Andy Reid loves the passion Travis Kelce brings to the game, playing down a sideline clash that saw the veteran coach barged by the tight end during the Kansas City Chiefs’ dramatic Super Bowl LVIII triumph over the San Francisco 49ers.
Kelce’s frustration at an Isiah Pacheco fumble in the second quarter boiled over, leading him to bump Reid and scream in his face before being led away by running back Jerick McKinnon.
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After the 25-22 overtime win, though, it was all love between the pair whose sometimes fiery relationship will continue next season.
“He caught me off balance,” Reid said. “I wasn’t watching. He was really coming over [and saying], ‘Just put me in, I’ll score. I’ll score.’ So, that’s really what it was. I love that. It’s not the first time. I appreciate him.
“The part I love is he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win. It’s not a selfish thing. That’s not what it is. I understand that. As much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that. He just caught me off balance.”
Kelce, who was watched by girlfriend Taylor Swift, admitted his emotions had got the better of him.
“I didn’t care about my catches,” he said. “I just wanted to…I wanted the score to be different. Coach has asked us to speak our minds and I just wanted to let him know how much passion I had for this team.
“He’s one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life. And he’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get and just love him.”
LET THE PARTY BEGIN!!! pic.twitter.com/u9nb3VdfkH
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 12, 2024
The Chiefs’ Super Bowl win – in which they had to hit back from a 10-point deficit – was their third in five seasons and they are the first team to go back-to-back since the 2004-05 New England Patriots.
Kelce added: “I know this is one of the greatest teams of all time, to go back-to-back.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I’ve been able to go through three times now and it gets sweeter and sweeter every time.
“You can call us a dynasty. You can call us whatever you want. I know what we’ve got is something more special than really what you’ve seen in the NFL.”
