Former AFC West Pro Bowler Enamored With Bieniemy, Jeremiyah Love

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Marcel Reece played 10 career games against the Chiefs.

So, when the former Raiders fullback shared his thoughts on Andy Reid’s move to return Eric Bieniemy as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, Reece’s opinion carried a lot of weight.

A higher plane

“That to me,” Reece said from Super Bowl Radio Row earlier this month, “that move is one of those Jedi mind tricks from Andy Reid saying, ‘It's not about Xs and Os anymore.’

“It's about his team’s heart right now. Let's see what this last run actually looks like, and get the band back together and have everyone overachieve one more year. I think Andy is thinking, ‘Let's just get everyone to overachieve one more year until the wheels fall off.’”

A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Reece played 98 NFL games over eight NFL seasons. One of the league’s most respected offensive players during his playing days, he hung up his cleats after the 2016 season in Seattle.

Reece, who played for Tyrone Willingham in college at Washington, also played for several NFL head coaches, including Jack Del Rio and Pete Carroll. So, Reece knows all about the little things to push players to overachieve.

“Andy Reid is so good at those things,” said Reece, now an analyst for the Big Ten Network, “and pushing the buttons of his teams in his locker rooms. The AFC West is going to be tough. It's going to be a tough one this year, but it's going to be fun to watch.”

Jeremiyah Love isn't simply fast

Something that could make that race even better is the addition of Jeremiyah Love to the Chiefs’ backfield. Kansas City owns the No. 9-overall selection in April’s draft, and several draft experts have projected him to the Chiefs in that slot.

Reece has his own projection for Love: Teams will be enamored with the speed of the Notre Dame running back.

“He is fast-fast,” said Reece, who studied Love for the BTN. “A lot of guys in the NFL are fast, but he's what we call fast-fast. I'm not sure what that 40 time will look like, and I don't even care. His game speed is elite; it's next level.

“He's getting one foot in the ground and getting up the field. I like his game a lot. One thing that I've noticed about him, and we've watched him over the past two, three years, is that he’s getting better every single year, and that’s been exciting to watch.”

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