Head Coach Andy Reid
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, I think really the only new one on here is George (Karlaftis). He has some stomach issues that he’s working through, but we’ll get him back out there relatively quick I think. All in all, good practice today. We did our normal Friday workout, (we) had to do a little bit earlier with the heat, but normal Friday workout. (We had a) good special teams period to start with and then finishing with some heavy red zone, knocking that out and then review on the other situations. Anyways, with that, time is yours.”
Q: Chris Jones tweeted that he may be willing to miss a few games. Do you expect to start the season without him?
REID: “There’s been no communication, so I don’t know what’s going to go there but whatever happens, happens. I mean if he’s not there, the game goes on, right? So that’s how it works.”
Q: You said that you don’t like to get involved in the personnel decisions, but is there a way for you to get involved with the Chris Jones’ stuff?
REID: “No, not right now there’s not. They have tocommunicate and do their thing, and there has just been no communication.”
Q: There is a lot of competition in the wide receiver room, how tough is it going to be to make a decision?
REID: “Yeah, it’ll be a tough decision at that spot, the guys are playing well. We just have to see – we talked to them about special teams, it ends up being a big part of it. You might be a good receiver but if you can’t help out on special teams you got a problem there, so that ends up being a part of the thing (the decision).”
Q: What are the expectations of the ones, twos, and threes for playing time in this last preseason game?
REID: “Yeah, so the ones might get a little bit of time. I’m still working through that. The ones will probably get a little bit of time and then the twos and threes will take it from there.”
Q: What’s your message to the players who are just trying to make the team?
REID: “It’s a great opportunity. It’s a great opportunity to get yourself on tape, everybody can’t make it here, we know that. They were told that when they first got in, but make it a tough decision for (General Manager) Brett (Veach) and myself and the personnel guys and coaches. Then, if you don’t make it here, we’re going to give you an opportunity to be on tape. We’re not holding you back, so you get out there, you perform and perform well, so if you can’t make it here, maybe you make it somewhere else.”
Q: The ones playing a little bit does not include Patrick Mahomes does it?
REID: “We’ll see (laughter).”
Q: With the quarterback position would you keep three on the roster?
REID: “Yeah, possibly. Right now, were juggling the whole thing, there’s competition for that two spot and the guys are competing, so we haven’t finalized anything yet on that numbers wise. The bottom of the roster thing, you kind of have to work through and see how it all works out and then you can’t forget to include special teams in there too, and how we work with that.”
Q: Is Isiah Pacheco going to play in this preseason game?
REID: “There’s a chance, yeah. Yeah, there’s a chance. I’m just kind of spotting him here and seeing what he is comfortable with. We got the yellow jersey off of him, and he’s full throttle but we’ll see how he does here in a couple days.”
Q: Shane Buechele is getting comfortable, what growth have you seen from him?
REID: “Well he looks more comfortable, and I think in a crazy way, Blaine (Gabbert) has been good for him and bringing out the best in him, you know, the competition. Blaine is competing like crazy too, so it’s been a good challenge there for him but he’s doing a nice job, more time coming up here, so we’ll see how both of them do.”
Q: How do you feel about your defensive line stepping up without Chris Jones?
REID: “Yeah, they’re working their tails off, and I appreciate that. You know, it’s similar (to) if someone gets hurt. If someone gets hurt, you have to go play and that’s the approach they’ve taken, ‘Chris (Jones) isn’t here, opportunity for us to play’ and they’ve worked their tails off there, it’s been impressive watching.”
Q: Is there a specific guy from the defensive line that has stepped up?
REID: “Yeah so, when Mike (Danna) got back, I think he’s done a nice job. He got some play time, and it showed in that game, so I think that that’s good. Then, I think George (Karlaftis) is a lot stronger than he was last year, so that’s a positive thing.”
Q: Tershawn Wharton got some reps today, how is he looking?
REID: “He’s (Tershawn Wharton) doing alright, he’s doing alright. He’s lucky he’s got a good foundation, he’s got big legs, strong legs, and so I think he’s moving around well, quick.”
Q: Is he going to play against the Cleveland Browns?
REID: “Yeah, there’s a chance. (It’s) Kind of the same thing with (Isiah) Pacheco, we’ll see where we go with this thing in the next couple of days. We have a – tomorrow is not a normal walk-through day, it’s an 8-8 period, so we have one more day there.”
