HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, I don’t have any injuries necessarily for you. I meet with the doctors here later, but I think we came out fairly healthy of this game, so I don’t think there’s going to be a whole lot to talk about, even so. With that, I’m going to leave it up to you guys (the media). Go ahead and fire away.”
Q: You said after the game that the Raiders were bringing an extra guy to stop the run. What was your overall evaluation of your run game against the Raiders?
REID: “We can do better in that area (the run game) and so I have to make sure that I give the guys the right things to run against that defense. Then, the guys have to do their job on top of that. It’s kind of a package deal there but I didn’t feel like I was necessarily putting them in the best position against that.”
Q: What part of the Hallmark movie experience are you going to remember most?
REID: “(Laughs) I didn’t have a real big part in it, thank goodness, or the movie probably wouldn’t have been as good as it was so that’s a good thing, but I enjoyed the people with Hallmark. They sure do a nice job with things and it’s a local group here, so they’re Kansas City grown, and I appreciate their support. I think we have a unique relationship between the two organizations, which is something. I mean, Hallmark is one of those (businesses) we all grew up with. If you needed a Christmas card, you knew where to go. You go to Hallmark, and you knew you were in good hands there. Anyways – it was fun. It was fun for what I did there. They (Hallmark) made it painless.”
Q: What will D.J. Humphries’ practice week look like this week?
REID: “We’ll work him (D.J. Humphries) in and see what he can – see how he feels. You know, that’s the main thing. He hasn’t played in a while, so I just want to make sure he’s in good position. He did a nice job last week working in there and we’ll do a little bit more with him this week.”
Q: What’s gone wrong at left tackle this season?
REID: “Listen, we’ve got young guys working in there and so the growth – they’re going against good players and the good ones have gotten probably the better of us. It’s things that these guys will learn from, and they can bank for the future and get themselves better and I think that will help us down the road. So, that’s what I would tell you.”
Q: How did you feel like Joshua Williams did defensively after coming in for Nazeeh Johnson?
REID: “Listen, I’m glad we have both of them (Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams). I think both of them can still work in there and do some things. We haven’t given up on Nazeeh (Johnson) or anything of that sort. I mean, he’s coming off a pretty major knee surgery and so we’ve kind of kept an eye on him with that. I think as we go forward we can use both of them, I’m sure.”
Q: Do you think it’s a possibility for D.J. Humphries to start at left tackle this week?
REID: “Listen, the last week was a short week, so we didn’t have a whole lot of time to – you know, for the fast part of the game practices. This week he’ll (D.J. Humphries) have a – I’ll have a better idea as we go, and he’ll have a better idea (of) how he feels. Then, we just go from there. We’ll just see how it all works out.”
Q: Have you determined who will start at left tackle this week?
REID: “No, I – listen, I don’t think that’s probably fair to D.J. (Humphries) right now just (with) him coming off this offseason. I think we just play it by year, Sam (McDowell), as we go. If he feels okay, then we give him an opportunity. If it’s not where it needs to be then you don’t. We’ll see how it goes.”
Q: If D.J. Humphries isn’t ready, would you roll with Joe Thuney at left tackle?
REID: “Well, that’s another one of the options that we’ve got. We finished the game that way. I’d rather have Joe (Thuney) playing in at guard because he’s very good there, but (Mike) Caliendo isn’t bad either, so that’s a good problem to have. We’ve got some flexibility there as needed.”
Q: Could the game against the Raiders be a turning point for Xavier Worthy?
REID: “Yeah, Matt (Derrick). I mean, he’s (Xavier Worthy) getting better. I think that’s what we all can see. It’s not a secret, he’s putting that out there for everybody to see. I would – my main concern is that he just keeps doing that. That’s what you want to do – keep working to better yourself and let’s just see where it all ends up at the end. He’s doing a nice job, he’s got the trust of the quarterback (Patrick Mahomes), he’s got the trust of the coaches, he’s playing fast, looks like he’s got his legs back from training camp and the early part of (the) season so all of that’s positive stuff. You have to keep putting the product out there.”
Q: After watching film and looking at Wanya Morris, are his struggles mental or physical? Which one is easier to fix?
REID: “Listen, sometimes things snowball on you, Todd (Leabo). I mean, it’s a little bit of everything (that’ll) get you. He (Wanya Morris) started off pretty good and then it kind of went from there (and) that happens with young guys. Nobody wants that to happen that way but sometimes it happens and then you kind of get frozen in your own feet there and don’t know what to do exactly. It’s a great learning experience for him, I would expect him to do that – whatever direction this thing goes, I would expect him to do that. He’s a good kid and he works hard. I’d tell you the same thing with Kingsley (Suamataia). Both of them are – have got some valuable experience this year and we’ll continue to hope that they would learn from all of that.”
Q: Was Travis Kelce’s lateral in the game an indication that he’s earned the right to do that?
REID: “He’s (Travis Kelce) been doing it for a few years. We do it in practice every day – you guys see that, so you know this isn’t just something that we throw out there on game day. It’s something we do and so everything is ok with that just as long as you complete them.”
Q: On Jaden Hicks’ increased playing time.
REID: “He’s (Jaden Hicks) a good player and so him working in there I think is a positive. Again, he’s a young guy that he just keeps progressing and challenging himself that way. I know the coaches have trust in him and so we’ll just see how things go moving forward. He’s earned that right to play more and so he’s got the confidence of (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags that way – and (Defensive Backs Coach) Dave (Merritt).”
