It may not come as a surprise that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has outdueled his pupils in the past. The former Eagles head coach is 8-3 overall when facing his former acolytes. He's won three straight, including six out of the last seven matchups, and his team is coming off a stunning Week 1 win against the Patriots. To make matters more difficult, the Chiefs' offense has some explosive weapons in Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, and a steady hand at quarterback in Alex Smith.
But of all the head coaches formerly under Reid's tutelage, not only is Pederson most familiar with Kansas City's offense but he's also got the biggest scoop on Reid.
"Nobody spent more time with Doug than I did. Nobody spent more time with me than Doug spent because we were always working on the offense together and would meet together," Reid said Wednesday on a conference call with Philadelphia reporters.
Of all of Reid's former assistants, Pederson is the only one to be both a player and a coach for Reid. As a player, he was a quarterback in Green Bay and Philadelphia. The two were a part of teams that went a combined 53-27 and earned four playoff berths, two Super Bowl appearances – winning one in 1996.
Pederson's first NFL coaching gig was under Reid as offensive quality control coach and later quarterbacks coach for Philadelphia from 2009-13. Pederson then followed Reid to Kansas City where he served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator from 2013-15. In total, Pederson spent 12 years with Reid as both a player and an assistant. In that time, he's had the opportunity to study a lot from Reid.
"He can bring the player perspective to it. He knows when to crank on the guy. He knows when to pull off. He wants his guys to make sure that they enjoy the game and that goes a long way," Reid said of Pederson.
"I think (the Eagles) made a very good decision. I'm partial but he's a good football coach. I look at the job that he's done there and he's done a great job."
Pederson's game plan must come up with a way to cool down an offense that lit the Patriots up for 537 net yards and six touchdowns. But if any of Reid's former assistants is up for the task, the best candidate might be Pederson.
"Obviously it's a tough task. His teams are always well prepared. They're a disciplined group. You see that, very consistent in how they go about their preparation during the week. And listen, it just comes down to the preparation and hard work for them, and that's what he's done in his past. And I think sometimes, in my position, I don't want to put any added stress or pressure on myself to go perform.
"I have to continue to study the tape and plan accordingly and then put our team in positions, again, just like last week. It's that chess match and moving our pieces against their pieces. And for me, I just can't get caught up in that record. I can't get caught up on who's on the other sideline, things of that nature. I just have to focus on my job and getting our team ready to play."
