OPENING STATEMENT: “As far as injuries go, don’t have any significant injuries. Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) is ill, so he won’t be at practice today. Look forward to the challenge of playing the Jags (Jaguars). I think we know them; they know us. We have played them enough here – at the end of last season and then again here. (Jaguars Head Coach) Doug (Pederson) does a nice job with that group as do his two coordinators, (Jaguars Defensive Coordinator) Mike (Caldwell) and (Jaguars Offensive Coordinator) Press (Taylor). They’ve got a strong offense. They’ve got a strong defense, good special teams. They’ve got good team speed, and a good defensive front. Again, it’s really the same guys we played against last year for the most part. We look forward to the opportunity to get ourselves ready this week starting today, having a good practice today and following it up again for the rest of the week, one day at a time. Time’s yours.”
Q: The Jaguars added wide receiver Calvin Ridley this offseason. What does he do to cause defenses problems?
REID: “Calvin (Ridley) is a good player. He’s a really good route runner. He’s got good speed, good hands. He’s a good football player.”
Q: Do you plan to play Chris Jones Sunday, and if so, will he be limited at all?
REID: “I’m going to see how he is today, but I presume he’ll be out there playing, then we’ll just see.”
Q: Do you have an update on Travis Kelce?
REID: “Trav (Kelce), he did the walkthrough, and then he’s going to go out to practice today and do that. He’s made progress again. We’re just taking those guys day-by-day and see how they’re doing.”
Q: What’s it like having Chris Jones back in the building?
REID: “Chris (Jones) is a good football player, so having him back in – he’s an important part of it and we’re glad he’s back. We’ll just see where he’s at physically as we go. He normally keeps himself in pretty good shape, so we’ll see how he does out there today and take it day-by-day and just see how he does.”
Q: Is there some benefit to have the holdout behind you so the focus isn’t on that at all?
REID: “The thing I’ll tell you about it is it’s good to have him back. I thought the other guys did a nice job the other night when they had an opportunity. We really didn’t let that be a distraction. He (Chris Jones) needed to do what he had to do, and we had to do what we had to do and now he’s back and that’s part of the business and everybody puts the business aside when you’re getting ready for a game, on the side and go with the guys that are there. We’re glad he’s back in though, good football player.”
Q: Did you make a point to sit down and talk with Chris Jones when he got back?
REID: “Chris (Jones) and I have talked. There wasn’t any personal thing going on there between us. It was just he made a business decision, that’s part of this thing. I’m old so I’ve been through a lot of those, and those things happen. I’m able to separate it, I think he separated it. He’s back in and has a good attitude, ready to go.”
Q: What kind of test is the Jaguars defensive front going to be for your offensive line especially with the new tackles?
REID: “One of our tackles (Jawaan Taylor) was with them, so he knows them a little bit. But 41 (Jaguars Josh Allen) he’s a good player, both those defensive ends are phenomenal players. They’re fast. They have high motors, and I wouldn’t slight their backups at all. They can bring it too. The inside guys are talented, they’ll jump in – even if you’re (in) three wides (wide receiver sets), they’ll jump into their base personnel every once in a while and give you the business there. They’ve also – when they’re in nickel, they’ve got good rushers inside, linebackers are fast, secondaries are aggressive, we know that. (They have) Two good corners, they’re a good defense all the way around. But to answer your question, that defensive front is strong. They were one of the top run teams in the NFL last year.”
Q: How have you seen Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson take what he learned when he was coaching under you and implement those things in his team?
REID: “Everywhere you go you kind of take a piece of it and put it in there. I think he’s probably put his own flare on things, but yeah, there are certain things that he does that I’m sure he probably got from here too. He and I were together a long time, so it goes both ways that way.”
Q: It seemed like timing with the wide receivers was off in the last game. How much of that can be fixed throughout the week in practice?
