JuJu, Smith and Reed Quotes

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster takes part in drills during the NFL football team's mandatory minicamp, Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

JuJu, Smith and Reed Quotes

Read what JuJu Smith-Schuster, Trey Smith and Justin Reed said at Training Camp on Wednesday.

WR JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER

Q: How was your first day of Chiefs training camp? The fans? Getting passes thrown to you by Patrick Mahomes?

SMITH-SCHUSTER: “It feels good. It’s been a while since I’ve been at camp, with COVID and everything. But, yeah, first time being out here, staying in the dorms, kind of reminding me of the old days and just the experience. Having the fans out here – it’s a huge fanbase. I’m not surprised at how much that come out here and support.”

Q: What kind of story do you want to write for yourself during training camp?

SMITH-SCHUSTER: “To be honest, the story that I’m trying to write is, I would say I was hurt last year. Didn’t play a lot of ball. And coming to this team, I’m just going to let my play write the story. Me making plays on the field, do what I’m told. I came here to win. And this is a team that wins, so this shall prove.”

Q: What excites you most about Skyy Moore’s potential?

SMITH-SCHUSTER: “Honestly, I’ll tell you one thing about that kid that I love is his happiness. I’ve seen a lot of guys come into the league so driven, so focused and they forget to enjoy the moment. And Skyy (Moore), like I said, sky’s the limit for him. He’s a guy who has speed, hands – all around – smart, smart kid. That’s what I love about him. But like I said, with him, he’s a great player that’s going to show. He’s going to help us out a lot. Inside, outside. Potentially, I could see him playing running back, doing stuff like that just because he has it in him. And another thing is too, he’s always happy. He’s having fun, he’s in the moment. He’s enjoying himself.”

S JUSTIN REID

Q: You tend to have a front row seat for L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie and even Joshua Williams. As kind of a grizzled veteran in the back there, what is your thought process, especially with the two rookies playing cornerback?

REID: “LJ (L’Jarius Sneed) is essentially the vet in the room at the corner position. He has done a great job bringing Trent (McDuffie), Joshua (Williams) and all of the rest of the rookie corners and young guys coming through the system and bringing them along and making sure they are getting adjusted to the system. The playbook that we have here is heavy. I’ve played in four different defensive systems and this is definitely one of the deepest playbooks defensively that we have. But the young guys are doing a great job. (They’re) taking it in stride, listening to the older guys, being learners and not being combative. Being open to coaching, both from coaches and older veterans. They have been coming along well. We’ve been putting a lot on their plate and they’re up to the challenge for it.”

Q: On being a field general while also learning.

REID: “That’s my strong point, I feel like that’s the reason why they brought me in. Being a field general on the backend and being able to see the whole picture, not only just to put guys in positions but sometimes just going out there and playing football. Mistakes happen but having the awareness to see when something is off and be the eraser on the backend to make sure that we get them on the ground or to just fix the mistake to where most people don’t even know that there was a mistake on the field.”

Q: A little bit ago, Juan Thornhill talked about having an All-Pro season, what have you been seeing from him in camp?

REID: “Juan is a grinder. He comes out here, he sets the tempo and the work ethic. I believe him. Everyone has their dog in them, and this is his year to come out and show out. It’s a contract year for him, so I know he’s looking at every opportunity and attacking it.”

Q: On a fresh start defensively and creating their own defensive identity.

REID: “There’s something to be said about a fresh start. This is a new-look defense, you could say. We have a lot of new faces and a lot of guys who are gritty and have been hungry for the opportunity to prove their worth and show who they are as players. We want to be an attitude defense. We want to come out and set the tempo, we want to be physical, we want to be dominant. When it comes to the end of the game and we have a lead, we want to be the ones to finish it and not have to rely on the offense to go out and do anything. That’s the attitude that we’re building and that’s the attitude that we’re going to continue with the whole season.”

OL TREY SMITH

Q: What is the biggest thing that you tried to work on from Year 1 to Year 2?

SMITH: “Just trying to be tighter and cleaner on the details of the game. Just my assignment, being a good pro, how I present myself in the workplace every day and just pretty much on the field just paying attention to the details and getting better every day and applying it.”

Q: Obviously last year going from college to the NFL, what is it that you learned from last year to this year now that you know you can improve on?

SMITH: “Yeah just overall in my mind, just being tighter in everything that I do. In terms of that I mean like in my set, being more detailed in it, being more intentional. In my landmarks and my eyes, hand placement and just taking (Offensive Line) Coach (Andy) Heck’s coaching points to the field every day.”

Q: You mentioned Orlando (Brown), he’s not here right now, I know it’s always next man up, but have you talked to him (Orlando Brown)? Do you feel like there is any progress being made?

SMITH: “Yeah, Orlando (Brown) is a close friend. I’ve talked to him but at the end of the day it’s going to be between (General Manager) Brett Veach and Orlando Brown. They’re going to make the right decision and they’re going to be ready to go when the time is ready.”

Q: You attended this year’s Offensive Masterminds Summit with Creed Humphrey, what was your biggest takeaway with offensive linemen around the league? Whose ear were you in the most?

SMITH: “Yeah, I would say my biggest focuses were eyes hands, and then, pretty much just body positioning and body control. One guy that I was leaning on a lot was Steve Hutchinson. He’s a great jump setter and that’s something that I try to take to my game and apply it. I knew him a little bit before the draft process a little bit just talking to him. Just watching him in action, watching him take reps, what he thinks about his mental processing before the play. I thought it was pretty helpful to take to my game and apply it cause he’s one of the best to ever do it.”