OPENING STATEMENT: “The guys who won’t practice today, Derrick Nnadi won’t be practicing. (Isiah) Pacheco did the walkthrough but won’t practice. Then Joe Thuney won’t practice, everybody else will go. (We) had a good day yesterday in preparation. We know every day is important with the challenge of playing the Ravens. With that, time’s yours.”
Q: On the Ravens defense.
REID: “They’re good all the way around, good backend, secondary, (their) linebackers are fast and good tacklers and then their front is strong. Good all-around defense.”
Q: Did you see anything that stuck out to you in how Lamar Jackson played in their playoff game last week?
REID: “I’ve always had a ton of respect for him (Ravens QB Lamar Jackson) from the time he got in the league on – he’s playing good football, he’s been doing it all year and he’s carried it into the playoffs, last week.”
Q: The first time you played Ravens QB Lamar Jackson few years ago did you have a sense that the matchup between him and Patrick Mahomes would be a big one for years to come?
REID: “It felt that way. The league is lucky to have these young quarterbacks that are so good – talented. They’ve got a good team around him (Ravens QB Lamar Jackson) and he’s good, so you figured that somewhere we were going to be playing them once or twice.”
Q: Will Mike Edwards be back at practice today?
REID: “Yeah Mike (Edwards) will be out there.”
Q: What is Mike Edwards status?
REID: “Just precautionary, easing him back in and see how he’s doing.”
Q: Did Willie Gay have a setback?
REID: “His neck is stiff. He just can’t turn right now. He’s getting better, but that’s what happened in the game.”
Q: Was that a setback during the game?
REID: “Just, it wasn’t working, it got worse during the game yeah.”
Q: How important is Willie Gay especially facing a running quarterback?
REID: “Willie (Gay) is a big part of our defense. However, I would not slight Drue (Tranquill) for the job he did coming in. Willie is a good player, he’s part of the success that we’ve had.”
Q: What do you think of the job Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has done for you?
REID: “He’s (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) done a great job, a great job. Not that he hasn’t in the past, we just had some young players. The teaching part of it, whether it was (Defensive Backs Coach) Dave (Merritt) working with the secondary, (Safeties Coach) Donald (D'Alesio) – they’ve got that crew, a young group (who) made some mistakes last year, they’ve got them playing good football, accurate football. (Linebackers Coach) Brendan (Daly) with the linebackers doing a nice job there, guys flying around making plays. Then you look at (Chiefs Defensive Line Coach) Joe (Cullen) and how he’s fit people in there and kept a nice rotation going with the guys, he’s done a nice job, too. Spags is the general of that group, he designs all the stuff that we throw at offenses, and he’s got a great variety of pitches.”
Q: What is important to you when you look for someone to be the defensive play caller?
REID: “The scheme is important, how you utilize the scheme is important. When you think of our defense you think we blitz all the time, but it’s not blitzing all the time, it’s when you blitz that’s important, give yourself an opportunity to get home or get done with the blitz that you want to get done. (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags has a great feel for that, he doesn’t get overzealous with blitzing every down. Some guys do that. He picks and chooses the time, to do that, you’ve got to know – or at least have a feel on what the offense is doing. I think a big part of it is, do your players believe in it? You can be a great teacher, do all of that, but if your players aren’t believing in the scheme, you’re not going to have the production you want. He does a nice job with that.”
Q: We have seen a lot of teams hire coordinators who have head coaching experience, does that make a noticeable difference?
REID: “Both of them (Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) are good leaders, there’re not afraid to make the decision. Sometimes coordinators that haven’t sat in that seat are afraid to do that, both of them do a nice job with that. They’ve done a very good job with it actually.”
Chiefs Coordinators Quotes
January 25, 2024
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB
Q: What are your thoughts on Harrison Butker and Ravens K Justin Tucker?
TOUB: “They’re both great kickers, I mean obviously. Harrison (Butker) – I’m kind of biased because he’s my guy, but I mean, they’re both neck and neck to me. I think (Ravens K Justin) Tucker is outstanding, when you watch him, he’s just so pure at everything he does and consistent and (has a) strong strong leg, it’s amazing. He’s been doing it for such a long time, he’s the best, he’s good.”
