Postgame Quotes: Mahomes, Hardman, Karlaftis, Humphrey

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) watch from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Postgame Quotes: Mahomes, Hardman, Karlaftis, Humphrey

QB PATRICK MAHOMES

Q: On honoring Len Dawson on the very first offensive play of the game.

MAHOMES: “Yeah, we all wanted to do something. I think (Chairman and CEO) Clark (Hunt) and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid talked about it, and they came up with the idea. And obviously, we’re praying for his family, but he did so much to impact the Kansas City community and this organization. We wanted to do something, a little token to show our appreciation and I’m glad we got to do it out here at GEHA Field at Arrowhead.”

Q: Talk about Len Dawson’s impact on Kansas City.

MAHOMES: “Yeah, first of all as a player, I mean he was kind of the guy that got the Kansas City Chiefs going. It was the Dallas Texans that came to Kansas City, joined the NFL (National Football League) and the AFL (American Football League) and he won those games. He was a part of that great group made the Chiefs who we are today. So, he started off there and a broadcaster, calling the games. I think a lot of people grew up listening to Len talking and broadcasting those games. And as a person, he was one of the best people that I’ve met, and I got to meet him a couple of times here. He always had advice for me on how to embrace this community because it’s such a great community.”

Q: How does it feel to carry on the legacy of Len Dawson?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, it’s special. I mean there is only a certain amount of quarterbacks who get to win Super Bowls. Len kind of set the standard here in Kansas City, and I’m thankful enough to be able to go up there and win one. It’s hard to do. I think I realize that every year playing. It’s hard to do, to win a Super Bowl. I’m going to try and do my best to get more flags up there and try to win a few more super bowls.”

WR MECOLE HARDMAN

Q: On the regular season being so close.

HARDMAN: “It’s almost there. It’s right there. (I’m) definitely excited for the season, man. We’re out here, we’re going to try to get our feet wet and get ready to go in AZ (Arizona) Week 1.”

Q: As you’re heading into your fourth season in the league, you’re now that veteran guy in the wide receiver room. How has it been stepping into the leadership role?

HARDMAN: “Yeah, I think it comes naturally just being here and knowing everything and it’s easy when the guys come to you and ask you things and put you in the position to help them out. I’m definitely loving the role, it’s cool and I’ve got some older guys like Ju (JuJu Smith-Schuster) and Marquez (Valdes-Scantling), so it’s good to have them around and they help out a lot too, so.”

Q: What are your expectations and goals for this season knowing how strong you finished last season?

HARDMAN: “Just carry out that momentum. Carry out the momentum, man. Come in, get better at your craft and just get better at something every day and take that mindset into the season and just trying to take advantage of my opportunities.”

DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS

Q: On how rookies need to adapt to the NFL play but George Karlaftis is just coasting.

KARLAFTIS: “Yeah, that speaks a lot on the way we practice. We go hard and that makes the games go slow from time to time, so I love the way we practice and that transfers well to the field for sure.”

Q: How did you feel when you got drafted by Kansas City?

KARLAFTIS: “No doubt. It was incredible. To hear your name called on the first day to such a great organization, great people, great culture, just couldn’t be more proud to be a Chief.”

Q: What do you have to say to the Chiefs fans?

KARLAFTIS: “Yeah, just like you said it’s packed and they’re loud and it’s a preseason game, so I can’t wait for that first Thursday night game against the (Los Angeles) Chargers. It’s going to be awesome.”

C CREED HUMPHREY

Q: On having cohesion as a team and wanting to be the best O-line group in the league.

HUMPHREY: “Yeah, definitely. That’s our goal. We talk about it every week, too. We point out our goals for that week. We point out our goals for the season before the season. We know what we can achieve. We know the people that we have on the line, we know the depth that we have, and we know the room that we have. So yeah, we’re ready for it. We’re excited. We have big expectations for ourselves this year and we’re just really pumped to get after it.”

Q: On Kansas City fans and how they embraced a young center. On the “Creed is Good” campaign.

HUMPHREY: “The Kansas City fans are awesome. It’s such a blessing to have them embrace me and accept me right away like that, so it’s been awesome to see. The radio station was a big help over at 610. They made the ‘Creed is Good’ song with – a parody of a Creed song. That was awesome. They made a music video and stuff that went pretty big on social media, so it was really cool to see. It was crazy last year for sure. Being a rookie coming in and getting a warm welcoming from everybody. It was really cool.”

Q: On the possibility of Creed – the band – collaborating with him during the offseason on a project.

HUMPHREY: “If I’m allowed to do that, I would. I grew up listening to them. I like them growing up, so that’d be really cool (laughter).”