CHIEFS HEAD COACH ANDY REID

Q: Any change you think you will see when you first talk football with Patrick Mahomes ?

REID: "I think what you will see is he'll be more familiar then what he was because he's constantly studying, coach or no coach. He's going to be going back through all the tape, that's just how he is, through all the calls. So I'd expect to hit the ground running. It's not one of these situations where you're going to have to back up and go, okay he's a rookie and you got to start from scratch. That's not where you're at with him."

Q: When you add new skill guys in with a quarterback's first year, how do you get guys on the same page?

REID: "I think you put in the offense and you teach. So we've got good teachers from a coaching standpoint. Each guy kind of learns a little different. You go about teaching them the way that they learn the best. If you have to spend a little more time here, then you do that and that's just how it rolls."

Q: What was the defining quality you found in your quarterback, Alex Smith?

REID: "I'd tell you that he's highly intelligent. I would tell you that he's very competitive and very tough. Physically and mentally. He's seen about everything. He's had a lot of different coordinators and so he's experienced a lot of different offenses. I think there's still room to grow and he's wired that way to where he wants to get better every day and you love that part about him."

Q: In terms of coachability?

REID:"Phenomenal. Unbelievably easy to coach. I told our young guy Patrick Mahomes that he could have bought Alex (Smith) a castle and that wasn't enough – just being in that room with him."

Q: What about Kendall Fuller?

REID: "He's got a tremendous upside. I think he's just tapping into that. He developed, you could argue, into the best inside defender, pass defender in the league. Now he has an opportunity to step outside and do that also, just kind of add that to his repertoire."

Q: Is that how you'll use him?

REID: "Yeah, we'll use him on the outside, but at the same time we'll use him on the inside, too, in nickel situations."

Q: What was it about Chad Henne for a veteran quarterback?

REID: "So I was able to talk to some of the veteran quarterbacks out there and I like the way he's wired. I've always admired him. I like the way he's wired. He has tremendous toughness. He's seen about everything. I just think he'll be great – he'll understand his role with us and still be ready to compete and most of all be ready in case something happens to Patrick (Mahomes)."

Q: He grew very close to Blake Bortles in Jacksonville, did that make an impression?

REID: "Yeah, you're not going to ignore that for sure. I thought how he handled that whole thing was humbly. I think he was great for Blake (Bortles). There's nothing like it coming from a peer and hearing it from a peer."

Q: When you knew (Kendall) Fuller was part of the trade, what was your first thought?

REID: "That was a big part of the decision. So we wanted to make sure that Alex (Smith) went to a place that was right and again, Brett Veach did this so I'm not taking any of the credit on this. This is Brett's deal. But we wanted to make sure that he went some place that he could win and that he was going to be well-coached and in an offense that kind of fit with what he does. On the other hand, we felt like we needed defensive, secondary help. So I thought it was a win-win for both sides, which doesn't happen very often in this league. But I thought it was great for the Redskins and I think it's going to be great for us too."

Q: What's your view to the revision of the catch rule?

REID: "I think it simplified it down, time will test it and we'll see how it goes. Sure seems like it will be easier for the officials to officiate, seems more clear cut. The neat thing about the NFL is if there's a problem they normally address it. Hit it head on, whether it's popular or not, they're going to hit it head on if they feel like they made a mistake somewhere, they're always going to come back and, 'OK we made a mistake, let's do this and fix it.'"

Q: The league as a whole?

REID: "I think the league as a whole. I think that's one of Roger Goodell's real strengths is he doesn't shy away from things if there's an issue. He's going to do what's best for the game and he's kind of kept that in line that way. Might not always be the most popular thing, but that's a hard seat to sit in, but I think he handles that well."

Q: Comparatively, (Donovan) McNabb going into his first year versus Patrick (Mahomes) going into his first, what do you remember about Donovan's challenges going into that year?

REID: "A little bit similar in that Patrick had an opportunity to start a game where Donovan had three, four or five, I can't remember exactly. I just know the last two were good ones. I think there's some similarities from that regards, they both had a lead into their second season. I think Donovan had more games, but I still think they got a taste of what it takes to start in the league and now it's that endurance throughout. On the other hand, defenses have had an opportunity to study both, you know study Donovan and then study Patrick."