REID: “Well some of the guys hadn’t played much. They need to get in a game and get caught up to game speed, and I think that will benefit us. Whether it was young guys or Kadarius (Toney) I’ve already mentioned. I think it’s good for those guys – I think that game was good for them, and we’ll see, we’ll see what happens.”
Q: What’s your take on the situation with playing surfaces around the league?
REID: “Listen I’ll probably get in trouble saying something, so I’m just going to say whatever they put out there, we’ll go play on. We’ll go play in the CVS parking lot (laughter).”
Q: NFL WR DeSean Jackson was the last rookie you had to be the lead receiver on a team you coached. What does it take to be the lead receiver in your offense and is it too complicated to have a rookie be a lead guy in it?
REID: “Yeah with a special guy, 10 (Dolphins Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill) probably played some when he was rookie, I think. There are guys that have gotten in and played, it’s just a matter of growing and how fast can you grow in it. We’ve got rookies out there playing, so we’ll see how they grow. DeSean (Jackson) kind of did that too, he just didn’t have the other receivers around him like quite as many as we have here.”
Q: Do you expect Kadarius Toney to have the confidence to bounce back this week?
REID: “The best way to get rid of that is to go out and practice and then get back in the game and get better. I’m not worried about him there. He’s a competitive kid and a heck of a player. I told you before I put him in a position where it’s tough, but he had to get in there and do what he – you know play, get caught up to speed, I thought it was important that he got in. He’s going to catch most of those.”
Q: Kadarius Toney only ran 19 or 20 routes in the Lions game. Do you expect him to be able to play more snaps in the game coming up this week?
REID: “We’ll see. We’ll see how it all works out. We’ve got all these personnel groups, so if his number doesn’t get called it might be because of the personnel group as many times or whatever, could be more. I’m good with him playing to answer that, whatever comes out, comes out.”
Q: Were you happy with the production of Isiah Pacheco, Justyn Ross and some of the other guys that didn’t get as many reps in preseason?
REID: “Yeah, and L'Jarius Sneed. It was good to get those guys back in a game and going. I think that will help them down the road, too.”
Q: How have you seen Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence grow and what makes him dangerous?
REID: “He’s a big kid that’s smart, has a big arm, can run too, good athlete. He’ll do nothing but get better as the years you know – throughout this year and down the road. He’s a good football player.”
Q: Beyond just the numbers that he puts up what was missed with Travis Kelce not playing last Thursday?
REID: “You answer that and you’re slighting the other guys, you know what I’m saying? It’s like Chris (Jones), they’re good football players, right? So, we welcome them back in and we go. On the other hand, I expect the other guys to step up and do the job and finish a game when you have an opportunity. That’s coaches and players, so that needs to take place.”
Q: What have you seen from Neil Farrell getting adjusted to the team and what could he do for you guys?
REID: “He’s a big kid that’s been physical when he did play. We’re always looking at – we’ll see how he does in practice here. He got shortchanged a day last week for personal reasons. It’s good to get him in here, and I think we’ll just kind of play that by ear as we go.”
Q: What do you think of the tight ends group behind Travis Kelce?
REID: “The two that played the majority of the time are guys that have played for us. Noah (Gray), I thought he kind of replaced what Trav (Travis Kelce) normally does. I thought he did a nice job in there. Blake (Bell) has been around, and he did what we asked him to do, he did a good job of that.”
Chiefs Player QuotesSeptember 13, 2023
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: What did you see from this past weekend from the Jacksonville front seven and how do you think the offensive line will stand up?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, they’re a talented defensive front. I’ve played them twice and understand that it’s going to be a great challenge for our offensive line. I’ve got a lot of trust in those guys. We’ll just try to keep building as an offense, and I need to get the ball out of my hand. I’ll get it out of my hand, and if we need to take a shot, I’ll trust those guys to make the blocks.”
Q: Where do you feel like your connection with the receivers is at?
