Reid eager to get started

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The first call that Andy Reid received came from Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt.

Reid had just been dismissed after coaching the Eagles for 14 seasons, and was back at his office after addressing his team one last time. The phone rang and Hunt was on the other end, asking whether Reid would be interested in a face-to-face meeting two days later.

There are certain families that stand out, and the Hunt family is just tops, Reid said of the family that founded the franchise 53 years ago. They're phenomenal.

The meeting was set for Wednesday in Philadelphia, and Reid's agent Bob LaMonte figured it would take about three hours. But when Reid got in front of Hunt, the two hit it off so well that time kept slipping away — four hours, then six, then eight hours of conversations.

After nine hours, it became clear that Reid would be the Chiefs' next coach.

He was introduced on Monday at a packed news conference at Arrowhead Stadium, taking over a once-proud franchise that went 2-14 last season and hasn't won a playoff game since 1993.

There was a certain energy that started with Clark and radiated through the other people I met with, and it was just great, Reid said. You got the feeling that this was right. It was the right thing to do. It made the decision easy. I crossed my fingers that I'd be offered the job.

Reid agreed to a five-year deal, a person with knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms were not disclosed.

He takes over for Romeo Crennel, who was fired Monday after his first full season.

Sometimes change is good, said Reid, who coached the Eagles to a 4-12 record this season, dragging down his career record of 130-93-1. It could be tremendous for the Philadelphia Eagles, and at the same time, I think it's going to be tremendous for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Reid did say he plans to bring along some of his staff from Philadelphia, and quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson is one of the hot names.

Reid also said he'll sit in on interviews for the Chiefs' general manager, but he'll leave the final decision up to Hunt. The Chiefs parted ways with Scott Pioli on Friday after four tumultuous seasons, just hours before Reid agreed to his deal.

Among the candidates for the job are former Browns general manager Tom Heckert and longtime Packers personnel man John Dorsey, both of whom have a history with Reid.

Reid said he's already started to dig into the current Chiefs roster — he had already watched video of all 16 games last season by the time he was interviewed. And he said he's buoyed by the fact that the Chiefs have five players who were voted to the Pro Bowl, and they'll have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft for the first time in franchise history.

That should allow Reid and the Chiefs' retooled front office to start filling holes, the biggest of which is at quarterback, where Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn struggled all season.