Q: How important was it to get someone to support the young quarterback?

REID: "I thought that was important. I thought, when I talked to these veteran guys I wanted a veteran guy in there. I thought Chad (Henne) fit that well, he's seen enough. He's been around this type of situation for the last few years and on the other hand he was a high draft pick and had the whole weight of the NFL and franchise on his back at the Dolphins. So I thought that fit well in what we're going to ask him to do."

Q: Can you elaborate more on sending Alex Smith to a place he fit well in and what is it about the coaching situation in Washington that you like?

REID: "I think Jay (Gruden) is a phenomenal offensive mind. So Alex has the capacity, I always would say you aren't going to run out of gigabytes with Alex. He's got great capacity to learn and to take it on the field and be able to do. I thought, out of all the teams we were talking to, that was a great match for him. Listen, I felt like I owed that to him for what he did for us. He was phenomenal for the Chiefs organization and he's great guy. I mean once you're around him here a little bit, you'll understand why I think that. Top-notch. Both he and his wife. His wife is phenomenal, too. Good hearts, good people."

Q: If there was one rule or part of the game you could change to make it better, what would it be?

REID: "That we could throw the ball every down and there would be no holding calls. Listen, I don't know. That's a good question."

Q: If the competition committee asked for your input, would there be something?

REID: "You know I'm on that sub-committee so I deal with all the stuff and I don't know. I mean, I don't know how to answer that. There's so many rules and regulations. They do a good job, the competition committee does a good job of sorting all of that out. They've got a heavy load there, man. It's not a fun thing. They're still doing it within that three-hour window there that they have to work with. Not easy."

Q: How comfortable are you with this group of young guys you've got going on?

REID: "That's the NFL today. Unfortunately, age fits into this thing. We're all getting older, that's how it works and we move on. There's change that takes place. So the old days of a guy staying at one place till he retires, you don't see it very often."

Q: What do you think you've taught these guys that helps them do so well as head coaches?

REID: "Listen, most of the guys, we have a close staff, so most of them, they kind of see how I do stuff. Then they're good people. They kind of put their own mark on it and they go. So it's a system that's been around awhile."

Q: Similarities between the staffs you were on with Mike (Holmgren) in Green Bay?

REID: "Yeah, I said this when I worked for him and I still feel this way after being in this thing for a couple years, that I had a hard time believing that anybody did it better than him when I was working for him and I still feel that way. I think it's a sin that he's not in the hall of fame, maybe not a sin because he hasn't been out that long. But you know he's the missing part of that there. Ron Wolf, (Brett) Favre is in, and he needs to be in."

Q: You had so much success the end of last season with four-man fronts, any consideration about going with a four-three?   

REID: "Yeah, I mean, 73 percent of the time you're in that as a base defense. There's so much flexibility in the 3-4 and where you can reduce it anyways and you're really in that position most of the time. We're not a true 3-4, we're always a kick down team and so really it's kind of a format, but having just that thought in your mind that you have that guy over there as a tackle but possibly could drop, if somebody else comes. That's tough on an offensive guy."

Q: When you're looking at caliber receivers, anything you're seeing that's making that transition a little more difficult lately?

REID: "Yeah that's a tough thing. I think there's no better time to evaluate them then now though, and I've said that about young quarterbacks, the same thing because they're throwing the ball. Colleges are throwing the ball now. You've got to get in and you've got to see the system. Is this a system guy? Is this a guy that could sustain within your system and how you're doing things, which is the most important. You have to be real with that. Whatever he did in college isn't necessarily what he can do with what you're asking him to do. But you have to be real with that."

Q: So because they may throw more in colleges, they're running offenses that don't always translate?

REID: "Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You've got to take the routes. What we'll do is we'll take similar routes, cut it up and look at those routes similar to what we do. We try to narrow it down, get rid of the quick screens stuff that might be that and see what's real. Get in there and dig, takes a little bit of time, but dig and see what's real."

Q: Is that a position you feel like you would be comfortable you could get value in the second or fourth round, wouldn't have to spend a top pick on?

REID: "I think almost every position you could probably say that with. But yeah you can for sure. I mean we've done that. I believe that, yeah. That's a tough position though, tough one to evaluate. They're all tough though. 50 percent of first-round picks make it."

