Tag: Andy Reid

Andy Reid explains Chiefs’ plans with injury to LT Eric Fisher

Andy Reid spoke at length about the Chiefs’ offensive line following a season-ending Achilles injury to LT Eric Fisher.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without one of their stalwart protectors on the offensive line in Super Bowl LV.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed on Monday that LT Eric Fisher suffered an Achilles injury in the win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. The team is still evaluating his injury, but it’s clear that he won’t play in the Super Bowl.

“He’s got a torn Achilles tendon,” Reid told reporters of Fisher’s injury on Monday. “And they’re observing now exactly how bad, what needs to be done here and how soon.”

The team jumbled up their starting offensive line during the game when the injury to Fisher occurred. They shifted right tackle Mike Remmers out to left tackle, then they moved right guard Andrew Wylie over to the right tackle spot. Wylie had actually started one game at right tackle for the Chiefs earlier this season against the New Orleans Saints in Week 15. Still, Reid credits the coaching staff for getting these guys ready to play multiple positions.

“Yeah, well he went to right tackle and Remmers went to left tackle,” Reid said. “It was a pretty seamless move there for him, but they practice that during the week. [Chiefs OL coach] Andy Heck does a great job of maneuvering people around and giving them opportunities to play all the different positions.”

If you’re one of the many hoping for starting RT Mitchell Schwartz to come waltzing in as a savior, Reid doesn’t seem optimistic that will be the case for Super Bowl LV.

“Yeah, listen I can’t even tell you that, I don’t even know how optimistic I am about that,” Reid said. “The other guys are doing a nice job and we should be able to be OK there with the guys that we have, who will step in. If Mitch (Schwartz) can work it out to where he can go, that’s great. There’s nobody that wants to be there more than him. But I just can’t tell you that I’m that optimistic about it.”

Reid, however, doesn’t seem to be too concerned about his offensive line in the absence of Fisher. He trusts the job that Chiefs GM Brett Veach has done, bolstering the talent along the offensive line all season long.

“This is where Brett (Veach) comes in,” Reid said. “His thought of bringing Wiz (Stefen Wisniewski) here and then he steps in at guard. He’s experienced and he’s done that at all these different positions where — I don’t know — he doesn’t miss a beat. (Brett Veach) is always a step ahead and making sure that he covers his bases, so that’s much appreciated by the coaches and I know the players have a ton of respect for him too.”

One of Veach’s best moves this offseason was to bring in veteran Mike Remmers. It looks like he’ll now start games at three different positions this season as he’s likely to slide in at left tackle for Super Bowl LV.

“Yeah, listen, he’s dirty tough,” Reid said of Remmers. “I joke, he’s like a throwback. He is Redbeard, he breaks out his sword and he’s ready to go. So I appreciate him and his toughness and he’s a smart kid. He’s really fit in well with the whole program here.”

No matter what, the Chiefs’ offensive line is going to look much different than it did in Week 1 of the NFL season. Heck, it’ll look different than it did in the AFC title game. Reid is confident that players will be able to step up, step in and perform as necessary in the absence of Fisher. That’s what they’ve done all season and they’ll continue the tried and true method into the postseason.

“Listen, they’re some talented guys,” Reid said. “In some cases, we’ve had some young ones step in. You know, one of Missouri’s finest [Yasir Durant] and again, we’ve had some older guys step in. But that combination has been able to get us through some games here and most of all, I think the quarterback trusts them as do the running backs and there’s good communication. I wouldn’t slight the fact, though, of how Andy (Heck) tends to it. How he moves people around, plays to those guy’s strengths with the run game. It’s just a great situation.”

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates following AFC title game vs. Bills

Andy Reid says the team believes that Eric Fisher suffered an Achilles tear.

The Kansas City Chiefs seem to have suffered another significant injury during the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills.

Fans came out of last week’s game worried about Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes, now they’re worried about his blindside protector Eric Fisher, who left the game with an Achilles injury. Andy Reid gave his usual injury update to start his postgame press conference and began by providing some information on Fisher’s status.

“Alright, so on the injury front, we had a couple of guys get hurt,” Reid said. “Fish (Eric Fisher), it doesn’t look too good with his Achilles.”

Reid later added that they think Fisher’s injury is an Achilles tear, which would end his season. This is the absolute worst-case scenario for Kansas City. This team has faced enormous adversity along the offensive line this season from the onset of the year with opt-outs and during the rest of the season with injuries. It’s possible that the Chiefs are without both their starting left and right tackle as they head to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers in the final game of the season.

