KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and Quarterback Patrick Mahomes spoke with the media Wednesday. Following are their comments.
HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: "The only person that won't practice today is Andrew Wylie. He's sick, then he also has the ankle issue. Everybody else will go in one form or the other. We look forward to the challenge of playing the Bears. A good football team. We have to make sure that we have a good week of practice. They'll know a lot about us and what we do, particularly offensively. Likewise, in return, we'll know them. It's a similar offense that Nags (Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy) is running. I'm proud of Nags for the job that he is doing. He's one heck of a football coach. He's right for that city. They're lucky to have him there. That's a tough place and he is a tough kid. With that, time's yours."
Q: What kind of role do you see Terrell Suggs playing here?
REID: "We'll kind of play it by ear and see how he feels as he goes. He's a straight-shooter. He's going to tell you how he feels and where he's at. We'll just take it day by day like that. But I would tell you that off of tape, that he still can play. He loves to play the game, he is one of those kinds of guys. He's arguably a future Hall of Famer, so we're glad to have him here. I've coached him before in the Pro Bowl and coached against him and everything else. Glad that he's on our team right now."
Q: Have you had a chance to talk with Suggs to gauge where his excitement level is at coming in here?
REID: "He's excited about it. Right now, he's just kind of getting his bearings. He did all of the things you have to do before you're ready to play. He did his physical and then got situated. Now, he's got meetings, and here we are."
Q: Will Suggs be full-go in practice today?
REID: "Yeah."
Q: What do you hope Suggs can add to the defense?
REID: "You're talking about an experienced guy who has been there and done it. He has won championships. He's a good person. He's been a leader throughout his career. You don't last this long in the league if you're not a quality player and person. That's what he brings to you."
Q: How much is Suggs a viable plug-and-play option for this upcoming Sunday?
REID: "He does know the stuff that Spags (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) does. They were together at the Ravens. I would say 'plug-and-play,' but there are things that he also has to go back and review. He is a meticulous note-taker and he studies. He is very passionate about making sure that he knows everything – not only about his play, but how he goes about his business. He was digging in this morning and getting everything down, making sure that he has all of the ins and outs of the defense down."
Q: What was Spagnuolo's reaction when you first brought up the idea that Suggs would be available to claim?
REID: "(General Manager) Brett (Veach) stays on top of all of that, you guys know that, and he is relentless and fearless that way. He's trying to do what's best for the team. He checks with everybody. He made sure that he checked with Steve, and Steve goes, 'Guy loves football and he's a great teammate.' That's all Brett needed to hear. The rest was him making it happen."
Q: When you decide to make a move like this late in the season, how much does it come down to the intangible factors that the player presents? How much of that is weighed into the decision before you decide to put in a claim on a waiver player?
REID: "You have to make sure that they still can play, that's important. Then, how do they fit into your locker room? We have a good locker room and a strong locker room. We have some very good leaders on this team. How do they fit into that? You don't want to bring somebody in that's going to disrupt things. That's not where you're at right now. Brett looks at all of that. We're fortunate to have Spags here that knows him. Tyrann (Mathieu) knows him. That was a plus."
Q: What makes Matt Nagy unique?
REID: "He's smart. He's passionate about the offensive side of the ball. He's especially passionate about football, but he’s involved with the offensive side. He's very creative. You have to expect anything. He'll do it. He's not afraid to do things, so you have to make sure that you study and that you keep disciplined with your reads and all of that. Then, he's a good leader of men. He's great with people and a good leader."
Q: When you guys were together here, what told you that he was going to be able to handle being an NFL head coach?
REID: "Just being around him. I watched him grow in the profession. The way he went about it, a relentless worker, all of that stuff that it takes to be a head coach, he's got. He was Coach of the Year last year, so he's doing pretty good."
Q: What are your plans for Christmas, besides football? What is your greatest memory of Christmas?
REID: "Hopefully prime rib is on my plate (laughter). I like prime rib on Christmas. That's a good thing. We don't get a lot of time off, but the time we get, I try to enjoy. I've got grandkids, so I try to get with them. They make every day a good day, right? You can lose a game and you're still a hero in their eyes. I'm Gramps. We'll do that for a little bit. Greatest memory? Probably when I got my first bike. That was a couple of years ago (laughter)."
Q: Regarding Suggs, did anybody have to convince him to come here at all?
REID: "I talked to him. He was not familiar with it. Did I tell him about what's going on here, and did he want to hear it? Sure. Yeah, he wanted to know what was going on. He's a thorough guy. But did I have to put the hammer down him or anything? No, I didn't have to do that. He had some questions, which guys do who have been around. I think he liked what he heard, and he was fired up. It wasn't a recruiting type of situation. Just common questions."
Q: How beneficial is Spencer Ware when it comes to his ability to pass block?
REID: "It gives you confidence that he understands everything. He can bring a pretty good strike with him when he hits you, which is important with the linebackers. Normally, they have a running start and you are just getting a step or two before you have to block them. You have to bring a little bit of force with you. He is able to do that. He is good at reading things. He's football smart."
Q: Patrick Mahomes mentioned that he thought that he had been leaving the pocket a little bit too early recently. Did you see some improvement there from him on Sunday?
REID: "He worked on stepping up in the pocket and pushing from there. I thought he did a good job with that. There are times when you have to go. There are just times when you have to head out. He went back and he really focused on that. I thought that he did a good job on Sunday with it."
Q: From a psychological standpoint, it seems like this year has presented more obstacles to Patrick. How much of his ability to handle the adverse conditions and obstacles is a psychological benefit to the rest of the team?
REID: "I think that's a good thing. I think the players have a lot of confidence in him, in general. He gives you that, he builds that. He is unique that way. We have a couple of guys that have that ability to do that. For a young guy to be able to do that, that's something. He has been that way since he got here. He is going to shoot everybody straight. To do that, you have to make sure that you've got your side intact. He goes about it the right way. The guys know that he is coming in and his mind is fully loaded and ready to go with the right things."
Q: Six of your guys were named to the Pro Bowl, with a few others being named alternates. Some guys were also left off the team that some might think that should have been named to the Pro Bowl team. What are your overall thoughts about that?
REID: "Everybody can't make it. I'm happy for the guys that did. I'm partial. I think Tyrann (Mathieu) is playing as good as any safety in the National Football League right now, maybe as good as any defensive player in the National Football League right now. He understands that things happen, but he sure is well deserving. Mitch (Schwartz) has had two good years, maybe more than that, but the last couple of years he has played good football. It's one of those things. Every year it happens that way, that somebody doesn't get it. I want them all to get in, but it's not realistic."
Q: Has anything happened in the past few days that has provided any more input toward Frank Clark's stomach issue?
REID: "He's been doing good. I'll knock on wood, but I think he is in a good place. They're keeping an eye on him."
Q: What is the defining characteristic of this Bears defense and Khalil Mack?
REID: "I praise Nags for letting him get out of the AFC West, but now we're back playing him. He is one heck of a player. They have (Bears Defensive Coordinator) Chuck Pagano there, who I think is a tremendous football coach. They lost (Broncos Head Coach and former Bears Defensive Coordinator) Vic (Fangio, but they brought in a guy that's also a good one. We've got to go in and prepare, and make sure that we've got all of the bases covered. They do a lot of things, a lot of blitzes and movement things. We have to be sharp there."
QUARTERBACK PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: When you have a guy like Terrell Suggs as an addition to the locker room this time of year, what does that do to the chemistry?
MAHOMES: “Obviously having a veteran who has had a ton of experience in the playoffs and making these runs and what our ultimate goal is, it’s going to help out. He’s still playing at a high level. I remember last year, you could tell by his film study of him knowing when I’m making checks and then obviously he’s talented to still be around and making sacks and doing those type of things. I think it’s going to help us out tremendously.”
Q: What was your reaction when you heard the news that he was coming here?
MAHOMES: “I was very excited. Just to add someone like that at this point in the season who is going to come in and produce, I’m very excited to have that and obviously with playing him last year I understand how tough of a match up he is to play against.”
Q: Is there anything specific from that game you remember about him?
MAHOMES: “I remember they were blitzing away from him and I knew he was dropping but I was trying to check into a different play and I don’t know if he had seen it from weeks before but I went to throw the ball and he was right where I wanted to throw the ball. That just shows the film study and preparation he puts into the game and he has the experience to disrupt what the quarterbacks want to do.”
Q: What do you as a team do to help someone like him get settled in and what has that been like for you the last two years helping the guys who come in later in the season?
MAHOMES: “I think the coaches do a great job of preparing those guys and putting them into situations where they can go out and produce. I think as he gets more and more reps and he gets more and more time here, you’ll see him more incorporated more and more in the games. He understands so much already and he’s been in certain schemes and switched schemes and done different things. He’ll be able to pick up plays fast and understand what they need to do and what his role is as far as every play goes. I’m excited to see him get incorporated more and more as we make a run at this thing.”
Q: Can you talk about what went into trying to improve how you move in the pocket the last couple of weeks?
