"I guess I shouldn't say 'stolen,' so let's say it's a play we 'researched,' " laughed Childress, the former longtime Reid assistant and Vikings head coach from 2006-10.
"We were studying Carson Wentz before the draft. I said to Andy, 'Look at this play.' We ended up making a cut of it because it fit us. We repped it in the springtime and were able to call it three or four times that year."
The play included a jet sweep with four vertical routes to the short side of the field.
"Andy has always been amenable to new ideas, and this was when the NFL was really just starting to take the college jet sweep seriously," Childress said. "He comes from the West Coast offense, but the offense is ever-changing with Andy in charge."
That creativity is a big reason Reid is sixth in coaching wins in NFL history at 207-128-1. And that 21-year track record coupled with an 0-1 Super Bowl mark is why this 61-year-old, average-Joe-looking fan favorite is the sentimental choice in Sunday's showdown with 40-year-old Kyle Shanahan's 49ers.
"We absolutely borrow things," said Reid, who's back in the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 years. "If it's good, we're going to sneak it from you, put our own spin on it and then claim it. Right? That's how coaches do it. But, yeah, we snuck a couple of things from Carson's offense."
Shanahan has the old-school running game and the better defense. But the old man has the cutting-edge offense and Patrick Mahomes, the electrifying young quarterback that Reid and Brett Veach, the general manager Reid hired, projected as an NFL superstar long before anyone else.
"One thing you have to keep in mind working for Coach Reid is to remain flexible," said Eric Bieniemy, the Chiefs' offensive coordinator and former Vikings running backs coach. "Just because we know things a certain way, they aren't etched in stone around here. It's also about being creative and forward-thinking. We want to stay two steps ahead."