KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Matt Moore fielded media questions Wednesday.

OPENING STATEMENT: “As far as the injuries go, the guys that won’t practice today are Fish (Eric Fisher) and Alex Okafor. Everybody else will go. They’re making progress. As far as Patrick (Mahomes) goes, Patrick is going to practice today. I can’t give you an answer on how much, we’re going to see how he does and then I think it is going to be day-to-day. We have to see how he handles it. He didn’t take a ton of reps last week. We’ll try to increase them here a little bit and see how it works out. We’ll keep you abreast as it goes, but for right now, that’s where we’re at with it. We look forward to playing Tennessee and with the challenge of playing them. They’re a good football team. They’ve been banged up a little bit but are probably getting their guys back. They’ve done a nice job. I think (Titans Head Coach) Mike Vrabel is a heck of a football coach and I think he does a nice job with that group. They’re tough – I mean really tough, on both sides of the ball. We have to prepare ourselves for a physical football game. This is a team that is well-coached. We’re going to do that starting today. Time’s yours.”

Q: With Patrick, is it fair to say that you’re going to push him a little bit more and stress his knee out to see where he is this week?

REID: “We’re going to see with a little bit more. Just see how he works and how he handles it, and then we’ll go from there. (Vice President of Sports Medicine & Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and his crew have done a good job of monitoring it. Patrick has been honest with them and shot them straight. He obviously wants to play. That’s him. He has wanted to do that since 20 minutes after it happened. But we just want to see, not only today when he works, but how he wakes up with it in the morning. I just think it’s day-to-day. We’ll get both guys ready to go, like we did last week, and we’ll take it from there and see how it all works.”

Q: What have Burkholder and his staff told you in regard to what they need to see out of Mahomes this week to determine if he is good to play?

REID: “And the doctors, they’re involved. We have had experts look at it. We are not the experts. I am not the expert, for sure. Now, it’s a matter of just going through and doing it. It’s been increases in work levels and seeing how he handles it, and that’s where we’re at. We’ll monitor it, Rick will, and we’ll just see how he does. There’s no answer right now for it. That’s what’s real, and we’ll go with it.”

Q: Chad Henne is also now on the active roster. Just to confirm, it will be Matt Moore at QB if Mahomes cannot play, is that fair to say?

REID: “Yeah, it’ll be Matt. Yes. Henne is available, too. We have a good situation there because I have a lot of trust in Henne, likewise. That’s a good situation.”

Q: In regard to the potential of the knee not being re-injured, how important is the three-week mark, in terms of Patrick’s injury? 

REID: “I don’t know who puts all of the times on it. But you just keep checking it and re-checking it and talking with the kid. There is a whole communication process that goes on with it. Everybody heals differently. We’re not going to put him out there unless he is safe to do it. But he has to go through this work level and keep increasing it and see how he does. That’s where we’re at.”

Q: How much different do you feel about Matt, in terms of how he has played the last couple of weeks?

REID: “I think he has done a nice job. I know that he is tougher than shoe leather. He has battled back. Sore, but he is tough. He keeps firing. He does it on time. He trusts his guys. My hat goes off to him. Just like you guys feel, I feel the same way. To come from where he was to what he is doing now is a tribute to the kid. Listen, (Quarterbacks Coach) Mike Kafka has spent a lot of time with him. E.B. (Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy) has spent a lot of time with him. Those guys have worked to teach him. It’s a tribute to those guys, too.”

Q: When you bring a guy in that hasn’t played in a year and a half, what is it that you felt you knew about him that made you think that you could just scrape the rust off?

REID: “He was coaching, so he was throwing with his guys and doing that. He wasn’t out of shape. He kept himself in shape, as much shape as you can keep yourself in without playing in the NFL. He was in decent shape there. You knew this, but it came down to those two, both he and Chad. We brought one guy in, we went with Chad, and then Matt was still out there and available. So, we went right to him when Chad got hurt.”

