This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with retired Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl quarterback and color analyst Jake Delhomme.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Delhomme, courtesy of Gambling.com, discussed his career and thoughts on today's NFL players. He commented on Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's impact on young players and coaches.
"One, he has the respect of the players. This day and age is very different with players, especially the ones coming from college who are getting all this money and aren't used to doing things a certain way because they've been coddled their whole life," said Delhomme. "But in talking to players, I know he still runs one of the toughest training camps. He still instills the values I believe in: a tough,
physical brand of football. He's kept up with the times offensively."
One quality from Reid's long head coaching tenure in the NFL is his ability to develop young coaches on his staff and give them opportunities later in their careers. The Reid tree has produced multiple head coaches in the league over the years.
"He's brought in some young coaches, and they run some plays, and you always look for what Andy Reid has next. He always gives credit to some of the young guys on the staff for putting something up on the board, massaging it over time, and then, next thing you know, getting it in and making it work. His players embrace that," said Delhomme. "He's hard on them because he expects so much from them. He still coaches hard and demands so much, and players want to be coached hard. When they respect a coach and know he gives them the best opportunity- one to win, but two to make themselves better players- you can coach those guys hard. That's what I respect so much about him."
That trust in his players has carried throughout the league, earning him a reputation as a players' coach.
"Through the years I've played with guys who played with Andy, and I'll mention a name: A.J. Feeley was in Philadelphia for many years with him," said Delhomme. "He used to talk about when they were condensing the game plan throughout the week. If a quarterback hesitated on a play, Andy would say, take it out. You have to have 100 percent conviction. Every play that I call, you have to like it. Not necessarily me, but you, meaning the quarterback. Those coaches have a pulse on the football team, and they truly get it."
In his lone Super Bowl appearance, Delhomme set a record for the longest offensive play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history with an 85-yard pass to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad.
"It is funny, I do. People bring it up, especially now that I'm doing the radio for the Panthers, when I'm there for the games and run into fans. They always bring that up, especially during the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, because different channels, like NFL Network, play the 30-minute review of the Super Bowl," said Delhomme. "So that always gets talked about. The guy on the other end was Moose, Muhsin Muhammad, and I see him every home game for Carolina because he works for the NFL on uniform policy. It's pretty funny. We're two grandfathers now, but we still hold the longest touchdown pass in Super Bowl history. That's pretty cool."
Courtesy of Gambling.com.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Jake Delhomme opens up about Andy Reid's impact on young players
