KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There is no longer a football team at San Francisco State, the Gators long ago having given up on the pricy sport in favor of investing in their other athletic programs.
Andy Reid and Dirk Koetter will have to settle on Arrowhead Stadium for a reunion.
The Chiefs coach and his Tampa Bay counterpart were both on Vic Rowen's staff in 1985, trying to learn the ropes after their own playing days. They would reunite a couple of years later at Texas-El Paso, and they remained joined at the hip at Missouri before their paths began to diverge.
Reid headed for the NFL. Koetter stuck around the college game before making the leap.
"He's one of the finest football coaches I've ever been around," Reid said of Koetter. "We were little scrub buckets when we started off together, and we ended here, in Missouri, at the University of Missouri. I definitely saw him as a college coach and then, I figured if he got in the NFL, he would be the head coach there, too. He's very, very good."
He'll have to be at his best to figure out a way to outsmart Reid today.
The Chiefs (7-2) have ripped off five consecutive victories to climb into a tie atop the AFC West. Their defense has been downright dominant; their offense has done enough to get by.
"Andy is one of the best, if not the best coach, I've ever been around," said Koetter, who seemed unsurprised by Reid's success. "His attention to detail, his ability to teach, the way he motivates guys -- it was a great blessing for me to be able to work with him like I did."
Reid's path after leaving Missouri took him to a successful run as an assistant in Green Bay, then his own 14-year run leading Philadelphia. But he seemed to be beaten down those last few years with the Eagles, and it took a move to Kansas City for rejuvenate him.
Koetter has had his share of bumps, too. He was a rising star after turning Boise State into a powerhouse, but he fell into years of mediocrity leading Arizona State. Stints as the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Atlanta and Tampa Bay earned him the Buccaneers' top job.
So far, Koetter also appears to be rejuvenated.
He has Tampa Bay off to an encouraging 4-5 record after a dominant victory over the Bears, and the franchise is eyeing its first winning season since 2010.
"I'm sure they think they can win the rest of their games," Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley said.
But they can't do that without beating Kansas City.
Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston could make his season debut against the Buccaneers. The four-time Pro Bowl selection had surgery to repair his left ACL in February, and he was added to the roster last week, though he remained inactive for their game at Carolina.
"He was feeling pretty good last week," Reid said. "We'll just have to see."
Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin expects to carry more of the load this weekend. He returned from a hamstring injury that cost him nearly two months to run for 33 yards against the Bears, giving the Buccaneers a big lift.
"Getting his confidence back, I think that's the No. 1 thing," Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. "I think he'll be able to build on that this week."
Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston and the Chiefs' Alex Smith are both threats with their legs, though the Buccaneers do more with designed plays to get their quarterback into space.
"He's good outside the pocket," Koetter said. "He just has a real feel for that and is a guy that he's a got a rare quality where he will run with it, but he's always got his eyes down the field. A lot of times you find guys that don't want to run it and you find guys that don't want to throw it. He's one of those guys that has a rare quality, he can do both."
Sports on 11/20/2016