Andy Reid wins opener with Kansas City Chiefs
The following are updates on area athletes and coaches in the National Football League.
After a bitter ending to his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, Andy Reid started 2013 and his time with the Kansas City Chiefs in sweet fashion with a 28-2 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 8.
“There’s a lot of emphasis put on the first game within the league,” Reid, a former Glendale Community College football player, said during a Monday press conference. “I keep in perspective that it’s one out of 16 games and hopefully more that you have an opportunity to play, so I understand that. On the other hand, I’ll always tell you that you work your tail off to win every game and that’s what you do. So every victory you get, you’re going to cherish and enjoy it for that small window that you get to enjoy it. To have won the first one of the year, it’s great.”
While Reid’s West Coast Offense clicked, with quarterback Alex Smith completing 21 of 34 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, Kansas City’s defense stole the show. Jacksonville compiled just 178 offensive yards, with star running back Maurice Jones-Drew managing 45 yards in 15 carries. The Jaguars gave up six sacks and committed two turnovers in defeat. The Jaguars only points came on a punt block that went out of bounds in the end zone for a safety for the first points of the game.
“I thought the defense played very well,” Reid said. “We stopped this running back and he’s pretty stinking good. We were able to do that, so my hat goes off to those guys; they played their hearts out.”
After initial concerns of a quad contusion suffered Sunday, Kansas City No. 1 running back Jamaal Charles, who ran for 77 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries last week, is expected to play in the Chiefs’ home opener Sunday.
Reid and the Chiefs will face a bigger test in week two when they host the Dallas Cowboys, who also won their opener at home over the New York Giants, 36-31. While Kansas City did a good job of stopping the run against Jacksonville, it will look to keep Dallas and its pass-happy offense in check, as the Chiefs hope to match their win total from last year’s 2-14 season. The two wins in a season tied an all-time franchise low.
“They kind of know the way that I do things and I kind of know the way they do things,” said Reid, who coached the Philadelphia Eagles the previous 14 seasons and saw the Eagles-Cowboys divisional rivalry expand. “It’s important we get ourselves right and that’s where your primary focus is.”
BENGALS FALL TO BEARS
All the preseason talk of increasing the presence of the Cincinnati Bengals’ run game didn’t bear fruit in their season opener Sept. 8.
Facing a stifling Chicago Bears’ defense, Cincinnati’s run attack, orchestrated by former Glendale Community College football player and current Bengal running backs Coach Hue Jackson, never got off the ground.
On top of that, the Bengals saw a four-point, fourth-quarter lead disappear on a Chicago touchdown with 7:58 to play, which secured a 24-21 victory for the Bears.
Cincinnati averaged just three yards a carry, running for 63 yards on 21 plays. Jackson will look to get things back on track Sunday when Cincinnati opens at home against the banged-up Pittsburgh Steelers.
BARDEN, GIANTS CUT TIES
Initial reports that wide receiver Ramses Barden was let go by the New York Giants during final cuts Aug. 31 proved false, as the Flintridge Prep graduate was placed on season-ending injury reserve.
Reports Barden and the Giants severed ties proved 10 days too soon, as they cut ties Tuesday. Both sides reached an injury settlement that terminated Barden’s one-year, $780,000 deal, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.
“I am completely honored and thankful for my time and experience here in New York,” tweeted Barden, who was bothered by a knee injury. “I have become a man here.”
It’s uncertain if the 6-foot-6 wide receiver and four-year veteran will attempt a comeback next season. In his four-year career all spent with the Giants, he has 29 receptions for 394 yards and 19 first downs, but no touchdowns. The 85th pick in the 2009 draft enjoyed his finest season in 2012, finishing with 14 receptions for 220 yards.