Reid, Mahomes Quotes: Raiders

Reid, Mahomes Quotes: Raiders

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
Opening Statement: “All right. As far as the injuries go, really, it was just Frank Clark. Not just, but it was
Frank Clark. He has a groin strain, so we’ll see how he does here. He’s got a little bit of time here, which is
a good thing to recover. Our fans were unbelievable. I’ve mentioned it, literally, just before the game to
the guys that there’s lot of red there. There’s a lot of black, too. And it’s just going to be continuous noise
throughout the game. Normally, when your defense is in an away game, they don’t have to worry about
the noise. Well, they were going to have to worry about it today, and that’s why my heart goes out to our
fans. I thought our run defense and pass defense were tremendous. The fourth down stand kind of set
the tempo for the game. As we win, Mike Danna, he doesn’t get mentioned very often, with a couple sacks
in there, along with Chris Jones and George [Karlaftis]. So, our defensive front, it starts with them and
thought they played well. Our young defensive secondary also played well, especially the safeties. And
they don’t get a lot of credit for what they do, but I thought they really played well and very aggressive.
On offense, it starts with the offensive line, just like it does on the other side with the defensive line. I
thought we did a good job against what I thought was a good defensive front. But 98 [Maxx Crosby] and
99 [Clelin Ferrell] are good rushers and our guys did a good job there. So, it was good to see [Kadarius] KT
[Toney] get a back-to-back game like that. Back-to-back touchdowns, although one got called back, and
he got another one right after that. He’s tough to bring down and has great quickness. Justin Watson
started off with the big catch; Pat [Mahomes] was on fire. 105 quarterback rating, again. He’s throwing
these things out there like they’re nothing. But that was a big play, again, setting the tempo. And then
[Travis] Kelce again, doing what he’s done. I know he came up with a couple catches short of the record,
but in my mind, he’s got the record. And then JuJu [Smith-Schuster], and all the guys, they all played well,
the receiving corps. And then Tommy [Townsend] on special teams, what a weapon he’s become. I
thought he really did a nice job kicking the ball and punting the ball. It was good for [Harrison] But [Butker]
to get a field goal in there, too. With that, the time is yours.”
Las Vegas Raiders Transcript
1.7.23 vs. Chiefs
Q: I know it’s not your first time, but how do you feel about that No. 1 seed and earning that bye next
week?
Coach Reid: “Listen, I think it’s a good thing. You still have to take care of business; our guys understand
that. We’ll give them a few days off there next week, and then get them back in and it towards the end of
the week and get some practice in there. Then we’ll start the regular week after that, but just take a step
back, and get yourself where you feel stronger and healthier, mentally and physically. It’s a good thing.”
Q: Obviously you’ve got the number one seed before, but you had a lot of changes this offseason. What
was the challenge about getting this particular insurance?
Coach Reid: “I’m going to give credit to the coaches and the players for that. It started with Pat [Mahomes]
taking the guys – the receiving corps – that’s where he got a bunch of new guys that he was going to have
to deal with in just a split second, and with accuracy. He was able to do that and get them on the same
page. And then defensively, with all the young guys that Brett [Veach] brought in, not only were they
tremendous players, but they worked like crazy to step up and do the job that they did, particularly in the
secondary. Every week they got a little bit better. But my hat goes off to the coaches. The coaches worked
hard; players worked hard. Good things have happened to this point. We still have some games left here,
so we need to take care of business on that.”
Q: Andy, the spinning huddle. Have you been watching 1948 Rose Bowl film again, or where did that
come from? What’s the benefit of doing?
Coach Reid: “Well, you saw how it ended up. That’s the benefit. It’s just to create a little bit of confusion,
and then line up in something that’s not familiar to the opposing team. I know the guys executed it well.
We end up with a holding call, but they did good with it. And the players enjoy doing that stuff, so with a
little creativity, they come up with these things. So, we just throw them out there and let them work
them.”
Q: I wanted to ask you about that. To some degree, it’s for competitive advantage. But on some level,
do you just want to make this fun and creative for them?
Coach Reid: “You do, but you want to score, too. It’s not fun when you’re not doing that.”
Q: Who came to you with this idea?
Coach Reid: “Well, we’ve done it, we’ve kind of messed around with it in practice – we call it the laboratory
in there – Pat [Mahomes] gets the guys down there and then they don’t put their name on it, they just
bring it to me. And I’ve got 51 percent of the vote, so if I like it, then we will call it.”
