HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright welcome back, we’re looking forward to getting this thing started. Got a good group of guys coming in, we’ll be about one deep (for the next few days) so are going to have to work the rotation as we go with the camp, but it’ll be a good one for us to get these young guys some reps, looking forward to that. Once the vets get in really, you’ll probably see them up here today, Turk (Tershawn Wharton) will be starting off on PUP and we’ll just make a decision with (Isiah) Pacheco as we go forward, but those are really the only two that would be on the list as of right now. Other than that, we’re ready to giddy up and go and I’ll throw it out to you guys.”
Q: Last year you started thinking very early about how Patrick (Mahomes) was driving everything in terms of leadership and sort of the fire of it all, what have you seen this offseason?
REID: “Really during OTA’s you saw that, he’s not going to change that role, he’s going to continue to be one of the leaders of the team. You saw that with (Travis) Kelce, you know I had Chris Jones in here somewhere as things go on, he’ll be another one that helps step things up. We’ve got a variety of young guys, they’ve got great personalities and I’m expecting them to continue to grow in that area, too.”
Q: Where’s the room for growth with Patrick (Mahomes)? Obviously, it’s there somewhere, how do you really focus on that?
REID: “Well listen, with quarterbacks the work is never done. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s like being a farmer, you just keep on cranking. We’re always trying to give him new challenges with things, and he loves that, he loves to attack those type of things so that’s where it’s at. But you know what, there’s always things to work on, fundamentally there’s always things to work on. He spends a tremendous amount of time on that and puts a lot of effort into it and so then obviously the new plays.”
Q: Do you anticipate Chris Jones being here on the first day?
REID: “I don’t know that, we’ll just have to see how that goes. I mean there’s communication going on so that’s the important part and we’ll just have to see.”
Q: Patrick Mahomes mentioned that camp is different than the offseason workouts. With the rookies, have they really got the taste yet of what its like to be in the NFL and to be joining a team where the expectations are this high?
REID: “I think they’ll feel that a little bit more now. I think you’re a little bit guarded just by the rules for your OTA’s but it’s a good foundation to build, but this here, this tests you both mentally and physically when you have to go through a training camp and then they’ve got to deal with you guys every day. You know it’s just different. There are a lot of eyes on them, all the fans out there, a lot of eyes, so it’s different. There’s a different intensity level, plus you are getting ready for the season and you are building that foundation for the season.”
Q: if you say that being a quarterback is like being on a farm, from your world, when do you start thinking about training camp before you show up?
REID: “Listen, I take my work with me. I’ll spend a couple hours a day working on things, I enjoy doing that, you know some people read novels, I look at plays.”
Q: When you know something that maybe nobody else in the organization knows or when you stumble upon something that sparks your interest, what’s the feeling like knowing that eventually you are going to reveal to everyone what you figured out?
REID: “There’s not a lot of that that goes on, I try to keep open communication with my guys, and I don’t throw a lot of surprises out there for them, but this will be challenging. We try to create that every year, it always ends up being created in a new way, so we’ll just see how that goes.”
Q: You talk about challenges year in and year out. What keeps you motivated, obviously coming off a Super Bowl win, but what keeps you motivated to keep pressing on?
REID: “Visiting with you guys. I love the game, we got a good football team. I love the organization, being up here at Missouri Western State University. And the way people treat us up here is phenomenal. So all of those things I look forward to and enjoy doing.”
Q: Have you watched the Quarterback series on Netflix as it’s been presented at the end here?
REID: “I haven’t, I went through it with (Executive Vice President of Communications) Ted (Crews) before it was out, when we were going through the process. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on and it sounds like, you know my wife watched it, so sounds like it’s a pretty good show. I’m happy, it’s good for the NFL. It’s great for people to know what the quarterbacks go through.”
Q: On the process of deciding what information was shown in the Quarterback series.
REID: “Yeah, Pat’s (Mahomes) got a good feel for that, too. And likewise, (Executive Vice President of Communications) Ted (Crews). Ted had probably the biggest part in all of it, having to go every inch of it. But listen, there are things that you don’t want out there. I mean the best you possibly can, it’s hard in today’s world with all the technology, but there’s some things you’d like to keep in-house, particularly the way we teach things. And so that’s what we tried to do with that. To a point, we shared a few things, too.”
Q: You mentioned Isiah Pacheco a minute ago. Longer term, is there any concern that he may not be ready for the regular season, or do you feel like you have enough time?
REID: “You know Adam (Teicher), I think we’ll have enough time. Let’s see how this all goes. Curious to talk to him, I haven’t seen him yet, and likewise (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) is going to talk to him.”
Q: How big are the next three days for the rookies, pinpointing Rashee Rice. What can he accomplish and learn to prepare him for when the full practice starts on Sunday?
REID: “I think it’s great for the young guys. I think it’s good for the older guys just to get tuned up, they know what it takes to get themselves ready for the season. This is a way to knock a little rust off, but for the young guys I think it’s even more beneficial. And it’s also beneficial for the coaches to see the young guys and see what they can do and the progress they’re making throughout the three games. So, we’ll just see how that rolls. I like having some form of preseason games, I just think that ends up getting you started for the season, kind of smooths out some things.”
Q: On if any adjustments were made during the shortened offseason due to Super Bowl celebrations and camp starting earlier than in years past.
REID: “I think everybody’s kind of ready to get going. Just turn the page, it’s over, all that stuff’s over. And we’re moving forward. I think the camp takes care of the rest of that.”
Q: What lessons did you learn from winning the Super Bowl and then going back and losing the next year?
REID: “You have to maintain your edge all the way through the season. You don’t take anything for granted. So, the guys that have been through that experience know that. And you gotta have the ball flip the right way for you. There’s so much parity in this league, there’s nothing that’s granted to you. You have to earn it, and there’s got to be certain things that just happen for you in the right direction. And then you’d have a chance to do something like that, but to do that you’ve got to go with this one day at a time approach. And you’ve got to be intense through those days that you’re given an opportunity to get better with.”
Q: How much do you rely on guys like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to set that environment?
REID: “Yeah, I love their attitude, that’s infectious. There’s a number of guys that do that, but those two, they’ve got eyes on them. And the way they go about their business is that they want to be great every day and do the best they can do every day. And they understand that through the tough parts of this, that it pays off for you down the road.”
Q: It’s well understood that you and Patrick Mahomes have had a wavelength since you’ve met. How much closer are you and Patrick to a shared vision of everything at this stage and is there even room for that to grow?
REID: “I mean, I think time does that to you enough. He knows, he’s got a great feel for things, and he knows what we’re all about and what I want, and I know what he wants. And we just go about it and makes sure we get everything taken care of.”