Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
January 10, 2025
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, go ahead and fire away.”
Q: What did you see from D.J. Humphries? Do you think he’s ready to start at left tackle again?
REID: “Listen, I thought D.J. (Humphries) did a pretty good job there. (There are) a few plays that he’d probably like to have back, but he’s headed in the right direction, for sure. I haven’t made any decisions on that (or) which direction to go right this minute, so we’ll see. We’ll get there by the time we get to the end of next week there.”
Q: What’s your take on Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo readiness to be a head coach again?
REID: “Yeah, Pete (Sweeney), you know this from what I’ve said before that I think both of them (Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) deserve an opportunity again to be head coaches. They’re obviously getting some play here so other people recognize that too, and we’ll just see where it goes. I know they’re focused on taking care of business now here and then looking at these other things this week and then that stops after this week.”
Q: What factors are most important when determining the starter at left tackle?
REID: “Well, the best part is that they both (Joe Thuney and D.J. Humphries) are good players and (Mike) Caliendo’s playing well, too, so I’m not too worried about that whole situation. We’ll just see how it plays out. (Offensive Line Coach) Andy (Heck) rotates them during the week anyways, so they’ll all get work and we’ll just go from there. Obviously, you want the best combination, but I think in this case you’ve got three guys there that are pretty good players.”
Q: Where do you feel like you guys are at with Harrison Butker coming off the injury heading into the playoffs?
REID: “He’s (Harrison Butker) working through that, and he’ll be fine. He’s a hard worker, that’s what he does and he’s a perfectionist on everything. He’ll just keep cranking and I think he’s getting better every day as he goes through this.
Q: Is there any affect on your friends and family in Los Angeles with the fires?
REID: “Yeah, I’ve had a couple friends that had some problems out there, but our hearts go out to all those people. You know, (our) prayers are with them and hopefully they get these things contained. They’re all in different areas of the city but those ones along the coast there, those are rough ones. We just pray for everybody’s safety, number one.”
Q: On the Chiefs recent success and legacy.
REID: “Listen, I mean there’s no place better to do it than right here in Kansas City, but when you’re in the middle of it, you really don’t think about it. You’re thinking about the next game. I mean, that’s just how this business is. When you look in the rear-view mirror, then you normally get your tail kicked so you have to be careful of that. We’re just trying to keep pushing forward but at the same time, we know we have great fans, I don’t ever want to slight that part. That’s an – GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium’s an unbelievable place to play with the support of GEHA as part of this thing too. We – the thing I enjoy the most about the present is for however great this thing is, these guys are so humble, and they work so hard, and I appreciate that part from a coach’s standpoint.”
Q: What does this weekend look like for you guys and how do you prepare for the possibility of playing four different teams?
REID: “We actually have played, which is crazy, but we’ve played all the teams that are in the playoffs. You have to go back though, you can’t be content with that so the four teams that we have a chance to potentially play in a couple weeks here, we’ve tried to hammer those out, and we’re going to continue to do that until we find out what the results are probably Sunday night, somewhere in that area, or at least late afternoon I would imagine. We’ll figure it out and see where it goes, but we’re going to try to be ready for all of them while we have this time, and we’ve tried to use it smart as a coaching staff. At the same time, we want to make sure our players are fresh but still stay sharp, so they worked today in pads and they’ll go tomorrow and then Sunday, whether it’s a Saturday game or a Sunday game, they’ll have Sunday off.”
Q: How are the injured guys doing right now?
REID: “Listen, they (Isiah Pacheco, Jawaan Taylor, Chris Jones and Chamarri Conner) all practiced today so that was a good thing, Matt (Derrick), that they were all able to get in there and bang it around a little bit. That was the big plus, so they’re all doing well to answer your question. They’re doing well.”
Q: On how Jaylen Watson has looked returning to practice.
REID: “He (Jaylen Watson) worked last week, he came out of those workouts and felt good. He worked hard today. We did a lot of one-on-one stuff today, so ones versus ones, so he was able to get in there and work that and he looked good from what I’ve seen. I haven’t gone back and looked at the tape yet, but he looked like he was moving around pretty good.”
Q: On what the team has been doing since the Denver game.
REID: “We gave the guys time off there. It’s very similar to two years ago, about the same schedule as we had two years ago, almost to the point – to the tee. The coaches have worked, Adam (Teicher), just so you know that.”
Q: On how beneficial earning the No. 1 seed will be for divvying up snaps for Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.
REID: “You know how that position (running back) – that’s a tough position, you take a beating at that position. I think this period of time, the rest period, benefits a lot of people, but those running backs really. I mean that’s a good time for recovery, and I think they were smart with it. All the guys have been working out, so they were kind of chomping at the bit to get going, so that’s kind of how you want it. They knew that this bye week was going to be different than your in-season bye week, so they’ve all been in working and doing their thing. With those two (Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt), I don’t know how I’ll divvy up, but I would imagine it would just end up being the same as we’ve been doing with them. They will both be in there battling, you know.”
Q: Do you find any value in reinforcing to the guys what historic accomplishments are on the line?
REID: “No, I don’t think it is Vahe (Gregorian). The important thing is that you stay focused on the team at hand that you’re going to have an opportunity to play. For the coaches, it’s important that we know all these teams and then being able to put together a game plan where the players can execute it fast. If you start getting caught up in the what ifs and all that you get into trouble. You just have to take the next one and let’s go and play our best and do the best you can do and then let the chips fall where they may. You have to make sure you maximize that part and if anything gets in the way of that you have to get rid of it. It’s not – it’ll hinder you but better than help you.”
Q: How beneficial is it to have veterans that have been in big moments to lean on?
REID: “The experience helps. Especially with some of the younger guys to be able to talk to them and tell them about the urgency of this thing. It is single elimination. That’s easier said than putting that in your brain and getting yourself right for every snap that you have at practice to practice hard and aggressive with. You just have to make sure you really stay focused and don’t let distractions in there the best you can.”
Q: How do you approach practice tempos with the young guy to give them a taste of playoffs?
REID: “Today we did ones versus ones, that would be an example of what you’re saying. So, they get that speed against each other and have to compete. These are all competitive guys, but you put the ones out there against each other, they really get competitive and that’s kind of a fun thing to be a part of and it’s good for the guys. It’s good to get caught up like that on the speed part of it.”
Q: The organization released a survey to fans on what they want the new stadium to have. Any requests that you have?