OPENING STATEMENT:"Alright, the rest of injuries here. Donnie Avery will not practice today, is making progress with the sports hernia. Junior Hemingway has a strained hamstring, actually is doing better than what we even anticipated there, but will not practice today and then Chris Owens will not practice today. Everyone else will practice. Eric Berry, we're just going to gradually get him back in. He'll do some work on the scout team again just to see like he did last week just to see where he's at and keep taking steps forward without any steps backward. That's the biggest part of this thing and then Rick (Burkholder) talked to you about Jamaal (Charles). We'll just leave it at that and then move forward here. We look forward to the challenge of playing the Rams. The Rams are a good football team, they're well coached and they've got good football players. So, we've got to make sure that we prepare ourselves right, study them as the opponent and then get ourselves ready to play, again, against a good football team. Time's yours."
Q: What about Travis Kelce? He's okay?
REID: "Travis is, yeah, Travis is okay. He's got sore ribs, but he'll practice today."
Q: Have you ever seen a special teams performance that they (Rams) did last week?
REID: "Well, they made big plays and did a real nice job, but when you play against a Jeff Fisher team, you know he's going to be ready on special teams for those type of things. He's done that over his history as a head coach and so, we'll make sure we do as much as we possibly can to work on those things. It's discipline. The main thing is you stay as disciplined as much as you can."
Q: After looking at the video, what are your thoughts about how things worked out in the corner on Sunday? Are you planning on going that way again?
REID: "Yeah, there's a chance that we do that. So, there were some good things that (Jamell) Fleming did. I think he settled down as the game went on. I think his juices were running obviously early. I thought he did a pretty nice job there. (Phillip) Gaines, I thought, did a good job on the inside and when he had chances on the outside, he did a nice job there. I came out feeling positive about that. Is there room to improve? Yeah, we've got to continue to get better there."
Q: You guys practice very fast. With the next guy up, what can you see from them that lets you know they are ready to step up?
REID: "You've seen us practice. We try to practice as fast as we possibly can so that you have that opportunity to evaluate. The problem that you don't get is the tackling part. You have to base it off what you had in camp and or special teams, but again you get an idea of how they are handling their technique and fundamentals because of the speed we practice at."
Q: As we get to the halfway point in the season, the NFL's point of emphasis on pass interference as well as illegal contact, how has it effected what you guys prefer to do on defense or has it pretty much settled down?
REID: "Listen, they're still going to call things, but I don't think it's changed much fundamentally. You have to do the right thing. That rule has been in place for a while here. Once you get past that five yard area, you've got to use your feet and positioning as opposed to pushing and grabbing and doing all those things."
Q: As a coach, it seems what you would want from the guys in striped shirts is consistency each week. It doesn't seem like that's happening with those calls. Each crew seems to be pretty borderline.
REID: "The way I look at that is I'm a coach. If I can coach the guy not to do whatever they're calling, then I'm okay. I understand that the calls are going to take place. If I look at a play and I can't give that player any advice different than what he did, then I have an issue. Things are going to happen. That's the human element of this. We're all apt to do something out there that maybe the other person doesn't agree with. I'm with that, I've got it. You want to be able to, within the rules that you're given, be able to correct any mistakes that take place and for the most part listen, the officials, I think, for the most part are right on. That human element comes in and sometimes they're not."
Q: What's your message to the guys when someone is shaken up and doesn't want to be taken out of the game?
REID: "I think for the most part, they are pretty forthright with everything. I'm not going to get into all that, but I mean these guys are pretty honest guys."
Q: How much do you watch the World Series right now and what's that like to share the energy right across the street?
REID: "Yeah. Listen, I think it's awesome. I'm proud of the Royals and the job that they did this year and they're going to continue to do. I watched the game, I didn't go to the game. I had it on as I was watching tape of the Rams, but they're a good baseball team and they're well managed. They've got a good organization there. I know our players are friendly and Skipper over there I know. I'm pulling for them and wishing them the best."
Q: Do you notice fewer media around here?
REID: "Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but as long as those jets keep flying over, then the media stays over there. That's okay."
Q: Did you experience that in Philadelphia? You and the Phillies were pretty good at the same time.
REID: "Yeah we were."
Q: Does that give you some synergy?
REID: "Yeah, that's a good thing because the players know each other, and like here, their proximity to stadium and workout facilities are right there. You saw last year, some guys came over. The Royals came over and watched practice and we always welcome that."
Q: You have the Rams tape that front four people thought were really going to get after people, but the sacks haven't been there. As far as you can tell, what is going on up front with those guys?
REID:"Well, the hits on the quarterback have been there. And then their interceptions are up a little bit. And then they have scored a few touchdowns off of those. So they are still very efficient, this is a good defense. We look forward to that challenge. It normally brings out the best in us."
Q: What's your impression of (Robert) Quinn as a pass rusher? What makes him good?
REID:"One of the best in the league. I mean he's fast, quick, relentless, elusive. He can get big and he can get small, which you and I can't do."
Q: What about (Eric) Fisher, he's kind of gone against some really strong pass rushers the first six weeks.
REID:"It's a great test and he'll prepare himself out here and get himself ready to play against a great football player."
Q: In your very successful coaching career you've held a lot of hardware, the Halas trophy, a lot of Coach of the Year trophies. But you've never held the Governor's Cup is that a hole in your resume as you see it?
REID:"Well, I understand it's a neat deal. Jeff (Fisher) and I are both Los Angeles kids, we actually came out of high school at the same time and now we have an opportunity in the middle of the country to play each other. We've had a few games over the years, but here we are in the same state having an opportunity to play each other and that's kind of a neat deal. And now they are going to give us the Governor's trophy for whomever wins the game so that's kind of neat."
Q: So that's kind of the theme of the week? Return the Governor's trophy to Kansas City?
REID:"Well I wasn't sure where the Cup was; I thought the Governor had it. They have it right?"
Q: I wasn't here for your press conference Monday, but I thought I understood you to say, you thought the schedule you've played has made you a better team than you guys probably would be at this point in the season?
REID:"Well it's been great competition and so that normally brings out the best, whether that's guys competing for a position or whatever it is, whether you're competing against good football teams. We've had the opportunity to play some good football teams as we do this weekend. So that normally brings out the best in you and makes you a better team in the long run."
