Reid, Mahomes Quotes: Dec. 7

Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes talks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The Chiefs won 44-21. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Reid, Mahomes Quotes: Dec. 7

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes

December 7, 2022

OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, everybody’s going to practice today in some form or another. We’ll just see how that goes. Look forward to the challenge of playing the Broncos. We get rid of the record on this thing as we evaluate them and look at them as a team and their defense is one of the top defenses in the NFL. (In) the redzone, they’re (at the) top, and the third downs they’re (at the) top. They’re playing like crazy and then their offense is like one fingertip away from winning games. We’ve got to make sure that we have a good week of practice and get ourselves ready for an AFC West opponent, which is always great competition. Anyways with that, the time’s yours.”

Q: The Broncos made some trades ahead of the deadline, but they still keep going. What do you attribute that to?

REID: “They are well coached, and they play hard. They still have good players there, so they play hard.”

Q: You guys have seven straight games with a turnover. Is there something that you’ve noticed that’s a theme throughout that?

REID: “Yeah, you can’t turn the ball over. We’re always constantly talking about that. I’m not sure there’s a – not necessarily one thing is happening but the ending result is a turnover so we’ve got to take care of the ball.”

Q: We haven’t heard anything about Mecole Hardman in a while. How is he doing?

REID: “He’s doing well. He’d lost some weight (and) he’s put the weight back on, which is good. He’s out running now; he’s getting close.”

Q: What’s your expectation that you might have him back next week off of IR?

REID: “There’s a chance. Yeah, there’s a chance. (We’ll) give him a couple more days here, we’ll see; he’s doing well.”

Q: What about Kadarius Toney? Will he play this week?

REID: “We’ll see. I’m going to let him get out there and work a little bit, just see how he does. We’re not in a – we’re not going to bring him back and have him hurt it again, that’s not what we’re looking at. (We’re just going to) see what he can do.”

Q: Did Joe Thuney have a setback in practice Friday?

REID: “No, his thing was just getting that ‘final push’ that you get off of it. It’s day-to-day (and) he feels better this week than he did last week, and I just thought that he’s made as much progress as he has (so) let’s just get him a little bit more time so that’s where I was at the end of last week.”

Q: Andrew Wylie and Orlando Brown have given up the most pressures this season. What’s been the process of trying to help them?

REID: “Well, they’ve gone against some good players. We do try to help them with chips like with anybody that’s in there. These defensive ends that we’ve played are pretty good and the two that we’re playing this week are pretty good too. That’s part of it.”

Q: You’ve probably got to win out to get the one seed for the playoffs. Do you still emphasize to the team what is out there in front of them?

REID: “The guys know. They know where they are at. Nobody knows better than they do about what’s out front. You don’t have to stand up there and preach to them about that. They want to do well, and they want to win games. That’s the mentality of this team. They battled their hearts out Sunday, and it didn’t work out. (They) come back and let’s go.”

Q: What’s the challenge of playing a team back-to-back so quickly?

REID: “We’ve done this the last couple of years with this group. The challenge is we just play them (and) they kind of know what you’ve got and you know what they’ve got and then you go play. We’re okay with that.”

Q: Obviously the guys are aware you could see that Bengals team again, how do you balance compartmentalizing that game and moving on versus using some things from that loss?

REID: “Yeah, I think the important thing is you learn from every win and loss. And then you move on to the next game and that’s what these guys have done. I mean they’re tunneled in. As coaches we were deep into it Monday morning and so by the time you all woke up it was lunch time for us (laughter).”

Q: When you say you learn from your wins and losses, the three losses this season have been by small margins so what do you take away from Sunday’s game to avoid a repeat?

REID: “Yeah, well the things we talked about after the game. I’m not going to go into it. I’ve already covered it. I’m, again, onto Denver here, so we’re trying to get ourselves right for that and they’ve got a good football team. We’ve got to make sure we’re right for Denver.”

Q: Can you say what you saw on film on the way back from Cincinnati?

REID: “Yeah what I talked about Monday. Yeah, same deal.”

Q: What have you seen from Melvin Gordon? Is there a chance he could help you out this week or in the next couple of weeks?

REID: “Yeah, there’s that chance. We’re fairly healthy there, but I’m glad we have him here. You know he does a nice job for us.”

Q: On Patrick Mahomes never defeating the Bengals.

REID: “Yeah, listen, we’re past the Bengals. I’m way past that, so let’s keep going onto Denver. You’re asking me questions about them but you’re asking them to forget about them, so they’re forgotten. On to this one.”