Q: The Bills decided to fake a punt and go for it on a fourth down, did you guys expect it and what were you telling your guys?
TOUB: “It was fourth and five at the 30. Every time you come on the field with your punt return, your first thing you want to do is play defense first. We always talk about that; we want the ball back, so it’s always that. You heard (Nick) Bolton as he was coming off the field, ‘Watch the fake.’ That’s every time, it’s watch the fake unless it’s fourth and 25 or so, you know what I mean. But anything close like that, you’ll hear guys say that just a reminder for everybody and our guys – the six guys that were inside the box did an outstanding job. They saw it, they read it, they didn’t get reach, they stopped it, they made it cut back. Leo (Chenal) and Cole Christiansen made the tackle, I’m so proud of those guys the way they rose up and made a play.”
Q: Can you assess how Richie James has done all year and if Kadarius Toney were to be available on Sunday, would you consider him as the returner?
TOUB: “That’s always a possibility. We’re going to stick with Richie (James). Richie has been our guy, he’s at meetings, he knows what’s going on and he’s been good, he’s been really good. He’s making good decisions and he’s solid and that’s what we’re looking for right now. Injuries or something like that, you might see (Kadarius) Toney, you might see (Mecole) Hardman.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGY
Q: Patrick Mahomes and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were on the same page in Buffalo. Is there anything special to that?
NAGY: “He made two really good catches. The first one to start the third quarter was a really really good throw by Pat (Mahomes), and it was a great catch by Quez (Marquez Valdes-Scantling). It was a contested catch, trying to keep your feet in bounds and make the catch. That momentum to start the second half is huge to get going, so there’s a little bit of confidence that’s there. I don’t know if I know the answer to the time that we’ve been together and working on things, but I do know this, Quez has really stepped up in big time games and moments for us over the past two years. When he makes those plays and Pat makes those throws, it’s only going to improve their confidence in each other.”
Q: How have you seen Rashee Rice grow over the course of this season?
NAGY: “It’s been really great to see Rashee (Rice), every week, get a little bit better, within the play calls, the play design, within the game of him just making plays, whether it’s his explosiveness, his physicality, his ability to make contested catches, his ability to make the easy catches and stay away from drops, all of that. He’s doing it in elements of weather, and he’s doing it in elements of playoff games. That to me is what’s really really neat to see him grow as a rookie – he is a rookie, so it’s been great to see him, growth-wise.”
Q: You guys have been having bigger plays in the running game lately. Is there anything there that you can put your finger on as to why?
NAGY: “Nothing schematically, per se. I think it probably just took a little bit longer for us, for whatever reason, this year, to figure out what we wanted to do and how we want to do it. The offensive line, the tight ends, the running backs, they stayed persistent with staying aggressive, staying together and staying physical. When you do all of that, it’s something that is able to get you bigger plays.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO
Q: On Chamarri Conner.
SPAGNUOLO: “Really proud of Chamarri (Conner) and really in the way he’s developed. When we came here, I can remember back in OTAs, it was like, ‘Woah, this is going to take a while,’ because he wasn’t used to some things that we were doing, and you know we’re pretty multiple. I’ll tell you what, he has grinded at it, the vets around him have kind of just pulled him along, the LJ’s (L’Jarius Sneed) and even Trent (Trent McDuffie) and certainly Justin Reid and Mike Edwards back there. He really – we kind of spoon fed him early. We’ve given him piece by piece and then he moved to nickel, and we could see he could do some things there. Then he was out there with the guys, when you’re here as a rookie you’re with the twos and the threes in the walkthrough. Then all of sudden he’s up there with the guys and I think that gave him some confidence. He does play fast, y’all see that, he plays fast and he’s physical – I’ll take that all the time.”
Q: Is Chamarri Conner feeding off of the other guys?
SPAGNUOLO: “Very much so. He’s getting a little bit more vocal, that wasn’t his big thing, but he is now – because he’s confident in what he’s saying and seeing. I think our guys like playing around him and trust him, that’s a big thing.”
Q: On simulating opposing quarterbacks in practice to prepare for the game.
