OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGY
Q:It seems like you guys have a number of receivers – mainly thinking about your basketball-playing tight ends – who should be really good threats in the redzone or the endzone. Is that more difficult than it looks on the surface?
NAGY:"I don't think it's more difficult. Having some size down there in the redzone certainly helps because things get tighter. You have the 12th defender with the back end line, so being able to be in that pocket where you have good vision and you're able to see those guys, just like what happened with Demetrius [Harris], it certainly helps."
Q:What does it mean to have Parker [Ehinger] back?
NAGY:"It's good. He's done a great job at rehabbing and trying to get back to where he needs to be, so anytime you can get quality players back to help you with the depth is huge."
Q:What's the assessment so far for you with Patrick from when you first saw him in minicamp to where he is now and what he did last week?
NAGY:"He's growing and he's learning a lot. The experience being out on the field full speed is a huge benefit for him. It's one thing to come out your first week in rookie minicamp when you get here and try to learn this offense, but now to come out here in the preseason and try to see it against guys that are going after you full speed and you get some different coverages that you might not get in the preseason, but he's doing a good job with it. He has a lot of work ahead of him yet. There's some fundamental stuff that we need to work with, but so far we just want to keep improving each day."
Q:How's he been with the study and trying to learn that offense? He's obviously done a good enough job for you, right?
NAGY:"He's done well and what helps is having a guy like Alex [Smith] who knows this offense inside-out to be there to help him with it. He's there for some things that Patrick might not see or understand when he's watching tape. Alex is right there and between all four of those guys, the room is great and they all really just help each other out."
Q:Can you talk about the difference in what Patrick Mahomes faces in a preseason game defensively versus a team that has studied you guys and is game planning and sees you guys and his tendencies?
NAGY:"There is a difference. There's a big difference and that's throughout the NFL. You know a lot of teams right now, they hold things back and they want to be able to see their young guys play fast, and we've talked about that. Whether it's offensively with plays or defensively with blitzes and different schemes, it's a whole different ballgame when you get out there game one and they've been able to scheme you a little bit and have some different looks that were un-scouted."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BOB SUTTON
Q:Talk about how your team is playing. What about the starters and the backups, how have they looked to you?
SUTTON:"I think when you look at the preseason, I know we talked here a couple weeks ago, preseason you're looking for a lot of things. To me the most important thing you're trying to develop out of a player's standpoint are the skills and tools he's going to need to perform at his position over the NFL season. So you're still drilling down on those things, you're trying to develop the traits and characteristics that you want from not only the individual player but from the unit as well. It gets a little more challenging because you're playing a lot of different players and that type of thing. I thought overall they've stayed at it, they've worked hard. I think we're getting a little bit better. We've still got two big weeks of camp left that we've got to do a great job. Like I say, you want to win the games – that's always important when you're in them – but you really want to make sure you're doing these other things that are going to help you be successful throughout the course of the year."
Q:How are you feeling about this year?
SUTTON: "Yeah we've got a good football team. We've got some good football players. We've got a lot of guys that have worked really hard. We've got a lot of new players on the defensive unit. They've done a great job in coming in and merging themselves into what we're trying to do and I appreciate that fact because that's always hard. We had two or three guys come in since camp started and they've done a great job as well. I think overall we've done a good job. The players have worked hard, the coaches have done a good job in helping them get ready for each of these practices. But these are two big weeks of camp. You 'break camp' but we're still in camp mode."
Q: How has Kevin Pierre-Louis helped you out?
SUTTON: "I think he's done a great job, I've said this before, he's got really good quickness. He's an attacking, physical type of player. He's got some good athletic ability, he adds some speed to our defense. He's one of the guys that I think of that has come in out of nowhere and kind of had to merge into this whole thing on the run and I think he's done a really good job. We're using him in a lot of different places and so far have been really happy with his performance on the defensive side."
Q: How about Justin Houston's health – he's made some comments about being 100 percent, how much different does he look to you?
SUTTON: "He's unfortunately had some of those nicks and injuries that have kept him out. So it's good to get him back healthy and a lot of it is exactly that – if he feels healthy, then that's a huge step. He's got that where he feels like 'I'm back' physically and that can be nothing but a real positive for us. We all know he's a good football player and he's getting back the mental part of it, before you react and go. Anytime you don't get to play a lot, he was in and out a lot last year even when he came back, it takes a while to get that reaction. For a guy like him, he's played so many games it still takes him a little time to get that reaction where it's normal where you're not that one click behind. So he's done a good job. We're excited he's back and healthy."
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB
Q: Tyreek Hill has so much energy, is there anyone else that compares to him?
TOUB:"De'Anthony (Thomas). De'Anthony is probably even higher energy than Tyreek, believe it or not. I have said this before about him, he is pound-for-pound one of the toughest guys we've got and it holds true. He made a nice tackle in that game too, over the top. We had a return, they got a 39-yarder on us. That thing goes for a touchdown if #13 is not there. To come all the way from the backside and make that play. He has a nose for the football. He told me before the season started 'I am going to make all of the tackles on kickoff.' You love guys like that."
Q: Has Cairo Santos had a chance to kick this week?
TOUB:"We are still evaluating that. We do not want to rush it. You know we want to make sure we are smart with this thing because it is a long season. We are still in preseason so we do not want to rush him. We are going to work with the doctors and the trainers with that and watch how he kicks. We have a guy and he is doing a good job for us. We just do not want to rush it."
Q: When do you typically get a feel for your unit? How long does it take you to know who to cut?
TOUB:"First preseason game. As soon as we have a live situation and we see guys running down the field and how they are going to react to live blocking and tackling, I could almost cut the team right then."
Q: Then what is your feel for this year's group?
TOUB:"Oh, I feel good. No matter how it works out, our core is back obviously, unless we cut them all. Our core is back and I feel pretty good. We are going to be all right."
Q: How is Sam Ficken doing for you?
TOUB:"He is a gamer. He does a good job in the game. He missed an extra point and that was a high snap too, so (James) Winchester deserves some of the credit for that miss. Overall, he is not bad for a guy that was on the street. We brought seven guys in here and he was the best one. He is doing a good job. He is getting a great opportunity. He is getting a lot of exposure. He is getting a lot of kicks and he is working with (Dustin) Colquitt and Winchester. You know I think Colquitt is one of the best holders in the league. He's got a guy who cleans a lot of stuff up for him."
Q: How is Kevin Pierre-Louis?
TOUB:"He is doing great. Right now we have him as a four-phase starter. He is getting more and more defense every day so we may have to reevaluate that as we go forward, but right now I love having him on everything that we do."
Q: Did you know you were getting that type of type when he came here in the trade?
TOUB: "We knew he was a fast guy. We knew he showed up on special teams. He had some injury issues there in Seattle so sometimes you didn't see him all of the time on the field. I think right now, knock wood, he is staying healthy. Our guys do a real good job evaluating. Our trainers do a good job keeping tabs on the muscles and stuff like that. They do a good job with that."