Q: Will you stick with three quarterbacks on the roster for the rest of the way?

REID: “I don’t know that. (General Manager) Brett (Veach) does all of that. You get so caught up in just getting ready. We’re playing a good team, so that’s where our focus is right now. Whoever is going is going, and we’ll roll with it. Brett does a good job. I have full trust in him to do all of that other stuff.”

Q: Frank Clark has now missed two straight games. How much do you anticipate him being able to do this week in practice?

REID: “He is getting better. We’ll see. He is another one that will do some stuff. We’ll just see. Larry (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) will do some stuff and we’ll see how he does. They are not season-ending injuries, but you have to see where they’re at. We’ll just see how it rolls.”

Q: With Eric Fisher and Kendall Fuller’s injuries, are they in the same spot?

REID: “Fuller has been going. He just has that thing on his hand, so it’s tough for him to catch with that. He’s getting better. It’s healing and he is getting better. He’s been out working, though. He’s been doing that. I think I said that Fish is not practicing today.”

Q: Fisher came back and practiced a couple of weeks ago, but then you sat him back down. Was there a setback?

REID: “It just bothered him. The doctor recommended that you just rest him here for a bit. That happens with that injury. It’s not unusual. He’ll get back. Again, it’s not a season-ending thing. He’s just working.”

Q: Vrabel mentioned that you have told him that he could call you at any time. Why has he been someone that you admire?

REID: “I think he does it the right way. He’s a relentless worker. You saw that as a player. You guys had him here, right? You’ve talked to him before and know the person. Tough kid. He was that way as a player. He is that way as a coach. Smart. Whatever is best for the league, you do. We’re lucky to be in this business. As long as it’s a good person that’s out there, I’m willing to help.”

Q: I know that you don’t have a ton of healthy defensive ends, but could you see Chris Jones moving around and playing on the perimeter moving forward, even when you get Frank Clark and some other guys back?

REID: “Yeah. I think being able to do all of that is good. I think it gives you flexibility within the scheme. You see it on offense probably more than you do on defense. But, Spags (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) has always done that. He has moved guys around. He took his two All-Pro defensive ends, one year when we played him in Philadelphia when he was at the Giants, and moved them inside of his inside players. That was effective for him that game. He has that kind of flexibility in his mind and in his scheme. He tries to maintain that flexibility there.”

Q: Is that something that comes easier as the guys get to know the defense?

REID: “Yeah. It is.”

Q: Has that timeline, over the last three games, really showed that the defense is coming along?

REID: “Yeah, I’ll tell you probably the same thing that I told Ed (Werder), I’m not a big timeline guy. Everything is different. This is a fluid business. These are different humans than he has coached before, different players. So, you don’t know how people adapt to whatever you teach them. You just kind of get in and you go. If you have a history, well then you could say that it’s taken an average of teams doing it for this long, but I think everybody is different and every situation is different. It’s good to see them getting better though. They’re getting better and making progress. We’ve got plenty of room to grow in really all three phases. We have to keep buckling down, practicing hard and playing hard. That’s where we’re at right now.”

Q: With a bye week late in the season, how important is this stretch in trying to decide when to push the players and when to kind of back off, knowing that in a couple of weeks they’re going to get that break?

REID: “That’s part of the head coach’s job, to evaluate it. Then, you better have good communication with the people around you. You try to do the best you can with that. My eyes are open to that. I try to look at that. I’m conscious of it.”

 

Chiefs QB Matt Moore

Q: What do you think has allowed Andy Reid to have success with players other than his starters?

MOORE: “I think he just puts together a really good game plan and everyone understands their job. They execute at a high level and there’s a lot of conversation during the week between him and the quarterback on what he’s thinking. I just think whoever is back there has a really good idea of what coach wants. There’s no questions. You go in feeling really good and I think that’s a big part of it.”

Q: Where exactly were you when you got the call that the Chiefs were interested in you?

