HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, as far as the injuries go, the guys that won’t practice today are (Chamarri) Conner and (D.J.) Humphries. We’ll see how Pat (Patrick Mahomes) does out there. He’s going to go through some stuff and we’ll see how that works out for him. If he can’t work, then Carson (Wentz) will take those reps that Pat doesn’t. We have full confidence in Carson if he has to step in and play then I think everybody, coaches and players, have full confidence that he can go in and do a nice job. (We) look forward to the challenge of playing the Texans, we know they’re a heck of a football team. (They’re) working on that whole playoff thing and (Texans Head Coach) DeMeco’s (Ryans) done a nice job with that team, along with his coordinators. They likewise have put together a real strong offense and defense (and their) special teams is one of the top in the league. (They’re) a very well-rounded football team. Anyways, with that, the time’s yours.”
Q: Do you have a rule about how much a player has to practice to be able to play?
REID: “I think this one’s a little bit more day-to-day. Let’s just see what he (Patrick Mahomes) does, how he does – (how he) feels. He’s always honest with me so he’s going to shoot me straight on it and I’ll be able to see him. Today’s a lighter day so we can get him in there and moving around a little bit.”
Q: How do you break down the conversation with Patrick Mahomes to figure out where he is injury-wise?
REID: “He’ll (Patrick Mahomes) talk to me (and) the doctors will talk to me – trainers –keep it open. Once you’re out of the game, he’ll shoot you pretty straight there. It’s during the game his juices are going.”
Q: How much does the fact that you’re playing three games in 11 days factor in the decision to play Patrick Mahomes?
REID: “Listen, if he (Patrick Mahomes) can go, he’ll go. If he can’t, then he can’t. Let’s keep it that simple. That’s how we’ll roll with it. Then, I’ll just take it day-by-day and see how he does here.”
Q: Is there a chance that Patrick Mahomes can go?
REID: “Yeah, there’s a chance. Yeah, we’ll see.”
Q: Does the fact that you need two wins to secure the number one seed factor into the decision to play Patrick Mahomes?
REID: “No, not necessarily. I mean, the games count. It’s a game in the NFL and it counts and if your guys can play, they play. As long it’s medically (cleared) – if they’re fine, they go.”
Q: What have you learned about Carson Wentz since he’s been here? What do you like about him?
REID: “I mean, he’s (Carson Wentz) started in the league and been successful. He’s got a great feel for this offense, (he’s) very smart, (has a) big arm. I mean, I like the way he carries himself – I like everything about him. He should be starting in this league somewhere. He’s a heck of a player.”
Q: What’s the plan for Hollywood Brown and Steven Nelson this week?
REID: “So again, just seeing them (and) how they’re doing every day here. Stevie (Steven Nelson) will probably need a little bit more time than maybe what Hollywood (Brown) will need but let’s take it day-by-day with those guys and see where this thing goes. We released (former RB) Clyde (Edwards-Helaire), so we have a spot available. We’ve got these injuries that we’re juggling here so we’ve got to see how that goes before we move somebody up or down or whatever (General Manager Brett) Veach wants to do with that thing. We sure appreciate Clyde, too, for all he did here. (I’d) love to get him back sometime, too. What a great kid he is.”
Q: How did Hollywood Brown come out of practice last week?
REID: “He (Hollywood Brown) felt good. I mean, he felt good, moved around well, took quite a few reps. It wasn’t a leg injury, so he’s been working his legs. He’s one of those real good endurance guys anyways but he’s been working his legs throughout here. It’s just a matter of this whole thing and how it feels when he’s going. The doctors have really said it’s healed up nice and looks good, so we’ll just see. I’m going to do just like you are, play it by ear and see how we do here. If he can go, he’ll play. If he can’t then he won’t.”
Q: Patrick Mahomes has been through multiple ankle injuries. Is there any experience that you can use from previous games that can help with the gameplan if his mobility is limited?
REID: “You don’t want it so limited that he (Patrick Mahomes) can’t get out of the way of things. He knows – he’s had enough of these where he knows kind of where he’s at and he’s able to communicate that. I listen to it and our docs check him – (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) – he was living with Rick and his crew yesterday and he’ll do the same today. That’s how he rolls. He likes to play. We’ll – he’s honest with it, too.”
Q: How do you feel Joe Thuney did at left tackle? If D.J. Humphries can’t play, will you go with Joe at left tackle again?
REID: “Yeah, I’m weighing that, but I thought he (Joe Thuney) did a nice job to answer your question – your original question there. The guy (Browns DE Myles Garrett) he was going against is one of the best in the league and he held his own. He had a few where he got caught off balance, but I thought he battled his tail off and – for really just throwing him out there, did a nice job. When you think about this now, he’s played every position and done well. (He’s a) pretty amazing guy that way.”
