Opening Statement:"Allen Bailey is working through his knee sprain, getting better, likewise for Eric Berry. Larry (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) is still in concussion protocol, same way with Steven Nelson. Daniel Sorensen you know about with the knee. Those are the guys that won't practice today. Everyone else will practice and get some work done. We will try to keep this as close to an in-season schedule as we can. There are some rules during training camp as far as time in between practice and so on, that you can't quite get that done, so we moved the schedule around just a little bit to fit that. We are trying to give the players a dry run on the procedure we use once they get into season. There's not a ton of game planning going on. It's not like in-season that way, we are still working on some situations we need to work on from camp. Practices will be set up like in-season and the schedule is as close as we can get."
*Q: *There's been a lot of talk about the long pass made in the win against Atlanta and how good Patrick's arm can be, is Patrick (Mahomes) showing you exactly what you want maturity wise through all the attention he's getting?
REID:"Yes. I don't think he lets all of that or will let all that bother him. He's had success before. That's one play, and he knows that's one play in the game of the 24 plays that he had."
Q:With Eric (Berry), is there a situation you feel comfortable with him not doing anything at all in the preseason?
REID:"He came out and practiced the first couple of weeks and did pretty good. I just don't want to go backwards, that's not what I want to do. I am okay with it. He's far enough along where he'll be alright."
Q:Does his experience suggests he doesn't have to play in a preseason game to feel like he's getting ready?
REID:"Yes. Again, he's always trying to do that, I have to monitor it and see where we're at. I'm comfortable with where he's going with this thing. I want to keep it that way."
Q:What will be special about seeing (Matt) Nagy on the other side of the sidelines?
REID:"I am proud of him for having the opportunity. I've watched his tape and he has done some good things with the team. He had a nice win the other night. Chase (Daniel) is one of his quarterbacks. Chase has done a good job with their whole two-minute process. It's a little bit like looking in the mirror when you look at their offense. He is doing a lot of stuff we've done here. He's added a few wrinkles but most of the same stuff. Overall I am proud of him for the job he's doing."
Q:You said most of last season you were preparing to lose him to a head coaching job somewhere, what told you he was going to be ready for that and that was going to be coming his way?
REID:"Doug (Pederson) had success. So, with that success you just figure the next guy is going to do the same. He did a nice job for us. I figure that's kind of how this league goes."
Q:He's going to be working with another young quarterback in Mitch Trubisky, what kind of influence can he have on him after the way you saw him work with Patrick last year?
REID:"We had brought Mitch (Trubisky) up here and had a nice visit with him, a six hour visit in the classroom with him. When he left here I know we felt good about him and Matt (Nagy) felt good about him and liked him too. I thought that was a smart move by the Bears. I'm sure they knew or at least found out that he had a good visit here and that they got along. I think that's important for a quarterback, and you're getting him while he's still young. It looks like he's fitting in really well with the offense. He's done a nice job."
Q:With Orlando (Scandrick) coming on board, how do you feel about getting him prepared for September 9th with a shortened two weeks for preparation?
REID:"It's kind of cool to have him here. I have watched him grow from the time he was a rookie coming out of Boise State. When he went to Dallas, I was playing him twice a year and he became the nickel and then he developed into one of the best nickels in the National Football League. Then he went out to corner and we've played him here a couple of times. Now he's 31 years old. I talked to him before our last game about how fast those years have gone by. He can come in and help us with his experience. He had a nice year last year and he can come in and help us, that's what he's attempting to do out here. He's just starting off and learning everything thrown at him. He's a really smart kid. If you talk to all of his former coaches they'll tell you the same thing. He's very intelligent."
Q:Is there a specific role you have in mind for him?
REID:"We will just see. You can't have enough corners. Brett (Veach) has kept his eyes open and we have brought a few guys in. We feel comfortable."
Q: How is the number three tight end battle going?
REID:"They are still battling. And they have showed up pretty good in games. It is close though. They have all had catches and have done a nice job. It is pretty close race there."
Q: Are Spencer (Ware) or Charcandrick (West) any closer to playing?
REID:"Charcandrick should get some work today. We will kind of see how he does. He says he feels good and the (doctors) have given the OK. We will get him out there. We will be in pads today. It will be good for him to get out there and move around a little bit."