Q: What are the things you determine in quarterbacks that make you think they can do well at this level?

REID: "So again, I'm going to piggyback on what I said here – even more so with the quarterback. If you see like-routes that they do and see how he handles that. And as much time with quarterback as you can spend with them, the better. You're going to narrow that error margin. We brought all those young guys in and we locked them down for six hours and six hours in the big picture doesn't seem that long, but you're going to find out, you're going to tap in to if he can he work through the fatigue of it, the love of it. You're going to hear all those things in there, the want to, what he knows you're going to get right into the core of it and see what it's all about. It's not an easy thing especially when you're doing six or so with those guys."

Q:Are you proud of your coaching tree? A lot of guys have had success.

REID:"Yeah, Matt Nagy is out there now. I think he is going to do a great job, too. I am very proud of all those guys. I am proud of Doug. You know as well as I do that that is not the easiest place to win, and in particular, win a Super Bowl. It hasn't been done. And so, for the city, for the organization, for Doug Pederson, my hats off to him. For his coaches, they did a great job. Doug led the charge there. It is good to see Howie Roseman rebound back in there. He had kind of been pushed aside and for him to resurrect himself and spend the time to do all that self-evaluation, there are a lot of good stories in there."

Q:Pretty much all the messages from them are the same, they just learned to be themselves. Is that the main thing you preach?

REID:"Yeah, you're not going to be able to adjust and work around all the complicated situations you are given in the NFL in a game or just life situations if you are not yourself. Players read right through that, man. If you come in and you are going to be something that you are not, the players read through that in a heartbeat. These are smart dudes. They are going to call you out on that pretty quick."

Q:What were your thoughts watching the last few minutes of the Super Bowl?

REID:"First of all, it was a great game. Especially if you were an offensive guy, it was a great game. Defensive guys were probably cringing, but those were two pretty good defenses. Philly had one of the top defenses in the NFL. I just saw it for the National Football League and the viewers, the fans, you aren't going to get a better game than that right there. It's what it was marked up to be. I thought it was awesome. Last few minutes, unbelievable."

Q:Is Tyreek Hill a guy that can evolve into a player like Antonio Brown or is he just an outside guy?

REID:"Tyreek can do anything. He is very smart, which people don't know. Especially with the whole story and everything that you hear. He is a smart kid. He picks up things quickly. It is just a matter of him—remember he was a running back. It is just a matter of him learning all the intricacies of running routes. That's what his challenge will be this year. Remember, he can play inside or outside and we can move him around, which we do anyways. He had as many inside plays as he did outside. He has a good feel for things."

Q:Does the league have it right in terms of valuing receivers?

REID:"Yeah, I think so. I know my little, inside slot guy, Albert Wilson, just made a lot of money. Somebody has to evaluate it right and it is all well deserved. He is a good player. It looks like the kid from Miami (Jarvis Landry) also made some money."

Q:Is the slot guy valued the same as the outside guy?

REID:"I think it is very important. I drafted Jason Avant and he played a long time. Normally what you see is a little bigger guy, sometimes, but really someone who knows to work in space. Normally they are physically strong. You aren't going to see the little skinny receiver in there, normally."

Q:Doug Pederson's team led the league in slot touchdowns last season, but you wouldn't say that they have the best slot receivers in the league.

REID:"So what sometimes happens there with a young quarterback, they look there first and everything inside the numbers, that is their comfort zone. They start spreading it around a little bit more as it goes."

Q:Did you have any issues with the catch rule the way it was being called the last few years?

REID:"I thought it was hard for the officials. So much controversy. That is the one unique thing about the league, if they have that, they are going to go right after it. I thought it was hard to officiate from an official's standpoint. You get into those situations where you are going, even as a coach, is it a catch? Is it not a catch? You probably need to take a look at it."

Q:Do you like where it is now?

REID:"Listen, something probably had to be done. I think the officials feel pretty good about it and the coaches feel pretty good about it. And now you just have to see where it goes. And if there is a problem, we have confidence the league will adjust to it."

Q:Is it crazy going to a young quarterback after having the veteran guy when you can't work with them as much in the offseason?

