KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ Head Coach Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Frank Clark, and Jeff Allen spoke with the media Tuesday. From The Kansas City Chiefs Facebook page:
Following is a transcript of the news conference.
Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
OPENING STATEMENT: “A couple of injuries here. We put Marcus Kemp on IR with his ACL. (Breeland) Speaks is still being evaluated with his knee. (Deon) Yelder has an ankle sprain. (Gehrig) Dieter, (Michael) Hunter and (John) Lovett, nothing has changed. They are making progress, but they didn’t practice today. Tyrann Mathieu, he practiced partially today, so he’s doing OK. We made some changes. (Davon) Grayson and (Abdul) Beecham were released. I appreciate all that they did during camp for us. DAT (De’Anthony Thomas) is back, Jeff Allen is back. (Jalen) Tolliver has joined us as a wide receiver. You saw DAT, he was out stretching with the team. We just made that transaction. It all cleared, and he came out here and got busy in practice. Tyreek (Hill), for personal reasons, is not here, which I think you all know about that. Anyways, with that, time’s yours.”
Q: With De’Anthony Thomas and Jeff Allen returning to the team, what does that mean to have guys with past Chiefs experience rejoin the team?
REID: “There’s that senior leadership that has been through it before. They know the offense. Jeff was here in my first year. DAT then came just a little bit after that. It’s good to have them back out here. They’re out here competing and working to make the football team. That’s what they’re doing.”
Q: Are you surprised with how Thomas jumped right back in with the offense in his first practice back?
REID: “He’s been working out, doing track workouts. He’s in pretty good shape right now. Leg looks good. That was a concern, but he’s done well with it.”
Q: Why was now the time to bring Thomas back to the team?
REID: “It was just with the way the numbers worked and everything. We’ve stayed in touch with him, made sure he was good and healthy enough to bring him back. That leg was obviously a concern, but they did the check-up on him and he’s doing great with it.”
Q: Thomas got some work with the one offense, has he missed a whole lot while not being here?
REID: “He just jumped right in. He was ready to go. He knows all of the plays. He’s a smart kid, knows all of the plays, did a good job.”
Q: What is the benefit you see in playing first-team players maybe a little bit more than most other NFL teams in the third preseason game?
REID: “I’m going to tell you that I’ve kind of stayed on the same schedule that I’ve been on. I always fluctuate it just a little bit. It’s normal that I give guys the same time and I evaluate off of what I see. I try to go off of experience. You saw that Pittsburgh did it last week, the same thing. They were playing their guys and gave them an opportunity to get in there and roll a little bit. It just gets them in the flow. You’ve got the one’s against the one’s and they kind of know what they’re doing. They get good work in. You need that, you just need to kick it up a notch. It’s not as fast as what you’re getting in the regular season, but you’re cranking it up and it’s the next step. I’ve had success with it, therefore I’ve been doing it.”
Q: Is it more important for the first-team defense to get more reps than the first team offense, just because everything is so new?
REID: “I think everybody needs to get in, special teams included. We need work on offense and we need work on defense. I thought the defense was actually a bright spot the last game. We need some work on the offense. That’s why we do it though.”
Q: It seemed like Cam Erving worked mostly on the interior of the offensive line today. What led you to make that decision?
REID: “He and Andrew (Wylie), they’ve been interchangeable, but neither one of them have gotten a lot of reps at other spots. We said, ‘alright, let’s just let them get in there and work it.’ Cam got work with the one’s at the left guard spot and Andrew took the left tackle/right tackle stuff with the other group and kind of rotated in, too. He got a lot of good reps in. We’ve always done that here. We try to keep the guys flexible. That’s one thing with Jeff Allen. Jeff Allen could play all three positions. There’s some value there.”
Q: Could we see guys playing different positions across the offensive line at all in these final two preseason games?
REID: “We’ve tried to do that. We always tell them that we’re going to play the best guys, so let’s give them a shot and see what we got.”
Q: Are you expecting Tyreek Hill to be back at practice tomorrow?
REID: “Yes.”
Q: Is it a similar situation with Tremon Smith, having him move out to WR to see what he can do?
