Chiefs HC Andy Reid makes feelings known on toll of 18-game regular season on NFL players

With the NFL talking about increasing the season to 18 games, Andy Reid and other coaches had their say in the annual meeting about how they are approaching it and what effect they expect it to have on their players. The Kansas City Chiefs' boss has been in the league for a long time, from when the games were fewer than the 17 that we have become accustomed to today.

Andy Reid was circumspect thinking about an 18-game regular season. He said that keeping players healthy was the main challenge. However, he said that he trusted the administrators to figure out something and threw to bye weeks as an idea. As reported by Sports Illustrated, he said:

“The challenge is the health part of it. You know, the guys staying healthy. However, they’ll work something out. I’m sure they’re going to give the guys a little break in there somewhere, maybe two bye weeks, who knows? We’ll be coaching well into the New Year.”

Andy Reid was also clear that the coaches will have to work around it. Saying that he has seen enough in his long career to know this might happen, he added:

“Whatever they throw at us, we’ll work it. I’ve been around long enough to where I’ve seen that happen. If they throw it our direction we’ll figure it out and go from there.”

Andy Reid weighs in on another issue surrounding player safety

While coaches were talking about the 18-game season, another issue on their agenda was the "tush push" with some teams seeking to ban it. The highly successful play, pioneered by the Eagles, has become a lightning rod with coaches speaking out for and against it. Andy Reid was more neutral, saying that he agrees it is a great play but wants to take a look at how it affects players' health too:

“Yeah, I don’t know, you can argue it either way. I’ve felt like it’s a successful play. If there’s a problem with injury, possible injury, you’ve got to look at it. So, I would listen, probably, to the medical people on it, see what they think about the body mechanics... But I would say, if it’s putting a player in a bad position, then you probably have to do something about it. But if it’s not, it’s a heck of a play."

While there is less clarity on how that will go, the Chiefs' coach seems more prepared mentally for an eventual 18-game regular season.