‘That was a very tough season’ – Clark Hunt reflects on state of the Chiefs before bringing in Andy Reid and Brett Veach
What a turnaround.
The foundation of the Kansas City Chiefs’ franchise was just forever when owner and chairman Clark Hunt decided to hire Andy Reid as head coach in 2013.
2007-2012 was a bad stretch for the Chiefs, compiling a miserable 29-67 record during that timespan. The 2012 season was particularly dark. K.C. won just two games on the field, and off the field was the tragedy involving linebacker Jovon Belcher.
While joining the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Clark Hunt discussed what went into the decision to bring Reid in and the ripple effect that it made throughout the organization.
“We had been through a tough couple of years back in 2011 and 2012,” Hunt said. “Actually only won two games in 2012. That was a very tough season, both on the field and off. We were so blessed to be able to bring Andy Reid to Kansas City, and I knew he was the type of coach that we needed. We needed an experienced coach, somebody who had been there and done it, somebody with tremendous attention to detail, and an ability to really connect with his players. And all Andy does is come in and we win nine straight games, right?
“Basically the same team that only won two the year before. That just shows you the immediate impact that he had on our culture. Then you mentioned Brett Veach, who came with Andy from Philadelphia, did a fantastic job in our scouting department. Obviously, the fun story about him scouting and finding Patrick Mahomes. I remember Andy telling me Brett would put a tape on his desk every week and say, ‘you’ve got to look at this tape.’ It was a tape of Patrick doing amazing things at Texas Tech. And eventually, Andy was like, ‘I got it. You’re right, this is good, this guy’s special. We got to figure out how to get him.”
It’s easy to say now that hiring Reid was a no-brainer, but there were question marks surrounding Hunt’s decision. Reid was coming off a tough year with the Eagles in which they went 4-12, resulting in him getting fired after 14 years with the franchise. Some believed that Reid had become complacent and the NFL was passing him by.
A change of scenery was exactly what Reid needed. He came to K.C. rejuvenated, and has never posted a losing season with the team during his 12-year run. Reid got another breath of fresh air when the Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017, and Brett Veach took over as general manager later that summer. The rest, of course, is history — as the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls since the 2019 season.
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