Tag: Andy Reid

Chiefs HC Andy Reid plans to use Super Bowl ring to secure free cheeseburgers

Andy Reid won’t just break out the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV ring for special occasions.

The Kansas City Chiefs have teased the arrival of their Super Bowl rings for the past two days.

During Andy Reid’s media availability this afternoon, Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney asked Reid about what he plans to do with his ring once he gets it. His response was about the most on-brand thing you’ll ever hear from Coach Reid.

“You wear it for special occasions or if you want a free cheeseburger, you just point right there,” Reid said. “Show them that ring and you might get one.”

This is your warning to be on the lookout if you’re a Kansas City restaurant owner. Reid is coming with his Super Bowl ring and he’s on a mission to secure some free cheeseburgers. He just might get a few too, given how beloved he is for the success he’s helped bring to the team.

The Chiefs are expected to hand out and reveal the rings during an event at some point today, presumably following today’s practice. The team recently teased the design of the individually-packaged ring boxes for each player on Twitter.

Reid is one of the few people who has already got a glimpse at the design and he’s really excited to get a chance to see it in person.

“I’ve had a little bit of a sneak peek at a picture of one,” Reid said. “So I kind of know what it looks like on a piece of paper. But I look forward to seeing it, just like we’re all looking forward to seeing it. There’s been such hard work that has gone into it. Clark Hunt, Tavia Hunt — the Hunt family has gone above and beyond with this. Mark Donovan, organizing this whole thing for the players in a crazy situation, has done phenomenal. And his crew, they’ve all done a great job. We’re all looking forward to this event, yeah.”

The arrival of the Super Bowl rings will be an unforgettable moment for everyone involved in the organization. That piece of bling is part of what so many people worked tirelessly to achieve last year. It’s a reminder of all the hard work put in to achieve the franchises first Super Bowl win in 50 years.  It’ll also provide a great way to motivate the team ahead of a brand new season as they hope to repeat as champions.

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Report: Chiefs finalizing six-year contract extensions with Andy Reid, Brett Veach

The architects behind the Kansas City Chiefs’ championship season are getting new contract extensions with the team.

The Kansas City Chiefs are locking up the architects behind their championship-winning season, HC Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach, for the long haul.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Chiefs are finalizing six-year contract extensions with both Reid and Veach, tying them to the team through the 2025 NFL season. Both were approaching the end of their contracts with the team and now they’ll be rewarded for their recent success.

Reid first arrived as head coach of the Chiefs in 2013. He’s coached the team to 77 wins and 35 losses during the regular season in that span. He’s won five playoff games, including Super Bowl LIV. Veach took over as general manager ahead of the 2017 season after serving as the co-director of player personnel for the team. He’s the man credited with bringing Patrick Mahomes to the Chiefs and constructing the roster that won this franchise their first championship in 50 seasons.

Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt hinted that this might be coming during his press conference during the final day of training camp.

“Well, we’re very lucky to have Brett as part of our organization,” Hunt said. “You’re exactly right, he’s done an amazing job over last three years of taking a really good roster and turning it into a championship roster and I think it’s a roster now that’s going to have a chance for multiple years to be a contender for the Super Bowl. He’s done an outstanding job. He works extremely well with Coach (Andy) Reid, he also has a great rapport with our players, so he’s somebody that we want here for the long term. We tend to not talk about contract extensions until they’re done, but just to suffice it, I’d say that we’re fortunate to have Brett here and hope he’s here a very long time.”

The plan is to keep this team together, top to bottom, for a very long time. It provides the type of long-term stability that could have this team competing at the highest level for years to come.

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Patrick Mahomes thrilled as Andy Reid, Brett Veach get 6-year contracts

Coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach of the Kansas City Chiefs are nearing six-year contracts, each.

The Kansas City Chiefs are making sure every vital cog in their machine stays put.

The Super Bowl champs signed Patrick Mahomes, the game MVP, and defensive star Chris Jones in the offseason to massive deals.

Now, Monday, comes a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that brass is getting in on the action. Head coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach are closing in on six-year contracts, each.

That’s a long time for a young team with the makings of a dynasty on its roster and organization.

Mahomes was quick to praise the decisions.

 

Chiefs HC Andy Reid pleased with unconventional 2020 training camp

2020 presented a lot of challenges for NFL training camp. Now that it’s over, how does Andy Reid feel Chiefs camp went?