Q: Does it put more stress on you and Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy to maybe have two gameplans?
REID: “I’ll tell you one of the things is those two guys (Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz) are very similar in what they like – which helps – that helps. So, you can feed them both kind of the same thing and they’re good with it. No, there’s no more stress than you normally have. It’s not a stressful deal and I’m not trying to meet deadlines.”
Q: With your offensive experience, how do you try to help a quarterback like Carson Wentz who has had success and now has reset their career as a backup?
REID: “I love the way he (Carson Wentz) goes about his business. When you listen to Pat (Patrick Mahomes) and you go, ‘Why isn’t this guy starting somewhere?’ That’s the conversations you hear with guys that are in that room and coaches and players. So, I’m hoping that – yeah, he gets to keep going – selfishly, I’d like to keep him here in his position but I kind of know what’s going on out there with quarterbacks and this guy is, I think, really good.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
December 17, 2024
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: How has the ankle responded over the past couple of days?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s done good with the treatment and the work that we’ve gotten in. Obviously, it’s a short amount of time, but I thought we had a good day yesterday and we had good work after the game as well.”
Q: Are you going to try to push to play on Saturday?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think that you have to. That’s the reason you play this game is to push to play, so I’ll get the work in practice and try to push it to see where I can get to. At the end of the day, I’m not going to put our team in a bad position, so if I feel like I can play and go out there and win a football game, I’ll play. If I don’t feel like that’s the best-case scenario, I’ll let guys like Carson (Wentz) play. I mean, he’s a guy that’s won in this league as well. It’s just about pushing it this week, seeing where I’m at and making the best decision then.”
Q: Do you feel pretty confident that you can be honest with yourself about where you’re at with the injury?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, for sure. Obviously, we’ve put ourselves in a good position to where – I guess I wouldn’t say it was dire that I play. I mean, it’s something where it’s not like in the AFC Championship game where we’re playing to get to the Super Bowl. We have a little bit of room to kind of spare, but at the end of the day, we’re trying to win. We’re trying to win the football game and I’m a competitor. I want to go out there and play. I’ll push myself to get to the best place possible over these next few days and we’ll be able to make a decision then.”
Q: How similar is this to the injury you had in Jacksonville?
MAHOMES: “(The) Jacksonville (injury) was worse, I would say. That one was pretty significant. I mean, this one didn’t feel good by any means, but the Jacksonville one – just the way I got caught, I didn’t really get the – this last time I kind of got my feet out at the very end, whereas that Jacksonville one, I didn’t really get to. Obviously, it’s responded better, quicker. I think that’d be the best thing to say, but I want to be in better spot than I was in that next game going up against the Bengals so I’ll try to see if I can get there.”
Q: What types of things do you need to feel to say you’re good to go?
MAHOMES: “I want to be able to move, I want to be able to get out of the way. I mean, this is a good pass rush, a good defense, they’ll (the Texans) fly around. You don’t want to go out there and put yourself in harm’s way. Obviously, it’s football (and) you’re going to take hits but you want to be able to protect yourself so that’ll be where I’m at and I don’t want to limit the game plan. I think that’s another thing for me is I want to be able to still be able to move around the pocket so we’re not just sitting in one spot the whole entire game and letting their D-line really get after it. It’s about me finding that balance and seeing where I’m at and like I said, I won’t be able to – won’t know until kind of closer to the end of this week.”
Q: Do you expect to go into Friday or even Saturday morning before deciding if you’ll play?
MAHOMES: “We’ll push through it. (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid kind of gave me that confidence to go out there and just push it and see where I’m at, Carson (Wentz) will be ready to go as well. I mean, he prepares as good as anyone I’ve ever been around, and this guy has played a lot of games. Coach will do a great job as far as practicing and stuff like that – getting both of us ready to go, but my hope is that I am able to go out there and play, but like I said, we’ll make the best decision for that at the end of the week.”
Q: Does the fact of the Pittsburgh game being a few days after this next one hinder your thinking at all about how to approach this stretch here?
MAHOMES: “Not necessarily. If I’m ready to go, I’m ready to go. It’s not – I don’t think that game after is going to really affect it because if I’m not ready to go then I’ll have to wait and try to make it back for that one as well. Regardless of when we play that next game – I mean, these are important games and we’re trying to win to get that bye (week) and to get to that second round of (the) playoffs. We play three great football teams coming up and I want to be as healthy as I can be and ready to play.”
