HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT:"As far as injuries go, Tamba Hali didn't practice today – we were on the turf. And then Mitch Morse was out with a concussion and didn't practice today. Look forward to playing Houston. Again, we know the Texans and they know us. Our guys had a good week of practice and we look forward to going down there. Marcus Peters was the Defensive Rookie of the Month, congratulations to him. The time is yours."
Q: Is playing experience worth more at this time of the year?
REID:"Yeah, I think it probably helps a little bit. But yeah, the guys will come out…they'll come out and play."
Q: Was Dee Ford out there today?
REID:"Yeah."
CB MARCUS PETERS
Q:What does it mean to you to be named Defensive Rookie of the Month?
PETERS: "It's just another thing we can add on to what we're about to do here."
Q:What will playing in your first playoff game be like?
PETERS: "We have a shot, man, to get all the way there. So it's going to be electrifying, it's going to be special. The lights are going to be a lot more bright and the players are going to be expected a lot more. It's a football game, go make our plays, tackle, block, catch, we'll (need to) do all the fundamentals to go out there and get a W."
Q:How did you find out about the Rookie of the Month award?
PETERS: "Al (Harris) told me this morning. So that's big, to see my coaches, how proud they are of me. From when I first got in, we talked when I came in on my visit. Like I said, it was love. And it's great to be coached by a Hall of Famer and an All-Pro guy and a future Hall of Famer in my mind in Al Harris. So that's big, already."
Q:What do you remember about the last game against Houston?
PETERS: "We won. Nothing else to remember, we won the game. I had some tough plays at the beginning of the game – (they) made two catches. It's football, we got out with the W, and that's all we can take."
Q:How did intercepting a pass on the first play of your career feel?
PETERS: "Yeah, that was huge. But it wasn't just me making the play, it started with Justin (Houston) putting the right tackle in the quarterback's lap and the quarterback couldn't see. It was perfectly planned out. Only thing I can remember is we won the game."
Q:In what ways are you a better player now than you were then?
PETERS: "It's on film. As we went through the season, I started right here and I had to gradually work to get consistent in my play. I feel like I'm at the level where I can consistently play at the level that I'm playing at. It comes from me getting the confidence from my teammates, they allow me to be myself, allow me to play the game that I'm playing. First, it's the jitters, it's the first game – but it happens, it's football, you're going to get beat sometimes, you just have to make your plays. As long as your team comes out with the W, you get to move on to the next round. So that's all we're trying to do."
Q:Where does DeAndre Hopkins rank among receivers you've faced?
PETERS: "He's had a hell of a year, man. That's big, for him. He had Andre Johnson leave him this year, so he had to step up and that's what he did. You have to respect that. But we go out there and I make my plays, he'll make his plays and hopefully the Chiefs get a W."
Q: Are you looking forward to that challenge?
PETERS:"Oh, yeah. It's football. I'm looking forward to any challenge on Sundays, even on Saturdays like we're playing this week. But, it's football. You play to compete, you play to go win the game, so that's all that matters to me."
Q: How have you made your transition from college to your rookie year look so seamless?
PETERS:"I got Eric Berry, I got Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Sean Smith, Ron Parker, all those guys around me as a supporting cast to make this team and the defense do what it does. That's all that matters right there. I don't have to do a lot. They're making their plays and we're having fun playing ball."
Q: What would you say about people comparing you to other guys like Darrelle Revis?
PETERS:"That's big, that's big, you know, those words are never going to come out of my mouth. I play the game to play it. I play the game for me, and how I play is my style of football. To get the comparison from the analysts and the guys who are watching the sport, that's big. Those guys, they made the impact for their teams, and Revis is doing a great job at what he does. Asante Samuel, he played the hell out of coverage, too. He made his plays. That's great. That's all I'm trying to do, just make my plays, and the rest is going to be what it's going to be."
Q: Is there anything you've tried to take from Charles Woodson's game?
PETERS:"The confidence, man. The confidence to how he just stands up to every challenge that he has to do. He played all three positions in the secondary. It's hard to do that, and how distinctively he did it and how aggressive he played the game, nobody else can play it like that but him."
Q: Where does your confidence come from?
PETERS:"It's football. You're going to get beat. It's like us going back home and playing football in the street. You might not be the fastest, but you've got to go cover the guy. Hey, you get beat, it's the first to 28. That's how we used to play. You can stop them on the next drive. You get off the field, your team leaves the field with a W. That's all that matters to me. It sucks that I got beat on those two plays, but hey, I got an interception. Our team won. Can't be mad."
Q: What will it mean to you stepping out on the field Saturday for your first postseason game? PETERS:"It'll be one more step closer to our goal. That's the Super Bowl, man. That's how it's going to be for me. If we go out there and take care of business, we play the next week. Then, we play that week. Hopefully we can get to Santa Clara."
