Does Andy Reid not talk to Rookies? LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson reveal Chiefs HC's shocking coaching tactic
Andy Reid apparently does not like speaking to rookies, and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson can attest to that.
Almost a year ago, the former Eagles running back and return specialist revealed on I Am Athlete that the Chiefs HC never approaches rookies first. Instead, rookies have to prove that they deserve his attention:
LeSean: Andy Reid don't really talk to rookies. That's his rule. He don't talk to rookies. (to DeSean) Did he talk to you?
DeSean: Not really.
LeSean: He didn't say much to me. You gotta earn it.
DeSean: He love you to death. Father coach, loves his players, but you gotta earn it with him.
However, Reid knows an excellent rookie when he sees one. After the Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in last season's AFC Championship Game, he praised his rookie defensive backs Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, and Brian Cook, who stepped up in the injury absence of L'Jarius Sneed.
“It’s crazy how those things work, but the kids stepped up. They didn’t lose their confidence. I was optimistic, but you don’t know how the journey is going to go. Here we sit and they did a good job.”
Andy Reid had a bittersweet run with the Philadelphia Eagles
Before winning two Super Bowl titles with the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid was known as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Under his 14-year leadership, which began in 1999, the Eagles made five NFC Conference Championship games, the first four consecutively, but only won one of them in 2004, after which they lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Reid was fired after a calamitous 2012 in which the Eagles went 4-12, the worst record of his tenure. In fact, this was the first time he had failed to reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Nevertheless, Reid is still one of the most highly respected figures in Eagles history. Among the players who flourished during his tenure were McCoy and Jackson.
How did Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs fare in the 2023 NFL Draft?
The Chiefs, despite being the defending Super Bowl Champions, are not resting on their laurels. Already boasting the league’s best passer-catcher duo in Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, they have decided to focus on their defense.
With the very last pick of the first round, the Chiefs took Kansas State DT Felix Anudike-Uzomah. He and sixth-round selection Keondre Coburn joined a deep defensive line led by Pro Bowler Chris Jones.
Besides the two rookie DL’s, the Chiefs also went for LB BJ Thompson and DBs Chamarri Conner and Nic Jones. They add much-needed extra defense to a team that was in the middle of the pack in that category.