SPAGNUOLO: “It’s really hard to do, we do have a guy – Chris Oladokun and he did it yesterday for us. I will say this, we’re fortunate that we have Chris. He did it last week for us, he was (Bills QB) Josh Allen and Blaine (Gabbert) did a little bit of it, too, but you can’t simulate it. Even in practice because you’re not tackling anybody, so you’re not finishing on a guy but there are some things that we have talked about in how we should practice to prepare for them. I think Chris gives us as good of a look as we’re going to get during the course of a practice week.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
January 25, 2024
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: When you first played Ravens QB Lamar Jackson did you have a sense that this was a matchup you’d have a few times over the years?
MAHOMES: “Yeah for sure, just looking at what he did in college and then the Ravens organization and how much success they’ve had my entire life. I knew that he was going to put them in the right position to win and we were going to be playing a lot of big games. AFC Championship, playoff games, whatever that was. It’s cool to see we’re finally here, we’re playing in in our first playoff game against each other. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
Q: You seemed to enjoy the challenge of playing on the road in the playoffs last week. Why is that?
MAHOMES: “It’s different first off. We’ve played a lot of home games, a lot of games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which we love. Getting a new challenge, a new opportunity to go out there and see what we can do. That, as well as when you’re on the road – obviously Chiefs Kingdom travels – but everyone is against you, you’ve got to go out there and come together as a team and find a way to win. It’s just a whole new opportunity for you to go out there and see what you’re really about.”
Q: How have you seen Rashee Rice grow from a processing standpoint?
MAHOMES: “He’s gotten a lot better. Every single week he continues to get better and better. He’s learned from early mistakes he’s made and doesn’t make them again. He learns from the right guys, if that’s 11 (Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling), if that’s 87 (Chiefs TE Travis Kelce) he stays with them and askes the right questions. He asks the coaches the right questions. He’s done a great job throughout the entire season, and it seems like the bigger the game the more plays he makes.”
Q: What is your perspective on the job Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has done?
MAHOMES: “He’s done a great job his entire time here. He’s really done a great job everywhere he’s been. He always coaches the defense up, and he gets guys going in the right direction. He has a track record as one of the best defensive coordinators of all-time with the Super Bowls he’s won in that defensive coordinator spot. This year I think has really magnified it with how they’ve really carried us to get to this point and done a great job of being able to make in-game adjustments – that’s a huge thing and he's really good at making those adjustments, coming out and finishing the game the right way. I said it in training camp, and I’ve said it all year long, I’m glad I don’t have to go up against those guys.”
Q: Have you noticed any extra juice from Travis Kelce after he got the week off?
MAHOMES: “I don’t know if it was the rest or if it’s just playoffs. He’s played in so many playoff games now I think – obviously the regular season is very important, and he wants to do really good – but the playoffs, it’s a different intensity, and I think he likes that. He likes playing in the big games and going up against the best. That’s what makes him so special in the playoffs is that he is able to make his game rise even another level which you don’t see. He’s already at the top and to rise another level that’s what the special players do. I’m just glad he’s on my team, he makes my job a lot easier being able to throw him the ball in those big moments.”
Q: You mentioned yesterday that you believe Ravens QB Lamar Jackson deserves to be the MVP. Does that fact add any motivation for you this weekend?
MAHOMES: “This year (with) my stats and my numbers I don’t know if I was in the conversation. He led his team, I think MVP is a lot of things, it’s stats, it’s leading your team, winning football games and he did that all this year. I think for us it’s just the challenge of going up against the best is what motivates you. They’ve got the best defense, they’ve got the MVP on offense, they have a great special teams unit, and they were the best football team throughout the entire season. It motivates you that in order to win the Super Bowl, you’ve got to beat the best teams and this is the best team that we’ve played so far this year, and it will be a great challenge for us.”
Q: Has this been the most challenging season of your career?
MAHOMES: “I would say it’s just challenging in the fact that I had to deal with a lot of adversity. Not having the success that I’ve had in the past, knock on wood, I haven’t had to deal with any of the injuries or anything that I’ve delt with before in a season. I call those seasons challenging. At the same time, being able to not win all the games and go out there and have big stats and all that different type of stuff has been different. It’s taught me how to win in different ways and become the best quarterback for our team, not necessarily the best quarterback for stats and stuff like that but the best quarterback I can be for us to go out there and get wins.”
