Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
December 27, 2023
OPENING STATEMENT: “As far as the injuries go, L’Jarius Sneed won’t go today; he’s got a calf strain. Jaylen Watson is sick. (Isiah) Pacheco is in (concussion) protocol. Donovan Smith still has some tingling with the stingers there, and Kadarius Toney with the hip strain. (We) look forward to the challenge of playing the Bengals, heck of a football team, well coached. I mean (Bengals Head Coach) Zac (Taylor) does a great job with them and works with the offense, likewise. And (Bengals Defensive Coordinator) Lou (Anarumo) does a nice job with the defense. We’ve got a good week of preparation, and that’s where we’re headed. With that, time’s yours.”
Q: There seems to be a lot of frustration on the sidelines. Do you feel like there’s an unusual amount? Does it need to be calmed down?
REID: “When you’ve won a lot of games, your tolerance level for not doing as well as we should goes down so things happen, but that’s the great part about this is the game of football, it’s an emotional game. That’s expected, I mean you see those things happen. We just have to make sure we generate it in the right direction, and we go that way and fix the problems. That’s the first thing. I’ve got a big piece of that, very responsible for the things going on, on the offensive side of the ball, so I always look here first (points to self) and then we try to address the other issues we might have.”
Q: Is there a particular way to address the frustration and make sure the responsibility is dealt with in the right way?
REID: “We talk about everything; we make sure we cover everything.”
Q: How do you turn all of the frustration into something positive?
REID: “That’s what you do. You work to get yourself better to make it positive. That’s the only way of going about it. You write a bad article, then you come back, and you’re going to do better with the next one.”
Q: On trying to clean things up, are things just not catching this time around that have in the past?
REID: “You keep working, you keep working. Stay positive and move forward. Learn, teach, practice the right way, do the fundamental things, that’s what you do. Control what you can control.”
Q: There seemed to be some pre-snap confusion in the game. Can you explain what happened there?
REID: “That was my fault on that, so I have to make sure that’s right. When I stand up here and tell you that I’ve got a piece of that pie, that’s directly pointed right at me, so I have to make sure that guys can do that and make sure we’re right there.”
Q: What do you tell guys when they do keep working but things still aren’t going your way?
REID: “It’s like any other profession, you’ve got things you can work on to get better, focus on that. Focus on those things to get better, and that’s what you do. You take care of that business first. That’s what we’re working on.”
Q: Looking back at the film of the Raiders game on Monday, is there an overarching theme on why Patrick Mahomes struggled?
REID: “I mean there are a variety of things. Again, I’ve got to help him (Patrick Mahomes) with some of that, and then he’s aware of what he has to work on. I’m aware of what I’ve got to work on and (Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy) Nags feels the same way, so we just make sure we’re right all the way around. It takes everybody. It’s a team so it takes everybody.”
Q: What effect has all of this stuff going on around him had on Patrick Mahomes’ level of play?
REID: “Listen, he’s (Patrick Mahomes) a very positive thinker, so he’s very focused. He understands that he’s got to do his part and the other guys have to do their part. He works with them to do that and works on himself; he does all of that, so he’s a joy to coach that way.”
Q: Other than Rashee Rice, it seems like the wide receiver playtime has fluctuated throughout the season. How much do you feel like you are still trying to find the right combination?
REID: “Well, we’ve given everybody opportunities for different things, and so we’ll keep working on that. Again, there are other things that are involved with it, so we just keep working.”
Q: When Patrick gets hesitant to make throws downfield and is looking guys off, what do you tell him?
REID: “We talk. I mean we just talk during games – without saying that you’re right on the thing (question) but we talk on that.”
Q: With Travis Kelce in particular, have you felt the need to talk with him more after the exchange on the sidelines between you two?
REID: “Trav (Kelce) and I have talked, yeah.”
Q: Anything in particular that you want to share?
REID: “With you? No. We talked.”
Q: The Bengals defense has done decent on your offense here and there, what is it about their defense that makes it tough?
REID: “Multiple looks, they’re great with that. They’re good players. They’ve got real good players, and their defensive coordinator (Lou Anarumo) is real good. He’s got them well taught, and they do a nice job with all their different schemes.”
Q: Any thought that Kadarius Toney can be good to go by Sunday?
REID: “I think it’s probably day by day.”
Q: What about Mecole Hardman, could he be active Sunday?
REID: “We’ll see. We’re going to give him (Mecole Hardman) another chance to get out there and practice, and we’ll see how that goes.”
Q: On the Bengals with Jake Browning at quarterback.
REID: “They’ve done well. I don’t think they’ve changed a lot that way and the kid (Bengals QB Jake Browning) has done a great job for them.”
Q: How serious are Donovan Smith’s neck stingers?
REID: “I think the rest is helping, so it’s getting better, it just takes a little bit of time.”
Q: What was your discussion like with the offensive linemen after the game?
