Chiefs HC Andy Reid: Jaguars’ Doug Pederson Has ‘Resurrected That Program’

The respect between Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson goes back nearly three decades, and it goes both ways.

When Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson first took over in Jacksonville, he knew the locker room and organization needed more than just a head coach.

They needed a healer, covering the scars of the Urban Meyer era and four wins in the previous two seasons combined. 

Pederson has been all of that and more in his first year with the Jaguars, leading them to a 9-8 record and an AFC South title and a 31-30 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round. Under Pederson, the Jaguars have become a hot up-and-comer who nobody wants to play; a stark contrast to the laughingstock they have been in the past.

Among those who have applauded Pederson for his performance as the Jaguars' coach this year is the same coach he will face on Saturday: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, Pederson's longtime friend and mentor. 

"Tremendous coaching job. Phenomenal coaching job. I’d imagine he’s up for the coach of the year by his performance and how he’s resurrected that program there," Reid said this week, via Sports Radio 810 WHB.

"That’s not an easy thing to do, and he’s done it as well or better than anybody.”

Pederson has led the Jaguars to just their second-ever AFC South title in fewer than 365 days on the job, turning the Jaguars' around from a 3-14 record last year that saw rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence struggle mightily. 

Lawrence wasn't alone, either. There were few bright spots on the field and even fewer off the field as Meyer consistently turned the franchise into a black eye on the name of professional football.

But Pederson has instantly turned around the Jaguars, instilling a winning culture and a sense of professionalism that the franchise has been yearning after for years.

“He played, obviously, and he knows what kind of coach he liked and didn’t like, and so within his own personality, he presents it in a friendly manner but yet demanding of the guys and I think that’s a positive thing," Reid said. 

"He was that way – I was with him when he was a player and I was with him as a coach, so he’s got a good way about him.”

Reid and Pederson have a relationship that goes back to the mid-90s when Reid was an assistant coach with the Green Bay Packers and Pederson was Brett Favre's backup. Pederson than became an assistant under Reid with the Eagles after a stint as a player there, eventually becoming Reid's offensive coordinator in Kansas City before the Eagles hired him as their head coach in 2016. 

This will be the second time Reid and Pederson have faced off this year. The Chiefs beat the Jaguars 27-17 in Week 10.

“Their offense is executing very well," Reid said. 

"I think they’ve got a pretty good grasp of what Doug’s expecting from them, and I would say the same thing with Mike Caldwell’s defense that they have a lot of phenomenal players on that defense and they’re playing faster than (when) we saw them the last time. I think they’re just more comfortable overall (and) the speed comes with that."