What to expect from Andy Reid’s offensive playcalling in 2018

With Matt Nagy going to Chicago to coach the Bears, what should Chiefs fans expect from Andy Reid’s playcalling in this new year?

As head coach, Andy Reid will once again be calling the plays for the Chiefs offense in 2018 as he has every year. With one of the top arsenals of offensive weapons, there is little doubt that Reid is excited to execute some plays that he has drawn up this offseason. Last season, it was the motion shuffle pass to Travis Kelce. This season, who knows?

While Andy Reid is known around the NFL for being one of the greatest offensive-minded coaches, there is still a question of his ability to make in-game adjustments and, at times, to call plays. In fact, the Reid relieved himself of his duties as the primary playcaller last season, allowing then-offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to take over. This was after the offense went through a skid and fans began to call for Patrick Mahomes to replace Alex Smith, despite having the best season of his career.

With Matt Nagy going to Chicago to coach the Bears, Andy Reid is going to be the playcaller again. Many fans have concerns and questions about this and I will try to address them:

Will we see a bad offensive stretch like last season?

The Chiefs have some of the most explosive players in the NFL. Tyreek Hill may be the fastest player in the NFL, and he has a chance to score every time he touches the football. Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, if not the best. Kareem Hunt won the rushing title in 2017 as a rookie, and wide receiver Sammy Watkins scored eight touchdowns despite a relatively low number of receptions.

That being said, Patrick Mahomes is not Alex Smith. While Mahomes has a higher ceiling, his first year as the team’s starter may be tougher than what many are willing to admit. Even the best of quarterbacks have needed time. However, Andy Reid is known as a quarterback wizard. Looking at Andy Reid’s history with quarterbacks, I couldn’t help but remember that he made Kevin Kolb a trade-worthy player. That is no simple task. Reid has his strengths, too.

Despite the weapons and talent on offense, I have little to no doubt that Kansas City will have some struggles. While everyone wants to believe that Patrick Mahomes will be Brett Favre, Favre had a slow start to his eventual Hall-worthy career. I think that there will be struggles, just in a different fashion than we saw last season. Reid may put Mahomes in situations that he may not be ready for. Mahomes may trust his arm too much at times. With Alex Smith, it was about being too conservative or struggling against certain disguises. There will undoubtedly be hiccups. Reid must do his best to limit and contain them.

Now that Brad Childress is gone, who is there to help advise Andy on play calls?

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Brad Childress retired for a very short time and is now the head coach of the new Atlanta franchise for the Alliance of American Football, the upstart league that begins next February.. Childress was a member of the Chiefs staff used as a quality control guy for the offense. Now that he is gone, (and we don’t have Jim Bob Cooter) who is there to keep Andy Reid on track? The technical answer is David Girardi, who I know absolutely nothing about.

I like to think the answer to this question is Eric Bienemy or Dave Toub, or both. Toub would offer a very balanced and reasonable approach. Bienemy would give opposition to Reid’s love of throwing the football. I fully expect both coordinators to be head coaches someday and add to Andy Reid’s impressive track record of creating good coaches.

Would Andy Reid be comfortable giving up play calling responsibility if the offense struggles?

Last season Kansas City struggled for a stretch and Andy Reid decided to give the play calling responsibilities to Matt Nagy. Now that Matt Nagy is with the Chicago Bears, Reid will have to look elsewhere. While he is confident in his abilities to call plays and is reportedly “giddy” about the upcoming season, the Chiefs need a fallback plan.

In a statement, we have now learned that Eric Bienemy would be the guy. Reid referred to offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy as his “right hand man.” Further stating that he has great faith in Bienemy’s ability to lead. While I believe that Reid would be very reluctant to give up the play calling, if he needed to, Eric Bienemy would likely be the play caller.

What can we expect from Reid’s play calling this year?

Andy Reid will build an offense around a quarterback’s strengths. While that seems obvious in any offense, somehow it isn’t a universal thought. Reid implemented a lot of Pistol Formation and college style sets for Alex Smith last season. This year, I would be shocked if the offense didn’t have flashes of “Air Raid” in it.

The Chiefs have very good speed at receiver and I think they will spread defenses out often. While Reid likes two tight end sets, I think they will almost always be split off of the line of scrimmage. Patrick Mahomes is one of the least “Alex Smith-like” quarterbacks that the team could have acquired. I expect a major difference in the way that the team lines up this season.

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Season Outlook

I believe that Andy Reid’s job to call plays is easier this season. Instead of having Albert Wilson as the #2 Wide Receiver, the Chiefs invested in Sammy Watkins, who they obviously believe in. If Andy Reid can refrain from running silly trick plays, (such as a Tyreek Hill fake reverse pass in the Red Zone) stay aggressive, (not throwing three consecutive screen passes) and use his players to their greatest strengths, the team will look more fluid and smooth on the offensive side of the football. I tentatively expect Andy Reid to have a better year.