Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
October 31, 2024
HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, as far as the guys not practicing today, Ethan Driskell is ill, he won’t practice today and then Nazeeh (Johnson) – who’s getting better with the concussion part of it can do the walk throughs. He did that is getting better there – he won’t practice though and then JuJu (Smith-Schuster) won’t practice but (he’s) making progress. Mike Danna will be out there and he will practice. (We) look forward to the challenge of playing Tampa Bay, we know they’re a good football team (and they’re) very well coached. I mean, (Buccaneers Head Coach) Todd (Bowles) does a heck of a job with that crew, along with his coordinators. They’re all top-notch guys and both offensively, defensively and special teams, they’re doing well. We look forward to that challenge of prepping ourselves this week to get ready to play them on Monday night, in particular right here at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Anyways, with that, (the) time’s yours.”
Q: What role do you see for Joshua Uche?
REID: “We’ve had the benefit of having played against him (Joshua Uche) so we know he’s a very aggressive, good pass rusher – a good all-around player – but a good pass rusher so we’ll work him in with the defensive line rotation-wise – as long as he can handle everything and I wouldn’t expect that he wouldn’t. He’ll start today working in there and getting used to what we do.”
Q: Do you think Joshua Uche will play on Monday?
REID: “Yeah, I think there’s a good chance. We’ll see though.”
Q: Is there any update on Isiah Pacheco?
REID: “He’s (Isiah Pacheco) getting there but he’s doing fantastic. I mean, he’s really doing well but between the trainers and doctors and all that, that’s out of my hands there. He’s making great progress there.”
Q: What about an update on Charles Omenihu?
REID: “Charles (Omenihu) is doing a good job, too, (he’s) working his tail off. Again, the surgeons who do their jobs, they have the feel of it so they’re constantly evaluating these guys and when they’re ready to go, they’re ready to go. I mean, that’s how I look at it but he’s getting closer to answer both of your questions. Both (Charles Omenihu and Isiah Pacheco) of them are.”
Q: What was your need for a guy like Joshua Uche?
REID: “We just know how important that position is and adding him (Joshua Uche) in the mix there is something that helps us as a football team, so I’d tell you that’s why we did that.”
Q: On unlocking the deep passing game.
REID: “Defenses are doing a nice job with their shell coverage which is allowing us to get light yards underneath, but I mean, it’s just not the big chunk plays. I’m okay with whatever they present defensively - we’ve got to use what we have there.”
Q: What have you seen from Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen and have you been able to interact with him over the years?
REID: “No, I don’t really know him like that but he’s (Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen) – I think he’s doing a fantastic job. Their offense is very efficient, their quarterback (Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield) is playing great and he lost two of his primary guys (and) he keeps rolling. The guys that they have in (at receiver) are a little bit smaller and very fast. They’ve got these running backs that are top notch and not just one of them, I think they have a couple of them. They have a really good offense and he uses all of them, Liam does, I’m saying.”
Q: What have you learned about DeAndre Hopkins?
REID: “DeAndre (Hopkins), he’s really handled things the right way. (He’s) been very diligent on studying and asking questions and staying late, coming early, the whole deal there. His role will continue to increase this week, I mean, we’re comfortable with that and I think he’s comfortable with it.”
Q: Where does it stand with the left tackle position?
REID: “We feel (that) both of them can be starters. Right now, it’s going to stay Wanya (Morris), but I mean, we’re lucky to have two guys who are young and growing. They’re going to be good Chiefs.”
Q: On Tershawn Wharton’s fourth down tackle and his growth this season.
REID: “Turk’s (Tershawn Wharton) just one of those guys. Nobody practices harder, nobody works harder than Turk. He’s not the biggest guy but he’s physical and very strong and has a great lower body for playing inside there and utilizes all of it, along with his quickness. I would tell you from where he came from to where he is today, there has been a lot of work that has gone into it by him and persistence and it’s paying off for him.”
Q: How much was the interior defensive line responsible for the goal line stand?
REID: “That’s a big part – it starts there. They have to handle their business there and then the linebackers and the secondary, they all fill their gaps and have to do that job. I mean still it was our d-line, it starts with them.”
Q: What type of challenge does Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles present to you guys?
REID: “(Buccaneers Head Coach) Todd (Bowles), who I’ve had the privilege of working with (is) very, very intelligent and played in the league a long time – he’s got a great feel for defensive football and he’s got a variety of things he can do with it. He’s sharp and he gives you a lot of different looks.”
Q: Is it a small thing to adjust your schedule for a Monday night game?