Q: It looks like Patrick (Mahomes) has built good chemistry with (Travis) Kelce and (Tyreek) Hill, how does he get that kind of thing with (Sammy) Watkins as well?
REID:"All of that will come. Sammy (Watkins) is still working through the offense. I love his intensity on learning all the small things. We are moving him everywhere. You've seen that. We have him in all different spots. If you haven't seen it in games, you've seen it in practice. In practice, they have done some good things. I love his intensity in learning exactly what he has to do in all these different spots. There are just some little intricacies that these other guys have had an opportunity to do and he is working through that."
Q: How hard is it figuring out the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart?
REID:"There is great competition. And that is fun to watch. Both (Gehrig) Dieter and (Marcus) Kemp are very close. And here they are competing for a position on the team. They both have had good practices and good games and that is good. That makes us better when we have that competition."
Q: Were you as impressed on that out route throw to Travis Kelce as you were on the touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill?
REID:"The thing I mentioned kind of during camp. The one thing he does is he doesn't make the same mistake twice normally. And that is a positive thing, especially from a coach's standpoint. You saw the throw he made to Kelce last week, same route, and he over shot it a little bit. This one was right there. They worked on it between games and it paid off for them right there. Those kind of things, you kind of check off in your head. That is something you keep track of. Listen, he has a big arm. He has a good way of doing that. He has his whole career in college. The long ones will come. Those intermediate throws, he starts off 5-for-5. He builds on that. That is important. The possession throws, the short-intermediate throws that kind of keep the chains moving are important or more so than even the big one."
Q: Was that sideline route throw to Kelce a more difficult pass than the one everyone is talking about?
REID:"Not everybody can do that long one. People can do the corner route. It is tough. A corner route on the sideline, third and 11. You have to have that thing lined up and you have to have trust in your guy. Especially coming off what you came off last week. If you could take one throw the week before that wasn't a positive throw, it was the corner route to Kelce. And he came back, and there was no hesitation, and he came back and shot it. He was accurate with it."
Q: In terms of guys you've coached that can throw that deep ball, do you remember that one that Donovan McNabb threw?
REID:"I remember one (Brett) Favre threw to Sterling Sharpe. I thought about it after you asked that. That one that he threw to Sterling Sharpe at the Lions. And then I do with Donovan (McNabb), I do."
Q: Do you remember the outcome on that McNabb pass?
REID:"I probably don't. Was it good or bad?"
Q: That was the one he dropped before he got to the goal line.
REID:"Yeah, that's right. That was Monday night wasn't it?"
Q: How unusual is it for such a young guy to make adjustments in game?
REID:"It is important. There are going to be hiccups as we go. He is a young guy. He is seeing things for the first time. In many cases with a different secondary that they throw at you and different blitzes. That kind of continues through the first year. You see it and you work through it. It doesn't mean that you can't be successful and win games and all that, that's not what that means. It is important that when you see it again, you don't make the same mistake. That is where that can be a problem with a quarterback. He is very good at that and he is very good at not doing the same thing twice."
Q: Do you think Mahomes knows to use his eyes to hold the safety now after that interception?
REID:"That wasn't a very good one. That wasn't one of his best ones."
Q: Do you feel like you need to see Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens out there to get a feel for the run fits?
REID:"If they can go, they will be out there. There is a good chance they play in this game. We will just see how the practices go. Right now, they feel pretty good and right now that is a positive. It's not even that I need to see them. They need to continue to play. They are both young guys, one being new on the defense. If they can be out there, they need to go."
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q:Everybody is buzzing about the touchdown pass, but what did you think about the rest of your performance in the Falcons game?
MAHOMES:"I thought we started off a little sketchy, I guess you would say. As we got going, I felt like we kind of started to get momentum going. That long drive was probably my favorite part of the whole game. We drove it pretty much the length of the field, converted on some big third downs and then got to the red zone and we got to score the touchdown but got it called back. Just to see the ball moving and being able to convert on third downs is stuff that you're going to have to have during the season."
Q:How many times have you watched that throw to Tyreek Hill?
MAHOMES:"Not as much as I think everyone else has. I mean, I underthrew it to be honest – now that I saw it. Tyreek (Hill) outran it. So, for me it's something that we're used to having in guys like that who have that much speed and have that much ability to be a weapon on the field. You just try to get them the ball and let them make plays."
Q:Do you remember that sideline pass you threw to Travis Kelce on 3rd and 12 early in the game?
MAHOMES:"I think after a penalty we had third and long and just having (Travis) Kelce in a man-coverage situation is always a good thing. I just try to put it out there and he made a great play and got the first down. Just stuff like that is stuff that we have to keep getting better at as the season goes on and as the preseason finishes up here. Hopefully we're a good third down team because those are the teams that have success in this league."
Q: Was that a harder throw than the deep ball to Tyreek Hill?
MAHOMES:"Yeah, I felt like it was a harder throw and it was a little bit better of a spiral. It's something that when you have those third and longs, those are hard to convert in the NFL, especially with the defenses and how much talent they have and how they understand the game. So, for me just being able to convert on those third and longs and any third down is a big play in the game."
Q: Was that the same play as the week before, just on the opposite side?
MAHOMES:"It was the same corner route, same concept but just a different side. Just to be able to convert on that, whereas the last week I overshot him is something that I just have got to keep getting better every single week, facing my mistakes and trying to learn from them."
Q: How well along is Travis Kelce and your sense of knowledge with one another?
MAHOMES:"It helps to have tight ends like (Travis) Kelce. He's someone who's played the quarterback position before. He understands what you want. I think I said it before as we've gone through training camp that he's always just in the right space and the right spot. For me, I can throw it and trust that he'll be in that spot and that's a big thing to have for a quarterback."
Q:The national story has been the big arm throw, but is there a desire within you to prove this year that you're more of a complete quarterback?
MAHOMES: "In a sense. For me, it's all about just trying to be efficient and score touchdowns to win games. You can have the big arm and that's good and that helps out in the games, but it doesn't help you necessarily win games. So, if you want to win games in this league you've got to be efficient. Having the arm helps, of course, but you want to make sure you move the ball, convert on third downs and score touchdowns."
Q: Is the efficiency thing something that Alex Smith helped instill in you?
MAHOMES:"As a quarterback, you want to be able to move the ball and score touchdowns. Alex (Smith) did a great job of it and it's something I learned from him. I try to pick up as much as I can from him. He's had a lot of success in this league and for this team. For me, it's about learning what he did to have success in this league and putting it in a way where I can have success in this league."
Q:What did you notice about your connection with Sammy Watkins? What could you work on to improve that connection going forward?
MAHOMES:"I mean I think it just comes with reps. He's out here trying to learn every single position on this offense. It's a hard offense to learn, I understand from last year. He's picking it up really, really well. For how much we're asking of him, I'm excited for him going along. For him to know all those different routes and know all the different positions because it's going to help spread and open up our offense even to a new level."
Q:Do you feel like you guys need to have a good connection sometime in the preseason before September 9?
MAHOMES:"No, I feel like we had good connections throughout the practices. We haven't connected in the preseason so far but at the same time the relationship I'm building with him on the practice field, after practice, whatever we're doing I feel like will translate into the season and when you have that much talent you're going to be open so hopefully I can get the ball to him, he's going to be open a lot."
Q:Andy Reid says you don't make the same mistake twice. What did you learn on the touchdown that got called back, for illegal formation, the one you got away with to Sammy Watkins in the end zone, and the interception you did throw?
MAHOMES:"You can't force the deep shot, you can't force the big play. It's something where it comes within the game, something I have to keep learning as I go on. Our offense will have shot plays in there and I can't try to force them whenever they're not necessarily needed. For me, just learning from those. I got away with the one in the end zone, like you said and threw the one later. Just trying to bounce back and scoring a touchdown on the next drive helped my confidence going into these next few weeks."
Q:On the interception, did you just not do a good enough job with your eyes holding the safety there? Were you expecting an outside release?
MAHOMES:"It's kind of a best release. You hope you get the outside release, but if you can beat him inside with speed then he can beat him. It's something where I have to see that safety cheating over. I mean he flew over from the beginning of the snap I saw on film. Hopefully I can learn from that, get my eyes on him, see him. If he does fly over like that work the other side."
Q:Did you ever see safeties that can move like that in the Big 12?
MAHOMES:"Not necessarily. Those are NFL guys. There are guys that are here for a reason. Defenses have a ton of talent and they're good players. The knowledge they have is something that's different from college to the NFL. For me, just learning from that, and I'm glad I made it in the preseason not the regular season."
