Former Cougar Chad Lewis Describes His ‘Best/Worst Moment Of [NFL] Career’
Feb 2, 2021, 2:55 PM | Updated: 3:02 pm
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Going to the Super Bowl is the pinnacle for any NFL player, yet so few get to go to the big game. Former BYU tight end Chad Lewis was able to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl by scoring a pair of touchdowns in the NFC title game to advance to Super Bowl XXXIX.
The moment was bittersweet as Lewis suffered a lisfranc injury on that play and was unable to play in two weeks against the New England Patriots. However, Lewis told KSL Unrivaled that making that catch and helping Philadelphia reach the Super Bowl was the “best/worst moment” in his life.
However, he has always been at peace with how that season ended, thanks to his father.
Chad Lewis reflects on helping the @Eagles reach the #SuperBowl and describes knowing he was unable to play due to a foot injury after he scored a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/nCkZoCCMQc
— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) February 2, 2021
“I would have loved to have played and I wanted to win the Super Bowl and drive away with the MVP truck, that would have been sweet,” Lewis said. “In that game, my dad had given me a blessing just moments before that game because my tricep was bothering me. I went into the game and at the very end I caught that pass. When I was falling to the ground, I can only describe it this way.
“I had a divine moment that I knew that everything for me was going to be OK. Ever since that second, that pain and disappointment of that injury was swallowed up in that moment. It was a divine gift and I can’t describe it any other way. So, all the way until tonight, it is OK, I gave it everything I had and it worked out the way it was supposed to work out,” said Lewis.
Not many players can say they are OK with not being able to play in the biggest game of their respective sport.
Andy Reid Is A Better Person Than Coach
Lewis has a connection to this Super Bowl as he played under current Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. It took Reid getting out of Philadelphia to win a Super Bowl and now Reid is looking at becoming one of the few coaches ever to win back-to-back Lombardi trophies.
Reid was very close with the Eagles by going to one Super Bowl in 2005 but he also led that franchise to three NFC championship games. As for the type of coach he is, Lewis mentions that everyone loves him, including those that don’t make his roster.
“He’s a phenomenal coach and an even better person. That’s why even people that he cut still celebrate the fact that he won the Super Bowl last year,” Lewis said. “Everyone was cheering for him and he’s got a unique ability not just to call plays and design an offense and to use his guys in the right ways. During the week and during the year, he’s got this ability to develop team chemistry.”
Andy Reid breaking out the fancy threads for Super Bowl week 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ApWvCf0hVS
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 2, 2021
Every team in the NFL has talent across the board and the difference is not always that big which is why football is called a game of inches. What Reid can do is call plays and get his players in a position to succeed through play-calling, motivation, and getting the most out of his players.
Reid seems to be at the top of his game in doing that by producing an offense that has some of the best players in the league in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelcee and others in an elite offense.
Players ultimately matter but so do coaches and the stories about Reid are that he can get his players to play the best and that is why a second Super Bowl is on the table for him.
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