REID:"I don't think so. I am not uncomfortable with it. I was fortunate enough to have Donovan (McNabb) as a young guy and then A.J. Feely, we kind of grew him. I am OK with that. When you get to know the kid you go, 'alright.'"

Q:I don't want to compare Donovan and Patrick, but Donovan came from a non-traditional NFL offense in college, is it good having experience teaching a quarterback that had to fundamentally learn an NFL offense?

REID:"Well, I will tell you what was unique about Donovan. Paul Pasqualoni was his coach and he came down and visited me in Green Bay for like two years. One year was for the screen game, the next year it was for short intermediate passes. He kept telling me, 'I got this quarterback. And I think this kid can do everything. He is unbelievable.' I automatically start watching this kid from the time he was a freshman, and that was Donovan. For me it was pretty easy, that part. I knew too much. But he did everything, to answer your question. That offense was so complicated. The option game, the pass game they were doing off the option, and he incorporated some of the pro stuff into it. That thing was like these offenses today. He had a great vision, Pasqualoni did."

Q:How much do you think the college game will keep influencing the pro game?

REID:"I told you what I did with Alex, I went back and pulled all his college stuff. Because you search in there. You say, 'Why has it been up and down?' Well, some of it was he had eight different coordinators. The other part was let's find out what he is most comfortable with. Let's talk to him and find what he is most comfortable with. I went back and I pulled some of his college stuff and looked at it. I know Urban Meyer, I know Kyle Whittingham well. Kind of through all that conversation and film review, we gave him a handful of things and said, 'Hey, what do you think about this?' The longer he was with us, the more he had input to where, towards the end, he would tell you, 'I am lukewarm on that,' or 'I love this,' type thing. To answer your question, I think the college stuff, why not? They are spreading the field out, they are throwing the ball. It is good stuff. The West Coast offense has a little bit of everything in it. We have fit a little of that RPO stuff in there, too. That is not a big deal."

Q:They were so rigid two decades ago about including college offenses in the NFL.

REID:"There is a blend. RPO is a big term now. You can't do RPOs against everything."

Q:When was the first time you ran one in the NFL?

REID:"You know what, Brad Childress and I were doing this at Northern Arizona like a hundred years ago. We have always had these run-pass option type things. You weren't necessarily running the option, you were checking to things."

Q:Is it more essential now to give them things because of the time restraint?

REID:"This is what you are getting. The high schools are the ones that get to practice the most. But even they have some rules. And the college kids are on the 20 hour rule, so they don't get a whole lot of coaching going on there. And that is why you are seeing that type of an offense. And the defenses play a lot of quarters, and a handful of plays that they run and they go with it. And then at the NFL level, we are at a time constriction, too. It is something we have to abide by. You have to manage your time the right way. There is a lot of coaching that goes into it. You are starting from ground zero when the kids come in. As much familiarity that you can find in there that fits into what you want to do isn't a bad thing."

Q:Why should a mom in Dubuque, Iowa let her kid play football?

REID:"I think this game teaches you all the values of life. It is a microcosm of life. The way the rules are set now for injury, we are taking that head part of it out of the game and it is as safe as it has ever been right now. These life values way overrule any of the injury. If you look at any sport you are vulnerable to getting hurt. It is a whole different mindset. We are getting to the point where it is not about the injury, it is about this question you are asking me and the values you are learning through the sport you play. This one drives you to where you question if you can take another step, physically, which leads into the mental toughness part of it, which leads to getting knocked down, 'Can I get back up?' These are all things that happen in life I think during tough times. There are all sorts of tough times in life."

Q:Is there an advantage to having a young guy you are developing at backup?

REID:"Sure. If you are going to keep three quarterbacks. You can go with two young guys, you can do that, too. We just chose to do this route. I've done the other route too and been OK with it. Where we are at right now I felt like I wanted an experienced guy."

Q: Josh Rosen played tennis. Have you encountered any quarterbacks like Josh Rosen with the short memory and competiveness?

REID: "I think he is obviously a football player first. I am sure he banks on certain things he has learned from that sport. I haven't met Josh, so I don't know how much I can give you. But he sure was a good player. He probably is going to do well at this level because he is a smart kid."

Q: What jumps out at you?

