Super Bowl win could cement Andy Reid's legacy

He's a creative play caller with a reputation among the elite coaches in the National Football League. His decorated career includes several playoff appearances and one Super Bowl appearance as a head coach.

Looking at Andy Reid's resume, analysts say, a case could be made for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What's missing? A Super Bowl championship.

In 2005, Reid fell three points short of winning it all with the Philadelphia Eagles. Back to the Big Game with the Kansas City Chiefs, many rooting for the Chiefs are doing so primarily in support of their head coach.

Reid this week, deflected the conversation about his legacy, discussing how Sunday's game against San Francisco is not about him, but about his players and the Chiefs organization. Still, the discussion about where Andy Reid stands in history is one of the story lines heading into the weekend.

In Miami Thursday, among the experts discussing what this Super Bowl means to Reid was former NFL veteran turned NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson.

Burleson says Reid represents many players and coaches who put together solid careers, but never won a Super Bowl. Even many rooting for San Francisco would at least be happy for Reid if the Chiefs win, experts say.

"You know why? Because a majority of the people in the NFL family, we didn't win rings," Burleson says. "...So if (Reid) wins it, he wins it for all of us (who never won a Super Bowl)."

Burleson points out, however, that there are assistant coaches on San Francisco's side in a similar spot Although their resumes aren't as high-profile as Reid's, he points out Miles Austin and Wes Welker on the 49ers' staff among those who came close to winning a Super Bowl as players, but never realized the dream.

When it comes to talk about Reid's worthiness for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Burleson says that shouldn't be dependent on a Super Bowl ring.

"I don't think the ring should validate how we feel about you," the former Viking, Seahawk and Lion says. "You can't talk about football over the past couple decades without talking about Andy Reid, which means he's a hall of famer. So yeah, I would love to see him get a ring."