HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright as far as the injuries go Matt Dickerson, his knee swole up a little bit, but he’ll be alight, just a swollen knee – so he won’t practice today. Everybody else will practice. Jaylen Watson will, and Nick Bolton will, both just went through the walkthrough. (I) look forward to the challenge of playing the Vikings. They’ve got obviously good players. (Vikings Head Coach) Kevin (O’Connell) does a nice job as the head coach and play caller. (Vikings Defensive Coordinator) Brian Flores we’ve gone against several times. He’s very creative, brings people from everywhere, also plays regular zone (coverage) and man (coverage), but he does have quite a blitz package. (Vikings Offensive Coordinator) Wes Phillips again working with Kevin on that offensive side does a nice job – along with good skill, their defensive front is good as is their offensive front. With that, time’s yours.”
Q: You talked about Patrick Mahomes getting greedy with some of the throws he tries to make. Can you ever get too greedy in play call?
REID: “I’ll take the blame first before he’s greedy, absolutely, yeah.”
Q: Is there a concern with the wide receivers’ production to this point?
REID: “We have a couple young guys we’re kind of bringing along, but I think they’re doing a pretty good job, yeah.”
Q: How do you contain a player like Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson?
REID: “Yeah, he’s a heck of a player. You have to cover him, that’s the simple thing to say. You’re aware of him obviously, for his skill. You’ve got to be creative, but mostly you’ve got to cover the guy, that’s the best thing you can do.”
Q: What are you seeing from Skyy Moore right now?
REID: “I like – we’re rotating a bunch of guys in there, so nobody’s gotten an extreme amount of catches on this. That’s just how it’s going to be. We have six or seven guys who can play, so we’re putting them all in here and there. But I like what I’ve seen from him. He’s doing good.”
Q: Do you think you’re getting enough open receivers on plays?
REID: “Well, I mean it looked like it, got a couple hundred yards in the first quarter, that wasn’t bad. So, I think guys were – you know 400 yards the week before, so somebody is getting open.”
Q: What have you seen from Rashee Rice?
REID: “Yeah – and I know he had the drop I got that, but he does a great job of catching the ball and getting up field. You can see his skill, again he’s learning the game right now – the NFL game. You’re seeing progress every week, you see something that says, ‘You know what, this guy’s not a bad player.’”
Q: What makes Patrick Mahomes so good in the situations where he needs to run?
REID: “He has a good feel of the coverage, who’s dropping out of there, the time element that’s involved with that. He’s smart when he does it, in certain situations he knows he can do that and other times it’s not going to be available. He’s got a good feel for it.”
Q: Are you hoping Rashee Rice can grow into a guy that is good in the short passing game with yards after the catch?
REID: “Yeah, you saw it the last couple of weeks where he catches, gets himself up field, gets a couple nice YACs in there. (He’s) been doing in the red zone area. That I think will be a positive in his game going forward.”
Q: Isiah Pacheco had one of the best games of his career against the Jets, how does he keep that momentum going?
REID: “Consistency is what you’re looking for. Obviously, when people know that you’re a good player, they’re going to try to do things to stop you, so it’s important that the offensive line, tight ends and he (Isiah Pacheco) are on the same page and they all do their job to make the thing happen. The one thing you’re going to get from him is he’s going to go 100 miles an hour and run hard every time he gets an opportunity – whether he catches or runs it, he’s going hard.”
Q: Did you see a different level of energy from Isiah Pacheco playing close to home?
REID: “I know he was excited to be there, but he’s always – I know he’s excited but he’s always high octane. I mean he’s high octane in practice all the time.”
Q: You said you expect to see more man coverage against the Vikings, what are the coaching points to get the receivers ready for that?
REID: “You got to win versus man (coverage), that’s what you’ve got to do. We did a decent job of that against the Jets, so I think with the young guys they’ll just keep getting better at that as we go. (The) Jets did a nice job of blending things and so does (Vikings Defensive Coordinator) Brian (Flores), he’s going to give you a variety of looks and you just have to be smart with how you handle the looks.”
Q: Do you feel like you need to get Kadarius Toney more touches?
REID: “I think his foot is feeling better as he goes here. That’s a concern when you have a guy that plays like he does, very very aggressive. The toe (injury) goes on, so I told you before he had a hard time getting his shoes on when he hurt it. Just bringing him back slowly I think it was important to this point, we’ll see how he does this week.”
Q: You have a light day in practice today. Does that have anything to do with getting ready for a short week next week? How do you get ready now for a short week?
REID: “We had late travel (after the Jets game), we got back at four o’clock in the morning or whatever it was. It was a late night, so we’ll lighten it up today, still going fast, just cut out a couple plays and then be ready to go tomorrow. Then it’s just a feel, go off how I feel.”
