KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s not official yet, but it appears that the Kansas City Chiefs have a new head coach, as former Philadelphia Eagle head coach Andy Reid returned to town with Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and other team officials for a tour of the team facilities and Arrowhead Stadium.
Related: It’s Official – Chiefs Name Reid as Head Coach
A former Chiefs player who also played for Reid while a member of the Eagles says that fans should be excited about Reid’s apparent hiring in Kansas City.
Shawn Barber played for three seasons with the Chiefs after playing for one season under Reid in Philadelphia in 2002. He says that bringing Reid to town is a good move for the Chiefs.
“The one thing I remember most about being an Eagle is our practice tempo,” said Barber, who now lives in Overland Park. “We practiced at a tempo that was unlike any other team that I was with. Everything was 100 miles an hour, fast, fast, fast, fast paced. He wanted you always running from drill to drill, in-between plays there was never any standing around so you got your conditioning while you practiced.”
“From a cognitive level, you had to think game speed all the time. When we got the games on Sunday it was kinda like it slowed down,” said Barber.
Barber says that Reid likes challenges, and he thinks that he sees talent on the current Chiefs roster – talent that can be harnassed into building a winning tradition despite finishing with a league-worst 2-14 record this past season. Barber says that everyone who plays for Reid leaves everything out on the field, and that’s what Chiefs fans should expect next season.