Q: Some players report that they struggle with the altitude playing in Denver while other players say it doesn’t bother them. How do you prepare both the guys who its does and does not impact?

REID: “Yeah, we’ve done ok there with the breathing part, you know, it’s been late in the year. Normally you’re in pretty good shape, the weather’s a little cooler, you go in and it doesn’t hit you quite like maybe early in the season.”

Q: It seemed like you had a conversation with Justin Reid after his comments last week. Did you feel the need to talk to him again after his Twitter post this week?

REID: “Yeah, he’s good. He’s alright. He’s good. He knows.”

Q: With Mahomes getting the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nomination, what does that say about how he’s become emblematic of your team and how that stands for him in a broader way?

REID: “Yeah sure, he does a great job leading here, but he also takes that into the community. He’s done that since really, since he’s come here. He’s big, obviously, on kids and their needs and people in general. He’s got a big heart that way, for people. So, I think that’s a tribute to him and his family and the efforts that he puts forward. You’re tired during the season, but yet he gets out there and gives back and that’s an important quality to have.”

Q: Have you seen things from the Broncos offense that makes you think they’re getting close? What about Broncos QB Russell Wilson’s struggles?

REID: “Yeah so, I’ve known (Broncos QB) Russell (Wilson). (I’ve) competed against him for a long time so he’s a heck of a player. They’re, like I said, they’re like fingertips away and our guys have a chance to look at that on tape which is important to understand, and you have to make sure that you get yourself right technique wise to play against those receivers and in particular him with his timing and run ability. So, he can still scoot and he’s slippery in the pocket, so you’ve got to make sure you handle all of that the right way. And the best thing that I can do as a coach, or our coaching staff can do, is show the players and the players want to see that, they want to learn from it. But that tells a story. So, I can sit here and tell you they’re fingertips away but they’re seeing it and they understand that.”

Q: Leading an organization for 24 years and seeing how prestigious the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is, what feeling does it give you to have your quarterback nominated for that award?

REID: “Well, he’s the one that’s one of the faces of the franchise. You know he’s out there and this kid is known throughout, you probably could say throughout the world. I was over in Italy and people were going, ‘Mahomes!’ And you’re going, ‘Alright.’ They know who he is, and it’s a tribute to him and how he handles himself, you know? I think it’s great. I mean I’m proud of him for what he’s done.”

Chiefs Players Quotes

December 7, 2022

QB PATRICK MAHOMES

Q: What’s the challenge in playing a team so close together? You guys seem to do it all the time against Denver.

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think the challenge is that they’re a good football team. Their defense is special. They have a good scheme. They have good players. When you play division opponents, you obviously know they’ve studied you all offseason, so you try to have a concept of what you do best, but at the same time, (you) throw in some wrinkles so that they can’t be on top of your best plays. So for us, it’ll be a great challenge against a great defense to go out there and try to find a way to put up enough points to win.”

Q: Is the game plan different when you play them twice in almost like three weeks or something?

MAHOMES: “Obviously you have similar plays, but you utilize plays that kind of go off of each other so they can’t get a good concept of what you’re trying to do. They’re a great defense. They do a lot of great things, and so it’ll be a great challenge for us as an offense. And I got to do my best to get the ball of my hand and let these guys make plays.”

Q: Head Coach Andy Reid really made the point as far as moving on from Cincinnati game to the Denver game. What is you process of doing that? Is it more difficult when it’s a team that you feel like you could potentially see again?

MAHOMES: “Not for me. In this league you got to move on or you’re going to make one loss turn into two, so you just you watch the tape on Monday. You get a sense of what you could do better and what you can take away that you did positive, and then you move on to the next week and that’s what we’re doing. And we’re ready to play a great football team in the Denver Broncos.”

Q: Is there a sense of pride in the fact that you know you’ve never lost the Broncos in your time here? What’s always giving you so much success against them?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, we just really emphasize playing our division opponents. That’s something that we work on all off season. In order to get where you want to go, you have to win your division most times. And so for us, (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) and the coaches do a great job of giving us great game plans. And then I try to go out there and execute them. We just really emphasize trying to beat our division opponents and the Broncos have been one that’s been a great challenge for us every year.”

Q: How are you made aware that you were the team’s nomination for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award?

MAHOMES: “Well, they let me know a few weeks back. We had the announcement last night at my gala, but I mean obviously (it’s) a tremendous honor – not only to be the Walter Payton nominee for the NFL, but for the Chiefs who have the most Walter Payton Man of the Years (Awards). And it’s such a prestigious honor for this organization, especially to (give) back to the community that gives us so much. There’s so many deserving guys in our team, so for me to have my turn this year is something that I’ll hold (on to) for the rest of my life.”