REID: “Look, I talk to everybody, so that’s between me and the players. That’s all part of this thing. I mean, it’s the same way with (Travis) Kelce. Kelce and I have a great relationship, so I mean I go to him, I go to the offensive line, I talk to these guys and I think that’s important. These guys are emotional. They want to do well. That’s what you see. There’s a sense of frustration, ‘What can I do better?’ That urgency is going to help us get better.”
Q: You’re big on not getting too high or low, how much do you think that reminder is important at this part of the season?
REID: “Listen, the guys – they know me and how I present things. I talk to them; I talk to the team everyday, so I get my points across.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
December 27, 2023
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: What is the biggest take away from Monday’s game?
MAHOMES: “I think (we) just have to be better as a unit. I have to play better, read the field better. You have to learn from your mistakes and be better next week because we have a great game against a great team coming up.”
Q: What has led to you showing more frustration on the sideline?
MAHOMES: “I just don’t think I like losing. Anybody can be frustrated when they lose, it’s just about how you respond.”
Q: Is it hard to know how to harness the frustration and how to motivate the team?
MAHOMES: “I think you motivate in a lot of different ways. I try to do my best to be positive and keep the guys going in the right direction. You catch me sometimes on the sideline (and) I look frustrated, I think a lot of guys are frustrated that we’re losing. At the same time, you have to have the right message to know that the guys know that I believe in them – and I do – so now it’s just about how can we utilize our situation and make it a positive going into this next week.”
Q: How does the team channel the frustration into something positive?
MAHOMES: “I think people see frustration and they think it causes controversy. I see it as a way of showing that people care – they care about their profession, they care about trying to do whatever they can do to win games. When I see stuff like that happen, obviously, we want to be in the positive light and all of that. I see someone that cares about the game and someone who wants to be better, not better for themselves but better for the team.”
Q: What is it about you that allows you to reset and respond when you do have a bad game?
MAHOMES: “You have to be critical with yourself. You have to be true to what’s on the film and what’s happening. I think a lot of people will make excuses, and that’s why they don’t take that next step or become better because of it. You have to see the film – you look at the film, we made a lot of mistakes that you can’t make in this league if you want to have success. You have to learn from them and get better from them. If you look at it and try to make an excuse for why something happened or (say) it’s not your fault because this thing happened – that’s when that kind of stuff snowballs. If you look at the film and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got to be better here, I have to (have) better footwork, I have to work the pocket better, get the ball out of my hands when I need to.’ And (you) learn like that, then you can be better that next week. We’re just going to take that; this is a great defense (the Bengals) that we are playing.”
Q: Do you have an example of something you don’t notice you need to improve on in the moment but saw it later in the film?
MAHOMES: “I think there are just little things with the foot work. Anytime you see me drifting backwards in the pocket, that’s never good for the team. That’s something that goes back to my Texas Tech days where I get in these old habits of trying to make a big play happen whenever the play is there. Towards the end of the game, you saw that – I was drifting maybe looking at the D-line, that stuff that’s gotten me in trouble before. You just learn from that stuff and try to get back to my footwork and fundamentals. If I can just do that and let the offense work for me then I can go out there and have success.”
Q: When you see receivers down field where you don’t expect them to be what is your mentality?
MAHOMES: “In order for offenses to work in this league it takes everybody – it starts with me, and it goes throughout everyone else and everyone has to be on the same page. This last week we weren’t on the same page in some critical moments and that hurt us. I believe in these guys; we work our tail off and I know we say it every week but we go out there and put whatever we can on tape. Everyone is putting everything they have in this game during the week and during the game and I trust these guys are going to continue to work. We have two games left to prove it. At the end of the day, we can talk about it all we want, we have two games left to show that this work we’re putting in every single week is going to pay off. I know we’re not going to be the one seed and everything like that, but we can still win the AFC West, we can get into the playoffs and once you get to the playoffs it’s open for everyone to go out there and win it. I think that starts with today’s practice, how we practice. We know Cincinnati, we know them well, they’re going to play hard, they have a great football team, a great defense and it will be a great challenge as an offense for us to go up against.”
Q: You mentioned just making the throws that are there. How would you assess how that went Monday and how to get better?
MAHOMES: “I think just it goes back to me; I’ve got to be critical of myself. There were times where there were throws there and I didn’t make them, there were times where I went through my reads and maybe didn’t get to my last one. That’s just stuff I have to get better at and if I get better at it that will make the whole offense better. That’s just stuff you go back on the film and learn from. Obviously, that wasn’t our best performance – it wasn’t my best performance, but you’ve got to be critical of yourself and be better for it the next time.”
Q: How would you asses the operation of how quickly you get the play call and then getting that to everyone?