The team adjusted against the Bills once Fisher went out, playing RG Andrew Wylie at right tackle and RT Mike Remmers at left tackle. That’ll likely be their starters for the Super Bowl.

In addition to the injury to Fisher, the team had head injuries suffered by rookie CB L’Jarius Sneed and DB Armani Watts.

“Armani Watts has a head injury and so does Sneed,” Reid said. “I think those guys will be OK.”

Their status looks much brighter for Super Bowl LV than Fisher, but all head injuries are different, so these it’ll be important to monitor their status during the week leading up to the big game. As always, we’ll know some more about these injuries tomorrow.

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It’s time to bust all the stock reasons Eric Bieniemy can’t be a head coach

For the second straight year, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has been passed over in the head coaching ranks.

Unless Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is offered and accepts the Houston Texans open head coach position that is two dumpsters on fire crashing into each other and falling off a cliff, the 2021 offseason will mark the second straight that Bieniemy will go without a serious look at a head coaching gig. It’s shameful in several ways, especially from a league that allegedly wants to make a difference in hiring coaches of color. In the current offseason cycle, only Robert Saleh — a man of Lebanese descent — has broken the all-white barrier when it comes to advancement to head coach in the NFL.

There are those who know exactly what time it is in the NFL — it’s an ownership problem, which means that it isn’t changing anytime soon — and there are others who insist that Bieniemy simply isn’t qualified to be a head coach, and everybody should just be quiet and expect the status quo. The arguments against Bieniemy are highly suspect at best, they usually go like this, and all of them can be easily busted.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury update following Wednesday practice

Andy Reid provides information on injuries to Patrick Mahomes, Bashaud Breeland, Sammy Watkins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid provided his usual injury update to reporters after the team’s first practice of the week on Wednesday. Reid said that every player practiced in some capacity with the exception of LB Willie Gay Jr., who is still dealing with a high ankle sprain. That means Patrick Mahomes as well as other key players like Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Sammy Watkins, and Rashad Fenton all practiced in a limited capacity at the very least.

Reid also provided some more information on Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes and his practice participation.

“Yeah, so he looked good,” Reid said. “He’s just— he’s in the protocol. So there are only certain things he can do and it’s a limited basis, but today is a little bit of a limited practice. So this fit right into what he could do. But he took all the snaps and he feels good. So we’re just going to follow this protocol as close as we possibly can.”

Mahomes practicing on a limited basis and taking all of the repetitions in practice is certainly a good sign, even if today’s practice was one of the lighter days of the week. We’ll likely find out more about how Mahomes has progressed in the next few days.

“He’s done well up to this point,” Reid added. “Today was limited work and no-contact, I think, was the schedule for today. That’s kind of what we’re doing on Wednesday’s so it sort of fits in with that.”

Reid did also clarify that starting CB Bashaud Breeland, who also entered the concussion protocol in Sunday’s win over the Browns, is also working through the concussion protocol. He likely will be listed as a limited participant as well.

All-in-all, this seems to be good news for the Chiefs. They’re trending toward healthy, which they couldn’t exactly say at this time last week.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury update following Wednesday practice

Andy Reid provides information on injuries to Patrick Mahomes, Bashaud Breeland, Sammy Watkins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid provided his usual injury update to reporters after the team’s first practice of the week on Wednesday. Reid said that every player practiced in some capacity with the exception of LB Willie Gay Jr., who is still dealing with a high ankle sprain. That means Patrick Mahomes as well as other key players like Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Sammy Watkins, and Rashad Fenton all practiced in a limited capacity at the very least.

Reid also provided some more information on Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes and his practice participation.

“Yeah, so he looked good,” Reid said. “He’s just— he’s in the protocol. So there are only certain things he can do and it’s a limited basis, but today is a little bit of a limited practice. So this fit right into what he could do. But he took all the snaps and he feels good. So we’re just going to follow this protocol as close as we possibly can.”

Mahomes practicing on a limited basis and taking all of the repetitions in practice is certainly a good sign, even if today’s practice was one of the lighter days of the week. We’ll likely find out more about how Mahomes has progressed in the next few days.

“He’s done well up to this point,” Reid added. “Today was limited work and no-contact, I think, was the schedule for today. That’s kind of what we’re doing on Wednesday’s so it sort of fits in with that.”

Reid did also clarify that starting CB Bashaud Breeland, who also entered the concussion protocol in Sunday’s win over the Browns, is also working through the concussion protocol. He likely will be listed as a limited participant as well.