REID:"He looks like he has a good feel for the game. He has good vision. He has a good, strong arm, so that normally works into a good combination. He has good feet. He probably developed that playing tennis. He has decent size to play. From what I understand he is a smart kid. Again, I haven't had a chance to get in lockdown with him and go through all of that with him. But it looks like he has what it takes."

Q:How much does a player's completion percentage in college tell you about how accurate they are?

REID:"There are things that go into it, there are other variables. You have to look at the whole picture. What kind of offensive line has he dealt with, what kind of receivers has he dealt with. Let's get in and see what the issue is. See if he fits into your system, see how he's wired."

Q:There have been quarterbacks whose completion percentage have increased in the NFL, but do you think accuracy can also increase?

REID:"It depends on what the problem is. Brett Favre wasn't the most accurate guy in the world when he first came in. He worked on it and the rest is history."

Q:So is accuracy a trait or is it something you can improve?

REID:"There are certain things that you can work on, yeah. You have to get in and see what the problem is. Is it something the player can fix by work?"

Q:With a guy like Patrick Mahomes, you can't teach the strength of the arm, but you can teach accuracy?

REID:"Well, it depends. It depends on what the problem with the accuracy is. If his form is perfect and he does everything right, but he can't hit the broad side of the barn, we have a problem. If he has the best offensive line and the form is right, you just have to get in there and see. A lot of things that go into that. But you can work through fundamentals and increase accuracy."

Q:What are your thoughts on how the Marcus Peters situation unfolded?

REID:"Well, what I think is the Rams got a good player there. Where we are at, we thought it was time for a change. There's a lot of things that go into that, too. And not what people always think. We are managing caps and all those things. You are always three years down the road on things in how you look at it. We just felt it was a move we had to make at that time."

Q:When you say not what people always think, what do you mean?

REID:"Just what I was saying. The cap situations. People looked at the personality side of it. That's not always the case with these guys. You have to look at the cap and that advanced look down the road."

Q:Were you surprised to see a guy like Sammy Watkins hit the market?

REID:"Well, they have a lot of good players so it is hard to keep all those guys. That is what I am saying, you have to go through it and you have to evaluate that stuff. Just on the other hand of what he is asking me, it is just different deals."

Q:Clemson used Sammy Watkins a lot in the screen game, is it the plan to use him there?

REID:"Yeah, and the Rams were developing into doing that. I feel like they were just figuring out how to use him amongst all those other guys. Sean (McVay) didn't want to get rid of him but he just couldn't keep him. But I think he can definitely do that for us."

Q: Did you see that he is more productive the more he gets the ball?

REID: "With the Rams they got him the ball and he did good things. He's one of those guys that can pluck it. You hear that term where they can catch the ball out in front of them. Not all receivers are willing to do that in games or in traffic and he is willing to stick those hands out there to go get the ball. That's a unique characteristic that he's got. Then he has good size and speed to go with that. As long as he stays healthy he's a pretty dominant player."

Q: When you think about your time with Alex Smith what made him special for you guys that you were able to be so successful?

REID: "Phenomenal person, great leader. You'll find out he's highly intelligent. He's a great person. The locker room will appreciate his toughness, his consistency day in and day out, he'll be there first, stay there until the end, the whole deal. Consummate pro."

Q: Is there something that he does or a tool he has in his toolkit that you feel isn't fully appreciated?

REID: "His short to intermediate game is phenomenal and then everybody said he couldn't throw the long ball and he throws that long ball pretty good. You're talking about the number one ranked quarterback coming out this year and I don't think he's hit the ceiling yet. I think he can continue to improve and he'll tell you the same thing that he'll be eager to get in there and get Jay's (Gruden) stuff down. I think he and Jay will hit it off. I have a lot of respect for Jay as an offensive coach and part of this was, this is how much respect for him Brett and I have, to get him some place where he could win and be with a good offensive mind. Then at the same time it helps us out getting (Kendall) Fuller. This was one of those deals, and I mentioned this earlier, that I think is really good for both sides only because we have a backup plan. I think for Alex he's really going to help the Redskins out. I think the players will appreciate his leadership ability and like I said his consistency. His ability to change things at the line of scrimmage is phenomenal. You're not going to run out of gigabytes with the dude. His capacity to learn and still function at a high rate is second to none."

