OPENING STATEMENT: “As far as the injuries go, it’s Nick Bolton, he had surgery yesterday in Los Angeles. He’ll be back here tomorrow. With Justyn Ross, just addressing that up front, we’re taking in all of the information, and have been. We’ll continue to do that. He’s back here. He’ll work today, and we’ll just take it from there. Other than that, I really don’t have any information for you, other than what we have gathered. On to the Broncos, we look forward to the challenge of playing them for sure, even though it just happened a couple weeks ago. We know the battle that we had with them, and they’re a good football team. They’re coming off a big win against Green Bay where they played well, and we’ve got to make sure that we get our work done these next few days here before we head up there. We started that today with the walkthrough, and we’ll keep building on that. Anyways, with that, time’s yours.”
Q: When you play a team twice in three weeks, and it’s a team you know so well, do you save parts of the gameplan for the second game?
REID: “You normally don’t do that no. You start saving things in this business and you got problems. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it, whatever stuff you have for the game you put it out there and you go and then you play them again, you put your best stuff out there and go. That’s what I’ve always felt.”
Q: Are you placing Nick Bolton on IR?
REID: “(General Manager Brett) Veach is going through all of that now, so I’ll get you that information when he finalizes it. We’ll just see how it goes. The one positive is he didn’t have to have any metal put in there, so that was a positive going forward. We just have to check to see how the things go here, but Veach is on top of that.”
Q: Is Justyn Ross going to practice?
REID: “Yeah, he’ll practice today.
Q: Can you explain the steps you go through when something like the Justyn Ross situation happens?
REID: “Listen, all the situations are different, so obviously the law enforcement part of it, you listen to the real details of what went on and then we keep open communication with (General Manager) Brett (Veach), myself and our people that deal with the law enforcement. Then, we make the final decision from there.”
Q: Is Justin Watson expected to practice today?
REID: “Yeah, yeah he’ll be back.
Q: How have you seen the Broncos progress this season under Head Coach Sean Payton?
REID: “(Broncos Head Coach) Sean (Payton) made some big moves, and letting guys go. He’s a veteran coach, he did that for a reason, and they made some adjustments on the defensive side. They’re playing good football, and so I don’t know what went through all of that. The last couple of games they changed up what they were doing before that, and they’ve had success with it. But it’s because he’s been around and his defensive coordinator (Vance Joseph) was a head coach, he’s been around so they know how to maneuver. They’ve done a good job of that.”
Q: What has led to your team being so successful on third down conversions, especially the long ones?
REID: “(Offensive Coordinator) Matt (Nagy) takes care of all that, Nagy. He does a great job with it. Then obviously, Pat (Mahomes) has a huge part of that. I mean he’s special in that area, throwing the ball, I mean obviously, he’s very special. The receivers and offensive lineman do an odd job, but the scheme has been great and the players have been great. That’s the best answer I can give you, but you’re only as best as the next one right, so you make sure you take care of that.”
Q: Is there a reason why Travis Kelce doesn’t draw the kind of attention from defenders as PFHOF TE Tony Gonzalez did?
REID: “Number two (Broncos CB Pat Surtain II) jumped on him on third downs last time we played. They know who Trav (Kelce) is, and they had a plan there so maybe you see a little more of that or whatever but teams are taking and putting good players on Trav or are doubling him. He and Pat have a unique chemistry there.”
Q: Is there more than just the unspoken connection between Patrick and Travis that leads to the success?
REID: “The (offensive) line does a good job. We always talk with the receivers (and) tight ends about having that clock in your head. Trav (Kelce) has the ability to keep that thing running; how long can I do what I need to do to get open and Pat (Mahomes) stays in tune with that. They’ve got a good connection, that’s what makes them special together. From a defensive standpoint, (if you) try to put too many guys on one guy and then the other guys have a battle so that can be a tough thing from that side.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
October 25, 2023
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: What’s the challenge of playing a division opponent twice in three weeks?
MAHOMES: “Obviously, when you play a divisional opponent, you know each other already. You prepare against that team, and they prepare against you all season. Then being able to play them two times in three weeks – a little less than that honestly – it’s a challenge because there’s so much familiarity, they know what we want to do, we know what they want to do, and now how can each team execute at a high enough level to have success? They did a great job against us with their defense this last game. Now how can we adjust – I know they are going to make adjustments as well – and have success this next game.”
Q: There could be snow in Denver this Sunday. You’ve said in the past that you are a snow game guy, do you have a reason behind that?
MAHOMES: “I don’t because I grew up in Texas, so I only saw snow like twice growing up. I’ve just become accustomed to it here in Kansas City.”
Q: Does it affect the grip on the ball?
MAHOMES: “I thought snow was going to be like rain where it gets a little slippery – whereas snow it makes it a little sticky in the air. I think that could be something as far as why. At the end of the day, you just have to go out there and throw it and see what happens.”
Q: You are the best team in the league at third-and-long. What makes you so successful in those situations?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s a mentality. The coaches preach how we’re going to execute, the guys go out there and do it, and then we have belief that we’re going to make it happen some way. It all starts up front. The offensive line in third downs have to block against great pass rushers when their ears are pinned back, and they want to get to the quarterback, they’ve done a great job of that. The guys, whenever I’ve extended (the play), have been able to make plays happen. You’ve got to have the mentality to really execute it during practice, so you can execute it during the game.”
Q: Do you feel like you’re at your best when you’re moving around and extending plays?