Q: What have you seen from Carson Wentz that gives you the confidence that you seem to have in him?
MAHOMES: “I’ve seen him (Carson Wentz) practice every single day. Even from training camp, just seeing him practice, it’s – you realize that he was going to win the MVP one year and why, (it’s) because (of) the talent that he has. He gets after it every single day and gives our – he gives our defense great looks because he’s throwing great footballs. He’s a very talented player that works extremely hard and he’ll be ready if his number is called.”
Q: Is there a primary objective to be healthy for the postseason?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, in a sense, yeah. Just like the playoffs being three weeks away, you go out there and win two games, you’re going to have a long break more than likely with that Week 18 game. Even if you’re waiting to play that game, you’re going to have another extended amount of time, so just as important as it is to get healthy, it is to get that number one seed. If you can get through these games and win these games against two great opponents, it will give you some momentum going into the playoffs and hopefully give you a little bit of break there at the end.”
Q: On taking shots downfield and being aggressive.
MAHOMES: “I mean, we took some shots during the game. I think the one that I really want to get back is the one that I threw to J-Wat (Justin Watson). I really just – I think it was a little bit of a force and if I get that shallow crosser to Xavier (Worthy), he might score. I mean, that’s how talented he is with the football. You want to be aggressive and take those shots downfield, but you want to be able to hit those and when they’re not there, get to the guys underneath and let those guys make things happen with the football. You saw Xavier on the throw I had to him on the – down the sideline where he caught it. I mean, it was a run, technically, I guess, but he caught it and went down the sideline but he’s talented enough to score on throws like that.”
Q: What’d you see from Hollywood Brown at practice and how close is he to playing?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, he (Hollywood Brown) looked great. I think (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) spoke on it a little bit, he’s – it’s not like he hurt his legs, so he got out there and he was rolling around. I think more than anything, it’s him getting back in football shape. I mean, it’s just different than training and stuff like that. Then, him being able to feel confident enough to go out there and take hits and stuff like that, which he’s been cleared to do. It’s about him getting more and more reps. You don’t want to overdo it, but you want to let him go out there when he’s ready and hopefully that’s sooner rather than later.”
Q: What went into everything yesterday that gave you a chance to practice today?
MAHOMES: “I think – well, first we did a little bit when we got back – just you get back a little bit earlier with a noon game and kind of got ourselves ready even on the plane and then when we got back. Then yesterday, I was just here pretty much all day. When you want to get out there and play and give yourself the best chance, you have to spend the time here (at the facility). Luckily, I have a great wife (Brittany Mahomes) who will take care of the kids when I’m up in the building for 12 hours or whatever it is.”
Q: Was it similar to what you went through back in 2023?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean you do similar stuff. Every injury is a little bit different, so we worked on different stuff like that. You start off with just kind of getting the treatment and getting it feeling good and then you go out there and push it a little bit and try to get that movement going as well. You don’t want it to get too stiff or anything like that and I feel like it responded really well today. We’ll push it a little bit on the practice field and the rest of the day and then see how it responds tomorrow and kind of go from there.”
Q: What can you do on the plane?
MAHOMES: “I wasn’t doing high knees or anything like that. No, it was (laughter) – we did some movement stuff, some icing, some stim and stuff like that. We kept it moving, we don’t want it to just sit there and get too stiff.”
QB CARSON WENTZ
Q: How are you preparing for the game this week?
WENTZ: “The same way I always have honestly. You know, (I) got my feet wet a little bit at the end of last game and felt good out there. Nothing is going to change this week. Obviously, Patrick’s (Mahomes) had some knicks and bruises all year and I’ve prepared like I was going to play very week. On my end, nothing’s really going to change.”
Q: In what ways did those snaps against Cleveland benefit you if you have to play on Saturday?
WENTZ: “I think just getting out there – unfortunately I had a couple false starts there so working through that. Just getting in that huddle with those guys I think was big for whatever comes our way, whether it’s this week or whatever, I’ll be ready. I think it was beneficial to get out there, glad we were able to still seal the deal and get the win and all that fun stuff. We’ll see what happens.”
Q: Ideally, how many reps do you need with the starters to feel at your best?
WENTZ: “I’ll be ready either way. There’s no magic number on it, obviously, but the more the better. At the end of the day, this is the NFL and things – especially this part of the year, practices look different already. There’s not as many reps to go around to begin with so whatever that looks like, I’ll be ready. I’m always in the back going through it mentally, walking through it, doing different things on the side, getting as ready as I can. Obviously, sometimes you just don’t get those reps, and you have to go make it happen.”
