Since Andy Reid has taken over as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs have dominated the AFC West for a majority of his tenure and caused many coaches in the division to be fired as a result. Because of that, Reid has been given a nickname by one league executive.
“That’s why I call him pink-slip Andy,” a league source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He fires [opposing] coaches. So it reached a point where something had to get done.”
Kansas City has won eight straight division titles and has seen 15 different head coaches hired among its division rivals — the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers — since Reid took over as the head coach of the Chiefs in 2013, per ESPN.
Simply put, Big Red has the rest of the AFC West scrambling to find the formula to consistently beat an all-time great head coach, quarterback, and defensive coordinator in Kansas City. But none of those teams have yet to concoct that formula, as the two-time defending Super Bowl champions are 7-0 this season and have their eyes set on a third-straight championship.
Andy Reid Evaluates DeAndre Hopkins’ Chiefs Debut
Veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the Chiefs on October 22, made his Chiefs debut in Week 8 and recorded two catches for 29 yards on 23 total snaps played against the Raiders.
Speaking to the media on Monday, October 28, Reid gave his evaluation of Hopkins after re-watching the game.
“I thought he (DeAndre Hopkins) looked good out there — did a nice job,” Reid said. “He did a nice job in the run game, did a nice job in the pass game, had the big third down catch right off the bench and did well with that. He’s a good football player. Being able to fit in more will even be better, I think, as we go forward here. He was chomping at the bit on the sideline wanting to play and at the same time, knowing that he didn’t have all of it down so there was a patience there, but he was into the game and I think you’ll be able to see more this next game.”
Long Drive Drills Paid Off in Week 8
In the win over Las Vegas, the Chiefs offense had two separate drives — one in each half — that lasted over eight minutes a piece. Those drives allowed Kansas City’s defense to get some extra rest on a day in which the Raiders offense found plenty of success in the passing game.
Reid was asked about the importance of doing long drive drills during training camp, and how it leads to productivity during the regular season.
“It’s a good foundation builder I think that you can kind of bank on,” Reid said. “You’ve gone into that dark area within yourself on those long drive drills and so when you’re in a game now and you’re going — you know you can go there and you know you can function at a high level. I think it builds a confidence in the guys once you get into the season.”
