Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
November 13, 2024
HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, as far as the injuries go, Charles (Omenihu) and (Isiah) Pacheco will start working today and we’ll just gradually build them up as we go and that’s really it, everybody else is practicing. So, (we) look forward to the challenge of playing the Bills, (they’re) a real good football team, we know that. We’ve played them several times here over the last few years, so we know they’re well coached and a good team and they’ve got good players. We’ve got to start our workday today and get busy with it – get preparation. The time’s yours.”
Q: Could you imagine a scenario where either Isiah Pacheco or Charles Omenihu play this week?
REID: “Eh. Unlikely.”
Q: Do the Bills look different on offense with some of the defections at wide receiver or pretty much the same stuff?
REID: “They’re doing well – similar, similar stuff but the quarterback’s (Bills QB Josh Allen) playing real well and he likes those receivers that he has. They’re moving around well and they seem to be on the same page – (they have) good tight ends (and a) good running back.’
Q: How is Wanya Morris doing?
REID: “He’s (Wanya Morris) doing good.”
Q: What happened with Wanya Morris when he got hurt against the Broncos?
REID: “He (Wanya Morris) got on the stationary bike where he was waiting to get the thing (injury) under control there. He tweaks it every now and then and that’s what happens, so he comes out and he’s able to go back in.”
Q: What’s your optimism on a return for JuJu Smith-Schuster?
REID: “There’s a good chance he’s (JuJu Smith-Schuster) back. We’ll see as we go through practice but if it’s up to him, he’s back.”
Q: How has Bills QB Josh Allen been able to reduce his turnovers this season based on what you’ve seen on tape?
REID: “He’s (Bills QB Josh Allen) doing a great job with the ball, he’s using everybody and he’s not forcing anything in there, obviously, so I think he’s doing great with his decision-making.”
Q: Every position has a rookie learning curve but what is the difficulty learning left tackle in the NFL?
REID: “We’ll you’ve got good players on the other side that play against that left tackle and when you’re young, there’s going to be a couple hiccups in there. You’ve just got to bear with it as they grow. Before Wanya (Morris) got hurt, he was going a nice job out there but that thing – he had the bone bruise before and then he tweaks it every once in a while, so it takes a minute to calm down and then he comes back in. Every week he’s gotten a little bit better – that he’s been starting so that’s a positive going forward here.”
Q: Is Wanya Morris’ bone bruise a long-term issue that you may have some concern about going forward?
REID: “He’s (Wanya Morris) not doing anything to hurt it worse, that’s not what’s going on, but these things are a little bit like a high ankle sprain that way where you bring them back and they tweak it and they sit for little bit, it calms down, (they) come back out and they go. (It’s a) different injury but I mean, it’s what he had.”
Q: What do you think has enabled DeAndre Hopkins to have an impact so fast?
REID: “He’s (DeAndre Hopkins) always been a great player, and this offense gives him opportunities – his style of player and the quarterback trust him. What he is, is what you saw on Sunday with the one catch on the crossing route. (He’s) dirty tough, lands on the football, was able to get up – shows no sign of weakness on that and wants to get back in and go and that’s been him. Tough catch, contested ball, lands on it, hard and gets back in and plays and wants more.”
Q: Do you agree that DeAndre Hopkins gives you a different dimension than other guys have in the past?
REID: “He’s (DeAndre Hopkins) great with the contested balls, that’s what he’s great with, so if you get it in – he has long arms and big hands and if you get it in that radius, you’re pretty sure he’s going to get that son of a gun. We’ve had good receivers here and we have good receivers here but that’s his strength right there.”
Q: How do you measure how many carries Kareem Hunt will have in a game?
REID: “We threw him (Kareem Hunt) the ball a little bit more this past week, they were doing a good job inside just kind of shutting off the run game part of it. We ended up getting him the ball – we like to give him the ball whatever way we can get him the ball because he’s a good player. He’s doing well for just coming off the couch. I mean, he’s like second in the league, for the number of games he’s played, in carries and yards. He’s doing a heck of a job, and he wants more. He’s not asking to come out now. That’s not quite how he’s wired, but he’s doing well. He fell on his leg there – one of the guys fell on his leg and kind of tweaked it a little bit but he’s fine.”
Q: Xavier Worthy started strong and has kind of tapered off as the season has gone on, can you sense any frustration from him?
REID: “I haven’t. He’s (Xavier Worthy) a competitive kid and these things work like that. He’s got a lot of guys around him that have played and he’s learning as he goes but he’s so smart and he’s got talent. Teams are playing all that shell coverage on the backend so some of his deep stuff, they try to take it away there. That’s not the only thing he can do. It’s just a matter of getting him – there’s going to be a game here somewhere where he gets a lot of catches and we all kind of go, ‘Alright.’ That’s how those things work.”
