The Kansas City Chiefs were dealt some tough news on Friday as Head Coach Andy Reid confirmed that safety Eric Berry suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Chiefs' season-opening win over New England.
"As far as injuries go, Eric Berry is probably the one we need to talk about. He did rupture his Achilles tendon, so he'll be out," Reid said. "Whatever moves are made, (General Manager Brett Veach) is on that and working on that right now, but Eric won't be playing."
Berry recorded seven tackles (4.0 solo), including a tackle-for-loss, before suffering the injury in the fourth quarter. While his season appears to be over, the eight-year veteran doesn't want his absence to affect the rest of the team's mentality on the field.
"He had an opportunity to talk to the team last night after the game and I know he would be very disappointed if anybody hung their head or let that be an issue, Reid said. "I thought the guys handled it very well, even after Eric got hurt. The guys know Eric would be disappointed if they let off in anyway at all, so I think we'll be okay there."
Though Berry won't be on the field, he can still maintain a presence in the locker room, much like linebacker Derrick Johnson did last season after rupturing his Achilles.
"We'll just see how the whole thing works out. I joked about it last night that this is like how I dealt with (Derrick Johnson) last year - they can work on their coaching career and see if they like coaching," Reid said. "We'll just see how all that works out as we go forward."
On the field, the Chiefs will employ the "next man up" philosophy as Kansas City prepares for the home opener on Sept. 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"He's a unique person, so you're not going to replace that, but you have to remember that this is a team sport," Reid said. "Everybody has to pick their game up in all areas and then the next man up has to pick his game up and get in there and do his thing. We've lived on that since we've been here and the players believe in that, so that's how we roll."