REID: “We kind of work through some of those things in training camp. Different scenarios, a Thursday game. This year is a little different because we have games all over the place but Thursday game and Monday night games we kind of maneuver our schedule there to kind of fit this so the guys are a bit used to it. I’d tell you no, it’s normally the backend of it that’s a little bit tougher. Front end you’re ok, it’s the next game as far as it’s a shorter prep time so you have to look ahead which we don’t like to do.”
Q: Getting close to the halfway point of the season, what can you appreciate that Patrick Mahomes has done thus far?
REID: “Again, he’s (Patrick Mahomes) been playing great football and you look back a couple years ago and teams would show you shell coverage and he would have to kind of get used to that whole deal. Now, he sees it, handles it, gets it to his guys (and) gets the ball out of his hands. He’s a great player and he manages everything. It’s like having a coach on the field.”
Q: Coming into the season with a target on your back, how do you feel your team has responded so far, especially against the Raiders?
REID: “I thought that was great, that was a great game. Great atmosphere, both teams came ready to fight and it led to that which was tremendous, great for the rivalry thing that goes on. You know how hard the guys work at this, you know how hard the coaches work at it, you want a challenge every week, that’s what you want. Let’s go, let’s see what we’re all about. It won’t be any different this week, this is a good football team and one of the better teams in the NFC. We have to make sure we have a great week of preparation.”
Q: How nice was it to get Travis Kelce involved like you did during the Raiders game?
REID: “The last few weeks, we’ve been able to get him (Travis Kelce) into positions there and really where teams weren’t doubling as much. Some of it was a multi-formation that we were using in there that helped that, some of it is Noah (Gray), just his production levels up and he put both those guys in the game and you have to be aware of them. It’s been great to get him going though, he’s one of the great ones, you might slow him down a minute but not for very long.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
October 31, 2024
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: What do you remember about the last time you played against Joshua Uche and the Patriots and what will the gameplan be like for him?
MAHOMES: “I think, obviously – (Joshua Uche is) a great pass rusher – someone that can really get to the QB, especially in those pass rush situations. I think he does a great job of playing hard the entire time too which is – sometimes you get guys that kind of take their chances in their spots and stuff like that, but he’s a guy who gets after it every single snap he gets. I think it’s a great addition to an already great defense. I think his specialty will be able to really be emphasized in this defense.”
Q: What do you think integrating DeAndre Hopkins into the offense more and more will do for the downfield passing as you go on?
MAHOMES: “I think whenever you’re able to put him (DeAndre Hopkins) in there – obviously we’re going to be able to hit some throws down the field, but I think hitting him kind of over that medium to long range is going to open up other guys down the field and take pressure off other guys as far as eyes and coverage. Whenever you’ve got – really two guys when you talk about DeAndre and Trav (Travis Kelce) that are all kind of working in that medium type of range in the football field, it opens up the deeper throws because teams have to account for that.”
Q: What has the challenge been like for you with all of the injury changes and different people in the room so far this season?
MAHOMES: “I think the challenge comes more throughout the week just because you’re putting new guys in different positions and asking them to go out there and execute, but once you get the work in throughout the week – I think we’ve done a great job of executing on game day and hitting some of those throws. Obviously, it’s forced guys to have bigger roles than we expected earlier in the season, but at the same time I feel like guys have kind of accepted the challenge and that’s why we’ve been able to win the games that we’ve been able to win.”
Q: It seemed like there were a lot of plays where you made up your mind pretty quickly against the Raiders, is that a result of something you’ve been working on?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, for sure. I think it’s just having a good gameplan. We had a good feel for what they (the Raiders) were going to do, and guys were getting open. I gave guys chances to make some plays and when you play a defense like that with the type of pass rush that they have, you have to get the ball out on time. We did that this last week and now let’s build upon it. Let’s obviously keep continuing to do that, but let’s get back to throwing some of the deep passes and then running the ball as well.”
Q: How much has your experience of seeing these different coverages helped you so far in your career?
MAHOMES: “I think when I was younger, I wanted to throw it deep every time and there’s good and bad to that. I think more than anything, it’s just finding that right balance of still pushing it down the field, but at the same time taking what’s there and moving the chains. I think we’ve done a great job of that, and I think as we’ve started to execute better in the red zone, we’ve been able to score more and more points. We’re going to continue to just work to get better and we want to be playing our best football by the end of the year.”
Q: With the way that the defense has been playing, has it changed your offensive mentality at all?
MAHOMES: “I don’t want to say we’re more conservative but definitely once you get a lead, you know that the defense is going to get stops. We want to go in and score as many points as possible. I’m not going to act like we don’t want to score. In certain situations where we might have pressed the issue and try to force something to make something happen, knowing that our defense can get stops and knowing that we can punt and we can get the ball back in a better type of position on the field, it speaks to the entire team. I think that’s something that I’ve kind of evolved throughout my career.”
