OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, I don’t have any injuries for you at this time. But the guys are trickling in now, so we’ll get that to you later. As far as the game goes, obviously disappointed that we didn’t come out on the right end of it. I thought the guys battled hard and aggressive. I thought in particular the defense played very well. Offensively, we (have) got to clean up some things there in the pass and the run game, and we’ll work on that. And then special teams, I thought for the most part, did a good job. (Harrison) Butker would like to have the one (field goal) back, but he came right back and had a nice kick there. But, obviously (we) have to improve, and that’s our focus. We’ve got to detail our work. It’s my responsibility, I take responsibility for that, and for this game with the aggressiveness as far as fourth downs go. I felt going into this game because they stay aggressive on fourth down, that you’ve got to match that to some extent, within reason. And a couple of those didn’t work out, and I’ve got full confidence that we’ll get that cleaned up, too, as far as the execution of it. So, anyways, with that, time’s yours.”
Q: Have you and Mike Frazier worked together to change to a more aggressive book, or is everything circumstantial?
REID: “Yeah, we’ve always been one of the top teams in the league to go for it on fourth down. So, I’ve done that for years. So, anyways, I’d tell you no.”
Q: How do you make sure the room stays together as you approach Week 3?
REID: “Yeah, I trust this group. I mean, this group’s a good group, (they have) got good leadership and they’ll stay together. And they’ll work hard on cleaning things up, there’s nobody more aware of it than the guys and we’ll make sure we get back to the drawing board. Like I said, this game here was more on the offensive side, and we’ve got to take care of that.”
Q: On Josh Simmons’ performance from Week 1 to Week 2, as well as his substitution against the Philadelphia Eagles.
REID: “Yeah, he (Josh Simmons) came off. He was dehydrated a little bit, kind of. So, they (athletic training staff) got him fixed up there with some liquids. And then as far as Josh’s performance goes, he’s getting better. He’s had a couple nice challenges here the last couple weeks. He’ll have another one coming this week, but I felt like he’s getting better. There’s some things he’s got to clean up in some of the detail stuff within the run game and the pass game protection stuff, but I thought he did a nice job of stepping up in this game.”
Q: Is there anything you want to see changed about the rule enforcement with the tush push?
REID: “Yeah, I think you know the answer to it Jesse (Newell). If guys are moving early, then you’ve got to call that. So, they’ll (the officials) go back and look at that and see what their evaluation is of it. It could be different than mine. Mine, I felt like the guys were moving (and) that’s why I was griping about it on the sideline there with the officials. Sometimes people see things different. We’ll see where it goes, they’ll have a chance to evaluate it, and I’ll be curious to see what the response is.”
Q: What did you think about Ashton Gillotte and Nohl Williams?
REID: “I would tell you I thought they (Ashton Gillotte and Nohl Willams) did a solid job in there. I liked the effort, I liked them hustling, getting themselves to the ball (and) getting off blocks up front. I thought Williams did a nice job on a couple of coverages down the field. I thought they were very respectable.”
Q: Moving forward how are you going to focus on execution versus changing things to put players in better positions?
REID: “Yeah, so Matt (Derrick) there were things on there that I could’ve called (that) I was doing that in comparison to. There were some things that we could’ve executed better. There were some things that I could’ve put our players in a better position on, and there’s some calls that I could’ve used that I didn’t use. So I’ve got to make sure I take care of that part first. Then give the guys a better opportunity to do their job.”
Q: On some of the players wearing shirts that said “Free 4” for Rashee Rice.
REID: “Yeah, I’ve seen it since. I didn’t see it then, but I would tell you I know these guys love Rashee (Rice), and they feel for him sitting out here and I think it’s no more than that Sam (McDowell). I just think that those guys, they love the kid and want him to feel part of it in their own way. I really don’t think it’s anything more than that Sam.”
Q: Is it tougher to call and execute plays when you are dealing with suspensions and injuries?
REID: “Yeah Todd (Leabo), we trust everybody that comes in there and that’s the way we approach it. There are no excuses at all for that – now you’re asking me this right after the Rashee (Rice) thing so I get it, but that’s not how we roll. I mean, that’s not something – the guys trust the guys that are in, (and) they play hard and are aggressive and so on.”
Q: How much did Josh Simmons’ effort on the interception stand out to you when you watched that film again?