Andy Reid Discusses Growth of Kansas City's Defense
In his usual Monday press conference, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reflected on the way the Chiefs' defense has evolved in the last year and a half with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo at the helm.
Reid's discussion comes after two excellent performances from the unit against the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, following a disappointing outing in a 40-32 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
"Listen, I think it’s a tribute to the guys involved with it," Reid said. "You start with the coaches, you start with Spags [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] and his ability to organize and lead. You take the assistant coaches and their ability to get done what Spags wants to get done and still add their personality to it. The players, likewise, they’ve bought in from the get-go. Spags just started off with a small package, and then every week, he’d add a little something onto it that he thought the players would be comfortable with and still be able to execute at a high level."
The evolution of the Chiefs' defense has always been a discussion point around Spagnuolo's system, and Reid's evaluation of how Spagnuolo has been able to build over his time in Kansas City is fitting. However, Reid still sees the defense continuing to grow.
"Now he’s getting to where he can continue to expand according to what team you’re playing and be a little bit more job-specific for that team," Reid continued. "The players love that, and they’ve played with great energy. It’s a complicated defense. He does a lot of things with it. It’s tough on offenses; it’s tough on the players. You have to not only spend time here, but when you go home you have to go back, review, and study."
As the defense continues to bring even more unique challenges to opposing quarterbacks and young players find their footing in the system, the Chiefs' defensive should continue to contend with the team's high-flying offense for some of the headlines around Kansas City.