Q: What do you guys call that one?
Coach Reid: “Well, it in the Christmas-spirit. It was Reindeer Personnel, and then Arctic Circle.”
Las Vegas Raiders Transcript
1.7.23 vs. Chiefs
Q: Coach, you seem to dominate, physically, both sides of the football today. Does that surprise you at
all?
Coach McDaniels: “I think Josh [McDaniels] has done a heck of a job. I mean, nobody’s had more close
games and what he’s had, and that’s in your first year. That’s a tribute to him and his guys for playing like
they do. We knew that coming in here that they were playing well. I mean, they just held the 49ers to that
last week. So we needed to make sure that they got our complete attention. But our guys did a good job.
We needed to get the three phases working together, and I thought the guys did that. All three phases
showed up and did a nice job.”
Q: Coach, what was the preparation now going from Derek Carr to Jarrett Stidham? Just in your
preparation getting ready for two different guys. He’s kind of a dual-threat guy, unlike Carr?
Coach Reid: “I didn’t know much about Stidham other than from his college tape, and I really liked him
coming out. Derek Carr, I got a ton of respect for. I’ve had a chance to coach him in the Pro Bowl, and so
both of them – Stidham for a young guy, it looks like he has a nice career ahead of him. And Derek, he’ll
hook on with somebody, and I’m sure and do a great job there if he’s not back here. So, he’s a true pro
and a heck of a football player.”
Q: Chris Jones has had career highs in sacks. He talked to us in the offseason just about leaving supplies
on the field in the AFC Championship game. Did you see that motivation kind of lead to what you
accomplished this year?
Coach Reid: “Yes, he worked tremendously hard in the offseason and not that he hasn’t been, but it really
worked hard at it. I think he and Joe Cullen hit it off and that’s they have a nice little thing going on there,
chemistry-wise. I think that was a plus. Joe’s a master technician especially in the pass rush game; both
things, but pass rush, in particular. I’m sure Chris would tell you that he gave him a couple of little things
he could use, and Chris did the rest.”
Q:What about George Karlaftis and how he started out this season. What about his development?
Coach Reid: “I’m proud of that kid because it’s hard to make it through as a rookie, period, 17 games. But
getting better every week at that position is something that is as much mental as it is physical, and he is
relentless. You see him at practice, he goes 100 miles an hour at practice. He transfers that into the games.
My hat goes off to him.”
Q: You spoke on Kadarius Toney earlier; I just wonder if you could elaborate on the dimension, he seems
to be giving you especially at this time of the year?
Coach Reid: “Yes, he does. The way we’re running the ball, our running backs are working like crazy on
that. You saw the big one that a 10 [Isiah Pacheco] had at the end. ?But you kind of mix that in, and
Kadarius has got a little bit of each. He’s got the receiving part, and then you hand him the football, and
he can do some damage. And he loves to play, that’s the thing that you appreciated about him.”
Q: Jerick McKinnon’s had his sixth-straight game with a touchdown. How critical has he been to this
offense?
Coach Reid: “Yes, big. Yes.”
Las Vegas Raiders Transcript
1.7.23 vs. Chiefs
Q: I want to ask about Maxx Crosby. Seems like he was able to do some things against your offense.
What does a guy like that bring to the Raiders?
Coach Reid: “That son of a gun, he’s an All-Pro player. He is 100 miles an hour on every play. And he’s
going to get there going against his old teammate. And those two get after each other — [Andrew] Wylie,
I’m talking about, college teammate. But he’s my hat goes off to him. He’s going to get there. He’s a good
player, he’s going to get there every once in a while. But you just want to make sure it doesn’t completely
disrupt your offense.”
Q: How key is it obviously getting both sides gelling like that going into the playoffs?
Coach Reid: “Yes, we needed that. We really hadn’t put it all together. I thought this was a good time, if I
had to pick a time, to do it. This was a good time to do it. We strive for it every week, but it seemed like it
all kind of came together today which was which was a plus.”
Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes
Q: You guys had a lot of changes this offseason, what do you think allowed you still wind up with the
No. 1 seed?
Mahomes: “I mean, it starts with the organization and the coaches. They’ve set a culture here – it was
started before I was even here. And so, you get a lot of guys in here that learn how we do things. We have
a lot of veterans on our team, and when you bring in new guys you just show them by the way you act.
Luckily for us, Brett Veach and coach [Andy] Reid brought in a lot of guys that were ready to work and
wanted to get out there as quickly as possible. And I think you’ve seen as the seasons gone on, those
rookies are getting better and then the veterans are starting to hit the right moment going into the
playoffs.”

