Head Coach Andy Reid
Opening Statement: "Made a change at the quarterback position. We are going to give Patrick (Mahomes) a chance to work with the twos like Tyler (Bray) has had here the last couple of weeks. It is not because of Tyler's performance in the game. I think he actually played very well and Patrick did a nice job too. It gives him an opportunity to step up and work with that second group and see what he can do there. While I am on quarterbacks, Alex (Smith) like I mentioned yesterday, did a nice job. All positive at that position."
Q: It looked like Bray got some work with the first line. Will Patrick also be working with them?
REID: "We have a rotation we do. We are not going to change the rotation up. It will be just the same. Same way, just different guy in a different spot. If he gets in there with the ones, he gets in. If not, he will work with the twos. It will be the same thing we kind of did with Tyler at practice. I can't tell you about the game. I don't know that yet."
Q: Is this something that Patrick earned or were you going to do this regardless?
REID: "He had to do well so he could get in there and function and be able to go. I would tell you yes, but it is not something that Tyler didn't do. Tyler is playing well, but Patrick has also done a nice job. In order to step up with that group, he would have had to have done that and progressed."
Q: Have you done this before at this time of year? Or was this the plan if he showed the right progression?
REID: "Yeah, I have done a million different things. If you are going to try to put it in a box, I am not sure we can do that. It is just what I want to do."
Q: What have you seen from Travis (Kelce) today after the time he has missed?
REID: "I thought he did a nice job. I saw a couple nice grabs. He was able to step in and move around well. I didn't see a drop off in what he did. He got quite a few snaps."
Q: Marcus Kemp was getting a few more reps. What are you seeing from him?
REID: "He has done a nice job. He had the one bad one in the game, but he just has to put the ball in his other hand there. He has earned the right to mix in there. We are trying to mix and match everybody. Try to give everybody a shot. We do it with the offensive line too. That is just how we roll so we can get a good evaluation on people."
Q: Kareem Hunt was working with the ones. Are you trying to work him in there?
REID: "Again, just mixing everybody in and giving them chances. In his case, to work with the first line. He did not have a ton of opportunities. He probably did more on special teams than he did on offense, but that will come as we go. I wanted to see some things. That last game was a game where you actually have all four quarterbacks playing, so you want to get him a little bit of work right there, condensed work, while you can. Everybody plays in that first game. That is not guaranteed here as we go on."
Q: You said Patrick has earned his promotion. What specifically are you seeing from him that has led you to this?
REID:"He has worked very hard, but it is being able to get in and function in the huddle while still seeing the defenses and the reads, knowing the calls that he needs to make to get in and out of trouble in both the run and the pass game. That would probably be it."
Q: In the huddle, does he have time to say the play or is that something he had to conquer completely to get the promotion?
REID: "He does that fairly easy. That is not a tough thing for him to be able to spit it out. We have a few words we have on these routes. He handles that pretty well. We saw that even when we brought him in for the pre-draft test. He was able to handle that pretty well."
DT Chris Jones
Q: What are the doctors telling you about when you can get back out in game action?
JONES: "Rick (Burkholder) has a plan in place for me, so whatever they have planned for me that's what I am going to do."
Q: When do you feel like you are going to play?
JONES: "Honestly, I don't know. Whatever Rick and them have for me, I am just going to try and do whatever. Those guys have their best intentions. I am just here to work"
Q: How did it feel being back out there?
JONES: "It felt great. It was telling Brett (Veach) it felt so good to be out there with the guys, my brothers. I got tired of sitting in the tent just watching. You know, like a kid at home watching outside and you can't play with the older kids. So it was good to get back out there."
Q: How tough is it not to be able to play out there with the guys?
JONES: "It is very tough. I sit in meetings with those guys, I want to interact with them. Those are my brothers. I am with them more than I am with my family. That bond we all have, I like to be out here. Playing football is what I love to do."
Q: How did you hurt your knee?
JONES: "A freak accident, a freak accident. I guess just running on it."
Q: Are you trying to build from last year and take it to another level?
JONES: "It is all about progression. I am out here, I am punching in the clock. I am punching in the ticket. I am trying to get better in some area. Even if it is just running, I am trying to get better out here."
Q: What did you see from the defense on Friday? I saw you were the first one waiting for Allen Bailey after his TFL.
JONES: "Oh, beast! Did you see that? Split the double team, make the TFL. I went up to him and said, 'Allen Bailey the Hulk is back. The Hulk is back in business, baby.' And Nacho (Rakeem Nunez-Roches) out there pounding. I mean, it is going to be a lot of excitement, man. I love it. Those guys give me energy. That is the energy you need."
DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
Q: How do you feel you did on Friday?
NUNEZ-ROCHES: "I think for a first preseason game it was good. But, there's a lot of areas I feel like I could improve on. The scoop block, eliminating penalties, I got one on kick return. There was a lot of good things, but I want to improve in other areas."
Q:How much was improving your run defense a focus in the offseason?
NUNEZ-ROCHES: "The biggest thing was weight. There was a lot of things I could do off the ball being lighter. I was always fast and agile and explosive, but anytime I was hit in my hip, I would go flying. So I was like, 'If I just add a little more in the lower half, I will be OK.' Offseason, I emphasized in that area and gained a good amount of weight, 25 pounds. I started to run with it, condition with it, and see how I could move with it and it has worked out pretty good."
Q: How do you gain 25 pounds of good weight?
NUNEZ-ROCHES: "Well, at first, no cardio, just eating. But not eating bad things. Fish, chicken breast, no red meat, vegetables, things of that nature. Then, after you start progressing the weight, then you start doing the cardio."
Q: What do you weigh?
NUNEZ-ROCHES: "310. What was I last year? 280? I started at 290 something and went to 280. There's a big difference."
TE Travis Kelce
Q: How's the knee feeling?
KELCE: "It feels great. It feels 100%. I got a little bit of that swelling out of there and sure enough I was out here going full speed. We got into a little bit of the blocking stuff, which I was held back from the last time I was out here due to my shoulder. So getting ready for week one."
Q: Coach mentioned this was something that was flaring up because of a micro fracture a couple of years ago. Is this something you've been battling off and on over the years?
KELCE: "Yeah, I was just fortunate that the trainers and the docs gave me the opportunity to get some of my legs back. Right now I feel great. I know I can push through it if I need to, so it's nothing too big and nothing to be worried about."
Q: You got to work with [Patrick] Mahomes a little bit today. What were your thoughts about him so far at camp?
KELCE: "We're throwing a lot at the guy and it's fun to see him grow. Everyone saw when he got in how ecstatic the fans got when he finally got into the preseason game. It's just fun to see what the young guy can do and sure enough we're all growing with him and helping him along with the process. He's doing just fine and I'm sure he's going to be just as good as everyone expects him to be."
Q: How has Alex [Smith] grown from last year to this year?
KELCE: "Alex is on a whole other level on terms of being a leader. Helping guys out and getting them in the right places. Talking with the receivers, the backs and the offensive line just about play specific type stuff and right now we're just rolling as an offense. It's a fun thing to have Alex and his confidence and him being just about the oldest guy in the room. But leading us and knowing his veteran presence has got some accountability to it."
Q: What have you seen from Tyreek Hill in the last few months and how he's developed his game to be able to do the things he does?
KELCE: "His route running. His route running getting in and out of breaks. How he's stemming certain defenders so he's not giving away the route. He's just growing as a young athlete. He's a smart kid and he can think faster than anybody on the field just because of how fast he is. He knows he has to be a step ahead of everyone. It's fun to see him out there just run around and be an athlete.
Q: Are you the same guy coming in this year that you have been in previous years?
KELCE: "I feel like I need to be a little bit more accountable in terms of the locker room and just being a leader. I know we have a really young team on the offensive side of the ball and we need a lot of leadership to hone in the fun that we have. It's a little bit more accountability I put on myself to be there for everybody and make sure that everybody's doing the right things and being professionals."
