Kansas City Chiefs And Reid An Ideal Marriage
KANSAS CITY (CBS SPORTS) - Kansas City is the perfect landing spot for Andy Reid, and here's why: The Chiefs have an owner who wants to win but doesn't know how to win and will give Reid the keys to the store to get there.
That means Reid gains the control he had in Philadelphia and is free to hire the general manager of his choice. Most expect it to be Tom Heckert, the former Cleveland GM who worked with Reid in Philadelphia, but a source this morning told me he doubted that would happen.
It doesn't matter why. What does matter is Reid wasn't going to Kansas City if there was a GM still in place, and there's not. Scott Pioli departed Friday morning, with the Chiefs announcing the two sides agreed to "part ways." That opened the door for Reid, who now gets to recreate the Philadelphia Story.
He gains complete authority over the football operations of a team desperate to win, only he gains it with an owner who will stay out of the way and give him what he wants. Clark Hunt got a head start by awarding Reid a five-year contract that, one source indicated, will pay Reid top dollar, with the Chiefs' new coach at or near the top of the NFL salary scale.
That's great, except money wasn't the reason Reid was sold on Kansas City. Control was.
In fact, people who should know tell me Kansas City was first on Reid's wish list and was the only place he wanted to go. Granted, there were overtures from Arizona and San Diego, but let's be honest, people: Arizona has ownership concerns, and San Diego's Dean Spanos has always held fast to his belief in the separation of GM and head coach.
So neither had the opportunity that exists in Kansas City.
Then there's the talent. Kansas City has a lot of it, particularly on defense. Despite finishing last in the league, the Chiefs had five players named to the Pro Bowl -- and while the Pro Bowl isn't necessarily a barometer of talent, it is an indication Reid is with a club where the cupboard isn't bare.
If there's a need with the Chiefs it's at quarterback, where neither Matt Cassel nor Brady Quinn panned out, and tell me where you heard that before. Yep, that was the situation in Philadelphia when Reid arrived in 1999 and spent his first draft choice on quarterback Donovan McNabb.
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