The mustache has landed. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt introduced new head coach Andy Reid to the local and national media on Monday during a press conference at Arrowhead Stadium. Hunt explained that when he began looking to replace fired former coach Romeo Crennel, he was looking for somebody who had already built a successful NFL program and somebody who had integrity along with "football IQ."
"What I didn't know when I laid out those criteria last week is that I was effectively describing Andy Reid," Hunt said.
He added, "He is warm and engaging and down-to-earth, and we hit it off right away." When Reid spoke, he backed up his new boss, saying that when the two met, he was expecting it to last for three hours. Instead, they talked for nine hours, and Reid said they could have talked even longer.
"I crossed my fingers that I'd be offered the job," Reid said. Hunt added that he had scheduled interviews with more candidates but canceled them after meeting with Reid.
With the niceties out of the way, Reid was peppered with questions about the upcoming draft (the Chiefs have the No. 1 pick) and the plans for what to do at quarterback.
Reid said several times that he is ready to "dig in" and start to figure out what to do with the 2-14 team that matched its worst season ever this year. As for the quarterback decision, Reid said he was going to "study the heck out of" his options.
As for the draft, Reid was a little coy. He didn't reveal much of his strategy other than to say he wasn't necessarily going to draft a quarterback. He made a few reporters murmur with one comment about the team having the coveted pick.
"We've been blessed with the No. 1 pick," Reid said. Fans would likely never use a word like "blessed" to describe the hell of the 2012 season, which included an anemic offense, a quarterback controversy, fans wearing grocery bags on their heads, and Jovan Belcher's murder of his girlfriend and suicide.
Hunt touched on the awful season as well, saying he's happy that it's over. "It was a very hard year for all of us," he said. "I'm glad that 2012 is in the rearview mirror."
A couple of reporters from Philadelphia asked Reid questions about how he left things with the city he coached in for 14 years. He was fired immediately following the season and didn't wait to start looking for a new job. Asked why he didn't say anything to fans about leaving the team, he was unapologetic. When asked if he had a biggest regret about his time in Philadelphia, Reid responded, "I don't."
He added that he doesn't feel any animosity toward the Eagles' owners or fans. "Sometimes change is good. It's going to be tremendous for the Philadelphia Eagles," Reid said. "On the other hand, I think it's going to be tremendous for the Kansas City Chiefs."
He also said he never considered taking time off from the game. "I'm ready to go. This is what I do," he said.
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