MAHOMES: “We talked about it, we just want to make sure that we’re playing fast and we’re playing the right way. I felt like in that two-minute drill we got confused on a few things here and there. At the same time, we’ve been so high octane in those two-minute drills that I know we’ll get it back right the right way. That’s just going to take us going back to the fundamentals, just like I am, getting the play in to the receivers so they can play fast. We’ve got a lot of different guys playing, but I think the guys understand it and know it so now let’s just get back to who we are.”
Q: As you reviewed the game did you think you were bailing from the pocket too early?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, that’s what I was talking about. There were times when the pocket was clean, and I was drifting back and that invites the rush to be even better. I honestly thought that the offensive line stepped up to the challenge as the game went on. Obviously the first few drives you saw me talking to them, I just challenged those guys to be better, and they were. Then it’s on me, if I’m going to challenge them to be better, I have to be better within the pocket. I was proud of how those guys responded throughout the middle parts of that game and towards the end of it. I have to trust those guys as much as I talk. That’s on me to be better and better as games go on and don’t drift and try to do too much.”
Q: What is your plan this week to do anything different in your preparation and are you seeing what you want to see from your teammates in that way?
MAHOMES: “I think guys are working hard. I’ve said every week, guys are working hard to get better. At the end of the day, we have to go out there and prove it. I know everyone hears us saying it, but unless we go out and prove it, I don’t think anyone is going to believe it. For us, we’re going to go in with that mentality that we’re going to work our tail off to make sure we can put our best effort forward this week. We’ve got to find a way to get a win in order to get into the playoffs. That’s our attitude going into practice today.”
Q: How much do you think Marquez Valdes-Scantling needs to get more action in the offense and how can you build that connection back?
MAHOMES: “That’s on me. I’ve got to find ways to get him the ball. There are times where he’s open on the football field, I can see it on tape and I have to find ways to get him the football. If you look at the two games we played against the Bengals last year, he was a big part of those games. I think the best part about him is he’s being professional, he’s going to work and even though I’m not getting him the football in some of those moments, he’s blocking his tail off. He’s doing whatever he can to help the football team and you want those guys on the field and playing.”
Q: Do you feel like there is a level of tough love you need to have with the guys?
MAHOMES: “I don’t. There is a difference between when you want to have tough love on someone because they’re not putting in the work and when someone is putting in the work and the results haven’t come. All you can do is go to practice every single day and put your best foot forward and continue to get better and better. You go to the game and you give everything you have to do whatever you can to help the team and the results kind of handle themselves. The ball is not always going to bounce your way, you’re not always going to win 14, 13 games every single season. Can you stay with the process every single day and put your team in the best position to succeed then let’s see what happens. We’re still first place in the AFC West, we have to win one more game to win the division. We understand that it’s not going to be easy, but if we continue to work and put everything we have out there on the football field and we win this game and get into the playoffs, I think we can go out there and do what we wanted to do at the beginning of the season and that’s find a way to win the Super Bowl. That’s going to take a great day at practice today and a great week of football this week.”
Q: This is the first time in several years that this team hasn’t picked it up when we hit December. Do you have a takeaway as to why?
MAHOMES: “Not necessarily. I think the guys are still putting in the same amount of work. We’ve had the same schedule that we’ve always had, we’ve practiced hard, just haven’t come out with the wins. At the end of the day, all we can do is continue to get better and better. We still have belief in this locker room, I’ll continue to say it. We’ve got to go out there and prove it, I think the guys are willing to accept that challenge and do it.”
DT CHRIS JONES
Q: It’s been a tough month for you guys, what are you seeing from your guys?
JONES: “I think their energy is positive. I think that’s important for this week to make sure everybody is in positive spirits, uplifting one another and being together. I think attention to detail especially on individual performances.”
Q: What’s the key to making sure there’s no finger pointing and that you guys stay together?
JONES: “I’ve been in this league, what eight years, and (have) never been a part of a team that has been successful that has pointed fingers. I think it’s more so about taking accountability, seeing what you can do better, seeing what extra 10% you can give to your game, what you can add; whether that’s rest, sleep, whether it’s film, whether it’s extra curriculum after practice, improving yourself. Then, I think that can contribute to the team being better.”
Q: When things are not going right, who holds you guys accountable?
JONES: “I think we have to hold ourselves (accountable). I think the coaches can only do so much, the coaches can only call plays and we have to go out and execute at a high ability as players. So, I think more so taking accountability for yourself and players holding each other accountable.”
Q: If you win the division, you are guaranteed a home playoff game. What would that mean to you?
JONES: “I think that’s what we strive for every year, to win the division and whatever after that falls in place. Most importantly is winning the division, I think that’s our test, that’s what we’re looking forward to. In front of that, we have two games ahead of us and two great teams. The Cincinnati Bengals are playing lights out ever since (Bengals injured QB) Joe (Burrow) went out, I think they are 3-1 since Joe Burrow has been out. Their quarterback (Bengals QB Jake Browning) has been playing lights out so we’re looking forward to the Cincinnati Bengals, we know it’s going to be a tough game and they have a heck of a team.”