On Chiefs' familiarity with Doug Pederson | KCSN Daily 1.18
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Jacksonville Jaguars HC Doug Pederson spent four seasons on the Kansas City Chiefs’ coaching staff as offensive coordinator, but his familiarity with head coach Andy Reid stretches back to his NFL playing days. That level of familiarity creates a great challenge.
Ahead of the Chiefs’ first-ever matchup against Pederson when he was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, Reid said that things like checks, signals and formations can create some problems, but he also said that it’s a problem that goes both ways. As much as Pederson knows about what the Chiefs like to do, Reid also knows the same about what Pederson likes to do.
Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy says that it adds another layer to how the team game plans and prepares.
“I think there’s a little game of chess and cat and mouse that goes on with that,” Bieniemy said on Wednesday. “And, you think about it, (Jaguars Head Coach) Doug (Pederson) kind of one-upped us and got the onside kick in the first game. So, there’s always a little game of that, but the thing is, we just got to make sure we stay in tune with what needs to be done from our perspective. We know exactly what they’re going to do – and obviously they’ll have a wrinkle or two.”
The familiarity doesn’t just extend to Pederson and the offensive side of the ball either. There’s also a level of it on the defensive side of the ball too.
“(Jaguars Defensive Coordinator) Mike Caldwell – who’s a former teammate of mine – he’s a brilliant mind, an outstanding coach and he’s done a great job,” Bieniemy said. “He’s doing a great job of putting those guys in position to make plays. And they’re doing a hell of a job.”
So what exactly do you hone in on when the level of familiarity is so prevalent? According to Bieniemy, it’s all about executing at a high level.
“So at the end of the day, it’s not necessarily about what they do,” Bieniemy said. “It’s about what we do as an offense and making sure that we can go out and execute our plan.”
10 Things - 10 Things to know before Chiefs vs. Jaguars divisional matchup:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel and Kent Swanson give you 10 things to know before Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars AFC Divisional Round matchup on Saturday.
Wednesday Injury Report:
Chiefs:
DNP: WR Mecole Hardman (Pelvis).
LP: DE Frank Clark (Groin).
FP: CB L’Jarius Sneed (Hip) and WR Skyy Moore (Hand).
Jaguars
DNP: None.
LP: QB Trevor Lawrence (Toe), WR Kendric Pryor (Shoulder), WR Jamal Agnew (Shoulder), OL Luke Fortner (Back), OL Brandon Scherff (Abdomen) and LS Ross Matiscik (Back).
FP: None.
Key:
DNP (Did Not Participate), LP (Limited Participant), FP (Full Participant), NIR (Not Injury Related).
Notes:
The Chiefs are not required to report the practice status of Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Jody Fortson until they’ve been activated to the 53-man roster.
(Photo via NFL)
Remember, vote for Kansas City Chiefs 2022 NFL Fan of the Year Nominee Dr. Amy Patel. You can vote multiple times until polls close on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Click the image above to listen to KCSN’s BJ Kissel exclusive interview with Dr. Patel.
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel sits down with Brett Kollmann to discuss the schematic things to watch for in the Kansas City Chiefs AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Quotable:
“No, he resets. The focus that he has is what I think is special. Now that we get into the playoffs and it’s become – since he’s been playing it’s almost become something that’s common for him but at the same point in time – and us as a team. But for him to be able to reset and have that bye week I think helps just the mindset of where he’s at mentally, preparation wise, and then also physically just trying to really step back (and) do a little self-scout schematically but then also on himself, with where he’s at. He’s just so locked in right now and it has not changed, literally, from when I first got here in OTA’s but when I really noticed it was training camp and then from day one, week one until now, he’s not changing. He is very, very focused on our opponent. He’s very focused on staying within the system and doing what he does best (and) not losing what he adlibs on but at the same point in time that’s probably one of his greatest strengths that we don’t talk enough about.” - Chiefs QB coach Matt Nagy on Patrick Mahomes’ ability to reset
“I’ll tell you, when I was in Arizona (with the Cardinals) we drafted (Jaguars WR) Christian Kirk (and) when I was in New York (with the Giants) we drafted (Jaguars TE) Evan Engram. So you’re talking (about) all these guys – (Jaguars WR) Zay Jones at the Raiders for a while so our guys – going against this crew for the second time, I let these guys know that these guys are as good as any receiving crew that we’ve had come in here to KC this year. So size wise, you’re talking Zay Jones at six-foot, two-one. His size, we match up with him very well as far as height (with) our big corners outside and of course Kirk has so many moves inside. I mean, he does a fantastic job of running routes and so having whoever is going to play inside on him – be a (L’Jarius Sneed) LJ or be a Trent (McDuffie) it’s going to be a great test. It was a great test the first time. I think Christian had two touchdowns maybe the first game, so you know he is a different type (of) player as far as when you put your hands on him versus when you don’t. Regardless of if you can get your hands on a guy like a Christian Kirk or a Zay Jones, you still have to win once you get in phase. That’s one of the things that we’ve been working on all week is trying to ‘once you get into phase, what are you doing now?’” - Chiefs DBs coach Dave Merritt on matching up with Jaguars WRs
Quick Hits:
From NFL Network: A note on Chiefs DE Frank Clark’s practice status, via James Palmer.
From the Chiefs: Going to the AFC divisional round game on Saturday? Yeah? OK! Prepare to be entertained by the musical stylings of Atlanta-based rapper Lil Jon. The last time he performed at a Chiefs playoff game, they beat the Texans 30-0.
From the league annals: CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr detailed something special that Chiefs HC Andy Reid can do in the divisional round of the playoffs.
NFL’s divisional round schedule:
Saturday, Jan 21:
Chiefs vs. Jaguars at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC
Eagles vs. Giants at 8:15 p.m. ET on FOX
Sunday, Jan 22:
Bills vs. Bengals at 3:00 p.m. ET on CBS
49ers vs. Cowboys at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX
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