"I owe a lot to coach Reid" - When Doug Pederson made feelings known about Chiefs HC Andy Reid

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles have been fierce rivals in the NFL in recent times. Both teams are going through arguably their best stretches in franchise history. While the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in the last seven seasons, the Eagles have two Super Bowl victories.

Although Andy Reid wasn’t directly associated with those victories for Philadelphia, he laid the foundation. His protégé, Doug Pederson, was the coach when the Eagles won the Lombardi Trophy in 2019, and Pederson owes it to Reid.

During a conference call with the Kansas City media in November 2022, Pederson praised Reid.

“I owe a lot to coach Reid," Pederson said. "The things he taught me, not only as a player, but I think, as an assistant coach, and when I became coordinator in Kansas City.”

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The relationship between Pederson and Reid started in the mid-1990s when Pederson suited up as a backup quarterback to Brett Favre from 1995-98 while Reid was the coach. Pederson followed him to Philadelphia in 1999, which marked the beginning of Reid’s coaching dynasty and a mentorship phase for Pederson.

“We just spent so much time together in meetings, one-on-ones," Pederson said. "Everything about him is about pouring himself into other people and he did that with me and helped me prepare for my first job in Philadelphia.”

Pederson started his coaching career when he took the role with Calvary Baptist Academy in Louisiana. Following a successful 33-7 regular season record, Reid brought Pederson back to the NFL in 2009 as a quality control coach for Philadelphia.

Andy Reid grooms Doug Pederson at Philadelphia

Doug Pederson was later promoted as the quarterbacks coach and became the offensive coordinator when Andy Reid moved to Kansas City. In 2016, he became the head coach to kick-start a new phase of his journey. Pederson also took on some of Reid’s coaching traits and instilled them in his coaching manual.

“He’s coached me, and I’ve worked with him, worked for him and everything," Pederson said in November 2022. "The players love him. He’s hard. He’s a disciplinarian. He demands a lot, all the things I strive to do in my job.”

Pederson’s last stint was with the Jacksonville Jaguars, which ended in January after a dreadful 4-13 season.

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez