Chiefs' coordinators, players field questions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs' coordinators and players talked football during a Thursday presser. Following are their comments.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO

OPENING STATEMENT: “Good afternoon. It looks a little lighter than it was last week, I thought we’d be a little bit heavier. It’s great to be here. Excited to be involved in this game. Really happy for the guys and what they did last week to lead us to this. We’re just enjoying the process. We’re back practicing and that’s a good thing. With that, I’ll open it up.”

Q: You go from one good running team to another, can you talk about how different it is preparing for this style of running attack?

SPAGNUOLO: “The one thing is that San Francisco has a bunch of guys they can put back there to hand the ball off to. Last week we really concentrated on one number, 22 (Derrick Henry). I think Kyle (Shanahan) does a really good job changing, like it appears to us that he’ll look at the defense he’s playing and attack with those particular runs. It may not be what we saw, what they ran against Green Bay last week or Minnesota the week before. I think he’s really good at that and we’ll have to figure it out early. Trying to find a way to control it.”

Q: In addition to the run, you have guys like George Kittle, what kind of challenge does that present having that many weapons?

SPAGNUOLO: “You don’t get to this point, the final game, without heaving a lot of weapons. It’s not just one thing. We can’t be blind to the fact and that we’re going to put all our money and eggs in one basket and try to stop the run. Like you said, what they have is skill out there. That’s what’s probably led them to scoring all the points that they have. It makes the run game better. We’re going to have to pick our spots when we want to take a certain guy away. More than anything I think we got to play our defense the way we know how to play it and be as concerned about what we do as what they do.”

Q: Is there a guy you have played this season who reminds you of Kittle?

SPAGNUOLO: “We were really impressed with how good of a run blocker he is. There are many games we can go in and say look with our D-ends, there’s no way we can lose a battle, a blocking battle, with a tight end. There are just teams that their tight ends are more of receivers. This guy, he’s as all around a tight end that we have seen this year. I give him tremendous credit for the emphasis he puts on run blocking. He looks like he enjoys doing it.”

Q: With the amount of time to prepare with the bye week, how much can they install new stuff that you will then have to adjust to?

SPAGNUOLO: “You’re talking about their offense? Yeah it will be a play or two here or there. I don’t see them venturing too far from what they are. I will say this, there’s going to be something that we haven’t prepared against. It’s going to go right back to our fundamentals. If you’re in zone coverage, have them zone eyes. If you’re in man coverage, make sure you keep your eyes on your man. That’s the best chance you have of defending something new in my opinion. There will be, there’s going to be something new. We might have something new.”

Q: Do you have any thoughts on Eli Manning retiring?

SPAGNUOLO: “Just good thoughts. I think the world of Eli. I’m happy for him. He had a tremendous career. I was blessed to be with him and shared some moments. I wish him all the best.”

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR ERIC BIENIEMY

Q: How are you balancing the players’ level of excitement heading into next week at this point of the preparation process?

BIENIEMY: “I think our approach is always being consistent. You never want to be too high and you never want to be too low. We’re just telling our players to make sure that they are eliminating all of their distractions off the field – meaning, family, with the ticket business, who is coming down, who is doing what. Those are the things that take away from everything that you’re trying to achieve. We just want to make sure that they are remaining focused on that, but on top of that, when they’re in the building, making sure that we’re focused on the assignment that lies ahead. The assignment is to go out and win the game next weekend.”

Q: How are you preparing the offense to get a fast start next weekend in the game?

BIENIEMY: “We just need to go out there and play. Everybody knows what to do. They know how to do it. Now, it’s about being disciplined and just doing it when called upon to do so. There is no, ‘Hey, we just have to do this and do that.’ There is no one answer. Collectively as a staff, and collectively as an offensive unit, we just need to make sure that everybody is on board, make sure that we’re doing the little things, such as getting out of the huddle and lining up on the line of scrimmage, doing a great job of communicating at the line of scrimmage, and then when that ball is snapped, just playing – from the time that the ball is snapped to the echo of the whistle. That’s all that you can ask. But, we obviously want our guys to go out and have a faster start.”

Q: What stands out about the 49ers defense?

