One of the many pieces to the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff puzzle was filled today, when the team named Doug Pederson as its new offensive coordinator.
Among the laundry list of legitimate questions from Kingdom fans this offseason, perhaps there is none more popular than how the team plans to put points on the board and which quarterback will do so?
Allow me to audible, deferring to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who addressed such topics during his introductory press conference.
"I have looked at the roster and there are some good football players on this team. I look to add to that, I think that's important. We can all get better – me included," Reid said.
"The quarterback position, I will dig in and look at that and we will build it. We will see how that works out, we need to spend some time on that – I need to find the next Len Dawson. It might be right here, it might not. I have to dig in, and I need a little time on that."
When coach Reid decides who his starting quarterback will be, that signal caller will be receiving instruction from a former QB of Reid's, Doug Pederson.
The 12-year NFL veteran, who played for five different teams during his career, served then Eagles head coach Andy Reid as the team's QB in 1999, later helping rookie QB Donovan McNabb transition into the starting role.
The former Eagles QB, Pederson originally signed as a rookie free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 1991 and spent time with the them (1993-94), Green Bay (1995-98, 2001-04), Philadelphia (1999) and Cleveland (2000). His best season came under Reid's coaching in Philadelphia, when Pederson threw for 1,276 yards and seven TDs in nine starts.
Pederson was named Eagles quarterbacks coach in 2011, after spending the previous two seasons as the club's offensive quality control coach. The move makes perfect sense for the Chiefs, who struggled to score touchdowns last season (eight came via the air). Coach Reid's expertise in producing the best out of his quarterbacks will only continue with Pederson, who has an impressive track record of his own.
While instructing the Philadelphia Eagles signal callers in 2011, the Eagles offense set franchise records with 6,386 yards and 356 first downs. During that time, Michael Vick became the second QB in NFL history to top the 3,000-yard passing and 500-yard rushing plateaus in consecutive seasons. Vick achieved career highs in passing yards (3,303), attempts (423) and completions (253).
In 2010, Pederson had his hand in the Eagles' record-setting offensive output, which saw Philadelphia set franchise records in points scored (439, third in NFL), total net yards (6,230, second in NFL) and yards per rushing attempt (5.4, first in NFL).
There's also something to be said for the priceless experience of being around elite QBs. During his NFL career, Pederson backed up Dan Marino, Brett Favre and the aforementioned Donovan McNabb.
