OPENING STATEMENT: “Players got a couple of days off for the Thanksgiving break there and then they will be back in to work here tomorrow. I don’t have a ton to give you on where we’re at with them. Then the injury update, the guys are working to get themselves healthy right now (and) everybody is in the process. Josh (Simmons) is getting a second evaluation on his wrist, and we’ll just see what goes from there and then other guys the Trey’s (Smith) and JT (Jawaan Taylor), all those guys are improving as we go forward here. We’ll see how they do here the next couple of days. As far as the game goes, the obvious is the penalty situation we have got to make sure we take care of business with the penalties. Keep working on the fundamentals and techniques. I’m not telling you I agree with all of them or half of them, but I will tell you that they took place. So, we’re not going to use that as any kind of an excuse, we’re going to work on getting better at what we do and what we can control then we will take it from there. I thought the effort was good. I thought the guys that stepped in did a nice job on the offensive line. We had a couple – three guys that had played in there that hadn’t played in there but had the opportunities to play where they started or a couple of them had to come into the game. Listen, they’ve all played in games, and they’ve all started games so we have trust in them that if called on here, they will be ready to go. Still with all of this I’d hope people are and media included I get it but we’re still in the mix here, which is a great thing. Once the guys get back here, they will be ready to go, and we will head through the practices coming up and get ourselves ready to play a good Texans team. They’re good and are one of the top defenses in the National Football League – top third down defense in the National Football League and they have a great defensive front and so on. Again, we get ourselves ready to play and that’s our primary focus. We are fortunate to play here at home at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium with our fans, and we know, we tighten up a couple of things here, we’re right there to put a push on here these last few games. With that time’s yours.”
Q: On Wanya Morris’ abilities and potential on starting due to injuries.
REID: “Yeah, Wanya (Morris) went in and had a chance to play in the game. I thought after the first couple of plays he really settled in and did a nice job there. But yes, he would be one of the potential guys in there.”
Q: Do you feel like the offense and defense are close?
REID: “Yeah, Pete (Sweeney) you’re one or two plays away. That’s what this game is. Look at our season, we’re one or two plays off, and we’ve got to take care of that, whether it’s a penalty at a crucial time, possible turnover somewhere or having a chance to create a turnover. We’re right in position where if we can figure out those two/three plays you flip this around. We’re talking three-point games – one score games here is what we’re dealing with. But you’ve got to do that, and you’ve got to figure that out and that’s our challenge. As coaches, we have got to make sure we’re putting the guys in the right position and mentally prepared to play four quarters and have a positive attitude. You’re not going to hear a lot of positive from the outside coming in. So, you have to make sure you understand where you really sit and the opportunities that you have sitting in front of you. I know our fans understand that and you guys (media) understand, you’re here. But there are still opportunities.”
Q: Do you feel like you guys are fixing the same problems every week, or do they change week-to-week?
REID: “You got to take care of the holding calls on the offense. We have got to make sure we take care of that part. Then on the defensive side, we have opportunities there, whether it’s third down to get off the field, you have got to get off the field. Those are some things we can work through – guys are pushing through some things. George (Karlaftis) is out there busting his tail and now he’s got the bad hand, and he’s trying to work through that and get that taken care of. A fumble that might be right there, we’ll make sure you’re following the play (and) get on the play or an interception that goes through your hands make sure we squeeze the ball. Those are things we can take care of. Those are things that we control and we take care of. I think we can pinpoint the things that are going on and work on them and fix them.”
Q: On drops this season.
REID: “We had the one at the end – there was one at the end and Rashee (Rice) normally doesn’t drop a football so that’s not his deal. The (Travis) Kelce one, there was a penalty on the play so that negated that whole thing. You talk about either one of those two (Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce) and they’ve made the great plays too. I don’t look at that as something that’s hindering us. We’ve got to take care of the penalty part of it I think Soren (Petro) as we go forward here. Get that taken care of and these things are happening at crucial times and take you out of a flow. It might be a time that you’re 1st-and-15, 1st-and-20 (or) 2nd-and-20. It takes you out of your run game stuff – the flow of that potentially or whatever you have going at that time that is sending you forward now you’re going backwards. Then likewise you’re using good plays so you’re using up plays when you do these things and that’s not a healthy thing to do.”