NFL training camps were faced with multiple challenges in 2020 but with camps starting to wrap up the question is how well did they go? The Kansas City Chiefs will be transitioning away from the training camp schedule to a regular daily practice schedule after completing their final practice on Saturday.

“Today’s kind of really the last official day of training camp for us, we’ll start regular practices here next week as far as the schedule goes,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said. “So, I thought it went smoothly. We had a good plan for it, and we were able to get the stuff in that we needed on both sides of the ball and special teams, so I came out of it feeling pretty good. We’re relatively healthy and we’ll be ready to go.”

A lot of people working together were necessary to pull off training camp all across the league. Protocols and safety measures were put in place in order to keep players, coaches, and personnel safe. Reid praised the collaborative effort that it took from everyone to make training camp go without a hitch.

“Well, there was some responsibility that took place with the players taking care of themselves and the coaches taking care of themselves, just physically with the virus surrounding the different areas,” Reid said. “So, we were able to work our way through it and I thought we got things accomplished. And the guys stayed focused on the job at hand. So, I was proud of it and proud of the guys for the way all of us handled it.

“The organization, the plan that they had—Rick Burkholder, Mark Donovan, Mitch Reynolds and Kirsten (Krug) was involved with it—these people gave up their summers to make sure that we could pull this off safely—Rocco (Mazzella), who’s in charge of our facility here and his crew. It’s important though that we don’t pull the pedal off the gas here, that we continue on in all the directions that have been presented this camp and that we continue to focus on all the things we need to do, not only to play the Texans but also going forward, obviously with the racial situations.”

With training camp now in the rearview mirror, the emphasis for Kansas City moves to the regular season, defending their Lombardi Trophy and pursuing a brand new one. Like training camp, the upcoming season will be unconventional in many ways. It too will require a collaborative effort so that the team may successfully and safely navigate the various challenges they face.

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Chiefs training camp is a testing ground for creative minds of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid

The work done at Chiefs training camp is where the magic begins for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

The amazing plays that Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid draws up and the equally amazing execution from QB Patrick Mahomes all starts at training camp. It’s a collaborative effort between Reid and Mahomes that makes this offense function like a well-oiled machine. Their relationship and trust has grown over the last several years, developing into an open line of communication between the two and leading to some exciting play on the football field.

“With Pat, he’s always wanted to learn and then he also has ideas,” Reid explained. “I try to keep the communication line open with him and he does the same thing from his end, along with the other quarterbacks. That’s a healthy room right there where it’s just a good learning center for those guys. There’s experience, there’s youth in there, there’s college coming into the league and things that they’ve run before either at the college level or potentially with other teams. Then, the coaches are good. Again, we try to keep open communication all the way along and I’ve tried to do that with Patrick the best I can.”

Both Reid and Mahomes thrive on innovation. They like doing things that haven’t been done before or going back and taking a concept and making it their own. Training camp is where it all begins, where the two can test the limits of their own creativity.

“With Patrick,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach recently told Peter King, “Coach knows his mind can be creative with no limitations. He’s got a blank canvas and he can draw anything up because his quarterback can execute anything.”

Reid also has an army at his disposal when it comes to creating unique and successful plays. He trusts each of his coaches to provide insight when it comes to play design. That’s how he has come up with unique plays in the past like “Shift to Rose Bowl Right Parade” and “Bloated Tebow Pass.”

“I’m blessed to have the guys around me that I do coaching-wise, starting with Eric Bieniemy and Greg Lewis and Mike Kafka, Joe Bleymaier, Tom Melvin, Corey Matthaei, all of these guys,” Reid said. “The thing that gets neglected is the creativity in the run game that we have with Corey and Andy Heck working this thing. It’s phenomenal. And then you put Deland (McCullough) in the mix here working guys out of the backfield and being able to come up with new things there. Everybody has an input, and it’s unique that way. So, I’m just happy to be a part of that and the energy is great, and I like that. I like creativity and I like energy and you put those two together and normally you can come up with some pretty good stuff.”

Mahomes doesn’t just try anything he wants in practice haphazardly. He won’t just randomly toss in a behind-the-back pass or change up a play without telling coach. Everything he does is purposeful. He wants to test his limits and push the boundaries of what he can and can’t do each and every season. You can’t push those boundaries without having some failure during the course of practice.