Q: What do you tell the rookies about playing at GEHA field at Arrowhead Stadium?
REID: “They’ve heard it all, you know, they’ve heard it. Most of them have seen it on TV, but it’s a special place to play, we’ve talked to them about that and there’s nothing like it.”
Q: Do you ever shuffle the lineups and play a one with a threeor vice versa?
REID: “Yeah, I mean we evaluate the guys every day and so if we think somebody has something that shows, we go ahead and give them an opportunity to move in there. A little bit like what we’ve done with the receivers, some of those guys are guys thatwe’re trying to look at and see what they’ve got.”
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: What do you want to get out of Saturday’s preseason game if you get any playing time?
MAHOMES: “I think just keep – I call it stacking – keep progressing, keep getting better and better. I mean obviously you want to hit the regular season rolling. We have a great football team (The Detroit Lions) we’re playing that first game. We did better than the first (preseason) game in (the) second (preseason) game, and let’s keep building and getting better and better and get the momentum going into the year.”
Q: You mentioned that you haven’t taken a hit yet, are you still looking to get that out of the way before the season starts?
MAHOMES: “If it happens, it happens. Obviously, it’s kind of a good thing because the offensive line is protecting really really well, so it might be the regular season hopefully. I go in with the mindset that I’m going to take a hit here and there, but the offensive line goes in with the mindset that they don’t want me getting touched, so it’s hard to tell them to let someone through. It’s not like “Remember the Titans” or anything like that (laughter) so if it happens it happens.”
Q: Are you expecting to start the season without Chris Jones?
MAHOMES: “No, not necessarily. I know that contract stuff is hard to talk about because everyone wants to make money for their entire family and everything like that, but I know how much Chris (Jones) loves the Chiefs, he loves being a part of this organization, so I just try to stay out of it and tell Chris how much we love him and that whenever he does come back he’ll be welcomed with open arms. We know he is preparing himself,so that whenever he does get back, he can be that dominantplayer that he always has been.”
Q: With that said has he been gone longer than you anticipated?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I don’t think anyone expected him not to be here now, but that’s part of the contract negotiation stuff so I’m not looking down on him or anything like that. He has stuff that he’s trying to get done that he feels like he needs to get done right now. I respect his decision and then when he gets back, like I said, we will (welcome) him with open arms. He’s a vital part of this organization, so I’m glad that he’s on my team.”
Q: Does it put more pressure on the offense if he’s not out there?
MAHOMES: “Not necessarily, you have to trust everybody. Obviously, Chris (Jones) is a once in a lifetime type of player to be that big at the defensive tackle spot and being able to get sacks and stuff like that, but you have to trust the entire defense just like they have to trust the entire offense. Whenever I’m not in the game they trust the guy that comes in is going to go out there and make an impact, you’ve seen that with (former Chiefs Quarterback) Chad (Henne) over the last few years and the game that Travis (Kelce) wasn’t in a couple years ago other guys stepped up. That’s how great football teams work is you’ve got to have depth everywhere and you’ve got to have guys that will step up whenever their number is called. Obviously, you want to have these great players like Chris, but everyone has to step up whenever their number is called.”
Q: What have you seen from the defensive line throughout campwithout Chris Jones, what’s your confidence level in what they can do?
MAHOMES: “I’m very confident. They have a lot of great players, a lot of depth, a lot of guys that are coming in and working hard. Obviously, there’s young guys like George (Karlaftis) and Felix (Anudike-Uzomah) and stuff like that but they play hard every single play and they get after it; that’s what you want. It’s hard to replace Chris (Jones) because Chris, like I said, is a once in a lifetime type of player. But I think with the group of guys they are doing a great job of just working hard and continuing to push to try to make themselves better.”
Q: When is the last time you talked to Chris Jones and what are his spirits like?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, we stay in contact with him all the time. He’s in good spirits. He’s a guy that loves football – like I said he loves playing for the Chiefs – so this is a hard time for all players I think when this stuff comes up because you want to play, you want to be out there but at the same time you want to take care of your family, so it’s finding that right spot of where you think you need to be at that time. It doesn’t hurt his relationship with any of us, we respect his decision, at the same time when he comes back, we’ll welcome him with open arms and know that he can be a pivotal teammate to helps try to make another run at the Super Bowl again.”