Q: Are you satisfied with the production from your wide receivers.
REID: “Yeah, yeah.”
Q: How do you help keep Jawaan Taylor’s confidence up but still help him eliminate penalties?
REID: “He’s working on it; we’ll just keep on it as we go. That’s the only thing you can do is keep working it.”
Q: On Patrick Mahomes having the chance to beat the last team, other than the Chiefs, that he hasn’t beaten.
REID: “It is, and we’ve got a lot of work to do before we get up there. I think that right now, we’re just all focused on trying to get things right, but it is an amazing stat for him for sure.”
Q: Is the hard running of Isiah Pacheco an important part of the offense to soften up the other team’s defense?
REID: “I think he brings good energy to that group – and I’m including the running backs – you see (Clyde Edwards-) Helaire going, he’s running like crazy, too, so he’s doing a nice job. (Jerick) McKinnon runs hard likewise, but I think he brings energy to everybody, to the whole offense. I think that’s a positive thing and then it’s important that we have the other two guys, and we rotate them in and give them a blow every once and a while.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
October 4, 2023
QB Patrick Mahomes
Q: From the Netflix series ‘Quarterback,’ what did you take away about Kirk Cousins?
MAHOMES: “The mental side of it. I mean obviously he’s (Vikings QB Kirk Cousins) able to really dissect defenses, (and) get the ball to the right spot. You can tell they put a lot on him to be able to check at the line of scrimmage, which I thought was really cool to see. Physically, man, I mean he took a beating last year, but he just came back every time and stood in there and made throws. He’s a guy you can tell loves football and loves going out there and competing every single week.”
Q: Through the first four games, you have been scrambling more. What has led to this?
MAHOMES: “I’d probably just say more coverage. I haven’t had a lot of pressure yet. I mean I’ll obviously probably get some more this week. They’re playing a lot more coverage and dropping deep into coverages, and so it’s opened lanes for me to scramble. That’s something that I’ve always done. It just usually happens later in the season more than early, so (I’m) just trying to do whatever to go out there and win.”
Q: After the Jets game, you were talking about speed and running the ball. Do you wish you could run the ball like some of the known running QBs in the league do?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think everybody does, but I think what makes those dudes so great is that they can throw the football, too. I just have to be able to throw the football and then whenever the opportunity comes, just get enough yards to keep the chains moving.”
Q: You have been efficient when running the ball, hence, keeping the chains moving. What goes into this?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s just being a competitor. I’m just trying to move the chains, and obviously, I want to throw for it. I want to make the throws, but when the opportunity arises, just – if I’m going to take it, make sure I go get the first down. It’s just something you have to balance throughout the NFL season is when to run for it, when to slide, when to throw the football and try to find ways to win games.”
Q: When you looked at the tape from the Jets game, what did you see?
MAHOMES: “I didn’t play very well, it happens. Two of the interceptions, just underthrew five to ten yards. I missed my opportunities throughout the game, and so I just got to put us in better positions and making better decisions so the guys could go out there and work for me and make plays down the field.”
Q: On the connection with the wide receivers.
MAHOMES: “I just haven’t played very good to start the season, so I think if I start playing better, everybody will start playing better.”
Q: When you start a game not playing your best, do you notice a snowball effect that lasts throughout the game?
MAHOMES: “I don’t think it can, you just have to go out there and keep shooting it down the field. That’s how I’ve always been wired. You just come in every single day and work and try to continue to get better and usually that stuff kind of figures itself out. I’ve had spots like this in my career where I haven’t had the best few weeks in a row and so I have to make sure that I can go back to the fundamentals and try to be better for the team and then rely on other guys to make plays. I think that’s somewhere where I can be better, is just getting the ball out of my hands and let these other guys make plays. Kind of like how I did at the end of the game a little bit more.”
Q: Is footwork included in these fundamentals?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I rely on my arm a lot, sometimes. Obviously, on the first interception I kind of faded – both of them really, I faded away from the throw instead of just stepping into it and make the throw. So, that’s just myself just going back to the fundamentals and stuff is when it’s not necessarily coming out of your hand the best way, you have to go back to your fundamentals and get that stuff down before you can try the side arms and the fadeaway throws and the stuff like that.”
Q: On Rashee Rice.
MAHOMES: “Yeah, he’s just learning. He has all of the talent in the world, he’s just learning how to read coverages, how to be in the progression of this offense. I think y’all see how talented he is once he made the catch, and he’s moving down the field. He’s a tough, physical runner. He’s explosive. I think as the season goes on, he’ll continue to get better and better.”