 “It’s not necessarily free reign to try everything that I want but we do discuss things,” Mahomes explained. “We try things. If I do something one way, Coach Kafka, Coach Bieniemy, and Coach Reid ask me why I did that or if I want to try it this way and do different things. I think it’s just more of a focus on me trying what is out there and going for the shot play maybe when it’s a little contested. If we have success with it, then we can take it to the season and if we don’t, we can learn from it and move on to the next progression.”

When Mahomes first became the starter in Kansas City, there was mass hysteria over the interceptions he threw at training camp. He’d go on to be the most prolific passer in the NFL that season, throwing for over 5,000 yards, 50 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.

Reid has dealt with this training camp interception criticism before, even prior to Patrick Mahomes’ tenure in Kansas City. He pushes his quarterbacks to let it fly in practice because he’s confident that he can coach them up if something goes wrong. There’s a difference between the interceptions that happen in his practices and the ones that happen elsewhere.

“No, I did the same thing with Alex (Smith),” Reid said. “I just said, ‘Hey, try it now.’ We’re going to ask a few different things of you—there are some things that even in Alex’s long career that he had before he got here—there might be some things you haven’t tried before, so let’s see what you can get away with. And Alex was great with it. I mentioned it I believe during training camp up at St. Joe that when I first got here I was asked about interceptions—there are ones where guys are working on it and then there are ones where guys scramble around and they just throw it up, sloppy interceptions. The other ones you can judge and see that they’re trying to work and see what they can get away with in the play. I think that’s so important. And Mike Holmgren, if I got it from somebody, that’s where I got it from.”

Training camp serves a number of different purposes, from conditioning to player evaluation. But for Reid and Mahomes, training camp is a testing ground to figure out which innovative plays will work, and the ones that won’t work, for the upcoming season.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid comments on police shooting of Jacob Blake

Reid’s opening statement in his Wednesday press conference was largely devoted to addressing the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid opened his Wednesday press conference addressing the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Reid’s statement comes just days after a video surfaced showing Blake, a black man, being shot multiple times in the back at point-blank range by police.

“Listen, I’m just going to put in my 10 cents on the Jacob [Blake] situation,” Reid began. “I think you guys know, I’m into team. I’m into peace and people getting along. Right or wrong, we all need to join hands, man, here and make this world a place where we can go into each other’s neighborhoods and be comfortable, and that we appreciate life and how important it is. How hard it is to create life, something that really none of us are capable of doing in a test tube. It’s a precious thing, man. It’s complicated, it is precious.

“We need to, at this time, everybody needs to come together and join hands, like I said, and love each other for what we are, and the privilege that we have in this short period of time that we are on earth, as opposed to walking in fear, to walk with strength and pride and make this country the greatest place ever along with the world. We do that, and we’ll be a great example to the world. But my hear goes out to Jacob and his family and that situation. I don’t know the whole story, but I hate seeing the way things are going right now. We’re better than that, absolutely better than. Like I said, we respect each other and we’re going to be in a great, great place.”

Reid always has a way with words when it comes to uniting his team in a common goal, toward love and acceptance. He spoke on George Floyd and showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement earlier this offseason. His players appreciate how genuine and candid he is when these issues arise.

Reid says the team spoke didn’t opt to go the route of the Detroit Lions, who canceled practice in the wake of the shooting.

“One of the great advantages I’ve got here is that I’ve got a great locker room that communicates,” Reid said. “I’m able to talk to the guys and get a feel for the guys. There’s obviously a concern, but not to where we feel like we needed to do that. We were able to go forward on this. We also understand where things need to go and where we all need to work forward on this. Again, I think with that, we’ve got great people in this country and we need to bring that part out in us as opposed to the negative and get ourselves right.”

Reid doesn’t just speak to his team either, he listens to their concerns and takes input on what the team can do to impact change.

“I listen, that’s what I do,” Reid said. “I try to do the same thing with my kids and people that I come in contact with. It’s no different. I mean, you can learn from everybody. There are concerns right now. They’re being addressed. Change is always a little uncomfortable for people. In our business, we have a lot of change and it’s constantly happening. You’ve got to listen, you’ve got to sit and make sure you keep open communication with it. I’m lucky to have a locker room that does that and players that talk about it and guys that listen to each other. If we can just put color aside and enjoy people’s culture, man. We all come from different places, we’re all wired a little different. If we can just bring it together and enjoy each other and what we’re all about, as opposed to the negative, let’s just throw that thing right out the window and get this thing right.”

