ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB
Q: What are your early impressions of 49ers WR Ray-Ray McCloud and their return game?
TOUB: “Yeah, he’s (49ers WR Ray-Ray McCloud) very good. Obviously, he’s an experienced guy. We faced him last year and he had a couple of nice returns against us. He was solid, strong, a spinner type returner, slasher is what we call it. He’s very good. We’re preparing for him as well as (49ers WR) Deebo (Samuel). Deebo could be back there at kick returner. He’s been back there a few times.”
Q: Is there anything unique about kicking at Allegiant Stadium?
TOUB: “Obviously we’ve been there before, so that helps. Really, when you walk in that stadium for a Super Bowl – which we know already – it’s different, when we went to (State Farm Stadium in) Arizona (for Super Bowl LVII) and that place looked like a totally different place. It’s going to have all the colors for both teams – you won’t even realize you’re in the Raiders Stadium. We have been there before, so you’ve got to think that that’s an advantage really.”
Q: Can you talk about the job Head Coach Andy Reid did this year?
TOUB: “It’s been a crazy year. We get everybody’s best shot, if you go back and look at it. It just seemed like teams had more rest than us and just the way the season went, it was a struggle a lot of times. To be able to get to the point where we’re at and we knew our backs were to the wall and we had to win on the road – I really think that last game of the season against the Chargers – a lot of people probably won’t believe this but that game where our back-ups had to play and our starters were watching and they watched how they competed, on the road I think it made everybody come together as a football team. Coming up to that points we were winning a game, losing a game, winning a game, losing a game. That was the first time we won a game, won a game then we got on a streak right there. That game right there - in my mind – for me because my guys were playing, all the special teams guys were starting, to be able to come through, on the road, beating the starters on the road like that. That really brought us together as a team.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO
Q: On Deon Bush’s interception against the Ravens.
SPAGNUOLO: “He (Deon Bush) did it exactly the way we had practiced. Now here’s another guy that doesn’t get a lot of reps in practice. I was so happy for Deon, I love Deon. He’s been with us for a couple of years and a year ago, he was on the 53 (man roster) if I have it right and played a lot of special teams. Then this year, he begins the year on the practice squad and yet he’s always out there first, he’s always rallying with the guys in the secondary. I was really happy – he played it perfectly, he had the right eyes for it, he came, he helped on one side, took that away and made himself available. You know those balls that look like they’re easy to catch, those are the hard ones, but he caught it. He almost made a mistake and started running out and then he remembered (laughter). (It was a) big, big, big play.”
Q: How do you fill Charles Omenihu’s place from a personnel standpoint?
SPAGNUOLO: “I’ll tell you, you don’t replace that height and that length that he (Charles Omenihu) has but we’ll get guys to step in there. Felix (Anudike-Uzomah) will probably have to step in, everybody has to up their game in a Super Bowl anyway. Hopefully, like last week, I think it was decent in the first half where we didn’t have to play as many plays. If the play count gets up, that’s where it gets tough for George (Karlaftis) being out there a lot and Mike (Danna) and that’s when we have to have guys to step in there.”
Q: How much do you appreciate those secondary rotational players stepping in?
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, like Mike Pennel - we don’t even have Derrick (Nnadi). Derrick Nnadi is a key to what we do inside and losing him is a big blow. Bryan Cook isn’t here anymore, I mean we’ve lost guys along the way and to your point, guys have stepped in. I think that’s a reflection of the coaches - the assistant coaches defensively - that do a great job with these players, even when they’re not expected to play in the game and then the players responding to it. We have a good group of guys that way and we’ve needed it, we’ve gone through the season where we’ve lost guys here and there. Drue (Tranquill) was out a game, Nick’s (Bolton) been out, Drue steps up. I think they like rallying around each other, who knows what’s going to happen in this game where we may need somebody to do the same thing.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGY
Q: In your review, what did you see in the AFC Championship in the first half versus the second half?
NAGY: “I thought that coming out to start that first half was so important to get a lead, stay ahead of the chains, not getting into third and long in that game. When Pat (Mahomes) made that throw to Travis (Kelce) for the touchdown to start, I knew that we were going to be in good hands throughout the rest of the game. That was just such a special throw, a great catch, it was really good defense by them. You get some momentum, you get some first downs. We would’ve loved to have that screen at the end there to go up 21-7, (but) didn’t get it. In the second half, (there were) just too many three and outs. I do think some of that was just how the game was going on with our defense versus their offense. The field position wasn’t as good. We had one where we got the stop backed up and we ended up moving the ball to about midfield, punted it down, it flipped the field darn near 80 yards, 90 yards. That’s a part of that game. We know we have to be better, and we weren’t as good in that second half.”
Q: In what ways do you see Travis Kelce setting the tone and the tempo?
NAGY: “It’s real. The energy that he (Travis Kelce) brings is so contagious. He’s been doing this a long time with a lot of success. When he brings that energy, people just feed off of it. It’s not easy to do that every day in practice, then to take it to the game. (On) game day, he’s always in a good place. Throughout the week he’s done a really good job this year of making sure that we follow him and Pat (Mahomes) with that energy. Our offense, right now, is in a good place feeding off of energy. I think when those two guys have that energy, they follow.”
Q: What have you seen from Marquez Valdes-Scantling in how he’s been able to bounce back and with that catch he had last weekend to seal the game?
NAGY: “Yeah, it shows who he is. I mentioned last week in this same meeting that (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) Quez is a guy that is internally driven and mentally very resilient. He knows more than anybody that throughout the middle of the season, when there were some things going on, not just with him but our offense in general, that we all look at ourselves. It’s just crazy when you look back. At that moment, I remember being on the field when he made that catch and just thinking, ‘Man, life is crazy.’ What he’s gone through, individually, what we’ve gone through, for him to stick through that and make a play. For Pat (Mahomes) to trust him and throw him the football, that kind of in a nutshell explains who we are as a team, let alone more detailed - our offense, the last play of the game comes down to that. Everyone executed. It wasn’t just his good route, it wasn’t just a good throw. There was good protection, there was other guys running good routes, and it ended the game in a moment when we needed that play.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
February 2, 2024
TE TRAVIS KELCE
Q: You’ve been to the Super Bowl three times before, what are you expecting out of the week leading up to it?
KELCE: “It’s exciting. It’s all exciting stuff. It builds and sets the tone for the whole week. It’s the biggest stage in the world, Monday night is going to be where it starts for everybody. At this point I just love it, it’s an exciting time. It’s a once in a lifetime type of thing that I’ve been able to enjoy a few times.”
Q: How appreciative are you of all the deep playoff runs you’ve been a part of? You can’t take any of it for granted right?
KELCE: “No, there’s nothing you can take for granted in this league. Even being in these offices every single day, you’ve got to find appreciation in that. I’ve been beyond fortunate to land here in Kansas City and be surrounded by the men and women that are in this building. It makes you want to play that much harder and appreciate it that much more when you get these kinds of opportunities.”
Q: When the team went through the tough stretch this year what kept you guys on track?
KELCE: “(Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, Coach Reid just challenging every single person in this building to up the ante just one more step and just keep taking it up a notch every week from here on out. That’s why we love the big guy, you never fall astray from that kind of mentality no matter how many losses you have, no matter how close the games are and you’re just not finishing them. Coach Reid does a great job of re-channeling that mindset every single week and presenting a challenge against the defense or the offense or just the team we’re going against in the near future. This week, no better time to challenge everybody in that building. He’s got everyone fired up.”