Travis Kelce's brother steps to defend Andy Reid amid calls for Chiefs' coach to quit
Ex-Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has defended Andy Reid after the Kansas City Chiefs coach faced calls to resign. His defense comes after the Chiefs' 40-22 Super Bowl LIX defeat at the hands of the Eagles.
Reid, 66, came under a lot of fire when his team had just 23 yards of total offense in the first half. The Eagles' defense controlled the game, with two Patrick Mahomes interceptions that led to 14 points.
On a Friday appearance on "The Steam Room," Kelce spoke on the offensive issues. He identified how the Eagles' pass rush disrupted the Chiefs' overall game plan:
"I don't know that Andy could have done much, to be honest with you," Kelce said (Timestamp: 19:37). "I think that was a team that very evidently needs to improve that position this offseason. It hurt them all season long, and it ended up hurting them really bad in the Super Bowl."
Andy Reid accepted the poor performance of the team after the game:
"Today was a rough day," Reid said. "We didn't really play well in any of the phases. I didn't coach good enough."
Jason Kelce analyses Andy Reid's Chiefs' Super Bowl loss
Jason Kelce explained how the pressure influenced the whole Kansas City Chiefs offense:
"Pat started getting happy feet because he felt that pressure," Kelce said. "They tried the screen to Trav; the guy got on Pat too quick, and he couldn't get it off."
Fox Sports radio personality Rob Parker ignited controversy on Feb. 13 when he said Reid should retire. Parker condemned Andy Reid's game plan and referred to "two years of disappointing regular seasons."
The Chiefs were behind 34-0 before they reached midfield in the third quarter. Although they made the final score respectable, the Eagles' defensive line dominated the game all day.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt quickly refuted retirement speculation:
"I know how much fun Andy's having. He's rejuvenated by the team's success," Hunt said. "He's matched with the perfect quarterback in Patrick Mahomes."
The press will see Reid and general manager Brett Veach together next Tuesday at the NFL Combine. The duo's consecutive 15-minute appearances should reveal their plans for improving offense.
The Combine sightings will probably address negotiations with top free agents Trey Smith, Justin Reid and Nick Bolton. Kansas City fans also hope for news on possible premature contract extensions for Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis.