HC ANDY REID
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OPENING STATEMENT: "Alright, a couple things for you. Eric Berry didn't practice today. He has a little bit of a sore heel. (Derrick Johnson) has had three good, solid days. We monitor him with the Achilles, but he is good. David King missed with an ankle. The rest of the people, you know. Today, we had a 10-10-10 practice, a light practice. A lot of learning and we take the pads off and we roll. It was a good workout here today, guys worked hard and we got done what we needed to get done. Time's yours."
Q:How valuable is it having a guy like Steve Nelson who can play outside and inside?
REID:"It is very important. He does a nice job both inside and outside. It is double duty mentally and he is able to handle that. I look forward to having him back out here."
Q:What do you like about the way he is wired?
REID:"He wants to be good. He challenges, challenges and challenges. That is a positive thing."
Q:Are you concerned about Eric's (Berry) injury?
REID:"I think we are going to be OK. It gets inflamed every once and a while, he can back off."
Q:Are we going to see Chris Jones any time soon?
REID:"We will see. He is making progress. We will just see how he does. Everything has been positive up to this point. That is something Rick (Burkholder) and the doctors will let me know on that."
Q:What about Bennie Logan?
REID:"Yeah, just when his knee calms down, we will have him back out. He got hit there and just needs to get some of the swelling out and he will be back out."
Q:On this six day stretch, what do you think about the effort?
REID:"This is the stretch. I think it is a positive thing because you can build a little bit of a foundation here football-wise. Something you can bank on later and how you approach this thing. No matter how you cut it, you have to have mental toughness, obviously, to do it and push you through this stretch. When you push through this stretch, you develop a little bit."
Q:Having De'Anthony (Thomas) on the roster is pretty fortunate, being a kick-return guy.
REID:"Yeah, he has done a good job. He has worked hard in the offseason. He came back in great shape. He gives you flexibility, not only as a receiver, but in both return games. He can handle that, both kickoff and punt. It is good to have him on board here."
Q:Takes a little bit off Tyreek's (Hill) plate?
REID:"Yeah, takes a little bit off Tyreek."
Q:What are you looking for on Friday night?
REID:"I get to see the guys I haven't seen under the lights, under the lights. I think that is the next step for some of these guys. At least for my evaluation point. Many of them haven't played in the NFL. So you get a little feel of it and blend it in to what you have seen out here and you do that a couple more times and you come to the conclusion of who makes it and who doesn't."
Q:Are there guys in particular you are eager to see?
REID:"Normally, it is your rookie list. I am not going to pick one guy. Normally, that is what it is."
Q:Are you still trying to evaluate where you want Tanoh Kpassagnon right now? I've seen him with his hand down and his hand up.
REID:"He does both. Smart kid. We want him to learn both. And we are not keeping his package on the outside huge, but we are keeping him where he can be a valuable rotation guy, potentially."
Q:What have you seen from the positives from Kpassagnon?
REID:"Well, he is blessed with great size and length. He has enough athletic ability to play on the outside and what we are asking our guys to do. He is extremely intelligent. I like what I have seen. To put him inside, he doesn't have that huge body to put inside. He is more linear. We keep him in rush situations."
LB DEE FORD
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Q: You qualify as a veteran now, what are your opinions on one of the rookies Tanoh Kpassagnon?
FORD: "It's good. He's a freakish athlete. I think once he develops his skill set, he'll be good."
Q: What does it mean to you to see Justin Houston out there, running around doing the things he's doing?
FORD: "(Justin) Houston? It's great. We make each other better even when Tamba (Hali) is out here. Just a constant reminder of what we're trying to do this year. So it's a great reminder."
Q: Who do you see stepping up?
FORD: "We have a lot of talent on this team. Unfortunately, we can't keep everybody. All of the outside linebackers stand out to me, we learn so much and we apply. It's a unique bunch, so I don't want to single out too many."
Q: You've done this for a few years now, is this the toughest part of camp? This six day stretch right here?
FORD: "It's just a day-to-day grind. Don't look too far ahead. Focus after each practice, really try to recover, that's what you want to do after each practice. Don't try to look at the workload ahead, that's when you get lost in the sauce. Really just focus on each day."
Q: You had double-digit stats last year, what's something coming into this season that you're trying to work on or try to get better at that can help with just your all-around game?
FORD: "I say this all the time, consistency would be my biggest point of emphasis this year. I just want to be consistent. I'm not going to change anything that I do, just do it more efficiently. Just consistently over the course of 16 games and postseason."
C MITCH MORSE
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Q:I know it's a different position but how is Tanoh Kpassagnon doing as a pass rusher?
MORSE:"He's an exceptional athlete and a hardworking football player. I think his game was amplified when he put the pads on and that was apparent. It's nice to see him grow just even in the first few weeks here in St. Joe and he's going to be a great asset for our team."
Q:Alex Smith is on record as saying that a growing quarterback group is only going to bring the best out in him, bringing in a guy like Patrick Mahomes . Have you seen a different type of focus or determination out of Alex Smith in this camp compared to previous seasons?
MORSE:"I can't. For me he's been a constant professional from day one. He's always been the guy who brings 100% to what he does. That might be so, but Alex isn't going to show that because I never saw any step back. He's always been at the top of his game, always been trying to hone his craft and I'm sure it has to a certain extent. Mahomes is playing really good football, but so is Alex. It's nice to have the competition going and those shared reps. It'll be interesting to see how it all pans out for Mahomes in the first preseason games when he gets some people running at him. But Alex is such an experienced leader in there and he's such a staple for this offense and this team."
Q:Do you see him still elevating his game?
MORSE:"Absolutely. I think all great players, including Alex, no matter what year it is for them in the league are always trying to find something new to work on and perfect and hone their craft."
Q:Why is it important for you to hear from the alumni and how important are those relationships to you as a current player?
MORSE:"I think what they do for the community is special, especially when we as a team aren't able to reach out all the time because of our time constraints. I think these guys do a fantastic job of representing us because they've done it. No matter what level of football you're in – high school, college or professional – you kind of represent the people that have played before you and they take pride in who they've played for. So you not only play for yourself, you play for those guys who paved the way for you and kind of paved the foundation for the kind of respect that the Kansas City Chiefs have."
Q:What's it been like going up against Bennie Logan?
MORSE:"He's a stud. He's just a solid football player who competes through the whistle and is a good dude. We're very fortunate to have a guy like Bennie on the team. It' hard for these guys to bring in such good talents and Bennie's one of those good talents. We're looking forward to him growing with this D-line group."
WR TYREEK HILL
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Q: You guys have six primetime games this year that you can be on display. How does that make you feel?
HILL: "It makes me feel good because I like playing up under the lights. Everybody is watching so a lot of pressure definitely. You just have to play ball."
Q: Last year you were one of the guys. This year you are the guy. How is that change this year?
HILL: "No, I still don't feel like that. I still feel like a guy trying to make the team just like any of the guys so I come out here and I give 100 percent every time I am on the field. Like I said, I am going to come out here and play like I am on the edge of getting cut. You know what I am saying. You never know."
Q: What are you seeing from some of the other guys that are stepping up around you, like Seantavius Jones?
HILL: "I am seeing some guys who want to play and who like to play football. Those guys just have to keep coming out here and keep making plays. Just like (Jeremy) Maclin told me last year, make one play a day so that is what I try to live by. Just make one play a day because if you just make one play a day the practice will go by easy. That is what I try to tell those guys, just make one play a day and it will all work itself out in the end."
Q: You guys have been practicing throwing down the field a lot. Are you excited about the possibility about seeing more of these plays in games?
HILL: "I think it is actually great. People tend to down Alex (Smith) because he can't throw a ball down the field but we see it every day in practice. I cannot wait and I am excited to see how the season unfolds."
