Chiefs Coordinator Quotes
September 2, 2024
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB
Q: You will be the first two teams to play a regular season game with the new kickoff rules, what does that mean to you?
TOUB: “We don’t know what to expect from them, they don’t know what to expect from us, but we’ve got a lot of practice in on it with the spikes kicks and the zone. We’ll see what we get, we’ll see what we do (laughter). We’ll find out Thursday night.”
Q: How has the chemistry and operation been on special teams since Matt Araiza joined the team?
TOUB: “Matt (Araiza) has done a fantastic job. I mean, him and (Harrison) Butker, they haven’t missed a beat – at all, really. They’re fine, the operation’s good. I’m excited to see Matt, as a punter, you know obviously his first game – first regular season game, so it’s going to be an exciting night.”
Q: What do you like about having Peyton Hendershot on special teams?
TOUB: “He’s (Peyton Hendershot) played all four phases. He’s done it. He was a good player at Dallas (Cowboys), we’re excited to have him on the roster. He’s a possible guy that can come in and fill a backup role, at this point. He just got here a week ago, so we’re not going to ask him to do a lot right now. There is a chance he could be up. If he’s up, then he’ll be in that role.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO
Q: What’s your excitement level for kickoff?
SPAGNUOLO: “(I’m) fired up. Listen, it’s the first game, it’s been a long training camp (and) we’re anxious to hit somebody else. Then, the other thing is (that) we really haven’t had our guys – the starting crew out there very much, so we’ve got a lot to kind of figure out on the go, which is what the first game’s all about. You don’t know what you’re going to get. They haven’t shown us much (and) we haven’t shown them much and it’s kind of the in-game adjustments that are really important in this game.”
Q: How do you see the second cornerback spot?
SPAGNUOLO: “It’s an unanswered question right now, to be honest with you. With the injuries that we dealt with and the guys in and out, it was hard to say, ‘This is the guy that won the job,’ so, there will probably be a bunch of them (cornerbacks) playing. We mix and match a lot anyway, so there will be a lot of that going on.”
Q: How important is the slot corner to be effective in the run game? Especially against the Ravens?
SPAGNUOLO: “Really important for that exact reason. I mean, the expectation is (that) they’re going to come in here and try to run it – which we get it. Hopefully, we can get them in situations where they’ve got to throw and we can be good against that because this team – listen, they get noted as a running team – they can do everything. They have really good wide outs, their quarterback can extend the down, we all know that. He’s (Ravens QB Lamar Jackson) accurate. I mean, we’ve got a great deal of respect for them. They’re well coached, you guys know how I feel about (Ravens Head Coach) John (Harbaugh), so it’s going to be a tremendous challenge right out of the gate here in the first game of the season.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGY
Q: What tells you Xavier Worthy is ready for this game against the Ravens?
NAGY: “Probably the biggest thing is making sure that we understand that this is going to be an emotional game and understanding that there is going to be some moments where there’s a mistake with a route assignment or – but there is also going to be some big plays. This game is about preparation for all of us as coaches and then for the players, it's being able to be proficient within their execution. He (Xavier Worthy) falls into that, it's his first time doing it. We have – he’s not the only one, we have some other guys that (it) will be their first time in GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (and) their first time playing in an NFL game. For Xavier, he’s done everything we have asked him to do mentally (and) the physical challenge will show up. It's going to be a physical game with an experienced defense, and they’re very well coached.”
Q: When did Carson Steele spark your interest?
NAGY: “Personally for me, I think it started with all of us, really, just his (Carson Steele) assignments in OTAs were pretty crisp. He knew what he was doing (and) he knew where he was going. You never know how he’s going to do until you put the pads on. He took it to training camp and put the pads on (and) made some nice plays. A splash play here or there definitely helps, but it has to be consistent over periods of plays and series of drives. I thought he did that. There’s still some things that internally we know he can get better at (and) he knows it. Now, you take it to the Thursday Night Football against a really good football team. Again, balancing the emotions of understanding there will be some mistakes but do it 100 percent, 100 percent of the time and he does that.”
Q: Preparing for this first game how have you planned to tackle it?
NAGY: “This game coming up, for every team coming up, this whole first week is all about adapting, that’s it. How do you adapt? How well do you adapt? They have a new defensive coordinator (and it’s the) first time that he (Ravens Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr) is calling plays. Whether it’s the same or different, we’ll see. They’re going to have some un-scouted looks and we’re going to see some things that are different – how do we adjust? Making sure that our guys can play fast is important but a lot of respect for them. It’s going to be a physical game.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
September 2, 2024
DT CHRIS JONES
Q: Is the excitement level the same going into year nine?
JONES: “Absolutely. I think it’s always a butterfly feeling when you (are) getting closer to the game and actually the first play of the game, (I) still get butterflies. I think when that feeling goes away then – my time here is coming up, but as long as I’m getting that feeling, I’m still here. I’m still excited to play, I’m still excited to see the potential of this team (that) we have and finally be able to hit somebody else other than my teammates.”
Q: Last year, your defense was statistically the best. How does that raise the level of play going into this season?
JONES: “I think every year has its own challenges. Last year was a special group. Whether it’s from a guy like (Tennessee Titans Cornerback) L’Jarius Sneed coming in being an All-Pro (or) a young guy like two-two, (Trent) McDuffie coming in, another All-Pro. I mean, we had some special pieces on that defense. Year in and year out, every year he has a different team, every year is a new team. Last year, we faced a lot of adversity early on in the season, and we kind of turned it around during Christmas. Hopefully, this year we can amp it up and don’t have to get to December to make that adjust so we’re looking forward to the first game.”
Q: What excites you most about what this team can do this season?