REID: “Yeah. We told him when we moved him to running back, we wanted a guy that could kind of swing in between the two. (Wide Receivers Coach) Greg (Lewis) actually wanted to get him over there earlier because he runs, he’s a good athlete. It was good to get him a little bit of work in there and learn that part. That kind of player in this offense ends up being invaluable. If you can do both, it’s a valuable position.”
Q: NFL Films is premiering the documentary, “A Lifetime of Sundays,” this weekend. What are your thoughts on the project?
REID: “I got a taste of it at the Owners Meeting. Unbelievable. Everybody was in tears. It was crazy. Those stories … you have to see it. It’s just one of those, “you have to see it,” deals. It was phenomenal. It captured the whole audience. Jane Goodell was the moderator. She did a great job with it. And then the ladies, they just were able to express themselves. The history is phenomenal. Some of those stories are just unbelievable.”
Q: Do you foresee Morris Claiborne getting some work in this week’s preseason game?
REID: “We’ll see on that. We haven’t even got there yet. I’m not that far along in this. We’re kind of getting through all of this and then we’ll see.”
Q: How do you feel about where your team is right now?
REID: “I love the attitude and the work that they’re putting in. I appreciate that. We still have a ways to go. We have to keep working, but we’re doing some good things and we have to keep building. It’s early yet. You have to keep your foot on the gas. You have to blank everything out. You have to put everything aside that you hear and go play. This group has been doing that so far and I appreciate that part.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: When did you know De’Anthony Thomas was going to be on the team and how did that work out?
MAHOMES: “They let me know before he got out there that he was going to be out there today. That’s a fun guy, he goes out there and works hard and he’s going to go out there and he’ll be someone we utilize hopefully this season.”
Q: How did he fit it? Did he miss anything being gone?
MAHOMES: “There’s definitely going to be stuff that’s different from last year that he has to learn but the good thing about him being here all last year, he was able to see a lot of the base stuff. So, when we went back to those basic plays and ran those plays, he was able to get in there and get some work in.”
Q: This will probably be your last game until Jacksonville, what do you need to accomplish to be ready?
MAHOMES: “I think just being a little bit more successful as an offense this next week and that’s not necessarily scoring points, but just moving the ball and not making as many mistakes as a whole. I feel like last week, we were off here and there on certain plays and when you aren’t in that perfect sync, it makes you pay in the game.”
Q: Why do you think you guys were off sync in the game?
MAHOMES: “I don’t know exactly. It would be one play where a quarterback would think a receiver is doing one thing and they do the other. Then it would be another play where the offensive line was thinking the protection was going a certain way. It was kind of a mixture of everything. That’s what the preseason is for, fixing those things and getting them ready for the season.”
Q: Do you think you’re getting enough reps in the preseason?
MAHOMES: “I think so for sure. We’ve been right on plan on what we’re trying to do. We’ll be able to go out there and play and we’ve moved the ball and then we’ve had drives where we don’t move the ball. It’s about going out there and figuring it out on the fly and being able to have that game-like experience and I feel like we’ve gotten that so far and we will get more this week.”
Q: Can you contrast where you are mentally to where you were a year ago?
MAHOMES: “It’s definitely different just knowing that last year it was so new to me. Every single experience, every single thing we did was new to me. Now, I have a plan of what I’m trying to do, what I’m trying to go out there and be efficient and don’t try do to too much, and just be who I am. It’s definitely something I’ve taken strides with a year under my belt.”
Q: How do you fight complacency with being the MVP and people calling you the best quarterback in the league?
MAHOMES: “I mean until you win that Super Bowl, I don’t think you can be complacent with anything. Being that close last year, you want to find a way to win it and until you’re able to do that and do it multiple times, you’re never going to get complacent with where you’re at.”
Q: What was it like for you to have Jeff Allen back?
MAHOMES: “It was awesome. He’s a great guy, a veteran guy. He understands the offense. Someone you can trust in there. It’s good to have him back and you know he’s going to get after it. He’s a lot of fun in the locker room as well.”
Q: Can you speak on how Tremon Smith’s transition is going?
