The Philadelphia Eagles no longer have to hear another one of Andy Reid’s press conferences. Anti-Reid Eagles fans must be relieved for that, given his lack of openness and the way he took responsibility for losses without then actually changing anything. But since he hasn’t coached a game for the Kansas City Chiefs yet, his introductory press conference didn’t have those Reid trademarks.
Reid was officially announced as the Chiefs head coach on Jan. 7, a week after the Eagles let him go. He didn’t have a goodbye press conference in Philadelphia and hadn’t spoken in depth since his last game, but he finally got to talk about both the Chiefs and Eagles a week later.
Reid credited Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt for being the first to call him and set up an interview after the Eagles fired him. That meeting turned into a nine-hour marathon two days later, which ultimately lured Reid to Kansas City.
He also took a conference call to talk about his time in Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Zach Berman. Reid wanted to “take a step back” before discussing the Eagles, whom he had “nothing but good things” to say about despite how everything ended.
Despite their 4-12 record in 2012 and an uncertain future at head coach and quarterback, Reid still claimed that the Eagles are in a “better place now” than when he took over. Indeed, when the Eagles hired Reid in 1999, they didn’t have five NFC championship game appearances and one Super Bowl berth in the previous 14 years.
But those winning days are fading further and further away in Philadelphia, which is still looking for a new head coach to bring them back. Meanwhile, Reid already has a new job, albeit one with many potholes of its own.
Reid said he had already started to “dig in” on a Chiefs roster that went 2-14 in 2012. He is also expected to bring in some of his old Eagles assistant coaches, yet claimed he would leave the decision for a new general manager up to Hunt. Still, top candidates Tom Heckert and John Dorsey have a history with Reid that gives them an edge.
Future Reid press conferences are bound to frustrate the Kansas City faithful, especially if the Chiefs don’t win. But for now, the ghosts of Reid, the Chiefs and the Eagles’ pasts are taking a breather.
Comments