Should Andy Reid give up calling plays?
Whether or not Andy Reid should give up calling plays on offense is worth debating for the Chiefs.
Kyle Shanahan made a huge mistake Sunday night in the Super Bowl. Shanahan, who was named San Francisco 49ers head coach Monday, botched two play calls as Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator.
You may have read about it by now, but if you haven’t here’s what happened.
The score was 28-12, and the Falcons just got the ball in their own territory with 9:44 remaining in the fourth quarter after a Patriots field goal. The Falcons ran the ball twice, which brought up a third-and-one situation. Instead of running the ball one more time to gain ONE yard or running a quick slant to get a quick first down, Shanahan decides to put Matt Ryan in the shotgun. A fumble ensued, and the Patriots scored a touchdown.
Look, I don’t care that the MVP is back there. It’s a two-score game at this point. Feed the ground. Even if you don’t get the first, at least you can take about 35 precious seconds from the game clock and play the field position game.
In the second instance (and much more egregious), the Falcons have the ball at New England’s 22-yard line. Instead of running the ball three times in a row and kicking the field goal to go up by two scores with only a few minutes left, Shanahan decides to throw the ball. A sack and an offensive holding knock the Falcons so far back that they have to punt.
Not much of this has to do with Andy Reid, but it got me thinking: should Reid give up his offensive play calling duties?
Reid has always been around the offensive side of the ball. That’s his “bread and butter.” But it may be time to let someone else take the reigns of the offense. I don’t quite understand the need for two offensive co-coordinators (Brad Childress and Matt Nagy), when neither of them actually call plays.
The reason that Reid has these two is because he trusts them with working with the offense. Childress was Reid’s offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, and Reid gave Nagy his first NFL coaching job. But I’m not sure the Chiefs need both of them. Sometimes, it’s better to have one voice instead of a few.
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There’s been plenty of criticism of Reid’s offensive play calls with the Chiefs. This year, especially, Reid got criticized for his lack of commitment to the run game when Alex Smith is your quarterback and for his questionable use of Tyreek Hill.
Being a head coach comes with many in-game responsibilities. Player personnel, clock management and gauging the thoughts and feelings of your team are a few important ones. How can Reid focus on those things if he has to get the next offensive play into Smith?
Reid’s been in the NFL as a coach in some capacity since 1992. He obviously knows his stuff on the offensive side of the ball. But have the Chiefs dramatically improved on offense since his arrival to Kansas City in 2013? I’d say no, at least not enough.
Maybe it’s time Reid turns play calling over to someone else. I wouldn’t be opposed to Childress taking the reigns this season. I do believe Alex Smith has some talent to throw the football, but Reid holds him back at times.
A switch at the coordinator position on offense should be entertained by the Chiefs. I don’t want to say it’s the key to the Chiefs winning a championship, but a little shakeup wouldn’t hurt this year.