MAHOMES: “I think just working on form and mechanics, as far as keeping my knees bent doing those things and hitching up and throwing it the right way. Not just relying on my arm on every single throw to throw a fade away up or whatever it is. Really just going through the fundamentals. That stuff is what I’ve been working on my entire career and will keep working on moving forward.”
Q: Because you can make those other throws, do you think that’s why you get into those dropping habits?
MAHOMES: “I think it just goes with the season. As seasons go on, they are long football seasons and as your legs get tired you try to rely more on other things, and you compensate, and you do things you don’t do when you’re working and training. I went back and looked at it and focused this week on using my legs and doing those things.”
Q: After looking at Sunday’s film, do you think this was one of your better games in the last few weeks?
MAHOMES: “I thought I did a good job of taking what was there and when the shots presented itself, I went with them. Obviously, I wanted to be better and could’ve done a little bit better in the second half of moving the ball and then in the red zone I thought was a big thing not coming away with touchdowns. There were times when I missed Tyreek (Hill) on the shallow and went right past him and then I was late to him. When you get in the red zone you want to make sure you come out with touchdowns and not field goals.”
Q: In your rookie season what do you remember about Coach Matt Nagy and what was his influence?
MAHOMES: “Obviously he was an awesome, awesome coach and he helped me out a ton, helping explain things to me as I was coming from a totally different offense to this one. He really helped me with just presenting it in different ways that I understood and was able to pick up so I could have success whenever I was in practice or in preseason games or the last game of the regular season. I mean he’s a great human being and a great coach and he really understands how to get the best out of his quarterback.”
Q: What was the reaction to yourself and teammates who did and didn’t get selected to the Pro Bowl?
MAHOMES: “It’s a tremendous honor to be voted on by fans, teammates, coaches and other players from around the league. That’s not our ultimate goal, but it is a tremendous honor to be voted in there.”
Q: We are a week away from Christmas, are you looking forward to anything and do you have anything special planned?
MAHOMES: “I’ll probably spend it with the family as much as I can, but it’s on a Wednesday and you still have to be out here to practice and prepare yourself. Definitely going to enjoy it as much as I can with the family and spend some time with them.”
Q: Do you have a lot of family coming in?
MAHOMES: “I don’t this year. I did last year. This year with how the schedule worked out, they’re going to come in after and I’ll be able to spend some time with them on Friday.”
Q: Is there a gift or something that stands out to you from past Christmases that you remember?
MAHOMES: “One of the gifts I remember getting was a basketball goal. Santa brought me that, and I was able to go out and play basketball with all my neighbors and different stuff. I actually ended up breaking the goal about a year later.”
Q: How do you break it?
MAHOMES: “I was trying like half-court shots and I was throwing them in full baseball form, and it shattered the glass. (laughter).”
Q: The Bears are eliminated from the playoffs, what kind of motivated team do you think you will see on Sunday night?
MAHOMES: “Any time you play on Sunday Night Football, teams are going to be motivated and wanting to play their best football. Like you said, they have a really good football team. Obviously, their season hasn’t gone the way they wanted to, but you saw last year they still have those same players and they have a very talented team with a very talented defense. We expect them to be energized and ready to play. We’re going to go out there with the mentality we’re going to play a really good football team in a really good atmosphere.”
Q: The AFC quarterbacks are a lot younger than the quarterbacks in the NFC for the Pro Bowl, what do you think about that and are you guys taking over the AFC?
MAHOMES: “I don’t know if we’re taking over the AFC. (Tom) Brady is still here. It’s about just going out there and producing when you get the opportunities. Those guys work hard, and I’ve seen them have success at every level they have been at. We just go out there and do what we can to win and this year we’re lucky enough to be voted in. It’s still a long way too until you can take over the AFC or do anything like that.”
Q: You and Mitchell Trubisky are always going to be linked to the 2017 draft class, what did you learn about him going through that process?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, you go on all those visits and I got to meet him. He’s a great guy that I know works super hard and has had success everywhere he’s been. He’s been able to go out there and win football games. I’ve gotten to meet him a couple of times, some at the Pro Bowl last year, and I know that he’s had a lot of success and he’s building a great future.”
Q: Do you still talk to him?
MAHOMES: “I haven’t this season, but I’m sure I will in the offseason. You kind of go with guys like that and really understand what they’re thinking and try to get better.”
Q: With it being Sunday Night Football, how much have you looked forward to this game all season?
MAHOMES: “We get to play great opponents in great atmospheres on Sunday Night Football, so you are ready to play games like that. Obviously, you want to get bragging rights with (Matt) Nagy and Mitch (Mitchell Trubisky) and all these guys to joke around with. We understand they’re a great team and we’re going to have a chance to play a great opponent in a great atmosphere.”
--CHIEFS--