MOORE: “I just got a phone call. Out of the blue, I got a phone call. I went about it quickly and made a decision. There was no plan. We weren’t doing anything to find a job, if you will, it just kind of happened.”

Q: Who called?

MOORE: “(Brett) Veach called first and then Coach Reid.”

Q: Because not having OTAs or training camp, what have you learned from your past experiences on how to take care of your body to be in the best shape in the middle of the season?

MOORE: “Obviously you do a lot of training in OTAs and training camp, which I didn’t have, so I think instantly when I got here I got in that mode a little bit. Especially when you start playing the recovery is crucial. That’s been big. Trying to feel as good as you can every day. It’s an everyday thing and the people we have here do a really good job of making sure you are in the shape you need to be in and feel the best you can.”

Q: Is there one trick you can take from Carolina or Miami that you can apply here, given the circumstances?

MOORE: “I don’t know. In season it’s a different beast. I think you just go out and practice hard. That’s probably going to be the best thing for you. Practice as game-like as you can. There’s no secret other than doing what you can to feel your best.”

Q: Have they talked at all about what will happen when Patrick does come back?

MOORE: “No. We are in the same pattern we have been in the past couple weeks. We are day to day and moving forward similar to last week. Practice wise, you know, take advantage of the reps you get and just go that way.”

Q: Have you ever played with a receiver in your career who has the combination of skills that Tyreek Hill does?

MOORE: “Man, he’s a unique guy. There’s not many guys out there like him. I’ve played with some good ones, but he’s different. To have him and know he can track down any ball and use his speed and his talents to get open the way he does, it’s a nice feeling knowing you got him out there.”

Q: On the third and four that set up the game winning field goal, can you take us through any adjustments that were made at the line?

MOORE: “Not many. We had a really good play call on. If anything, Tyreek just sped up his route a little bit. He was aware it was a blitz, he was aware. He kind of just quickened it up. He was a good target and we hit him and he did the rest. Nothing special, just good execution there.”

Q: How much of that comes from you just knowing him?

MOORE: “It’s nice. Early on you get to watch and you try to pick up as much as you can about these guys and their style of play and how they play. So, I had that benefit from just watching him for a little bit and then obviously being with him from the past couple of weeks. You get to know quickly because it can benefit you as a quarterback. I had anticipated that he was going to recognize that and quicken up and that’s exactly what he did. It was a big play for us.”

Q: Were you impressed that you were able to address some of the things you noticed you did in your first week?

MOORE: “Yeah, there were some things that we corrected and then you go back and watch and now there’s a handful of things you can correct again. It’s a never-ending battle that way. You’re striving to get better every day. We cleaned up some things and obviously every game poses new issues, challenges and things to correct. Again, every day we’re adjusting and adapting trying to get better.”

Q: In the last two games, has there been anything that Patrick has told you that you have been able to go out and do?

MOORE: “I wish I had a great story for you. It’s all just little things and tidbits. Maybe formation and coverage. Maybe a way a DB is playing, things like that. Right now in this moment, nothing stands out to me. He’s definitely, definitely been a help for sure.”

Q: As you stand here now do you know what your practice is going to be like or how many reps you will be getting today?

MOORE: “I don’t. No, I’m going to go out and practice and prepare with whatever comes my way. I think that’s the approach I’ve taken for a while now and the approach I’ll continue to take.”

Q: How is Patrick Mahomes as a teammate?

MOORE: “Phenomenal. For a young guy that hasn’t been around, it’s off the charts. His relationships with all the guys is impressive. The way he communicates, the respect he shows for everybody. It’s what you want really. It’s impressive to see.”

Q: Can you sum up your last few weeks here and what it may mean for you going forward?

MOORE: “Who knows. It’s been a wild couple of weeks. It’s been fun. I’ve learned a lot. So, what it means moving forward is that I have to be ready to go at all times and who knows what the future holds. in this league, you never know. I’m trying to be the best I can be every day and that is all.”

—CHIEFS—