Q: On the routes of the wide receivers and their connection with Patrick Mahomes.
REID: “Yeah, they’re (wide receivers) doing okay. I was proud of one (Xavier Worthy) and four (Rashee Rice), they both pushed through some nagging things there with the ankle and the hamstring to get themselves out there and actually get out and play. They had some good plays and big plays for us. For the most part yeah they’re on the same page with the quarterback (Patrick Mahomes).”
Q: “On this year’s point margin and being 6-6.
REID: “We do have stats, but you need points. You need to make sure you take care of business when you’re in the red zone, if you need to score 35 you score 35 (and) if you need to score 20 you need to make sure that you have more points than they have. That’s all three phases it includes everybody we pick up Jesse (Newell) – you pick up and you saw it in this last game, you pick up a play here or there and that’s the difference in the game and that’s where we’re at right now. We’ve got to flip that around (and) to do that you’ve got to take care of some of these issues and then it’s a different ball game. But you have to do it. I can stand here and talk about it, but you have got to go do it.”
Q: Do you and Mike Frazier still talk on 4th down decisions during games?
REID: “Yes, he (Statistical Analysis Coordinator Mike Frazier) and I will talk during or before those take place. Even before the game we go through all of that during the week. Frazier and I have a meeting – a long meeting on Fridays where he and I go through situation stuff and where we need to go with it.”
Q: On the officiating this season.
REID: “From a team standpoint I just say, we’re going to keep working on fundamentals and make sure we’re staying sound on those. As far as the league goes, they give you an opportunity to express yourself. That’s what we do and then right or wrong you hope either we can learn from it, or they can learn from it and see where we’re at. So, we can continue to coach the guys in the right direction.”
Q: Have you felt like you can understand the flow of the league officiating throughout this season?
REID: “You’re never going to agree with everything. You’re not going to do that, so you try to express yourself and then you move on. There’s nothing you can do. There’s never been a call of me griping that gets changed but you just hope that between the two parties you can come together and figure out what it is and from a coaching standpoint, what I can tell my guys and two, maybe it can help an official. That’s what I’ve found over the years that’s probably the best way and the only way to get it done.”
Q: How does the team rank in the Top 10 in various stats but are still 6-6?
REID: “Yeah Matt (Derrick) I’m telling you it’s a few plays there. That’s what it is. Penalties are killers and you want to create turnovers on the defensive side and when you have opportunities to do that, you have got to capitalize on them. Third downs become important (on) both sides of the ball (and) how you handle those. So, what can we do better with the rush, we can get a little bit more rush on the defensive side (and) on the offensive side we can continue to work on our protection and scheme there. You can’t allow quarterbacks at this level to stand back there and throw the ball with just comfortable feet I think we know that. So, you have got to make sure that you have pressure on those guys (and) when that takes place you have got to make sure your coverage is tight. That’s what you work on, and you go through that and work on trying to get better. You see teams two weeks ago, you look at the Dallas Cowboys and you’re kind of like ‘eh they’re playing okay’ (and) two weeks later they’re playing good football. Things change quickly in this league one way or the other, so you have got to keep going forward and try to limit some of the things that are taking you backwards and do it with a positive attitude. That’s the only way to go.”
Q: What is your level of confidence in winning the next five games?
REID: “I believe that – I believe if you’re coming to me on this Matt (Derrick) I’m telling you we’re going to go after you every game. That’s how we roll. We’re going to try and tickle your tonsils on every play (and) every game. That’s the attitude that we’re coming in with and you let the chips fall where they may. But at the same time, you have got to make sure you take care of the small things here that we’ve got rolling. We have got to make sure we get rid of some of these mistakes, but there’s not a game that I go into that I don’t think we’re going to get after you.”
Q: What are the challenges your staff is dealing with this year versus past years?
REID: “Every season is different. This is a sport of challenges, that’s what it is. Microcosm of life as you look at it, I mean there are always challenges. To win a game in the National Football League there is such a small margin between winning and losing that every week is a challenge, a major challenge. That’s the way you have to approach it. Then you have to be ready for it as players and coaches. You have got to be ready for that and when given opportunities, you have to take advantage of opportunities.”