Q: How important is Leo Chenal to the special teams unit?
REID: “(Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Toub banks on him to be a core guy for them. (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags (Spagnuolo) banks on him to be a guy for him that he can move around and do different things. From spying on a quarterback to being a very good pass rusher to being able to set an edge in the run game. He’s a valuable guy. He doesn’t say much but does a lot, so we all depend on him.”
Q: What was it like working with Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott?
REID: “I haven’t watched his (Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott) press conference but he’s got a great personality – a fellow red head. He’s a heck of a football coach and he came from a father that was a football coach and so he grew up around it. He was a good football player himself and just top notch. I have a lot of respect for him (and for) what he’s done.
Q: What did you see on the way Xavier Worthy was able to create separation on that deep pass and was there anything more than just a missed throw?
REID: “That was it. He (Xavier Worthy) did a great job on that one of getting behind the guy and that’s a good corner too so he gave him a little hesi (hesitation) move and took it from there. (He) did a nice job with it and somewhere we’ll get all that worked out, it’ll happen, just have to keep rolling.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Quotes
November 13, 2024
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: What was your first reaction to the burglary situation?
MAHOMES: “I mean, obviously it’s frustrating (and) disappointing. I can’t get into too many of the details because the investigation is still ongoing, but obviously, it’s something that you don’t want to happen to really anybody but obviously yourself.”
Q: Were you or your family home?
MAHOMES: “I can’t speak too much about the details of everything just with the investigation going on but I’m sure at some point that will be talked about.”
Q: Would you say your play has to improve week in and week out?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think I learned a lot about myself last year just when I felt like I wasn’t playing my best football and we were kind of struggling throughout the season and I kind of learned how to just find ways to win. It kind of helped me grow up, not only as a player, but as a person to show that it’s not about stats, it’s not about how you get it done, it’s just about getting it done. I know how tough it was last year when we were losing those football games, and if we’re finding ways to win this year and I’m not putting up the stats, I feel a lot happier when I go home.”
Q: What are you saying to your tackles coming out of the huddle and getting off the field when blocks are getting missed and you’re taking unnecessary hits?
MAHOMES: “I believe in those guys. I believe in all the guys that are on that field with me. I believe in my teammates because more than even on the field, I see the work they put in every single day and how hard they work to go out there and execute at a high level. There’s times where I need to get rid of the football and I take some unnecessary hits as well. It’s about coming together as a team and being that unit that’s in sync every single snap. I think if we do that, we’ll go out there and execute at the level that we want to.”
Q: What is it about this game that brings out the best in you and Bills QB Josh Allen and how much respect do you have for the other side of the field?
MAHOMES: “You’re playing the best – I mean, the best of the best. That’s what you want in this league, and I’ve been able to go up against (Bills QB) Josh (Allen) a multitude of times. Every single game, it seems like it comes down to the very end. He’s a guy that competes and he has that fire. I think you can see that fire that he plays with and that kind of goes through his entire team and a lot of guys have had a lot of success. We know it’s going to take our best football. I think that’s what we know and if we don’t, (then) we’re going to lose, and we’ve lost some and we’ve won some. I’m just hoping that this week we can get out there, play our best football and find a way to get a win.”
Q: On the friendship with Bills QB Josh Allen.
MAHOMES: “We still stay in touch. I mean, especially in the off-seasons just kind of with both of our love for golf and just being around the people. I know (Bills QB) Shane Buechele – he was here and now he’s there (in Buffalo). He’s a really good dude. I think that’s why his team plays so hard for him. Obviously, we’re both competitors, so in the season, (there’s) not as much talking as we’re both going for that ultimate goal – the Super Bowl, but at the same time, there’s a ton of respect both ways.”
Q: Are you surprised that you’re able to play with DeAndre Hopkins?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, for sure – because I mean, I watched some (of) Tennessee’s tape, but at the same time, not having him (DeAndre Hopkins) here, you didn’t know what to expect as far as the player on and off the field. He gets in the room and he’s a leader from day one. He’s teaching younger guys, he’s helping younger guys in the room about stuff that he’s learned. Then, you get on the practice field, and you see how explosive he still is and how he can still make these plays and he can go one-on-one with the best of the best and win. It was definitely a pleasant surprise for me just seeing him on that football field. I think I can even give him more and more chances as it goes on because he seems like he’s making plays every time I do.”
Q: How long do you focus on missed throws that happen in a game and what is your process like as you watch film?