BIENIEMY: “Fast. They do a great job of rushing the passer. They have some big boys up front. That’s the heart and soul of who they are. I’m not knocking anybody on that defense because everything starts up front. It’s just like on offense. We want our guys to be the heart and soul of who we are. Well, the heart and soul of that defense lies up front. Those guys do a great job of getting off the ball. On top of that, they have a couple of backers who just fly around. On the back end, those guys are playing very, very sound, with one hell of a leader in Richard Sherman.”

Q: What’re your thoughts on 49ers RB Raheem Mostert?

BIENIEMY: “I’m hoping he doesn’t give us any issues. I will say this, you’re talking about a kid who has had to persevere through a lot of adversity. Most people would’ve just forgotten about pursuing their dream. This kid has been cut – I can’t even count how many times he has been released. But for him to go through all of that and still find a way to overcome and persevere, and still have that mindset that he can play this game, it says a lot about the character of the man. Knowing that about that kid, the kid just has the heart of a lion. Ideally, being a former running backs coach and having played that position, you’re a fan of people that encompass that attitude. At the end of the day, I’m not going to be a fan of his on Sunday (laughter). But, I just think the kid is tremendous. He’s a tremendous person, obviously. I know that our defense is looking forward to the challenge. Last thing, he is coached by one of the original running back coaches that has put out a number of tremendous running backs in this league, such as Terrell Davis. (49ers RBs Coach) Bobby Turner was a part of that Denver deal when all of those guys were rushing for 1,000 yards. He is coached by a great man, as well.”

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH / SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB

Q: How is the team feeling right now?

TOUB: “Right now, we’re treating it like we have a game on Sunday. Just like usual for us. The guys are really, really focused. You can see it in the meetings. You can feel it in the meetings. You can see it in practice. It’s different. Similar to last week, but just a little bit more. It’s very exciting.”

Q: Do the guys have any form of angst?

TOUB: “No. I don’t see any of that at all. I see focus. Guys are catching the ball and are just on point with their assignments. Asking the right questions. Very sharp. It looks good.”

Q: Having an extra week to prepare, does that benefit you and the special teams units more than any other group?

TOUB: “I don’t know if it benefits me more than anybody else, but it definitely benefits us. We can work on the little things. You have extra days to work on special returns or special situations. A lot of times you get to talk about it in the meetings, but you don’t get to practice it. Now, we get to practice it because we have a little bit more time. It’s always good to have two weeks.”

Q: When you and Head Coach Andy Reid first got to Kansas City, P Dustin Colquitt was a free agent. What did you say to him to keep him here?

TOUB: “I just talked about how I had never had a punter like him. He was such a bomber. He could really flip the field. I had (former Bears P) Brad Maynard at Chicago, and (former Bears P) Adam Podlesh – we had some good ones, but he was different. He could really flip the field. I thought we could be really good with him. We actually turned him into more of a directional guy. He was a bomber when we first got here, then we taught him to be more directional, which I really think helped his career in the long run.”

Q: You’re getting your players ready to play in the biggest game of their lives. How are you personally approaching this game, from a coaching standpoint?

TOUB: “It’s the same thing. We watch a lot more tape. You watch a lot of tape all of the time, but now you watch a lot more. The winner of this game is going to be the World Champion. It’s so important that every stone is turned over. That’s the way we’re looking at it.”

DT CHRIS JONES

Q: How are you feeling coming out of the game Sunday?

JONES: “I’m feeling better. I’m taking advantage of this week off and getting healthy, getting into the playbook to study the 49ers.”

Q: How are you emotionally with the injuries and having to deal with not playing in big games?

JONES: “Especially with an injury at that time, you go through a lot. Thank God for my guys, my teammates, the D-line and a guy like Frank Clark. He’s all about positive vibes, positive energy. My teammates always are uplifting me. Those guys uplift me, and you can question yourself on why it happened to me or what you could have done better. Especially in playoff games because playoffs isn’t promised. Especially when you feel like you can do something to help your team win a game. It’s emotionally challenging. I’m fortunate enough the team went out there and executed against Houston and I was able to play against the Tennessee Titans. I thank the KC fans for the prayers, I think they helped. And, Mrs. Spags (Maria Spagnuolo, she actually made me some meatballs (laughter). I think that’s what did it. The meatballs had me feeling amazing on Friday. That’s what I told him, it’s a tradition now and he told me that’s his wife and to relax.”

