HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, as far as people not practicing today, D.J. Humphries won’t practice and again, we haven’t listed him as out or anything there. We’re just going to take it day-by-day and see how he does. Every day he’s gotten a little bit better, so we’ll see how all of that works. Then, it’ll be similar to last week with – I’ve got a couple of variables that I can do at that spot. Anyways, we look forward to the challenge of playing the Browns. They’re a good football team. Every team in this league, as we know, has a chance to win games so we – that’s the way the league’s set up right now, so we get ourselves ready to play. You don’t care about records or anything else. I know they’re well coached. I know (Browns Head Coach) Kevin (Stefanski) personally and he does a heck of a job. His (Browns Defensive) Coordinator (Jim) Schwartz, I mean, I’ve known for a long time and (Browns Offensive Coordinator Ken) Dorsey – (Browns Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Bubba (Ventrone) – I mean they’re all good football coaches (and) they’ve got good players. We’ve got to make sure (that) we have a good week of practice going forward here so with that, the time’s yours.”
Q: Do you see Harrison Butker kicking this week?
REID: “We’re going to see if he – how he (Harrison Butker) does here. He’ll get a few. Yeah, he’ll have a few snaps out there – or chances.”
Q: On preparing for three games in 11 days.
REID: “It’s a unique situation, you just have to manage it. It is what it is, so you make the best of it. The thing is (that) you get your guys ready for the game – give them a chance to get ready for the game. They’re going to do whatever you present to them so (you) try to help them out with that. Right now, we’ve got a normal week right here, so we’ve got to take care of business, for sure.”
Q: How close is Hollywood Brown to returning?
REID: “Yeah, Matt (Derrick) he’s (Hollywood Brown) getting close. He’s chomping at the bit to get back out there but he’s got to visit with the doctors and make sure he gets clearance there, but I think, I’d probably say he’s getting close. I can’t give you a date – I don’t know a date on it, but he says he feels great.”
Q: What’s the plan for Steven Nelson?
REID: “Let him (Steven Nelson) get himself in shape (and) move around a little bit. You won’t see him this week, that’s not what we’re going to do. It’ll be like the other guys that came in – give them a chance to kind of get their feet under them, for sure. He hasn’t done anything up to this point so let him get moving around.”
Q: Patrick Mahomes has been sacked more this year than he has ever been in his career. How has he adapted his game to that?
REID: “He (Patrick Mahomes) made some unbelievable throws the other day and he never complains about anything. He doesn’t – he just comes back and goes on to the next one and fires. I mean, he’s doing what he always does. He hasn’t had to really adapt other than to make the throw.”
Q: Patrick Mahomes is really good at getting rid of the ball quickly. Could he have done that early on in his career?
REID: “Yeah, I think he (Patrick Mahomes) could’ve, yeah. I mean, we didn’t ask him to do a whole lot of that. He – I think he could’ve, yeah.”
Q: When watching film, how do you analyze where the breakdowns are? Is it different this season?
REID: “We look at everything so for sure. I mean he’s (Patrick Mahomes) had a little bit more pressure this year. Listen, he’ll tell you – he’ll be the first to tell you, they’re spread all over the place. Everybody’s had a piece of it, me included, calling the plays. I’ve got to make sure I adapt to the personnel and what we have and what they do best. Everybody else has to do their job. Everybody would probably tell you it’s spread around on that.”
Q: What challenge does Browns DE Myles Garrett present and how much does that weigh into your tackle decision?
REID: “He’s (Browns DE Myles Garrett) really a good player. Probably a future Hall of Famer, I’d say. He’s a dominant player and we recognize that and respect that. He’s going to show up though and we’re going to show up and we have to play well against him. We have the capability to do that, that’s how I feel but we respect the heck out of him.”
Q: Can you explain further on how Patrick Mahomes never complains?
REID: “He (Patrick Mahomes) gets up and goes. You always see him (say), ‘Give me the next one.’ I mean and that’s how – ‘Just give me another one. I’ll make it work here.’ He doesn’t ever get crazy with that stuff so he’s pretty good about it.”
Q: When bringing in guys who didn’t have a training camp or a preseason, how do you find the balance of bringing them up to speed quickly without putting them in danger?
REID: “Listen, I mean you have to listen to everybody and see – in particular the kid – and see where he’s at. You kind of get to know him in that period of time and make a judgment on it and go with it. It’s a sport where even the healthy guys and guys that have been with us from the beginning, they have a chance of getting hurt, I mean that’s all part of this. To answer your question, we just make an evaluation on it, with the different information from different people but in particular the kid.”
Q: On Browns Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz’s style of defense.
REID: “Aggressive. He’s (Browns Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz) got a really good blitz package, it’s extensive and then they mix it in with zone. So, they can play single safety middle zone – shell, I mean, he’s got it all. He dials them all up, you have to be sharp when you play against them.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
December 11, 2024
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: You did a great job of getting the ball out quick against the Chargers, do you feel like you could have played that style of game earlier in your career?
MAHOMES: “It’s hard to say. I think just taking what’s there (and) what the defense is giving me. They (the Chargers) obviously have a good pass rush, and I thought guys were getting open quickly. I thought D-Hop (DeAndre Hopkins) did a great job – Trav (Travis Kelce), Noah (Gray), others. Just trying to get the ball in their hands (and) let them make plays and it was enough to get the win.”
Q: How do you stay so poised and calm in those close-game moments and what’s your message to the fans who watch these nervous games?
