Andy Reid didn’t spend this offseason pretending the criticism didn’t land. He heard it, and he answered it the only way a coach like him can: by changing the offense.
The Kansas City Chiefs were coming off a 6-11 season, and that kind of collapse naturally brings scrutiny, even for a coach with a Hall of Fame résumé and a long history of success. One offseason poll of defensive coaches clearly stuck with Reid. A defensive coordinator said the Chiefs offense had become “a litle predictable” and added, ““I don’t necessarily have the same ‘I’m staying up all night’ feel with him.”
Reid didn’t brush that off.
“It fired me up that we didn’t do well, and I’m not good with that,” Reid said. “I don’t like to lose, and I don’t like to not be productive.
That’s not how I roll. I want to make sure that gets changed around.”
That frustration has shown up in the details of camp. Kansas City brought in free agent running back Kenneth Walker III, and Patrick Mahomes is spending much more time under center.
Reid is also leaning harder into the screen game, a shift that could matter for Walker, who isn’t generally viewed as a strong receiver. Early on, Reid appears ready to test that label.
The adjustments didn’t begin this summer, either. Reid said the process started after Kansas City’s season-ending loss in January. Chiefs president Mark Donovan has said the talks about changing things began on the flight home, and Reid backed that up.
“I knew what needed to be done, so I started just going about it then,” he explained. “I’m not gonna say your mind wasn’t churning before that (flight), but you want to correct the wrong that took place.
That’s how we went about the offseason. That last game wasn’t pretty football.”
Reid also pointed to execution, saying it “didn’t think was at a high standard with what we had going, what we expect.” He reviewed the offensive scheme and likes what he’s seen from the offseason work so far.
“You can go back, and you can really analyze and hopefully make the changes you think need to be made. It’ll give you a chance to get on with this,” Reid said. “I love the attitude, the way the guys approached the offseason.”
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