Q: When you study the 49ers, what do you see that they do?

JONES: “They’re very special. Both sides of the ball. They took this offseason, adding some huge key pieces. They added Dee Ford, drafted that Nick Bosa kid, they got Richard Sherman on the outside and DeForest Buckner. The front seven is ruthless. Then you look at the offense. Jimmy Garoppolo and the speed they create around him. One of the best tight ends in the league, George Kittle. They have a lot of weapons and they’re very dynamic. Good team. Great team. You know with the scheme (Kyle) Shanahan is running over there, it’s very pivotal. We got to study film and dial in to whatever we can do to effect those guys.”

Q: You talk about how tough it is to not play in a game, but how tough is it to have two weeks until you can play in the Super Bowl? Are the days crawling by?

JONES: “No, this is great. I was thinking about this last week and people were saying the bye week isn’t good. No, the bye week is great. You need a bye week. This is week 20 or 21 of the season. It’s very long and we’re very fortunate we’re able to get this bye week and take advantage of it to rest and get our bodies right. And to get the mental capacity of the game right. Later on in the season, especially for younger guys, the mental capacity gets hard. You have to start forcing yourself to study more. Forcing yourself to look at the playbook and at this time you can be done with football unless you’re fortunate enough to get to the Super Bowl.”

CB KENDALL FULLER

Q: How do you describe your emotions and mindset this week as you prepare for the biggest game coming up?

FULLER: “I think how the coaches set the schedule up. They made it easy for us to focus. Just having a regular week schedule as if we are playing this Sunday. Just being able to have that mindset and knowing when I’m going to eat in my schedule, things like that. Just being able to keep that same game schedule. What days you watch film, if you watch this on Tuesday, Wednesday, you’re still watching it because you have that regular week schedule. I think that schedule has been helping a lot. It’s been a lot knowing how big the stage is going to be.”

Q: How much of a challenge was it coming back after the five games out and getting back to being comfortable?

FULLER: “I definitely feel better, but it was definitely tough. Just because I think what made it tougher this year is what happened last year. Having the surgery last year, coming back and playing, then breaking the screws in the AFC Championship Game. I think that trust level just wasn’t there when I first got back. Whether you’re just pressing a guy you don’t really want to use the thumb. Just when you’re tackling you don’t want to get wrapped up with the right hand and stuff like that. I think last year, having what I went through last year kind of affected me this year. The more I’ve been able to get out there this year and make some plays, make some tackles, you get comfortable right after that.”

Q: When did you feel it kind of clicked in that you were back?

FULLER: “I had a tackle in Chicago and just little plays you just kind of notice and I kind of wrapped up with my right hand. I think that made me a little more comfortable. It was other tackles I had where I would just bring my right shoulder but I couldn’t bring my whole arm and things like that. Just little things. It could’ve been a couple plays in practice where I actually jam with my right hand. Naturally my mind is doing it in my head, but it takes a while for the body to do it. I think that Chicago game helped me.”

Q: Have you talked to any of the players like Terrell Suggs about what next week is going to be like and maybe what the distractions will be like?

FULLER: “I think a lot of the guys in the D-line room have talked to him a lot and probably the linebacker room. For us, we’ve been mainly talking to Coach (Dave) Merritt and Sam (Madison) who’s been as a player and things like that. Every day I told them just having them give us that picture of what it’s going to be like. When we go in, we know what it is and can have a taste of it already just because Coach Merritt will paint us the whole picture of what it’s going to be like. Whether it’s the media, halftime, pregame or things like that. Even Sam as a player, going through it, being able to tell us what it will be like will be real beneficial for us.”

S TYRANN MATHIEU

Q: How can you tell if this team is conditioned well enough to play in the Florida heat?

MATHIEU: “I feel like throughout this whole season we’ve been practicing the right way. Like I mentioned the other day, this was probably one of the toughest training camps that I ever went through. Even now, we’re still getting after it at practice. More than anything, I think it’ll be a mindset thing for us. Can’t let the weather dictate how we feel on Sunday.”

Q: How much falls on you as a player, being able to identify what the 49ers are trying to do in the early part of the game?