Q: Is playing in this final preseason game something you feel like you want or need?
MAHOMES: “I just prepare myself every week. I prepare myself to play, I get the reps in there and then I follow (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid’s lead. He’s done this for a long time he knows what’s needed every single year to be able to go in and play well at the very beginning of the year, that’s why his record is so good at the beginning of the season. I’ll prepare myself to play and if I get that call, I’ll go out there and play and try to execute at a high level and just try to prepare myself for that week one of the regular season.”
Q: You’ve seen Shane Buechele for a few years now. How have you seen him develop and how proud of him are you?
MAHOMES: “I think just the entire QB room we push each other to be great. We want that QB room, no matter who steps in, to be able to go out there and have success and I think you’ve seen that over the years with (former Chiefs Quarterback) Chad (Henne), you’ve seen it with (former Chiefs Quarterback) Matt Moore and now you see it with Shane (Buechele), he’s getting better and better every single year. Then you’ve seen guys like Blaine (Gabbert) who’s learning a new system and he’s already having success early in the preseason as well and then Chris (Oladokun) – we try to take pride in that QB room that no matter who steps in the game there’s no drop off and we can all go out there and have success. I’m proud of all those guys, but Shane being here for two years just to stay grinding and grinding and preparing for his moment and he’s done great this preseason to far.”
Q: How closely will you follow cut down day next week?
MAHOMES: “It’s hard, I don’t like to follow it too closely. I’m rooting for everybody. It’s hard to sit there and – you don’t want to promote for one guy to make it over another because this is people’s livelihoods, this is people’s lives. I let those guys,(General Manager) Brett Veach and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid handle that, (Chairman & CEO) Clark Hunt everyone like that. They do a good job of finding the best players to put in position to have success. I don’t follow that too closely – it’s hard for me I like all the guys in the locker room, it’s hard to see guys, even if it’s (just) for a moment, their dreams kind of get cut right there so it definitely is a hard day for everybody in this league.”
QB SHANE BUECHELE
Q: Where do you feel like you made the biggest leap from last season to this season?
BUECHELE: “I think just my knowledge of the offense and my comfort in the offense. This is really the first time that I’ve had an offense for three straight years dating back all the way to college. My comfort in this offense has grown a ton, and I feel a whole lot better being out on that field with my knowledge of the offense. That’s the number one thing and then just being with these guys and taking reps and getting more reps in practice has been a huge thing, too, just getting on the same page with everybody.”
Q: Is there a play or moment that stands out to you, and you thought ‘okay I’m starting to piece things together’?
BUECHELE: “Just throughout training camp, really in OTA’s too. Just the start of my third year, it’s just progressively gotten better and better and as we continue to gameplan for teams, we can home in on a gameplan and go out and execute. It’s been really good for myself as well as the team just to come together and try to go win a ball game.”
Q: What have you learned from Patrick Mahomes being with him for three years? We don’t expect you to throw a behind the back pass but how has he helped you in your career?
BUECHELE: “Yeah, you’re exactly right, I mean it’s tough – it’s not tough being in that room but you kind of have to take what Pat (Patrick Mahomes) does and kind of put a little bit to your game but also let him do what he does because he’s the best in the league at what he does. Definitely his leadership style I think that gets kind of caught up in all of the behind the back passes and the deep throws, (the) scramble drills. The way he leads a football team is special and so I see that – and then just different ways in (pass) protections, he’s super smart I think that’s another thing that gets overlooked. His knowledge of the offense and the way he carries himself and carries this team is definitely something that I’ve taken from him as the older brother I’d say in the room.”
Q: Yesterday Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy mention how hard you’ve worked behind the scenes to put yourself in this position, now that you’re in the mix for that second string spot how rewarding does that feel?
BUECHELE: “It’s just what we do at the quarterback position. We put in a lot of work and when the times comes it comes to fruition. It’s our job to be as prepared as possible for any type of thing that happens in the game, in practice, whatever it is, we have to be prepared and we never know when it’s going to be,that’s the tough part about being a backup quarterback is you never know when something is going to happen. You have to prepare like you’re the starter and be ready for any moment.”