Q:Coach said you won't be game planning for this week but you will go through a normal week of preparation. How important is this week knowing it's going to be the most extensive week of preparation?
MAHOMES:"It's helping to build mine and the rest of the quarterbacks and the teams routine. I feel like that's a huge thing as you get into a season. You want to make sure you have a routine, you want to make sure you have a plan for every single situation and every single thing that can come up in a game. For me and the quarterbacks and the rest of the team, we're building that routine this week. Like you said not necessarily game planning but getting ourselves in whatever way, best shape possible for whenever the season comes."
Q:You and Mitchell Trubisky were obviously in the same draft class. How much did you get to know him through that process and how much did you watch him last year?
MAHOMES:"I definitely watched him, you watch the guys in your draft class. You know those guys because you've been to the Combine with him, you've seen him at meetings, you've seen him all around the draft process. He's a good dude, he's a really good dude. He's got a lot of talent and I'm excited for him as well as him with (Matt) Nagy. I sure they will have a lot of success as well. For me it's about going out there competing against him and hopefully we can get the win."
Q:What can Matt Nagy do to develop him? What kind of influence can he have on a quarterback?
MAHOMES:"I think he relates to quarterbacks so well. Especially the young guys. He's been through the process. He's tried to make a career of his own as a quarterback then moved over to coaching. Just having someone that has been through that process and knows how to relate to the young guys and especially the quarterback position will help you really understand the offense and really understand what the defenses are trying to get."
Q:Mitchell Trubisky and Matt Nagy really bonded when he came on his visit here, what do you remember about your visit and meeting with Matt Nagy?
MAHOMES:"When I met with Coach Nags (Matt Nagy), it was awesome ever since the start. He's someone that relates to players really well especially quarterbacks. He's someone that really cares about the quarterback and the person. I feel like that's a big thing when you know someone is doing stuff in your best interest is really when you can respect what they say too."
Q:Are you hoping to play all three quarters during the next preseason game? Are you advocating to play?
MAHOMES: "I'm not advocating anything because I know Coach (Andy) Reid has a plan and a process about how he does stuff. At the same time, being a competitor means you want to play. It's never fun being on the sideline. You want to be in there. For me, I'm going to play as much as he'll let me and try to prepare myself for the regular season. Whenever I'm in there, I'll make sure I'm ready to go."
Q: Did any of the Atlanta players say anything to you after that big touchdown play the other night?
MAHOMES: "I don't know anything specifically. I know I talked to a couple guys, I know a couple of guys over there on that team. They're good guys and they've got a ton of talent over there so I'm glad we got to come out with a win even if it is the preseason."
CB ORLANDO SCANDRICK
Q: What is the process like that led you to become a member of the Chiefs?
SCANDRICK: "I had great conversations with (General Manager Brett) Veach, great conversations with (Head Coach) Andy (Reid), great conversations with (Secondary Coach) Al (Harris) and (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Bob) Sutton. It just felt like family, like a real football team and something I wanted to be a part of."
Q:What are your first impressions of Secondary Coach Al Harris and Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton?
SCANDRICK:"Al (Harris), he was a phenomenal player for a number of years in this league and I think he's a great teacher and I think he comes at you from a respect standpoint. You can have conversations and it's just open dialogue. As far as Coach (Bob) Sutton, he's been coaching forever and I think it's the same with him. I think it's an open dialogue, I think they make it very clear what they expect of you and it's up to you to hold yourself accountable."
Q:What do you think of what you see offensively from this Chiefs team, having faced them last year?
SCANDRICK:"Totally different team than I faced last year, but at the same time we faced 15 other teams last year, so I can't say I specifically remember facing the Chiefs. Obviously, I do know that they have some dynamic pieces. They have a dynamic runner, a couple of dynamic receivers, a dynamic tight end and a quarterback that's going to be special."
Q:After watching film with the team of the Atlanta game, did you get a sense of how you might fit in?
SCANDRICK:"After being in the league for 10 years, there is only so many coverages that a team can run. There's only so many different philosophies, but I'm just trying to learn the terminology. Put myself, whether I was a nickel or I was a corner, and put myself in that position and mentally make those calls, so when I do get an opportunity to get out there, that I can be ready."