MAHOMES: “I still think we have a great connection going. Obviously, it doesn’t always work out in games, and we didn’t execute at a high enough level. Me included in that first game, but you have to keep building, you have to try and make yourself better. I’ll try to do what I can to make it easier on them, and they’ll go out there and make the plays happen.”
Q: What was your message to Chris Jones when he came back in?
MAHOMES: "Happy to have him. Chris (Jones) is not only a great player but a great person, that’s in the locker room and always has a smile on his face. Like I said early in training camp, whenever he gets back, we’re going to welcome him with open arms. Now we’re going to try and go out there and find a way to get a win.”
Q: How would you asses your own performance from Thursday against the Lions?
MAHOMES: "Yeah, there were just some opportunities that I missed. A couples throws here and there that I could have got it to the guy earlier (and) not make it so hard on those guys. Just a little bit late on some of my reads, so just that I have to continue to work on. Just like everybody, I got to be better, and I’m going to try and do that this week.”
Q: When a play is unfolding how much do you rely on receivers being able to see the play the same way you do?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, that’s the entire offense, especially here, I think. It’s a lot of reading on the run, recognizing coverages and making plays off of that. That’s stuff that I have to be on the same page with the receivers and stuff we will work on this week.”
Q: How much of a boost is it having Chris Jones back and potentially Travis Kelce if he’s healthy?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, obviously you get your guys in there, you want to go out there and play with the guys that have put in the work and that go out there and execute and that have played at a high level for a long time. I think guys are ready to go, we didn’t like how we played this last Thursday. I think guys are ready to get out there and kind of prove to everybody even ourselves who we really are.”
Q: You haven’t been 0-1 for a long time, maybe since before high school. What does that feel like and is it a different mindset?
MAHOMES: “It doesn’t feel good, you want to win. Obviously, I’ll be motivated as much as I always am, and that’s to go out there and win the week and it’s a great opportunity to go up against a great football team so I’m excited for it.”
Q: Does it tilt the feeling a little bit going into this game with a loss?
MAHOMES: “Not necessarily, I knew this was going to be a tough challenge for us either way. Obviously, you wanted to win that first game, but you didn’t so you kind of have to just wash that from your mind and get onto the next game and try to make yourself better so you can go out there and get a win.”
Q: You face the Jets in a few weeks, you and Aaron Rodgers seem to never play against each other and no different this year with his injury, do you feel like this is one of the few quarterbacks that you don’t face in your career?
MAHOMES: “I mean I have no idea. Obviously, it sucks for not only him and his team but for the entire league because he is such a great player. Someone a lot of guys have looked up to throughout their entire career. You want to play the teams at their best, but that’s a long way down the road and I’m just praying for him that he’s able to heal himself, rehab and hopefully back again next year and maybe we get the opportunity then.”
Q: Where do you stand on grass versus turf?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s pretty simple, the numbers say that grass is healthier for the players. I want to play on the best surface that will keep me healthy.”
Q: Do you prepare different or is there anything in your warmup that you do different if the field is grass or turf?
MAHOMES: “You can only do so much. It’s the playing surface, so you just prepare your body for any type of playing surface that you play on. At the end of the day, you just have to go out there and execute at a high level. Luckily for us (our stadium) is grass and so we play a lot of our games on grass.”
Q: A couple of the top teams in the league lost in week one, does that make that loss for you guys any easier seeing other top teams go down as well?
MAHOMES: “I mean not really. You never know what’s going to happen in this league. People lose every week. Its parity, that’s what this NFL is about, and everybody can beat everybody. You have to come in with the mentality that you’re going to play your best football. I thought we lapsed in that this last week, and we were playing a good football team and they beat us. I don’t worry about those other teams around the league because you never know who’s going to be at the top at the end of the year whenever you are trying to find your seeding. You just try to go out there and be the best you can be and stack as many wins as possible.”
Q: Thoughts on struggling to get those short yard conversions, is that starting to become a mental thing for you guys?