MAHOMES: “I think we do a great job first of having the play calls to go against what the defense is presenting to us. Whenever we do extend, I think guys do a great job of getting themselves open, and whenever I can run for it, I try to run for it.”
Q: When you see how open Travis Kelce is do you ever wonder to yourself why defenses aren’t covering him better?
MAHOMES: “I think defenses and defensive coordinators are doing their best to cover him. There’s a reason he’s Travis Kelce, he finds a way to get himself open, versus man, versus zone, versus everything. I’m just glad he’s on my team, I’ll say that.”
Q: The Texas Rangers are going to the World Series. Growing up in Texas was that ever a team you rooted for?
MAHOMES: “I was a big Rangers fan when I grew up, especially those high school years when they were getting to the World Series, they ended up losing two of them, I was able to go to some of those games. I was a Rangers fan, I still – I guess (they’re) my team when the Royals aren’t in contention. I’m happy for them to get to the World Series. (Bills QB) Shane Buechele is a big Rangers fan as well, so I texted him when they got there. It is cool to see, and hopefully they go out there and win it all.”
Q: What has Mecole Hardman brought back to the team?
MAHOMES: “I think he brings another spark of energy. You all see Mecole (Hardman), he always has a smile on his face, and for him to be there in that locker room, you can just feel the energy. Obviously, the speed and he has familiarity with the offense, so other guys who are younger can learn from him because he’s been here for a couple years now. Even though he left, he’s back quick enough that he can pick up the stuff that we added in pretty quickly.”
Q: Rashee Rice mentioned he adjusted the route on his touchdown Sunday. How quickly has he come along in that ability to adjust routes?
MAHOMES: “He has great feel, I think that’s the biggest thing. Obviously, you see how explosive he is and you see the physical talent, but he has a good understanding of when he’s open and how to stay open. He’s starting to recognize coverages more and more, coverages are a little more complex than they were in college, but you can tell as he’s starting to learn more and getting himself open, I think we’ll continue to work with that and he’ll continue to find ways to get himself open whenever the necessary route is not going to. He did a good job of that on the touchdown.”
Q: Did you see the same thing on the route that Rashee Rice did and anticipate his adjustment?
MAHOMES: “He (Rashee Rice) was the primary originally, but we had another option if they played a two high shell, which was Kadarius Toney. They did a good job of covering that, and I kind of reset it back and was just looking for a guy to have an outlet to throw a check down to and just saw him pull up in that window perfectly. He definitely wasn’t supposed to be open, but he did a good job of recognizing the coverage and knowing where to be at, at the right time.”
Q: What message do you have for Justyn Ross as a captain of the team?
MAHOMES: “We love Justyn (Ross). I don’t know too many of the details as far as that goes. In this locker room, it’s a brotherhood, so we just try to pick each other up as much as possible.”
Q: On the long scrambles you seem to have just enough speed to get there. How do you pick the spots to run to?
MAHOMES: “I’m always looking to throw first knowing that the guys are faster than me and they can make the big plays happen. Whenever I do run, I run scared and try to get out of bounds past the first down as fast as possible.”
Q: On Rashee Rice’s last two touchdowns he was set up where he would get hit. Can you speak to your trust in him seeing that and knowing he’s going to hold on?
MAHOMES: “He’s a good football player at the end of the day. He wants to go out there and win, he wants to compete. He’s Texas tough, man. Those Texas guys are tough out there on the football field.”
DT CHRIS JONES
Q: What are the pros and cons of playing the same team only a few weeks apart?
JONES: “It gets harder. The team knows what you excel at, and the team knows where you kind of had a problem with the first game. The Denver Broncos, I think they have a heck of a quarterback (Broncos QB Russell Wilson), an amazing coach, Sean Payton, and great supporting staff around them. I think last year they had one of the top defenses. A lot of guys on the defense still remain there, so I think this is a tough outing. This is a nice group. Unfortunately, their record doesn’t show that, but I think they’re still a great team.”
Q: What does Charles Omenihu add to the defense?
JONES: “Charles (Omenihu) being able to play inside and outside, came back, he got over that excitement got the sack. We welcome him back with open arms. He’s going to be a guy we use all around the place. He’s big, he’s tall, naturally fast, faster than he looks, no pun intended (laughter). He can go inside and outside; I think it can help our group tremendously. Like I was telling (Defensive Line Coach) Joe Cullen, I never think you can have enough pass rushers in one group.”
Q: Being a guy who has been with the team for a while, what challenges does this year’s schedule present? Since you guys are traveling internationally and have a tough schedule.
JONES: “It’s super exciting. We have a lot of guys who come from college. They haven’t been overseas yet right, so to get the opportunity to go overseas and get the opportunity to play in front of Germany fans is going to be exciting. I think it’s remarkable. Also, to expand the game on that type of level, I think that’s remarkable also. We don’t make the schedules; we don’t have a choice on where the schedules go. Just wherever you put us, that’s where we’ll be at.”
Q: You guys are number one in the league for batted balls, what contributes to that?
JONES: “When you have two guys in the middle that are 6’5” and 6’6” you know it’s like playing basketball, right, just getting a block. I think it’s something George (Karlaftis) and the rest of the guys, we work on. You know our coach; he emphasizes a lot throughout the week. (Defensive Line Coach) Joe Cullen, emphasizes it a lot, pass rushing, knocks, sacks, hurries, so we kind of simulate drills for everything that we do in the game, and all of a sudden it kind of shows up.”