Chiefs' Reid: Way too early to start looking at records and standings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- By late Sunday night, after the Colts had put away the Broncos, the Chiefs became the lone unbeaten team left in the NFL.
But Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn't exactly race home from Arrowhead Stadium to watch what had been the NFL's other unbeaten team, the Broncos, fall to 6-1.
"I only saw a bit of it," Reid said Monday. "By the time we got home, we missed the whole first half. Saw a little bit of the second half. That was about it."
According to Reid, it has never been his style to analyze the standings each week or keep track of what other teams are doing -- other than that week's opponent, of course.
So the fact that the Chiefs are now 7-0 and one game ahead of the Broncos in the AFC West is pretty much totally lost on Reid.
"I am just ... whew! (motioning his hand over his head) when it comes to that," Reid said, smiling. "I'm just really all about the next game, one game at a time. I'm not very good at numbers, or stats, or nothing as far as standings go."
When it was mentioned that all of the previous 31 teams that started the season 7-0 in the Super Bowl era have made the playoffs, and 15 of those reached the Super Bowl, Reid just rolled his eyes.
His eyes kept rolling when he was asked to compare this Chiefs team with the 2004 Eagles' team that started 7-0 and reached the Super Bowl.
"I haven't even thought about that or gotten into that," he said. "I've said it before: If you can just focus on what you can control and look at your week -- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday -- and what you have to accomplish those days, and you stay true to that, you'll be OK.
"Just don't look at the records. You look at your opponent and study your opponent and get ready for that. If you can just stay tight with that, and not look at the other stuff or what others are saying, you'll be all right."
Still, one would think that Reid at some point lately has taken a deep breath and wondered how he and general manager John Dorsey have taken a 2-14 club from a year ago and turned it into the NFL's last unbeaten team.
But again, that's not who he is, Reid insists.
"You really don't think about that," he said. "You're kind of in this dryer during the season where you're (spinning) around and around and around. You think about your players and when they can get their (weight) lift in and how they can get their bodies back right.
"You think about their off days and what appearances they have to make or you have to make that day, and all that stuff. You stick to your schedule. You think about your day and the next day. You're not thinking about your record and what's down the road. You're just in the moment. That is the same way as a coach.
"I've never been one as a coach where I can sit and look at the schedule and go 'We're going to win this one, and win that one, and lose that one.' You can't do that. You prepare yourself the very best you can every game. Then you move on."
Getting his players to buy into that "living in the moment" philosophy hasn't been hard, Reid offered, not even for a team that splintered and lost focus throughout that disastrous 2-14 season a year ago.
"I have no idea what they were thinking (last year)," Reid said. "I never asked them. We've talked to them about this season but not because of what happened last year. I don't know, maybe they approached last season the same as they are now. I don't know.
"All I know is that everyone we have talked to about our approach has been OK with it. It's full speed for them and hasn't been a problem. As a coach, you certainly appreciate that."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com