MAHOMES: “I don’t think so, I still have confidence in us in any situation. If you can get third and eleven-plus, then you can get third and one. Obviously, it hasn’t worked – like the end of last year and then into this first game. We went back to the drawing board, we worked on it throughout training camp, and I have confidence in the coaches and the players that we’ll get it corrected.”
Q: Does Head Coach Andy Reid actually steal your nuggies (speaking of the State Farm commercial with Head Coach Andy Reid)?
MAHOMES: “I try to keep the nuggies and keep my cheeseburgers away from (Head) Coach (Andy Reid).”
Q: What was the biggest takeaway from watching all the games this week?
MAHOMES: “Like I said, you never know. That’s the thing about the NFL, that’s what makes it so great. You think one team is going to be good, and you think one team is going to be bad, but everybody could get beat every single week. That’s what makes it special and that’s why you have to come with your best mentality every single day to go out there and win.”
WR KADARIUS TONEY
Q: Do you think what led to the dropped balls is an easily fixable thing?
TONEY: “I just told the other guys, (I) have to put the work in, a lot of work. (I can) Spend 30 minutes after practice catching from the jug, catching from the quarterback, whatever I have to do. I just have to make sure that I show up when it’s time.”
Q: Where are you at mentally after last week’s game?
TONEY: “Just positive thinking, you know, I’m just moving forward. I’m thinking about the next weekend, how I can make plays in the upcoming week, you know I’m not going to dwell on the past.”
Q: You missed training camp and are just getting back from an injury. Do you think about that injury in the back of your mind?
TONEY: “No, (I’m) just getting back, just getting the feel of everything. Like I said, I have to go out there and execute. There really is no excuse, no reason, and then I’m thinking about that I have to go out there and make plays.”
DT CHRIS JONES
Q: On his decision to hold out, his agent, and his 1-year deal
JONES: “Absolutely, I chose my representation years ago. I made the decision not to come to camp, I didn’t want to be a distraction of holding in, and I’m super pleased with how it turned out. I’m back in the building, I’m excited to be back, (I’m) thankful for the organization (because) they were able to boost my salary up to make up for the fines, and everything, I’m super grateful for that. We’re focused on winning the next game. We have the Jacksonville Jaguars, very good team. (We’re) Coming off a loss to the Detroit Lions, which is tough but were looking for a bounce back week.”
Q: Looking back, would you have changed anything about the way you went about your holdout process?
JONES: “I probably would change some things. When you have a lot of new guys, it’s kind of tough to be away. Especially in the D-Line room, building that chemistry is important to be successful as a group. But, those are the decisions you have to live with, I wouldn’t probably change it but I’m grateful for how it turned out. I’m grateful for the Hunt Family, (General Manager) Brett Veach, and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid for working with my team closely to make sure we ensure that we come to terms with something that we can both agree on.”
Q: Now that you are back, where are you at mentally?
JONES: “Listen, I’m happy to be back. The business aspect, you can’t get personal into it. When you get personal, things can turn bad. I never took it personal; I did take some of the stuff you guys said on Twitter about me personal (laughter).”
Q: When you came back into the building and talk with Head Coach Reid and General Manager Brett Veach was it easy to move past everything and focus on the season?
JONES: “I think reporters and fans kind of misdrew the contract thing. It’s never personal. I don’t think I’ve started hating (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, or disliking (General Manager Brett) Veach. I love Veach you know, he knows I love him, we had on and off conversation throughout it all. Coach Reid, I love him too, with him still calling (and) texting. We actually have a group text. Veach said that I retweeted a picture where it said ‘Chris Jones after season (compared to), Chris Jones offseason’ where I was big with no neck, and we actually had a little joke about that through the midst of it, so I don’t think our relationship was affected any by that, they know how much I love this organization, they know how much I love this team. I don’t think that (the holdout) affected any part of our relationship.”