»Read Standard Version«
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As a longstanding consequence of NFL team success, assistant coaches are in high demand for the various head-coaching positions.
Andy Reid’s prolonged offensive success in Kansas City has made Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy the presumed front-runner for a head-coaching position for the previous few seasons.
Since 2019, Steve Spagnuolo has been the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator.
Not at all.
“Spags,” as he’s affectionately known by coaching colleagues and players, has mysteriously slipped through the cracks in this head-coaching interview process, despite the fact that his Kansas City defenses have been quite representative during the team’s five-year run that has them in a third Super Bowl against the Eagles on Sunday at State Farm Stadium.
Spagnuolo’s defense was solely responsible for derailing the Patriots’ effort for an undefeated season, sacking Tom Brady five times in a 17-14 Giants victory in Super Bowl XLII at the same stadium where the Chiefs will face the Eagles on Sunday.
It was the first Super Bowl ring for Spagnuolo. In his first season as Chiefs defensive coordinator in 2019, he won his second championship.
Now, the 63-year-old Grafton, Massachusetts native, who has never lost his New England accent, has a chance for a third ring in his fifth Super Bowl, and fourth as a defensive coordinator — a number that should put him in the conversation alongside Bill Belichick and Dick LeBeau, to name a few.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo AP
Wednesday, Spagnuolo stated, “I don’t even go there because it hasn’t occurred.” “I’ve been blessed with two children.”
When the Giants fired Spagnuolo in 2017 after his second tenure with the franchise as defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2017 and interim head coach for four games after Ben McAdoo was fired, it was a moment of unsettling uncertainty.
It was when he took a courageous leap into the unknown and took a year off from coaching.
“After the St. Louis Rams head coaching position [he went 10-38 from 2009-2011], I wish I had taken a year off,” stated Spagnuolo. “Therefore, the second time this occurred with the Giants, I thought this could be a good opportunity to do this, have a brief halftime. And I’ll tell you what: I believe I matured more in that year than in any other coaching year.”
Spagnuolo, who resides in the Philadelphia region during the offseason, used to visit NFL Films in nearby Mount Laurel, New Jersey, every Monday morning to view game footage from the previous day.
“That helped keep my mind sharp,” he remarked.
In 2018, what surprised Spagnuolo the most during his year away from coaching?
He said, “I didn’t realize how early it got dark.”
This is true for some coaching careers, including Spagnuolo’s, as he took that year off unsure of whether he would ever be given the opportunity to return to the sidelines.
Here is the problem with coaches taking a year off from the game: You must have a great deal of self-assurance and faith, as you never know if you will be asked back.
Earlier in the season, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (right) confers with safeties Juan Thornhill (22) and Justin Reid (20) on the bench prior to a game against the Raiders.
AP
“When you make that decision, there is a great deal of uncertainty and the unknown,” said Spagnuolo. “Listen, people are quickly forgotten.”
Fortunately, Reid, who brought Spagnuolo into the NFL as a defensive assistant for the Eagles in 1999, his first year as a head coach, had not forgotten about him. Reid texted Spagnuolo shortly after the Chiefs lost the 2018 AFC Championship game to the Patriots, 37-31 in overtime.
“Andy had faith in me,” said Spagnuolo. “Praise God for Andy”
Four years into his career with the Chiefs and participating in his third Super Bowl, Spagnuolo, a very modest guy, is uncertain how to describe his good fortune.
“Thought it was going to be this way? He answered, “Not in my wildest dreams.” “I’ve been incredibly fortunate, not only to work for Andy, but also with all of our accomplishments. It’s been a wonderful journey, but I just need to get over one more hump and win this final race.
The Chiefs’ offense is an issue that stops Spagnuolo from earning sufficient credit for his work with the Chiefs’ defense.
The Chiefs’ prolific offense overshadows the defense due to quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ supernatural abilities and Andy Reid’s status as one of the game’s most innovative offensive minds.
Spagnuolo stated, “I’ll tell you one thing: I wouldn’t have it any other way.” “We recognize that it takes away a lot of the defense’s luster, but we’re into letters, not numbers: We want a ‘W.’” We are not concerned with statistics.
If the Chiefs win the Super Bowl and maintain their winning ways, will Spagnuolo be given a second chance as head coach?
“Look, I’d like that opportunity,” remarked Spagnuolo. “You want a chance to demonstrate that you’re better than how you concluded. Consider Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, and Mike Shanahan, as well as Doug Pederson right now… Because they’ve experienced some of the ups and downs and know what not to do, the guys who do it a second time typically perform better. I believe they are so far ahead.”
“I’m excited, and if it occurs, it would be a terrific thing, but if it doesn’t, I’m fine working for the Chiefs and Andy. I have a really nice job at the moment.
And despite the little of attention he receives from NFL owners, he’s also doing an excellent job.