All-in-all, this seems to be good news for the Chiefs. They’re trending toward healthy, which they couldn’t exactly say at this time last week.

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Andy Reid: Patrick Mahomes ‘feels good,’ remains in concussion protocol

Patrick Mahomes had some work during the Chiefs’ practice on Wednesday

The Kansas City Chiefs had some good news at practice on Wednesday. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes took all the snaps as the team began preparations for its AFC Championship Game on Sunday with the Buffalo Bills.

Mahomes is recovering from a concussion suffered in the Divisional round game against the Cleveland Browns

The head coach said Thursday is the big day to determine whether his Super Bowl MVP quarterback has taken enough steps toward being ready to face the Bills.

 

 

7 storylines to watch for during Bills at Chiefs

Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs storylines to watch for during lead up to the 2020 AFC Championship Game.

The storylines… let’s start here because you’ll hear this one a lot, but you have to agree… it’s pretty unbelievable. The Buffalo Bills are one game away from the Super Bowl.

But aside that, it’s still a usually work week and it’s now Wednesday, so the Bills are turning their attention to their next opponent.

After taking home victories to start the postseason vs. the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, the last step between the Big Game and Buffalo is a meeting in Kansas City against the Chiefs (14-2) in the AFC Championship Game.

As we now look to the weekend ahead, here are seven Bills-Chiefs storylines to follow as it unfolds:

Andy Reid will continue to use Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in the run game

Prepare yourself for this, Chiefs fans.

The status of Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is still in question for the AFC Championship Game as he remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

If Mahomes is cleared in time for the AFC title game, we could see him running similar plays to the one he was injured on. If it was left up to a popular vote, fans would have Chiefs HC Andy Reid tear the page out of the playbook with designed running plays for Mahomes. However, Reid revealed on Monday that his thinking surrounding the risk and reward of using his quarterback in the run game won’t change.

“Yeah, I mean it does happen,” Reid explained. “Listen it happens; it just hasn’t happened much to him over time here so that will still be part of the game depending on what the play is as we go down the road. Let’s just see how things work out this week for him. Just see how it works.”

It might appear a bit hypocritical on the part of Reid to say this too. He’s basically eliminated the QB sneak from the Chiefs’ offense since 2019 when Mahomes suffered a freak kneecap dislocation injury against the Denver Broncos.

Specifically, with the speed option plays that Reid called against the Cleveland Browns, they allow him to protect himself from injury a bit more.

“Yeah, so it gets you a little bit more out in the space,” Reid said. “The ones that we use here as opposed to going up the middle. Just stating the obvious, but yes.”

That, of course, didn’t happen in the divisional round of the playoffs for the Chiefs. There will always be some level of risk associated no matter the type of run.

Knowing the type of competitor that Mahomes is, you can expect him to echo his head coach when he’s finally permitted to speak to the media. He’ll want to call his number and carry the ball so long as it puts the Chiefs in the best position to win games.

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Anatomy of a Super Bowl Berth: Why the Chiefs’ defense has a need for (L’Jarius) Sneed

When the Bills take the field against the Chiefs this Sunday, Josh Allen had better watch out for Chiefs rookie cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.

“With Sneed, there are so many times that you see it, whether it’s on his 2018 tape when he gets a good jam in and works right around to the catch point on a slant or on his 2019 tape when he flips his hips and skies for a pick on a full sprint. There is high-level NFL talent with Sneed, but whether it’s because he could get away with it at his competition level or because he never quite mastered either position, we don’t see it regularly. Too often he gets lazy with his technique and resorts to playing catch up. The good news is that he has all the traits to catch up and can do so in a hurry. Maybe NFL coaching will unlock the secret.”

That’s what Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner wrote about Louisiana Tech defensive back L’Jarius Sneed, who switched to “safety” after three years as an outside cornerback, in PFF’s 2020 Draft Guide. In 2019, Sneed played 354 snaps at free safety, 348 snaps at slot defender, 138 snaps in the box, nine snaps at outside cornerback, and seven snaps on the defensive line. No matter where he lined up, Sneed allowed a passer rating of 45.2, giving up 22 receptions on 46 targets with three interceptions.

After a scouting combine in which he finished in the 93th percentile or higher in the 40-yard dash (4.37 seconds), the broad jump (131 inches), and the vertical jump (41 inches), Sneed had to wait until the 138th overall pick in the fourth round to find his NFL home. That his NFL home is in Kansas City turned out to be the ideal scenario.