MAHOMES: “He’s coming in. You can see all the talent in the world and then he’s just learning the offense. It’s his first year in this offense and he got a little bit of a late start but he’s picking it up fast and doing what we’re telling him to do. He’s going to keep working hard and he’s going to keep picking up the offense as we go.”
Q: This time of year, how much do you watch other preseason games or film of other teams you will face this year?
MAHOMES: “Definitely. Just like last night, watching that San Fran game and the Broncos. You’re getting to see those guys and see them on the big stage and see who’s making the big plays and who is doing what. So, you always watch those games, especially when they’re on TV. When you’re at the house with the playbook, you’re usually watching football so it’s good to be able to see games like that and stay in tune with football and everything going on.”
DE FRANK CLARK
Q: How did it feel getting out there last weekend in the Chiefs uniform playing against Pittsburgh?
CLARK: “It felt good. There was a lot of anticipation to get out there and play with my guys. I have been practicing with them since last spring and all summer, then to finally get out there and enjoy myself with my teammates in my natural football habitat is amazing.”
Q: At this point, how comfortable do you and everyone else feel toward this scheme change? How are you adapting to it?
CLARK: “I feel like everyone is adjusting well. Coach (Steve) Spagnuolo has done a great job being patient with us, and we’ve got to be patient with him as well. With a new system when you see teams come in with it their first year, they come out and have bad seasons. One thing that Coach Spags continuously preaches to us is that we want to be the opposite of that. He wants us to come in all season and grab this new concept, the new defense, and take it all by storm. I feel like the guys have done an excellent job at doing that in the back end and front end.”
Q: You mentioned earlier this offseason about working with Alex (Okafor). We saw a glimpse of that this past weekend with you pressuring the quarterback in his direction. Was that encouraging and how has it been working with Alex?
CLARK: “It has been dope. I call him AO, short for Alex Okafor. He’s a great player. He did great things out there for the Saints, but most recently having the opportunity to work with him he had that great sack and the opportunity to be in that offensive lineman’s hands. I look forward to him doing it 10 plus more times this season. It is going to be exciting all around, not just for AO, but for some of our younger guys who are just developing, guys like TK (Tanoh Kpassagnon) and Breeland Speaks. You’ve got a lot of guys, especially on our defensive line that have come a long way. Just myself watching them come into the league as younger players to this year, there are a lot of players coming along and I am proud of them.”
Q: You’ve mentioned Spags (Steve Spagnuolo) a couple times. Has he tasked you with being that locker room message guy as far as making sure the players are sticking to what he is preaching to?
CLARK: “At the end of the day there is not a specific person who has that task as I feel everybody has that task. I look at my rookies like ‘Tell me, talk to me. Tell me if you see me and see something that I can be doing better. Don’t be scared. Don’t look at me like this vet that gets paid or whatever. Communicate with me so that I can fine-tune my game as well.’ I feel like that is the message around our locker room right now. We don’t need our coaches telling us what to do; we shouldn’t at this point. We are coming up on our third preseason game. We had all camp to do that in the spring and in the summer. It is time to fine tune that so we can be ready for the season.”
G JEFF ALLEN
Q: How does it feel to be back here with the Chiefs?
ALLEN: “It feels awesome. It feels like I never left, to be honest.”
Q: What made now the time to come back?
ALLEN: “It’s just a good time in my life. Between me and my family, we felt like this is the opportunity where I get a chance to win a Super Bowl with a great organization, with great people. People that we love and like. Good teammates. Good coaches, the front office, everything.”
Q: What have you been doing the last couple of weeks?
ALLEN: “I’ve been training with my trainer back in Dallas, Duke Manyweather, and making cookies.”
Q: Have they said whether or not you’ll be getting reps Saturday?
ALLEN: “I don’t know the plan. I’m just here to do my job.”
Q: Can you tell us about your wife’s business making cookies?
ALLEN: “My wife started a cookie business last year called The Cookie Society. I’ve been helping her this offseason, getting in the kitchen baking, scooping dough. All those types of things.”
Q: Is it tempting to not have too many of those when you’re still training?
ALLEN: “To be honest, when you’re making that many, you don’t want any.”