In 1999, Reid got the call from the Eagles. He has delivered exactly the plan he delivered in the first interview. He is meticulously organized. He records his thoughts in notebooks and carries in his hand his daily schedule on an index card. His desk is littered with index cards on which he has written notes, which are filed by his secretaries.

The first time he met with Eagle players, he had already planned schedules for every day of training camp right through to the end of the end of the season.

"He's done a great job," says Edwards, his old mentor.

Like others close to Reid, Edwards notes this about his former player: "He hasn't changed. The classic example of the way he thinks and how he does things is that he's no different today than when I first met him — his demeanor, his friends, his concern for people."

Tom Holmoe, the BYU athletic director and Reid's former BYU teammate, says much the same thing. "The thing that stands out to me is that he has not let his celebrity get the best of him. He's still the same guy. There's a lot of showboating in the NFL, even among coaches. They know NFL Films is there and HBO and the networks. They know they're on camera.

"At the end of (the recent) NFC championship game, there were five or six minutes left, and it's over — the Eagles are going to win. It's a great time because you can appreciate the moment, but Andy would not let go. He kept looking down at his play sheet — and they're on defense. My wife and I were laughing. He was embarrassed. He doesn't want to be the celebrity. The most you're going to get out of him is a smile."

That's Reid for you. At the press conference announcing Reid's contract extension, Lurie noted, "It was tough even getting him to attend this news conference. He doesn't like talking about himself."

The family man

Those who know Reid describe him as a deep-thinking family man.

Even when he was working those insane hours with the Packers, going to work at 3:30 a.m., he'd leave the office and race home to eat breakfast with his five children and see them off to school and then return to the office. He keeps a journal, he writes poetry and love notes to his wife, Tammy. Here's what kind of guy Reid is: He once gave his mother-in-law a pendant that read: "Best Mother-In-Law."

A convert to the Mormon faith, he is active in his church and does frequent firesides. He goes to Scout camp in the summer with his boys and likes to make furniture and has restored an antique car.

He still remains close to his old friends, especially Tidwell, who owns a custom furniture and cabinetry business in Mapleton. They fish together in the summers in Utah, and Tidwell usually attends an Eagles game or two during the season.