Andy Reid Tells Story Of How He Once Used Play Designed By Janitor In Green Bay

Andy Reid has had a long career as an NFL head coach and maybe that's because he's the type of guy willing to listen to input from anyone.

That includes members of the team's janitorial staff.

Reid appeared on the Green Light podcast hosted by ex-NFLer Chris Long.

Long asked Reid about his habit of looking anywhere he can to find new concepts that he might be able to implement. He asked the longtime Chiefs and Eagles coach if he had ever taken a concept from the high school level.

Reid did him one better and told him about the time a custodial staff member drew up a player that worked so well, the team scored with it.

"I took one from a janitor one time in Green Bay," Reid said, referencing his time on the Packers staff which ran from 1992 to 1998.

He explained that back then, the Packers hired an outside mom-and-pop company to clean the team's facility. That included game days.

Andy Reid Got A Doozy Of A Play From A Persistent Janitor

"This guy kept telling me — he was the owner of the company; the father of the family — and he goes, 'I've got this play for you,'" Reid said. "And he kept telling me this over and over. Finally, I said, 'Okay, here's a card; draw up the play.'"

So he did, and Reid was surprised to see that he liked the play.

"I was like, 'Dang, that's pretty good.'"

Sure enough, Reid's Packers used the play in a game.

"We called the play just before halftime, and it scored," Reid said. "And (the janitor) starts hitting his wife and he's going, "That's my play! That's my play!' and she's going, 'Yeah, right. Sure it is.'

"But, you know, we'll take it from anywhere."

That's one hell of a way to run a football team. Using the best ideas regardless of where they come from. That's precisely why Andy Reid has been one of the best in the business for a long time.

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