“L’Jarius Sneed, I was very impressed with his tape with regards to all of the things that he did,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of his rookie back in May. “He played corner and he’s a big corner, he played some nickel, he covered the slot receivers and they actually played him at safety. I thought he did really good at all of them. We see him as a corner right now and we’ll see where that progresses to. I think anybody that can come in with that kind of flexibility is a good thing.”

The progression didn’t take long. In his rookie season, which was capped at nine games and six starts in the regular season due to injury (Weeks 4-10), Sneed played well as multiple positions as an aggressive defender — two things required of any player in Spagnuolo’s defense, especially in Spagnuolo’s secondary.

Sneed started his rookie season filling in for suspended cornerback Bashaud Breeland, and it took no time at all for him to stand out.

Unfortunately, a broken clavicle cost Sneed the next seven games, but he returned in Week 11 ready to roll with different responsibilities. He played outside cornerback on 138 snaps in his first three games, per Pro Football Focus, and 26 snaps thereafter. Before his injury, Sneed played six snaps in the slot, and 195 since his return. Either way, no problem. This season, Sneed has allowed 32 catches on 50 targets for 252 yards, 132 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 58.1 — by far the best among rookie cornerbacks who played at least 20% of their teams’ defensive snaps. Darnay Holmes of the Giants finished second in opponent passer rating at 91.2.

“Both his position coaches and then Spags [Spagnuolo] and [general manager] Brett [Veach] were real high on him, so we kind of did the waiting game,” head coach Andy Reid said of Sneed on December 21. “Brett did what he does —I mean, he’s got a real knack for knowing where and when guys are potentially going to be picked, so we waited a little bit there and it worked out for us.

“But the guys, everybody saw this talent in the kid and thought that he could work in. Now, what we didn’t think was that he would be playing nickel for us. That’s a tough spot, that’s way different than the corner spot. So, when he came back from the injury, we moved him back into the inside position and there’s a whole lot of learning going on there, and what you’re seeing now is him getting the hang of this and things are picking up again for him. He did a nice job when 21 [Breeland] was out for those couple games there that he stepped in and did a good job at corner. But again, this whole nickel thing, that’s a different animal, so he’s been in there and he’s just kind of getting the feel. I mean, again, we’re all witnessing it right here in front of us, but he did a nice job yesterday.”

On/Off reports are always tricky to extrapolate because football is a team game, but there’s little question that Kansas City’s secondary is better when Sneed is a part of it. Per Sports Info Solutions, he’s been on the field for 240 of Kansas City’s defensive snaps against the pass, and off the field for 368. When he’s on the field, the Chiefs allow a completion rate of 65.5, as opposed to 60.6% when he’s part of the defense. That’s not just on Sneed — his return and adaptation to slot defender allowed Tyrann Mathieu to play far more free safety and moveable chess piece, which is always a good thing.

Sneed’s ball skills from the slot were readily apparent in this Week 15 interception of Drew Brees — this is the “nice job” Reid was talking about. Watch how Sneed (No. 38) forces receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey to fight for an opening right off the line of scrimmage, and how he jumps the route when the ball is coming. This ball is more Sneed’s than Humphrey’s from the start.

Sneed has also become a great blitzer in Kansas City’s sub-packages. He’s able to show coverage and bring pressure with a smoothness you don’t expect from a rookie. Ask Baker Mayfield about that from the Chiefs’ divisional round win over the Browns. Mayfield is reading the middle of the field, expects Sneed to carry tight Austin Hooper, and he never sees Sneed coming until the play is over.

Sneed has a sack in each of his last three games — Week 15 against the Saints, Week 16 against the Falcons, and that one.

Sneed was out for the Chiefs’ 26-17 Week 6 win over the Bills, but you can be sure that Josh Allen will watching for Sneed when the AFC Championship game kicks off this Sunday.

L’Jarius Sneed’s days under the radar are officially over.

Bills Championship matchup: Everything to know about the Chiefs

Everything to know about Buffalo Bills’ upcoming opponent in AFC Championship Game in the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Buffalo Bills can see it now and there’s one team that’s in their way: The Kansas City Chiefs.

One step away from advancing to their first Super Bowl since their streak of four straight, the Bills have a big task ahead. In potentially advancing to the final game played in the NFL this season, Buffalo (13-3) will have to beat the team that won that exact game just a year ago.

But the Chiefs (14-2) have a distinct difference about them as opposed to Buffalo’s first two opponents in the postseason. The Bills already played the Chiefs just this season,

Still, a lot has changed for both since then, so let’s do an early-week deep dive on the Bills’ upcoming opponent now. Here’s everything to know about Kansas City ahead of the AFC Championship Game: