hicks said. “When he does talk, of course you take heed.”
Childress? “He’s a psychology major, so he’s always challenging you,” Hicks said, adding: “You can kind of get caught up in that fog and that haze, and it’s good to engage in a conversation where you have to be snapped out of it and be a thinking man for a change.”
Reid has a sense of humor. He quipped this week, “I thought you said ‘fat line’ for a second,” when asked about Childress’ claim that Reid is more “flat line” than him. But he’s a lot less likely to elicit a laugh in public than his buddy. After a rather uptight first season in Minnesota, Childress loosened up and frequently fires off dry one-liners at his news conferences.
After describing Reid’s competitive nature on the racquetball court, Childress zinged this at Reid and his oversized frame: “If you’re calling hinders, I could probably beat him. But he’s a hindrance on the racquetball court, period. Good athlete, though.”