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OPENING STATEMENT:"I really don't* *have any injuries to report. It's the same guys that were hurt before that are hurt now but they're all making progress. It's good to get these guys out here. They're working, they've got their helmets on and we can sort of go offense against defense, which is a positive. They're challenging each other, but at the same time, it's a non-contact and voluntary camp. With that, the time is yours."
Q:Do you have any concerns about the three defensive stars that aren't here?
REID:"No. What I do is coach the guys that are here. That's what I do. The guys that are here are hungry for reps and that'll do nothing but help us."
Q:Did you expect Eric Berry to be here? Is there a reason he isn't?
REID:"It's voluntary. They can be here or not be here, that's up to them."
Q:Did you have an idea beforehand that he wasn't going to be here?
REID:"I had a pretty good idea."
Q:Did he call you and tell you?
REID:"It's voluntary."
Q:Did he have a reason?
REID:"It's all voluntary. It's a voluntary camp. That's all I can tell you."
Q:Is it disappointing having a team captain not come to the voluntary camp?
REID:"Voluntary camp. That's all I can tell you."
Q:With it being the first time offenses and defenses can go against each other, do you like seeing the guys talk to each other and challenge each other a bit?
REID:"Absolutely. Challenging each other -- that's how you get better. You're not just going through exercises."
Q:Did you know about Justin Houston and Marcus Peters not being present?
REID:"Yes. I knew about all of them."
Q:What have you seen out of Joel Stave and Tyler Bray? Where do you want to see them improve?
REID:"They're getting better. I'll start with Tyler [Bray] because Joel [Stave] is new. He had a little bit of time last season, but for the most part, this is the first time he's had the whole thing thrown at him and been expected to do it. He's doing a nice job with it. Tyler is very much improved from where we initially got him. He's to where we've got security and we feel he can go ahead and fill that spot."
Q:Does Tyler Bray have a legitimate opportunity to hold onto that No. 2 quarterback spot throughout the season?
REID:"He's going to compete. I would tell you that's what he does. But he's got to do that. That's the unknown right now. He's earned the right to be in that position and now he's got to maintain it."
Q:Away from the playbook, what is Tyler Bray's biggest strength?
REID:"He's always had real good instincts and good vision. There's more than just the playbook, there's doing things at the line of scrimmage that we ask him to do and adjustments we ask him to make and he does well with those things."
Q:What does Joel Stave do well?
REID:"He competes, he's learning, he's a smart kid and he's learning. Is he 'there' yet? No, but he's showing improvement and that's all you can ask of him until he gets a few more snaps under his belt."
Q:How valuable are actual game week reps for young players during the regular season for a No. 2 quarterback?
REID:"Where they get their reps is on the scout team. Then you try to tie that in to what they do the best way you possibly can. But they're not getting a whole lot of reps."
Q:How much more valuable are those on-field reps as opposed to just the mental reps?
REID:"Well there's this now, training camp becomes important, what we've had with Phase II becomes important, then how they handle steady habits when they're not getting the reps for the game plans and how they handle the scout team reps. That's all together the package and they're equally important."
Q:With Travis Kelce sitting out, what have you seen from Gavin Escobar since he's been here? How valuable are the mental reps?
REID:"For the guys that aren't practicing and the guys that are in there, those are valuable reps. They're trying to make the team. When you open the door and someone steps in, you expect them to take advantage of that and do the best they can."
Q:Have you seen more confidence in Terrance Mitchell coming off a good season in 2016?
REID:"I would tell you just that. He's more confident than when he got here even though he was pretty good then. He's more confident, he's a very good athlete and he was sort of thrown in the fire last season and he did a pretty good job. Now people have an opportunity to study him so we'll find out. He understands that so we'll work through the challenge."
Q:What's the injury with Tourek Williams?
REID:"He's got a stinger."
Q:You don't expect it to be a long-term thing?
REID:"No. I don't think that. I don't know exactly where we're at with him."
Q:What about C.J. Spiller, is he okay?
REID:"Again, voluntary. He had a family issue he was taking care of."
Q:Do you expect him back next week?
REID:"I do."
Q:What was the deal with Devin Chappell?
REID:"He also had an injury. We'll see how it all works out."
Q:What is fun and what do you enjoy about working with young quarterbacks?
REID:"I enjoy teaching. It doesn't matter the position. I enjoy teaching and that's why I do this."
Q:Expectations seem higher this year. Does it feel the same as every other year?
REID:"I love that, man. Put them as high as you want and let's go. You've still got to come out, do all the fundamental stuff and work your tail off. I love that. I love that we're playing Thursday night against the world champions. How great is that? That's great."
Q:Is it easier when you're returning as many players and starters this year as you have in past seasons?
REID:"Yeah it's great. I expect them to know what they're doing, come out and bust their tails and get even better."
Q:How important is it to establish that this is Alex Smith's team coming into camp?
REID:"I think a given is that Alex [Smith] has been here, he's done well and all the guys understand that. There's more than just stepping back and throwing the football. That position has grown into a tough thing to pick up right away. That young kid [Patrick Mahomes ] is going to learn. That's what he's going to do. He's got a great room there to learn in between the players and the coaches in there. Then I expect Alex [Smith] to go in and win. That's what he's going to do. He doesn't think any different than that. He's not looking back, he's moving forward and that's an important thing. He's been around it a little bit."
Q:What have you seen in Patrick Mahomes growth from his college days until now?
REID:"Listen, [Kliff] Kingsbury does a phenomenal job. That offense they run is great. It's just different than what we do here. He's learning to take drops, stay in the pocket and do the things that we expect him to do here. The thing you see is the vision that he had in college and the arm strength and accuracy. You see those things. He's learning the drops, learning the play calls in the huddle, learning how to make calls at the line of scrimmage and he's got a whole plate of things there that he's got to digest. One thing I appreciate about him though is that he's one of those guys that wants to be great. That's how he's approaching the game."
Q:What are you looking for moving from Phase II to Phase III and how do you evaluate players from there?
REID:"You almost break that up offensively and defensively. You get a lot more done offensively, even though it's against air. But you have a ball and you can run plays. Defense is going against trash cans so it's a little tougher. What do I expect? I expect them to compete, first of all. Without knocking people on the ground and banging people around. I expect them to compete. Whatever exercise we're doing, whether it's an individual period or a team period, let's go. Then we get better at that. The biggest thing from Phase I to Phase II is that you get to go against a real defense from an offensive standpoint and the defense gets to go against a real offense."
