Arrowhead Pride
With the Kansas City Chiefs reaching Super Bowl LIX, head coach Andy Reid appeared on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, discussing a range of topics.
Asked about what makes quarterback Patrick Mahomes special, Reid highlighted his off-field demeanor.
“He’s a great kid,” started Reid. “He grew up in a locker room. He’s humble. What a phenomenal teammate. He’s always complimenting his guys. He kinda knows when to pull on them and when to back off and compliment. He’s just got a good way about him, and he’s smart on top of all that and is a very hard worker.”
Reid noted that one player especially benefiting from Mahomes’ leadership is rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who led the Chiefs with six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown in the AFC Championship. Reid added that the rookie has been aided by the guidance of his offensive coordinator.
“Matt Nagy does a good job with that,” said Reid. “He puts them in a lot of different positions, where he can operate. The kid is willing to do it. I would tell you that having Hollywood [Brown] here has really helped that part. Hollywood wants to play every down; he wants to play every spot. He’s a smaller guy, so he fits in there and in kind of the same body type and, likewise with DeSean Jackson, I was lucky to have DeSean, and we put him everywhere, and he was an every-down guy, and that’s what Worthy wants to be, and he’s willing to work at it.”
Comparing both Worthy and Brown to Jackson is high praise, and it is worth wondering if the Chiefs will try to retain Brown after this season. Both players are expected to be heavily involved in the Super Bowl game plan, which tends to always feature a play call crafted by the players themselves.
“That’s the fun part,” noted Reid. “I’ve got these coaches here that have creative minds, and they love doing it. We get the players involved, too. It doesn’t matter if it’s a lineman or a quarterback, whoever, if they’ve got something good, let’s put it out on the table and see what you got. I’ve got 51% of the vote, but still, I’m open-minded with it.”
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been in the spotlight this week, particularly stemming from his call to get Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen off the field in the key fourth-quarter fourth-and-5 try.
Reid said he and Spagnuolo go way back, further than most fans realize.
“Spags and I have been around each other for 40 years,” explained Reid. “People probably don’t know that, but all the way back to when we were college coaches, and so, I kind of know exactly what he’s thinking, at what time of the game, and I have full trust in him and whatever he likes in those situations, he dials up and goes. I’m not a restrictor...