MAHOMES: “I think when I’m not on the field, I’m nervous as well. I have total confidence in our defense and everything like that, but it’s just – when it’s out of your hands, it’s hard to not be a little bit nervous. I think in the moment when I get opportunities, I just try to execute the gameplan, execute the play that’s in front of me (and) not worry about the whole entire drive. Then get us into position to score and win the game and then rely on my teammates to go out there and win it. It’s – obviously, a lot of experience has helped me keep a calm mindset in those moments. We continue to work and get better and just find ways to win and whatever way that is, we’re good with it.”
Q: What is the process of adjusting to pressure?
MAHOMES: “I think just trying to not take negative plays, finding the soft spots in the pocket, finding opportunities when you want to take shots downfield and opportunities when you need to throw it underneath. Every game is different in this league. There’s a lot of great pass rushers and you get to just find spots where you can have quiet feet, and you can execute the offense the way it’s supposed to be executed.”
Q: Is the way that Browns DE Myles Garrett moves part of your film study?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, he’s (Browns DE Myles Garrett) just really good. It’s – he’s pretty much good at everything. Just finding ways to get the ball out of my hands whenever he’s – when he’s rushing and then whenever we need to take shots down the field, just having extra ways to manipulate – either me manipulate his pass rush or have help with other – two people blocking him and stuff like that. They (the Browns) have a good defensive team. They have a good football team in general but especially their defense. It will be a great challenge for us, and we’ll have to go out there and play our best football to win.”
Q: What have you sensed to be the difference in Xavier Worthy’s production these past few weeks?
MAHOMES: “He’s (Xavier Worthy) getting better and better. I think he’s just playing with such more confidence. I think it really started in Buffalo. It’s kind of – just kind of kept getting bigger and bigger as we kind of went throughout the rest of this year. I think as – like we said, as I train those deep passes and really show off his skill doing that. He’s getting open so just trying to hit him on some of those, but he’s showing his versatility and how he’s able to work underneath, catch the ball, get yards after the catch and stuff like that. I think he’s going to be continuing to get better and better which is going to help us going into the postseason.”
Q: Have you ever encountered anything like three games in eleven days?
MAHOMES: “No, I haven’t in football. Just – I mean, all you can do is focus on the game (and) the practice that you have that day. I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch. That’s tailoring my workouts, that’s tailoring how you practice and you prepare. The coaches do a great job of taking care of us with the practice field. I mean, we practice (as) hard as anybody, but they know how to kind of dial it back when we need it, and I think (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid has a great plan going into it, so I’ll follow that. (I’m) focused on this opponent and then as we go into another short week into next week and the one after that, I’ll focus on those opponents then.”
Q: What was it like when you first saw the schedule come out?
MAHOMES: “It’s not a good feeling. I’m excited to play on Christmas to hopefully get back from what we did last year. You never want to play this many games in this short of time. It’s just not great for your body but at the end of the day, it’s your job. You’re a professional (and) you have to come to work and do it.”
Q: How many times have you looked at the hits you’ve taken and thought that you should do something differently instead of the offensive line?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s a lot. There are times where I’m trying to be – the best word is greedy and (I’m) trying to take a shot down field or if you look at the kind of the early sacks in this last game, there was a play in that first third down where I probably (should’ve) just hit Travis (Kelce). He maybe or maybe not gets the first down but I’m trying to really hold onto it and then I rush up in the pocket trying to make a play and run into a sack. There’s been a good amount of those this year and that’s why I have to continue to work on my feet and finding that soft spot in the pocket because I think – and there’s multiple times a game where the offensive line is holding up and I’m not trusting my footwork in order to go through my reads and make plays happen. That’s stuff that I work on and continue to work on throughout my career.”
Q: What are some things that you’re preparing for to make sure Browns DE Myles Garrett doesn’t ruin the game this week?
MAHOMES: “I think you have to prepare for it as an entire offense. You have to give him (Browns DE Myles Garrett) different looks. You can’t let him just pass rush over and over again. I mean, he’s – he won Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, man. He’s going to win a lot of those matchups and so we’ll throw him changeups, we’ll throw him different pitches that he can hopefully keep his mind racing but at the end of the day, he’s going to make plays happen. When he starts to win reps or win certain plays, you have to not make them negative plays, get rid of the football, even if that’s throwing it away and live to play another play.”
Q: What else do you see from the Browns defense besides Browns DE Myles Garrett?
MAHOMES: “They have a lot of great players, I think. You look at the cornerback position in (Browns CB) Denzel Ward – the linebacker position, they’re flying around – safeties, same as well and then obviously the defensive line. Then, (Browns Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Jim) Schwartz does a great job of mixing up coverages (and) bringing pressure when it’s necessary and then dropping into zone and man coverage when it’s necessary. It’s a really good team. I mean, they were – last year, they have a lot of the same players from last year’s defense that was like number one in the league. It’s a great team with a lot of pride that’s going to be coming (and) playing hard, especially at home and we understand that it’s going to be a great challenge. We’re going to have to play our best football to win.”
Q: What are the reasons for the third down success this season?
MAHOMES: “I think just having a good game plan – guys making plays happen in big moments. I think you’ve seen that in third down and then (at the) end of halves and end of games is guys have executed at a high level. It’s just about having that same type of execution throughout the entire game, not just third down, not just end of halves but in the red zone and in the field as well. I think that’s where we’re trying to get to, and we have to continue to work to get there.”
Q: When you’re going through the protection with the offensive line during the week, what does that process look like?
MAHOMES: “We obviously meet through our protection plan meetings throughout the week and then we have – I have separate meetings with some other offensive linemen, and we talk through just kind of what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling and then at the end of the day, we have to go out there and do it. I think that there’s been a lot of great moments. There’s been moments that we want back but that’s everybody. That’s not just them. That’s me, that’s every receiver – whoever it is, it’s a full group thing. I think we’re trending in the right direction, we just have to keep pushing to get there.”
