In Philadelphia, Andy Reid’s Eagles teams played a 4-3 defense but he won’t be taking it with him to Kansas City.
Reid said Monday that part of the reason the team hired Bob Sutton to be their defensive coordinator was because he was experienced in the 3-4 scheme that the Chiefs have been running in recent years. Reid said that his evaluation of the personnel on hand helped him make the choice to stick with what was already in place.
“There’s been time invested in the 3-4 here,” Reid said, via the Kansas City Star. “The 3-4 gives you some flexibility. I’ve run both. I’ve been involved in both so I understand how they were. The 4-3 is good if you have the right coaches in place and the team is invested in it. But this team here is invested in the 3-4, so let’s continue to build it and get better at it.”
The Chiefs landed three defensive players -- linebacker Tamba Hali, linebacker Derrick Johnson and safety Eric Berry -- in the Pro Bowl and cornerback Brandon Flowers and linebacker Justin Houston are both alternates. Sticking with the scheme already in place will allow the Chiefs to focus much more on fixing the offense this offseason by leaving well enough alone on the defensive side of the ball instead of trying to overhaul everything all at once.
Reid also indicated that linebackers coach Gary Gibbs and defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas would be retained as part of the continuity effort on defense.