Q: On the WNBA trying to expand and potentially having a team in Kansas City.
MAHOMES: “Obviously, we want to get basketball to Kansas City in general and the WNBA and the success that they’ve had this last season and these last few seasons. It’s kind of a no brainer to try to get a WNBA team in Kansas City, to this fanbase, and you see it when you talk about Kansas – University of Kansas basketball, the Chiefs or whatever it is, the city of Kansas City is going to come out and they’re going to fill the stadium. It was cool that we were able to get the soccer team – the women’s soccer team here and the (Kansas City) Current and they’re going to the playoffs now and you see the support that they have. Let’s try to get a WNBA team in here as well and (it’s) kind of that same type of ownership group. They’ve done the (Kansas City) Current the right way and I want to continue to work with them to take that next step and get a WNBA team here.”
Q: How beneficial is your marketing degree that you earned at Texas Tech to your experience as a co-owner of the Kansas City Current?
MAHOMES: “I think just seeing just how business works, it’s helped me throughout my entire career. The preparation when I went to the Rawls (College of Business) business school was that I was going to hopefully be an athlete, and I was going to be able to know more than just being an athlete and letting someone else handle all (of) my other businesses outside of football. It’s prepared me to be in some of these meetings that I’ve been in, and I get to see it from both sides as a player and as an owner or whatever you want to call – manager or whatever it is. It helps me put my perspective and my input into these meetings that I meet with these other leagues, and I can kind of show how, hopefully, we can make it a great place for owners but a great place for players as well.”
Q: On how important it is to be involved in the other Kansas City sports teams.
MAHOMES: “I think just because Kansas City is such a great place for me. It’s a place that I call home. It’s a place that I built a house at and that I’ll be for a long, long time. I think being involved in the community as much as possible – and I love sports, I know how much this city loves sports, so let’s bring as many sports in here and showcase how great Kansas City is, not only as a city but the people that are in this city as well.”
Q: On the timetable of the WNBA talks.
MAHOMES: “They want to expand. Just like any other business, you have to kind of pick and choose how to expand, you want to expand as fast as you can, but you want to do it in a way that is profitable for them but also good for the players and the quality of the sport. Obviously, you’ve seen these last few years the WNBA has really grown, and we feel like Kansas City is a great place to continue that growth, but we have to battle with other cities to prove why we can sustain and have a great franchise here.”
Q: How far do you foresee your ownership and investment ventures going in sports and do you have any broader plan right now?
MAHOMES: “No, I wouldn’t say a broader plan, not necessarily. I think more than anything, I just know how much sports has given to me, so whenever I’m done playing football, whenever that is, and I have to venture off into life after football and chasing kids around and everything like that, I want to be able to still be a part of it. Obviously, it started early with the (Kansa City) Royals and then Sporting (KC) and then the (Kansas City) Current and now hopefully we can get this WNBA team here and it’s for life after football, so I can still make an impact in all sports. Then, at the same time, showcase to my daughter that she can follow her dream and go out there and execute whatever that dream is.”
Q: How tough is it to see a guy like Jody Fortson go through yet another tough injury like tearing his ACL?
MAHOMES: “It’s extremely tough just because you know how hard he’s (Jody Fortson) worked to get back from the injuries that he’s had in the past and he’s such a good dude. I mean, he’ll do whatever to be on that football field. He’s one of those guys where you’re like, ‘Go block the middle linebacker’ and he’ll go block the middle linebacker. He’ll do whatever it takes to help your team win. You feel terrible. In the locker room after, somewhat getting the news, you don’t know for sure but you kind of know. You know how much it means for him and it means a lot for us for him to be out there. Obviously, it’s terrible news but at the same time, I know the human, I know the person and I know (that) he’ll continue to fight back and give himself another opportunity to get back out on that football field.”
Q: On your maturity level at this point, how much easier is it for you to deal with things like turnovers than it would have been five years ago?
MAHOMES: “I think more than anything, when we win, it doesn’t hurt as bad. Obviously, I want to be perfect. I want to be great. I don’t want to put our defense in bad positions like I did the other day, but at the end of the day, I want to win and however we have to win the football game, I’m good with it. If that’s scoring a lot of touchdowns, not scoring touchdowns, if that’s running the football, whatever it is, if it’s playing defense to win football games – I just want to win at the end of the day and I think we’re doing a great job of that.”
Q: On why supporting women’s sports is important to him.