One thing that has been clear throughout the tragedy that engulfed the Eagles on Sunday is the affection his coaches and players have for Andy Reid. They know Reid’s heartache over losing his 29-year-old son, Garrett Reid, is something that will last a long time, and they just want to do what they can to help.
Quarterback Michael Vick called Reid “a rock’’ and he also called him “a big teddy bear.’’ Wide receiver Jason Avant said, “We're depending on Jesus Christ to get him through this. We're praying as hard as we can for him, just to let him know that this team really, really, really, really, really loves him and when this thing happened, we were hurting with him.’’
Avant then related how Andy Reid was the first to call him when Avant’s father died last year and how much it meant to him that Reid cared for him as a person and not just as a player.
Then Avant finished by saying, “I just want to let him know that I love him and this team loves him. Garrett was a happy-go-lucky person, and we know that he's in a better place and we love Coach Reid.”
That’s a side of Andy Reid the fans and media rarely see. Reid’s public face rarely smiles, and his answers at press conferences are purposely non-revealing and often boring. To most people, that’s Andy Reid.
But his players and coaches know him differently, and that’s why they took Garrett Reid’s death so personally and feel Andy Reid’s pain so deeply.
“We're going to lean on him and we're going to be there for him and we're going to stay strong for him until he comes back to lead us on,’’ Vick said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. It's very difficult, but we'll find the strength and a way to get through this. We just have to lean on the higher power."
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSSportsNFLPHI.
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