This occurrence serves as a reminder that there’s still more work to be done in the fight against racial injustice. The action by NFL players prompted in wake of the death of George Floyd was only the beginning. Players will continue to use their platforms to push for social change and justice amid the ongoing wave of police violence against Black men and women in this country.

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Chiefs’ HC Andy Reid says Ron Rivera will attack cancer with ‘grit and toughness’

A long relationship has tied Reid with Rivera, and the Chiefs’ HC has confidence that Rivera will be able to face cancer head-on.

News of Washington head coach Ron Rivera’s cancer diagnosis spread quickly across the NFL world, with many players and coaches who know him well sending their well-wishes and love to the beloved head man, many of whom stated something along the lines of “cancer doesn’t stand a chance against Rivera.”

One of the people to mirror that message was Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid, who had Rivera coaching under him for a bit in Philadelphia. Reid was asked about Rivera’s situation after practice recently, and his words were extremely encouraging. Here is the interaction, with the question asked by KC Star reporter Herbie Teope:

Q: You have a tight relationship with your former assistants, and two nights ago, Washington Head Coach Ron Rivera announced that he has cancer. What was your reaction when you heard the news, and have you had an opportunity to offer him words of encouragement?
REID: Well, I did. Ron lost a brother to cancer, so this is something he dealt with. He watched his brother with it, he understands the importance of getting it taken care of and he’ll attack it. He’s a linebacker and once a linebacker, always a linebacker. So, he’s got that grit and toughness and he’ll need that as he goes forward. But he’s in the right frame of mind. He’s a positive guy and he’s staying positive with this. But at the same time, he knows he has to bear down on it, and that’s what he’ll do.”

Watching as Rivera has dealt with the early reactions of a lymph node cancer diagnosis has been encouraging, and he’s continually said that he wants things to remain ‘business as usual’ going forward, with a backup plan that DC Jack Del Rio will step in as HC should Rivera need to miss some time for treatment. The form of cancer is reportedly very treatable and curable, and Rivera will do everything needed in order to take care of it. Judging by the comments from coaches around the league, he will be able to use it as motivation for not only him, but the rest of his team to get better as well.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid sees LSU brotherhood driving competition in training camp

Mississippi State, LSU, Michigan, Clemson, Vanderbilt — sharing an alma mater is driving competition in Chiefs training camp according to Andy Reid.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a number of players on their team who all played for the same college.

While Mississippi State leads the way with five players on the 80-man roster, Chiefs HC Andy Reid likes to give the players from Michigan and LSU a hard time. He specifically points to the three players from LSU — Tyrann Mathieu, Darrel Williams and rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire — and the rich tradition of football excellence. That tradition has spilled out onto the practice field at training camp and motivates the players to compete.

“I joke to the Michigan guys and the LSU guys, we’ve got a whole lot of both, and LSU, from the Badger (Tyrann Mathieu) to the two running backs, we’ve got a good amount of players from there,” Reid told reporters on Sunday. “But it’s great football tradition that they’re bringing in, and they’re like family. If you play at LSU, there’s a certain fraternity and pride that goes with that that you become a part of.”

Edwards-Helaire, in particular, feels prided by the fact LSU helped prepare for the tempo of Reid’s practices and the competition level in the NFL. 

“Leaving LSU, having three-hour practices and just the whole tempo of everything,” Edwards-Helaire said. “Freshman year, having NFL caliber players across from me on the defensive side of the ball, where everything is pretty much live, it tends to just be fast and that’s just what it is. As far as coming here, it was no real speed adjustment. The biggest adjustment is understanding what you have to do and how to fine-tune those details.”

LSU didn’t just prepare Edwards-Helaire for the NFL game, though. As Andy Reid notes, it left him as part of a brotherhood. He shares an unbreakable bond with one player, in particular. That plays is Chiefs veteran RB Darrel Williams.

“For me, the guy that I’ve always looked up to is Darrel [Williams],” Edwards-Helaire said. “He was in my room at LSU, and he’s also in the room with me now. He’s been on this offense. As far as anybody that I turn to, it’s always Darrel.”

That relationship has helped with Edwards-Helaire’s ability to pick up the playbook quickly in Kansas City, something Willams also helped him do as a freshman at LSU. It also drives some stiff competition between the two players, which is making them both better according to Coach Reid.