MATHIEU: “Ultimately, you are trying to go out there – really in the first 15 plays – to get a pulse of what they like to do. Personally, I think they’re going to do what they’ve been doing, which is a lot of motioning, a lot of window dressing. They move a lot of guys around. All of that is really to get a leverage on you. If we can identify certain guys and certain formations, we can understand the possibilities of what could happen on any particular play.”

Q: What challenges does 49ers TE George Kittle present?

MATHIEU: “When I watch them, I see a team that can obviously run the ball really well, but I think he adds a different element to their offense. Physicality. More so, the attitude that he plays with. He seems like he is having a ball every ball game. It will be important for me, and guys like Dan (Sorensen) to match that energy and just compete. Treat this like any other ball game. Whoever lines up in front of you, it’s about beating them man on man.”

Q: Have you played against Kittle before?

MATHIEU: “I have not. I had an opportunity to practice against them last year in joint practices when I was in Houston. I don’t believe that he practiced that week. So, no, I have not had a chance to play against him.”

Q: What do you see when you evaluate Kittle?

MATHIEU: “He is an exceptional talent. They move him around. He runs routes from really all three positions. They bunch him up. They stack him up. They try to get him free releases. They put him in the backfield. He is a big part of what they do, concept-wise. It will be important for us to identify where he is. If it’s man-to-man, really compete at the highest level against him.”

P DUSTIN COLQUITT

Q: What distinguishes Coach Reid from other coaches that you have been with here?

COLQUITT: “You knew what you were going to be dealing with when he got here, that he was going to be thorough. He doesn’t leave any stones unturned. He wants to know what you have going on in your life, in your family life, your work ethic and what’s going to benefit the team. He does his homework and that’s apparent with where we are sitting right now with the opportunity in front of us with the new guys he’s brought in from free agency and the draft. He’s the best at that and Brett Veach has a great team. They’re scrupulous with their work at the combine. They ask all the right questions, I think. I mean I’m not there, but when you are able to start the ship off in the right direction in 2013, with a 9-0 start when we were 2-14 and hadn’t even really won a preseason game for a couple years. It’s a radical change and I think it’s their thoroughness for seeking out players that want to win and want to contribute. Those that enjoy playing off our fans. A lot of the players that are able to have success here get in the community first. Obviously, you see what Ty (Tyrann Mathieu) and Frank (Clark) and all these guys, we hear about them first for what they’re doing and then you hope he plays well and then they’re just exploding on the field too. They definitely have a player in mind when they’re recruiting and trying to get guys into Kansas City now.”

Q: Everyone refers to Coach Reid as a players’ coach, can you elaborate on what that means?

COLQUITT: “I think a players’ coach means you treat everybody the same. Which is different because everybody is different. He knows what pulls your strings and what motivates you and all that stuff. I think that’s what makes him different from a lot of people. Not a lot of people that I’ve had but what makes him what people say is a players’ coach is because he knows the terrain. He knows what motivates guys that are in his locker room because he knows you. He spends that time off the field getting to know you better and that breeds success. He knows to not ask something from a player that the player already knows is coming. I think that’s the accountability he holds.”

Q: When someone says ‘Chiefs history’ what does that mean to you?

COLQUITT: “Probably a beloved family pulling roots out of Dallas, Texas, and finding a place on a map that says there’s good people there and I think we can build an NFL team in that city. Decades and decades later watching from above, his son, holding the AFC Championship Trophy with his name on it.”

Q: In 2013 when Andy Reid said he wanted you to stay in Kansas City, what did he specifically say about the future?

COLQUITT: “That we’re trying to win championships here and that’s why we all play this game is the trophy. It’s like what Dick Vermeil said when we first got here, my rookie class, he did it to all the guys and gave you a card with a Lombardi Trophy on it and said this is why we’re here. You get to know each other and we’ll make each other better in the process. That was Andy’s clear message to me. As a punter you’re thinking we’re actually going to get Andy Reid to a small market? I’ve said that before but Clark (Hunt) really went out there and went for it all and that takes a lot of guts for a second-generational owner like that and siblings to come together to say, this is not a small market this is a championship market and let’s push it to the limits.”

--CHIEFS--