Reid, Lurie: Pederson off to a good start

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Jeffrey Lurie and Andy Reid both talked about Doug Pederson yesterday, and both mentioned how much they like the staff the Eagles' first-year coach has assembled.

"We don't change coaches very often, but the transition with Doug has been smooth, outstanding," said Lurie, the Eagles' chairman. "Great communication, high energy. The staff he put together, very excited about. It's important to hire really good coordinators when you're a first-time head coach. That was a big key with Andy, with (special-teams coordinator) John Harbaugh and (defensive coordinator) Jim Johnson."

Reid, Lurie's Eagles coach from 1999-2012, now in charge of the Chiefs, was unable to attend the NFL meetings while dealing with a failed knee replacement, but he spoke via conference call, joking that his absence at the AFC coaches' breakfast meant more eggs Benedict for everybody.

Reid said he knew Pederson was ready to be a head coach, after three years as Reid's offensive coordinator in Kansas City. How did he know?

"When you become a coordinator, you've got to deal with the media - that's a big part of it when you come to Philadelphia . . . He's got a good way about him with that. Footballwise, I think he's got a good grasp - he's studied and spent a lot of time at his job. I think he's prepared, whether it's to hire a coaching staff - I think he did a nice job with that - whether it's dealing with Howie (Roseman) on the personnel side; he kind of understands how that works - he watched (KC general manager John Dorsey) and I do it. I just thought it was a win-win for both parties, for Doug and for the Eagles," Reid said.

Reid made a second reference to Pederson's hires later in his question-and-answer session. Pederson kept Dave Fipp, the successful special-teams coordinator under Chip Kelly, and brought in experienced offensive and defensive coordinators in Frank Reich and Jim Schwartz.

Reid, meanwhile, got a knee replacement last year but suffered a series of infections. Finally, after the 2015 season, surgeons removed the replacement. He can't get another knee just yet.

"I've got probably three to four more weeks in the process of just getting the infection out of there. It's a non-weight-bearing process; my arms are getting into good shape. I think we're on the downside of the infection part of it, then we'll get the replacement put in," Reid said.

Jeffrey Lurie extolled DeMeco Ryans and Cedric Thornton, with Ryans having been released and Thornton leaving for Dallas in free agency. Lurie said in his two-plus decades of owning the Eagles, there has "never been a classier player" than Ryans. Lurie noted that Thornton, an undrafted free agent in 2011, "came out of nowhere" and developed into a reliable starter . . . Titans coach Mike Mularkey said DeMarco Murray will run more from under center in Tennessee. He said nothing about Murray's unproductive 2015 season concerned him . . .

Dolphins coach Adam Gase said corner Byron Maxwell will be "pressing and playing aggressive," which he implied was not how Maxwell was used by the Eagles last season. "I can feel his excitement, getting down here," Gase said. Gase said linebacker Kiko Alonso "is going to fit in with what we do really well . . . having that kind of speed at linebacker is really going to be helpful to us" . . . Andy Reid declined comment on the Jeremy Maclin tampering investigation, since the Chiefs are appealing NFL sanctions.

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