Andy Reid Is Glad to Be Rid of You Too, Philadelphia


We won’t spend the whole season checking in with departed Eagles coach Andy Reid as he settles in in Kansas City, but we can’t help but notice the theme to this ESPN.com profile of Reid today:

Andy Reid can breathe again.

It isn’t so obvious to Reid — how his sense of humor is coming through in his coaching of theKansas City Chiefs, how his new players are connecting with him in a way maybe his last fewPhiladelphia Eagles teams could not. Reid is more involved. That is a conscious decision. He is back scheming with his assistants, back installing his offense the way he did when he became a head coach in 1999. He’s no longer in charge of personnel. He has gone back to his roots, to what he loves, to what made him successful.

For those who have been with him throughout his career as a head coach, the change in Reid in the past seven months is striking.

“I’ve seen life back in him,” said Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson, who played and coached under Reid with the Eagles.

“He’s got so much energy. It’s scary,” said Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder, who was the Eagles’ trainer throughout Reid’s 14-season tenure in Philadelphia.

“I just see a rejuvenated guy, you know?” said assistant head coach David Culley, who served as a Philadelphia assistant during Reid’s entire tenure there. “And it’s good to see, especially with all the things that happened in the last year.”

In other words, now that he’s out of Philly, he feels like he can … do his job again? OK.

“I think, sometimes, change is good,” Reid told ESPN. “I think it’ll be great for Philadelphia. I think it’ll be good for the Chiefs. Personally, I feel good. I’m enjoying this. It’s good to be challenged. When you’re someplace a long time, you know the routine, and sometimes getting out of that routine can be good. Brings a little energy, maybe.” Maybe!