“Yes, Darrel helps him out,” Reid said. “They’ve got a good relationship and they push each other at the same time, which might be the most important thing.”

The Chiefs could be rolling out an All-LSU one-two punch at the running back position when the season opens this September. As training camp continues, these two running backs will be better for it because they share that common bond of being an LSU Tiger.

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Andy Reid trusts Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes to make unorthodox throws

Patrick Mahomes has gained a reputation for making miraculous but somewhat dangerous throws and Andy Reid doesn’t mind.

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The 2018 NFL MVP, Patrick Mahomes, has gained a reputation for making some miraculous yet somewhat dangerous throws. The no-look against the Ravens and the scrambling left-hander against the Broncos are the most notorious. There have been times when Mahomes’ unorthodox approach has cost the offense. For instance, in the 2019 season opener in Jacksonville, Mahomes overthrew a wide-open Travis Kelce in the end zone due to an attempted no-look.

How does the man in charge feel about Mahomes’ thrilling yet breath-holding throws? Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid recently touched on the subject at training camp.

“I have seen it and my advantage is I know where the guys are going and kind of what the secondary is doing, so I can normally tell when it leaves his hand whether it’s good or bad,” Reid stated. “I trust him because he has tremendous vision and he makes good decisions. So, he’s not going to do something to hurt the team like throw interceptions – that’s just not his deal. When he moves, he’s aware of what’s going on, what the situation is in the game, which all become important – down and distance and obviously field position.”

Reid is known for his creativity and imagination when it comes to his offensive playbook. This opens up a lot of opportunities for the Chiefs’ gunslinger but it doesn’t mean it takes any less effort and work.

“I’m not sure we have one play that has one option, so normally there’s three of them and any time there’s three, it obviously keeps pressure on the defense as long as you’re reading it the right way, and normally it’s good versus just about everything,” Reid said. “So, Pat has a good feel on that. He reads quickly and accurately.

“Listen, he’s blessed with great vision. That’s the thing I keep coming back to you with is he sees, and he has a mind that is decisive with decision making. For the young guys out there, kids that are trying to be quarterbacks, nobody works harder at it. Nobody studies more than he does. So, he’s blessed with this, but he also works tremendously hard at the job.”

Mahomes and Reid are at the top of the NFL mountain right now and they are preparing to be there for a while. As defending Super Bowl champions, the target on their backs is vivid. They’ll be receiving the absolute best shot from each team they face moving forward. Reid’s trust in his young quarterback speaks volumes to the relationship the two have already built. The most exciting thing for Chiefs fans but simultaneously the scariest thing for everyone else? Mahomes will only continue to get better.

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Eagles’ Doug Pederson lands in the top-2 of a ranking of every coach in the Andy Reid coaching tree

Eagles’ Doug Pederson lands in the top-2 of a ranking of every coach in the Andy Reid coaching tree

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Andy Reid turned an opportunity with the Eagles into one of the most successful coaching resumes you’ll find in all of the sports and he capped his career off with a Super Bowl win over the 49ers this past February.

Five of the top head coaches in the NFL currently have worked under Reid and that includes Doug Pederson, who played under Reid and then joined him Kansas City as an assistant coach.

Now the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Pederson is one of the top head coaches in the NFL and actually secured a Lombardi Trophy two seasons before Reid.

NBC Sports Philadelphia recently conducted a ranking of coaches who have worked under Reid and Pederson landed in the top-2 on the list behind the Ravens John Harbaugh.

2. Doug Pederson
With Eagles: Offensive quality control 2009-2010; Quarterbacks coach 2011-2012
Head coach of Eagles 2016-2020: 38-26, 4-2 playoffs, 1-0 Super Bowl

Accomplishments: Won Super Bowl in second season and has had Eagle in playoffs in each of last three seasons. Won NFC East in 2017 and 2019. His .594 career winning percentage is highest in franchise history, just ahead of Greasy Neale’s .590 and Reid’s .583.

Interesting Andy Reid connection: Pederson this year hired Marty Mornhinweg, who coached under Reid from 2003 to 2012 with the Eagles

Where is he now? Beginning 5th year as head coach of the Eagles.

Pederson landed ahead of Ron Rivera, Sean McDermott, and Brad Childress in the top-5. The bottom five of the list included Matt Nagy, Todd Bowles, Pat Shurmur, and Steve Spagnuolo.

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