Brian Westbrook on Clyde Edwards-Helaire and a Call From Andy Reid
Soon after the Kansas City Chiefs selected LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, General Manager Brett Veach was already heaping praise on the young back.
“I told Coach, ‘Wait until you finish up your work on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, he’s going to remind you of Brian Westbrook,’” Veach said. “Coach called me back and said ‘He’s better than Brian.’”
Well, now Westbrook has told his side of the story.
In a conversation with Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show, the former Philadelphia Eagles great recounted his experience as he saw the Chiefs select Edwards-Helaire and then what happened when he saw Veach calling him the next day.
“Friday morning, I get a call on my phone from Brett Veach. And I'm like, ‘what does Brett Veach want?’ And I hadn’t heard the comments at that point. He said, ‘I’m just calling you to let you know that we weren’t saying that, that’s not what we were saying. We were saying that he has a lot of Brian Westbrook in him, and Andy wants to talk to you.’"
Westbrook then talked about Reid's phone call that followed shortly after, noting that Reid said he wouldn't compare players in that way and that "Veach kind of put [Reid] in a jam, just a bit."
Westbrook also gave a quick breakdown on Edwards-Helaire's game, his role in an explosive offense, and how Reid gives all of his players unmatched opportunities to get out into open space.
"Listen, you put this kid in that offense," Westbrook said," and I just think that this is a dream come true for Andy Reid, but also Patrick Mahomes and Edwards-Helaire because he’s going to have a great opportunity to carry the rock, touch it in a lot of different ways; screen game, the passes out of the backfield, the same way that Andy Reid used me — I’m excited about that offense. And how many weapons can one of the best offenses in the league have? It seems kind of crazy.”
Westbrook had much more to say about his calls from Reid and Veach and his expectations for Edwards-Helaire. For more, watch the video below from The Pat McAfee Show.