Q: What’s your confidence level that if you do throw it to Khalen Saunders that he would have scored
a touchdown?
Mahomes: “I told Khalen, I’m pretty sure Travis [Kelce] was wide open as my second read. But I was just
like, I got to give him a chance. I don’t know if he would’ve caught it. He actually has really good hands,
but I don’t know about his vertical, so I don’t know if I would have been able to throw him a jump ball. We
work on stuff throughout the entire season and then try to call it in the right moments. Coach Reid gives
us some freedom to do some of our own flair to it. And so, that circle one was one that we had ran some
plays like it and we talked about it on the side, and we’re like, ‘Hey, let’s see if we do this and get some
confusion going and throw something back.’ The whole thing is, it has to work, and it worked. We just got
the holding penalty. Get some good stuff going for the playoffs and whenever we run it, it has to work.”

Las Vegas Raiders Transcript
1.7.23 vs. Chiefs
Q: How much say did you have in the circle play and the design?
Mahomes: “It’s a combination. It’s like reindeer personnel, arctic circle, snow globe. I just call it snow
globe. It’s the easiest way to say it, it’s a long play call. It was something we had kind of practiced on
actually last year of doing that, of getting confusion going and getting to the line to snap, and we didn’t
get the chance to run it last year. It kind of got thrown, not away, but as your season gets started up you
go back to the basics. As the season went back on, I was like kind of nudging coach Reid like, ‘Hey, let’s
bring it back in a different way.’ We didn’t have that throw back on it the last time we ran it. Hopefully we
can maybe do it again and get back to whatever we ran last time and get another touchdown.”

Q: Can you walk us through your first pass today that went for 67 yards?
Mahomes: “Yeah, I still could of have been better, especially in the second half. It was nice to get that
going early. Like you said, Justin [Watson] wasn’t the first read, but he was kind of like an alert where you
get your eyes there just to see, and he did a good job on that motion. He didn’t get the ball thrown into
all practice and he was just staying alive. They played a coverage that they don’t play a lot, where they
played a little (cover) two into the field. He kind of got down that red line, the sideline, and I was able to
get the ball to him and make a play. I’m disappointed he didn’t score; he’s supposed to be like the fastest
dude on the field, but he didn’t get in there. I’m sure Mecole [Hardman] and Marquez [Valdes-Scantling]
will give him a little crap for that.”

Q: How was it stepping on the field for the first time after Damar Hamlin’s injury?
Mahomes: “It was definitely weird. It’s a game that you love and have played your entire life, and you’ve
enjoyed so many great moments and it’s brought so many great things to you. Obviously, with the
situation that happened on Monday night with Damar, you still have that in the back of your mind. Not
him going down or anything like that, but just you want to be there for him. There’s so much stuff bigger
than football. That was kind of in your mind and so I was just glad we were able to get out there. Even
though we were the first team back, we were able to get through there without a lot of injuries and guys
were able to just go out there enjoy and have fun again. I said it at the end of the game there to the
broadcast, but I mean it helped out a lot that he was able to make that video. Even though I didn’t see it,
he made a video where he was able to talk to his teammates again and everything islooking great because
that gives you a little bit of that final thing like, ‘Alright, this is what we’re supposed to be doing. Let’s go
out there and give joy to not only us but the rest of the world watching us.’”
Q: You’re 27-3 against the AFC West – do division game wins mean more to you?
Mahomes: “Yeah, for sure. That was something that was instilled with me right when I got here. We were
going to focus on AFC West opponents. We believe we have one of the best divisions, if not the best
division, in football. And so, we know if we can handle business and AFC West, it’s going to put us in the
position to be where we want to be at the end of the year. Like I’ve said a lot, our first goal is win the AFC
West. Second goal is to get home field advantage, which we’re in a weird spot there, but now we’re going
to get this bye now and get back to the playoffs. Get a home game at Arrowhead and try to handle business
there against what will be another great football team. If you look at the AFC in general, every single team
one through eight or nine can make a run to the Super Bowl. We know we are going to get a good test no
matter who it is.”
Las Vegas Raiders Transcript
1.7.23 vs. Chiefs
Q: Getting back to the spin play, how much does that speak to just sort of the general creativity among
you guys?
Mahomes: “You have to have fun out there. We practice hard. We go out there and we try to get the best
out every single day, but the coaches let us have fun. That’s what keeps us going. It’s a long season. A lot
of practices and sometimes you just want to play the games. We built this culture of, ‘Let’s go out there
and practice, have a great time doing it, enjoy it, have fun, but same time, let’s be great.’ That stuff was
here before I even got here, and I’m just glad I’m in this organization and get to do it every single day.”
Q: How much do you think Kadarius Toney will be a real factor for you guys going forward?
Mahomes: “Yes, even more than I think we thought. We knew he was talented, but for him to get
accustomed to the offense as fast and being able to be out there for multiple plays now, even if he’s not
getting the football, he’s in the right spot. He’s doing the right things. He’s getting himself open. It just
adds another dimension. He’s a special type of talent that’s different than any player that I think I’ve
played with as far as the way laterally he’s able to move. And so, he’s getting better and better at running
routes that we run in this offense. I think you all saw that today. Now, let’s try to get 17 [Mecole Hardman]
back, another speed guy, and I think this offense can even take even another step.”
Q: I’m wondering about Maxx Crosby; you have played against him for a few years now. As a
quarterback, does he always capture your attention?
Mahomes: “He’s an absolute monster. At the end of the day, that’s it. We have a plan for him. Everybody
has a plan for him. He does a good job of still making an impact on the game. We go at it. He’s a competitor
like I am, but I have so much respect for him because of the way he plays. Sometimes when you’re that
good and that talented, you can take plays off, and he takes zero plays off. He plays the run, the pass,
whatever it is, every single play as hard as he can.”