Q: How much have you had to learn to trust in your teammates this year?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s just who I am. If I see you putting in the work and I see you coming to practice everyday and working your tail off doing the extra stuff, then I’m going to trust you to go out there and have success. I’ve seen the guys do that, that’s why I’ve had the trust in Skyy (Moore) last year. I had the trust in MVS (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) and all these guys. It’s because I see how they work every single day. Everybody sees the gameday, they might not see the success they want to happen, but when you see the work and the work ethic these guys have every single day, you know that they’re giving everything they have and that’s all you can ask for. Then we let the results handle themselves. We just go out there and play to the best of our ability and try to win the game.”
Q: Has much changed about the way the Ravens play since you played them a few years ago?
MAHOMES: “There’s definitely been some schematic changes but at the end of the day it’s the Ravens. They’re going to play physical, they’re going to play fast, they’re going to play hard, and they have a lot of pride in defense. Obviously, they have the offense, and they’ve put up a lot of numbers these last few years. But if you think about the Ravens, it’s defense and they’re going to fly around and try to dictate tempo, that’s just who they are. It’s our job to go out there and play our game, play fast, play physical as well and match their tempo. It’s going to be a great challenge, I’m excited for it. I know it’s going to be tough; it’s going to be hard, but at the same time this is what you want at this point in the playoffs.”
LB NICK BOLTON
Q: When you look at Lamar Jackson this season, what do you think has been the key to his success?
BOLTON: “When I go back to my rookie year and watch how he operated to how he operates now, you can tell he’s more confident in himself, the players around him, the scheme. It just kind of slowed the game down for him. I feel like it’s helped him continue to get better and better as the years go by. I think last year he looked pretty good as well, before he got hurt. He’s just building year after year, giving himself a chance in the pocket, not escaping as much, keeping his eyes down the field and letting his pass catchers be explosive.”
Q: How impressed are you with what the rookie Chamarri Conner has been able to do and standing in for Mike Edwards when you needed him?
BOLTON: “Yeah, it was huge. He’s one of those guys, because of his body type, that can play multiple positions. (He) plays nickel, plays safety, plays a little bit of dime, play a little bit of everything. Him coming in and moving from nickel (to) playing in the back end, down there playing sticky coverage, mixing it up, making open field tackles, forced a fumble first play of the game, I think that exudes his confidence. He’s growing every single week. I’m proud of where he’s at, but I still think he’s got a lot of great football in front of him as well.”
Q: What do you think makes Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo a good defensive coordinator?
BOLTON: “(He’s) not afraid of change. He’ll change what we’ve been going through all week in the first quarter, second quarter, fourth quarter. He has this thing he says a lot, he says, ‘It’s not about who’s right, it’s about getting it right.’ So, that’s kind of the mindset we have. Throughout the game, if we feel like there’s something better that will work or can benefit us a little bit more, in the second half, we will make that adjustment. We’ll execute the game plan and find a way to keep people off the board.”
WR RASHEE RICE
Q: How important has a veteran like Marquez Valdes-Scantling been for you this season in learning and asking questions?
RICE: “He’s been very important. If there’s anybody that’s helping me a lot on the field and off the field, it’s Marquez (Valdes-Scantling). Anything that I need to know, he’s there for me to help me, even when it comes to playing against other teams. He’s been in the league for 5 or 6 years, so he’s been playing against a lot of those guys and can let me know anything I need to know.
Q: Is there a moment or a time that stands out when Patrick Mahomes taught you something?
RICE: “Every day. We’re always putting in different routes and stuff like that, changing up personnel and formations. When it comes to running certain routes against zone and man defense, without me even having to go to Pat (Mahomes), Pat is going to let me know what he’s looking for, so I know how to run my route.”
Q: What have you seen from the Ravens defense?
RICE: “I see an aggressive defense. They’ve got great corners, great size. At the end of the day, as far as a full defense goes, they’re really good at rallying to the ball. We’ve just got to make our catches, be ready to get tackled and score touchdowns.”