Q: I know you have bigger goals, but you can also clinch the AFC West this year. What kind of achievement do you feel like that is understanding, again, you have bigger goals?

MAHOMES: “No, it’s a huge deal. Obviously, you want to win the Super Bowl every year, but it starts (with) our first goal when we walk in is to win the AFC West and that takes week in and week out, great preparation. It’s a division that’s always tough (and) always has great teams in it and we know whenever we go in every week, they’re giving us our best shot. And if you look at all the games that we play, we’ve won a lot of them, but they always come down to the very end, so we know it’s a hard thing to do and we’re going to take pride in trying to do that and win every time we play against these opponents.”

Q: I know you don’t anything different than winning the AFC West, but I was just wondering whether this one might feel a little different given how the other teams really seem to load up this year to kind of take you down?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I don’t know if it’s a little different. We feel like this division is one of the best divisions in football every single year and I think you see the records go lower because we all kind of beat up on each other. But, we’ve done a great job of winning those close hard fought football games and that’s a tribute to the coaches and the culture that Coach Reid has built here that started even before I was here. And so, we know it’s going to be a great challenge week in and week out, year in and year out. And so, we just focus on doing whatever we can to put ourselves in position to win it.”

Q: How impressed are you with the growth of your charity – 15 and the Mahomies Foundation – over the last few years and what’s it like to see just how many people you’ve helped?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, it’s way past what I even dreamed of it ever being and I think that that goes to the people that I have around me and the people in the communities that have brought me up. They’ve been willing to give back and help me kind of follow this dream of giving back to the communities that help me out so much and it takes everybody. It’s not just me. I’m kind of the face of it, but there’s so many people behind the scenes that make this thing go. And the community – like I said, in Kansas City and Tyler, Texas and Lubbock, Texas – that have donated their time, their money, whatever it is, to make this foundation become what it is. It’s truly special and something, like I said, I’ll have for the rest of my life and something I never could have even dreamed of.”

Q: Last time you lost this year you guys won five games in a row. What do you think it is about this particular room that that enables you to rebound in that fashion to set such a long stretch?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think it’s just a mindset of when you lose, you get that sour taste in your mouth, but you got to kind of do whatever you can to get better from it. It’s cool to see with a lot of young guys that you do that because a lot of times you see the young guys – it can go bad fast, but we’ve had guys that bounce back and continue to work, to improve (and) learn, like I said, from the negatives (and) take away from the positives as well and be better the next time we step on that field. And that’s what you want when you’re kind of getting to this late part of the season when you’re trying to build and make a playoff run.”

Q: Are you a believer that you learn more from a loss than a win?

MAHOMES: “I think you have to learn from both in order to be great in this league. You don’t want to lose, so you have to be able to learn from those wins just as much as you learn from those losses. The losses might, I guess, set a little bit of a fire under you sometimes where you want to go out and, especially that next week, prove that that’s not who you are. And I think guys understand that we left some tape out there that we weren’t necessarily happy with, so how can we be better this next week and so that we can improve as this season goes on?

Q: How has your foot felt the last couple of days after the game?

MAHOMES: “It felt good. You always deal with bruises and little things in the NFL season. And so luckily for me, it’s just a bruise and something I can just kind of bounce back from and be out there and practice and keep getting better like what we’re trying to do.”

Q: I don’t know if you saw the ESPN interview with Andrew Luck. He finally talked the first time since he retired and some things he talked about were the burden of being the face of franchise and all that and life changes. You’ve gone through plenty of that stuff here recently as well as with the addition of your son. How have you balanced all that stuff and still put all the work in that you need to put in to go be at your best on Sundays?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I haven’t seen interview yet, but obviously, I think it takes every, like I said, it takes a lot of people. It’s not just me. It takes (wife) Brittany being at home with the babies and taking care of them throughout the day, making it easy when I come home, they’re all happy and ready to see me – I get the easy part of it. It takes my family being behind me, supporting me. (It) takes some people – like (the) culture like I have here in Kansas City to where I can come in and be myself, have this personality that I have. It’s hard. I mean it’s for I think anybody when you have this much pressure on you every single day to go out there and be your best, but when you put the right people around yourself, you can just enjoy it. I think that’s what I try to do every single day – is understand that it’s a pressure and it’s a hard opportunity, but you’re blessed to have it, so you have to enjoy it every single day. And when I stop enjoying it, I think that’s when I’ll walk away, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.”

