Chiefs’ Andy Reid again wins 101 Committee’s AFC coach of the year award

A few years ago, Chiefs coach Andy Reid was chosen AFC coach of the year by the Committee of 101 because he turned a moribund team that went 2-14 in 2012 into an 11-5 playoff qualifier in 2013.

On Friday he won the the honor again, this time because he held his 11-5 team together through a miserable 1-5 start.

“It’s great recognition for the year he had and the team had,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said. “I think everybody has written about the fact that if you’re 1-5 in the NFL, a lot of it has to do with your players, but a lot of it has to do with the coach holding that team together. It’s great recognition for him — he’s one of the most deserving in the league.”

It’s the third time Reid has been honored by the 101, a national media committee comprised of 101 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Founded in 1969, the 101 Awards are the nation’s longest-running professional football honors.

The other winners are: Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, NFC coach of the year; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, AFC offensive player of the year; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, AFC defensive player of the year; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, NFC offensive player of the year; and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, NFC defensive player of the year.

The winners will be honored at the 46th annual NFL 101 Awards dinner on March 5 at the Westin Crown Center.

The newest inductee into the Chiefs Hall of Fame, the winner of the Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football, and the recipients of the Chiefs’ Derrick Thomas Award for most valuable player and the Mack Lee Hill Award for top first-year player will also be introduced at the dinner.

Reid, who has guided the Chiefs to a 31-17 regular-season record during his three years as coach, not only brought his team back from a 1-5 start, he also led it to the franchise’s first playoff win in 22 years, a 30-0 drubbing of the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card round.

“When we were coming out of training camp, we all felt like we had a very special football team,” Donovan said. “Andy talked about it, (general manager) John (Dorsey) talked about it, the players talked about it, (chairman) Clark (Hunt) talked about it. We felt that. So when you go 1-5, there’s a lot of people inside the building, outside the building going ‘What’s up? What’s going on here?’

“And I remember the conversations at that point and with John and Andy, saying the most important thing we need to do right now — and this came from Andy — was we need to stick together and stick to our plan. And that’s what he told the players, and that’s what he did. That leadership is one of the reasons he’s being honored with rewards like this, it’s one of the big reasons why we went on that 10-, 11-game streak.”

Despite the poor start, Donovan said Hunt was never tempted to make a move with Reid, who also won the 101’s coach of the year award in 2002 during his 14-year stint as the Philadelphia Eagles’ coach.

“Any time you start that way, you’re going to get questions,” Donovan said. “People are writing and blogging and everyone’s asking ‘Are you gonna get the vote of confidence?’ and things like that.

“But behind the scenes, I will just share with you there were chuckles about that. Clark was like ‘We’ve got the guys, we’ve got the system, we believe in what we’re doing.’ He was supportive the entire time. There was no question.”

Rivera, in his fifth season in Carolina, is a two-time 101 winner. He also won in 2013. This year, he guided the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a berth in the NFC Championship Game.

Newton, Rivera’s quarterback, is a first-time 101 winner. He led the NFL in total touchdowns and earned his third Pro Bowl selection.

Brady is a four-time 101 winner (2007, 2010, 2011, 2015). He led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and possessed the league’s best touchdown-to-interception ratio (5.14-1). He led the Patriots to a 12-4 record and a berth in the AFC Championship Game.

Watt is a three-time 101 winner. He had 17  1/2 sacks, leading the NFL for the second time in his career, and led the Texans to a 9-7 record and a playoff berth.

Donald is a first-time 101 winner. He earned his second Pro Bowl selection and led the NFL in sacks for defensive tackles with 11. The Rams went 7-9 in their final season in St. Louis.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Andy Reid again wins 101 Committee’s AFC coach of the year award."