Here’s one reason Chiefs’ JuJu Smith-Schuster says he’s excited to play for Andy Reid
JuJu Smith-Schuster has noticed a significant change in Kansas City following his five NFL seasons with Pittsburgh.
Smith-Schuster, who signed a one-year free-agent deal with the Chiefs in March, says switching head coaches from Mike Tomlin to Andy Reid has already been a big adjustment.
And one he likes so far.
“I always say that (Reid) gives me the Coach Tomlin vibe, that Coach Tomlin is the defensive-minded guy. He loves like ... he just controls that defensive part. And I come here, and Andy Reid coaches the offense,” Smith-Schuster said Tuesday. “He’s in there, he’s up there, telling us what to do. And as a head coach, it’s different versus the (offensive coordinator) doing it.”
Smith-Schuster was quick to throw in the caveat that Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is still plenty involved with the offense — like the other offensive assistants.
Overall, though ...
“It’s actually really cool that Andy Reid, he’s really the offensive-minded guy,” Smith-Schuster said. “And that’s a cool part of that I like.”
Smith-Schuster, 25, is looking for a bounce-back season after sitting out Pittsburgh’s last 12 games a year ago because of a shoulder injury.
He’s also becoming more accustomed to playing with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes daily. Another eye-opening moment came Tuesday: Mahomes completed a no-look pass on the right sideline to Josh Gordon while faking out linebacker Willie Gay in the process.
Smith-Schuster admitted even he was fooled by Mahomes’ throw on the sideline.
“I was just like, ‘Wow.’ But I got one of those too in the Pro Bowl where he threw the ball to me him, and it went through my hands, because I didn’t expect him to throw the rock to me,” Smith-Schuster said with a smile. “He threw a bullet straight to me, and I was running a shallow. And I was like, ‘OK, that’s Pat for you. That’s what I’ve got to expect.’”
Smith-Schuster says he’s yet to receive a no-look pass from Mahomes as a Chief. But the fact that KC dedicates a practice to having its receivers work on the scramble drill — while teaching those guys to always remain in motion — lets him know just how much emphasis the team puts on helping Mahomes when he’s going off-script.
“I just feel like Pat, when it gets to the scrambling part, that’s where it’s like, ‘OK, he can throw the ball across the field. He can do this. He can do that.’ You just never know,” Smith-Schuster said. “So we’re always taught to just stay on the move because you just never know where you got him.”
Smith-Schuster joins former Packer Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the Chiefs’ two major free-agent additions to the receiver room. And much like Valdes-Scantling, who spoke last week, Smith-Schuster said he was looking forward to the wideouts showing off their versatility with KC.
“I think we’ve got so many guys who can do so many different things, all around. We’re not just, ‘Hey, you go here. You go there. It’s, ‘Hey, everyone plays every position. Everyone knows what everyone’s doing,’” Smith-Schuster said. “And I think that right there helps us out a lot going into the season.”
Smith-Schuster, overall, said he felt fortunate now to be paired up with both Mahomes and the Chiefs organization.
“I can’t wait, man, to show you guys what we can do,” Smith-Schuster said. “And it’s gonna start in training camp.”
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Here’s one reason Chiefs’ JuJu Smith-Schuster says he’s excited to play for Andy Reid."