Q: On Skyy Moore.
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean, same thing. A lot of young guys that are learning as they go. Skyy (Moore) has a lot of talent. He’s done a great job of getting better, even from last year and throughout this season and I think we’re going to keep finding a way in this offense. Like I said, I think if I play better, and throw some of those passes at the right time and the right spot, it’ll let these guys go out there and make plays.”
Q: What do you expect from the Vikings defense?
MAHOMES: “It’s going to be a well-coached defense. (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Brian) Flores, I’ve played a couple times; him as a head coach, him as some coordinators and all different positions. They’re very well coached, they know the scheme and being in the right spots. They do a good mix of pressure and dropping out of pressure and try to make it look the same. This will be a great challenge for us, and we’ll have to execute at a high level in order to have success this weekend.”
Q: Is it on your checklist to beat every team?
MAHOMES: “I just want to win every week. It’s not necessarily like beating this team because I haven’t played them or anything like that. I just try to go in with the mentality week in and week out to just finding a way to win that game. We did that last week and now let’s try to find a way to win against a really good football team this week.”
Q: The other day, you said that sometimes your judgement isn’t always where you need it to be. How do you gage this?
MAHOMES: “It’s something that I have to continue at to get better and better at throughout my career. Sometimes when stuff may not be going well or if I want to get that deep shot going, I’ll try to force it. Whereas there’s just times where I have to just throw the ball away or take the check down. It goes against my nature, but it’s something that you have to do at this quarterback position in order to have success. Obviously, I made two throws in the game where I – really three throws if you count the one to MVS (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) on 3rd-and-long that I really got greedy and tried to throw it down the field instead of just taking the under stuff. That’s just stuff that I have to manage because I want to have that aggressive nature but at the same time, take what’s there.”
Q: Is this something that you will have to check throughout your whole career?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think a lot of the great quarterbacks – I mean you saw (Former NFL QB) Tom (Brady) even last year, I mean he was throwing the ball down the field. You want to attack down the field because it makes defenses have to take account for that. You never want to be stuck throwing the check downs underneath every time because that’s when you can condense the offense. We take pride of being able to stretch it vertically and horizontally and so that will be something that I manage throughout my career.”
Q: On Vikings WR Justin Jefferson.
MAHOMES: “First off, Justin Jefferson, he’s great. I think it’s talent, being able to recognize coverages, and I think what people don’t understand is how physical he is catching the football. If you watch the games man, I mean he will go up there and get it. He will put his body on the line, you can tell he loves competing, he loves winning. So, I think that’s what makes a lot of great players in this league, and that’s why he has so much success so early in his career.”
Q: How do you feel about the new partnership with the Boys and Girls Club?
MAHOMES: “I remember practicing basketball at Boys and Girls Clubs growing up and how fun that was and how many great experiences. I got to meet people and opportunities I got to play sports that I loved and so I thought it was a great idea whenever they brought it to me to be able to partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs in the Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri, Lubbock, Texas, Tyler, Texas, Whitehouse, Texas, all the areas that I grew up in and try to give those same opportunities to kids. And I felt it fit perfectly with my 15 and the Mahomies foundation.”
Q: You passed Alex Smith in career touchdowns, did he call you and talk about that?
MAHOMES: “I did not know that. He didn’t call me (laughter). I love (Former Chiefs QB) Alex (Smith) so maybe I’ll text him now that I know.”
Q: On Isiah Pacheco’s performance.
MAHOMES: “That’s what makes this team so great, and it’s a great job by (General Manager) Brett Veach and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid of bringing in great players. Even when I’m not playing my best, we have guys like Isiah (Pacheco) who can dominate the run game. We have offensive linemen that can block the run game, defense that can play great defense throughout the first four games of the year, and so it’s not all on my shoulders to go out there and win the football game. I can reply on my teammates to do stuff and throughout that last game, Isiah was working, and even though we might’ve had some of those RPO advantages throws or whatever you want to call them, it’s like ‘Man just give this man the football and let him go.’ He accepted the challenge, and that’s what makes this team great. It’s not just me, its everybody. I think we are all finally seeing that as the season goes along.”
Q: How hard is it for young players to be consistent?
MAHOMES: “If I’ve ever seen a young guy be consistent, it’s that (RB Isiah Pacheco) guy. I mean you have to calm him down because he wants to go as hard as he can every single play, and that’s what the great ones do. I don’t know if y’all saw but he scored a touchdown, but I don’t know if his feet ever landed in the touchdown, he like jumped all the way. That’s his energy every single day. Just as much in the locker room, the meeting room and on the practice field and game days, so I don’t think we have to worry about him being consistent.”