MAHOMES: “I just kind of go back to the fundamentals and trying to make those throws. I mean, you can only do so much as far as when you miss stuff, but you go back and learn from it as best as you can. You get back to your fundamentals. There’s a couple – these last few weeks, I’ve missed Xavier (Worthy) on some of those deep shots. I feel like if I hit those shots, the offense looks completely different. Not only for those numbers and those stats, but it opens up everything else for everybody else. (I’m) just trying to get back to that. He’s (Xavier Worthy) getting open every single game – hitting those throws whenever I can, and it’ll take pressure off (of) the rest of the offense as well.”
Q: What stood out about Xavier Worthy getting open on the play down the sideline?
MAHOMES: “I think you can see how much he (Xavier Worthy) learned from week to week. I mean, the week before, he got open and kind of faded a little bit and caught the ball and ended up being out of bounds. Whereas you saw on that double move, he kind of restacked the guy, we say, got back on the red line, gave me room to throw and then I threw the ball out of bounds. You see those steady progressions each and every week and I think in the long run, it’s going to really pay off because he is getting open. I have the confidence (that) I’ll be able to hit him on some of those shots down the field. Like I said, it’s going to open up the rest of the offense as well.”
Q: You mentioned that you learned how to embrace winning the game, stats aside. How would you describe how that looks and feels during a game?
MAHOMES: “I think you get a feel for how the defense is playing, you get a feel for how the whole game is going – the flow of the offense. Then, you try to make the best decision on when to not and when to take chances. In certain games you have to take some of those chances. You have to go out there and score some points and I feel like I’ve done that at certain points this year. Then, in certain games the defense is kind of shutting the door (and) they’re winning the game kind of for us. I just have to execute in those big moments, and I think last week, if I execute on that throw to Travis (Kelce) or Xavier (Worthy) on that last drive, that would’ve been kind of reading the game the right way and getting us enough room for the win. Luckily for us, Leo (Chenal) makes a great play whenever I don’t execute in that moment, but I’ve learned from playing (in) a lot of games kind of when are those big moments and when you need to go out there and make plays.”
Q: What have you appreciated or noticed for what Chris Jones has done this season from a leadership standpoint on the defensive side of the ball?
MAHOMES: “First off, like you said, leadership. He (Chris Jones) comes to work every single day (and) he gets after it. He’s practicing hard, he’s showing that – I mean, he’s another guy that’s going to have a gold jacket and he’s showing that he can get in there and get reps in practice and he can get after it. I think more than anything is that he understands the scheme that the offense is doing so sometimes he’s taking up two blockers, he’s taking up three blockers so that a blitzer can get free. A lot of times you might try to do too much in that situation, but he’s kind of – he knows that when his time comes, when they do give him that single one-on-one block, he’s going to win and those are usually the biggest moments of the game. I think they do a great job as a full defense of executing and running the entire scheme. It’s not about one guy but it does help when you have that guy in the middle.”
Q: DeAndre Hopkins has a bit of a distinct skillset. How does that effect your reliability and connectivity with him?
MAHOMES: “I think just the ability to win one-on-one is special. I mean, that truly is special and sometimes it gets lost because whenever you’ve got a guy in the boundary that’s one-on-one with – I mean, like this week, he (DeAndre Hopkins) was with (Broncos CB Patrick) Surtain (II) and Surtain’s one of the best corners in the league and he was winning some of those matchups. He’s really kind of showcasing that he can win one-on-one versus anybody. That’s stuff that puts pressure on the defense when I’m hitting those guys in those one-on-one matchups and making them push guys over which is opening up everybody else and so that, as well as being able to make tough and contested catches – like the deep cross he had over the middle of the field. That’s stuff that just in my mind shows me that I need to give him more and more chances in those situations.”
Q: Is there any part of DeAndre Hopkins’ game that you didn’t realize that he had?
MAHOMES: “I think just kind of the wiggle that he (DeAndre Hopkins) has. Not only catching the ball and able to make stuff miss and get up the field but as well as running the routes. Whenever you get around a guy like that, you don’t see those things often so to be able to see that at such a high level, I think it showcases to everybody what type of player he is.”
Q: What does the Buffalo defense look like this year and what kind of strengths do they have this year that are causing you guys problems?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s what they (the Bills defense) do every year. They do a great job of being really, really good at their scheme with great players. They rush the passer well and it’s not just one guy, it’s a multitude of guys that play extremely hard and get after the passer. Then, they turn the ball over and that’s the staple of great defenses is being able to rush the passer, stop the run and turn the ball over and they do all of those things really, really well. It’s going to take our best football, like I said. I know it sounds cliché, but in order to win this game, you’re going to have to play your best football. I think that we’re going to have to go out there and do that and it’s going to be a tough environment to do it in.”
Q: DeAndre Hopkins posted a photo of Tom Brady and Randy Moss on his social media. Did you see that and do you think that there are any similarities there?