Thursday, January 03, 2013

Reid taking road show to Kansas City

Special to the Phanatic

The Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of hiring former Philadelphia Eagles sideline boss Andy Reid to fill their vacant head coaching position.

Multiple outlets, including the KC Star, have reported that Reid, who was fired by the Eagles on Monday following a mostly successful 14-year tenure in Philadelphia, will agree to coach the Chiefs after undergoing an extensive interview with team owner Clark Hunt on Wednesday. An official announcement is expected to come at some point this week once the deal becomes finalized.

Reid had also planned to interview for the head coaching job in Arizona on Wednesday, but his meeting with that organization was canceled. The Arizona Republic reported on Thursday that the 55-year-old was no longer considered a candidate by the Cardinals

The winningest coach in Eagles history, Philadelphia posted a 130-93-1 regular-season record under Reid's watch and amassed a 10-9 postseason record. That 140-102-1 overall mark ranks him 22nd on the NFL's all-time coaching list.

Under  Reid, the  Eagles made  nine playoff  appearances, played  in five  NFC Championship Games and lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. However, the team slipped to a 4-12 record -- the franchise's worst since 1998 -- this past season.

It's as of yet unclear what Reid's anticipated addition will mean to the status of current Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli. When announcing the dismissal of former head coach Romeo Crennel on Monday, Hunt stated that a final determination on Pioli's status had yet to be made.

Speculation has also existed that Tom Heckert, who previously served as the Eagles' GM under Reid prior to taking the same position with Cleveland in 2010, is a candidate to replace Pioli. Heckert was fired as the Browns' GM along with head coach Pat Shurmur -- another onetime Reid assistant in Philadelphia -- on Monday.

Crennel was let go one day after the Chiefs' 38-3 loss at Denver in the regular-season finale, which left Kansas City with a 2-14 record that tied for the worst in the league. The Chiefs will hold the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.

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