Q: You’ll always be a proud Texan, but I at this point, I wonder how much you sort of identify as a Kansas Citian. What does your Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nomination do to fuse together your images?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I’m like dual – I’m a Texan and a Kansas Citian, for sure. I’m building a house here. I’m going to be here for a long time. I always will have a house in Kansas City, and I think that’s just because I appreciate the people so much and how they’ve taken my family in and made it a part of this community. And I think you all know I mean this community is special. And I’ll always (will) have that Texan in me a little bit, but the Kansas Citian is definitely something I’m proud of.”

Q: Is there a parallel do you think between you being the face of 15 and the Mahomies Foundation and being the face of the Chiefs franchise?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, for sure. It takes, like I said, it takes everybody. It’s not just me. And everything that I do, I just try to go out there and enjoy the moments that I have. I know I’m blessed to be in this organization, to have the people that I have around me and to be in this city. And so, I don’t say I’m the face of the Chiefs though. That’s Coach Reid and that mustache (laughter), so I’m going to fall behind his lead.”

Q: You guys lead the league in points per game, yet you have a minus turnover differential. When you hear that, just from your perspective, how good do you think the offense can get or even better if you guys do cut down the turnovers?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, we just have to continue to get better at it. I have the interceptions, like I said last week, there’s like one dumb play a game. I got away with it this last week – I tried to throw the ball out of the ball to JuJu (Smith-Schuster) and they dropped it. But kind of get away with the dumb plays, the one dumb play I have a game. And then ball security. I talked about after the game, Travis (Kelce) fights those yards, and he doesn’t fumble. That’s just one thing. The guy made a great play and our defense, they’re around the football so I know the turnovers are coming and when they do, I think we can even be a better team.”

Q: You guys have had the ability to be able to battle from behind. But do you feel like you guys have kind of gotten complacent?

MAHOMES: “I don’t think so. I think we just have to be better executing earlier in the game. I feel like we had a good drive that first drive and without him knocking that ball down, I think we could have got the ball to Travis with a chance to score there on that first drive. And we ended up getting behind and I think the good thing is that we’ve done it before, so we don’t panic, we just go about doing our business and stuff like that and take it one play at a time. But obviously, we want to try to build up leads if we can. Whatever way the game takes us, I trust our guys are going to fight until the very end of it.”

Q: What offensive identity you feel like you guys made?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think we’re becoming more and more balanced as the year goes on and I think that’s going to be a good thing as the playoffs come. We’re able to run the ball well, I think (Isiah) Pacheco is doing a great job as well as those other (running) backs of hitting it when it’s there and getting the yards that’s there. And then, we’ve been spreading the ball around and I think that’s been the thing I think it can take us into the playoffs. Obviously, we have guys that can make plays, but if we can spread the ball around, be balanced, I think we can be a better team at the end of the season than we were at the beginning.”

G TREY SMITH

Q: On his “My Cause, My Cleats” partnership with the National Blood Clot Alliance.

SMITH: “Yeah, it means the world. I put up a tweet and an Instagram post about it talking about (how) I had blood clots and stuff in 2018. For me, it was a life changing event. Obviously, anytime you have something that threatens your health and overall well-being it’s different and to experience that at a young age, it changed me a lot. Being able to represent that (and) bring more awareness to the cause and really potentially save lives and bring more awareness to it. I’m ecstatic, I’m stoked that I can have the opportunity to give it a platform.”

Q: Have you had any other problems with blood clots?

SMITH: “Yeah, none whatsoever. I’ve been completely healthy. You’ve got to really give a major shoutout to the University of Tennessee (and) their medical staff for doing their due diligence to making sure I was safe to play and just safe in my overall life as well. Then the Kansas City Chiefs medical staff as well. Just making sure that they were comfortable with the plan and like I said, we’ve had zero instances (and) zero issues whatsoever and it’s been clean. I thank God for it and I’m just thankful for my overall well-being.”

Q: Can you talk about what makes the Denver Broncos so dangerous despite their record?

SMITH: “I’ve briefly watched them on film a little bit, playing (against) the guys (the Broncos) last year. They are a very talented front seven (and) defensive front. (I) know a couple of guys that play there having played them last year. (They’re) extremely athletic, they play hard (and) there’s not quit in them. It’s definitely going to be a tremendous challenge up front. Like (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) alluded to earlier – the record says something but the team’s playing extremely hard, and you have to respect that, ultimately. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge up front.”