Q: You say all of these nice things about him but ultimately you guys did decide to move on. I think a lot of fans ask that and say 'Why did you guys move on if you liked him so much'?

REID: "I'm not going to tell you we're in the greatest cap situation in the world. That's not where we're at right at the present moment. We've made some moves here that probably fit into that. That's this age of football. We drafted this young kid to help us get along. I wasn't sure it would happen this year, but it did. Like I said, in today's world and I'm saying these things to you in today's world, I think the guy's been a great player."

Q: You guys are getting a good player in Kendall Fuller. Was he the separator in that trade that you guys thought this was the trade that needed to be made?

REID: "We needed defensive secondary help and that kid right there is a good football player and he's just beginning. He's young. As you've seen, we got a little bit older on our football team, in particular on the defensive side and then Alex. We're kind of retooling that and bringing in some younger guys."

Q: What are the main things you think about when deciding if it's best for a head coach to keep calling plays?

REID: "I think it's a feel you have and every team's different, every situation, every year is different. When Doug Pederson was with us I let him call second halves of game. Then two years ago I called every play. Then Matt Nagy, I turned it over to him the last five games or whatever it was. It's just a feel you have and every situation is different. It just depends on who you have, where you're going with it and maybe what you have to do as a head coach at other spots or whatever is consuming your time."

Q: Matt Nagy has mentioned a few times now your "Beautiful Mind Board". Why is that important to you? How does that function for you? What do you guys get out of having that type of concept?

REID: "I've been lucky to have guys that love football. I love talking football, high school coaches, I don't care I'll talk to anybody about it. So we would get in there and put our ideas on this board and I wanted them to grow and be able to develop their own stuff. You kind of know when these guys have got it when they can put up their own stuff up and not be stealing from somewhere else. This is the primary defense, this is the secondary that this team is running and I think this would be good right here and create their own play. You have a good one right there [in Matt Nagy]. He's got a great mind and is very good."

Q: As some of the option concepts start to proliferate a little bit did you have to be convinced that these would work at this level?

REID: "I did this actually with Michael Vick, I did it initially with Donovan (McNabb) because Donovan came out of the option system and we ran it a little bit with Donovan early. But it was pure option it wasn't the RPOs and then Michael did the same thing with him. Then when we got Alex, I went back and I pulled out all of his college stuff. Now you're into the RPO stuff. So we started incorporating that in. I tried to find his best stuff, what he felt most comfortable with and we started off with that and we put it in and we just grew it from there."

Q: The narrative that NFL defenses are bigger, faster, have you felt like you could challenge that and have the success that you guys have ultimately started to have?

REID: "I don't think it puts your quarterback at any more risk than normal. It actually helps him get out of trouble at times. You can't run an RPO versus everything, but you can check at the line of scrimmage versus everything. This is one of Alex's strengths, his ability to get in and out of trouble was a real strength of his at the line of scrimmage. I think your guy (Mitchell) Trubisky is the same way."

Q:Do you see similarities with what you had in Doug and with Matt Nagy?

REID: "They're different guys but both of them are very intelligent. Great football minds. They love the game. But they are different, they're different guys. They have different personalities."

Q: Did you see head coach potential in Matt when you first had him with the Eagles?

REID: "He's got a great energy about him and the more you're around him you'll find that out and it's consistent. He is as detailed as anybody. That part he came with."

Q: When you give guys like Doug and Matt play calling responsibility you're obviously knowing at some point those guys might leave as head coaches. How do you prepare for that as a head coach?

REID: "I brought Mike Kafka in. I knew Eric Bieniemy was continuing to develop and I told him a year ago to make sure that his pass game stuff was evolving towards quarterbacks and not just staying in that box with the running backs and the o-line, which I had been told as an assistant with Mike Holmgren. So I felt real strong there that if I lost Brad (Childress) and Matt that I had Eric Bieniemy and Mike Kafka right there growing. You have to think down the road as a head coach. You can't think always at the moment. As an assistant you can, as a head coach you can't."

Q: When you traded up to get Patrick Mahomes what did you see that made you want to do it and what do you see now in your time with him that makes you know he's the guy?

REID: "Besides that Oklahoma game when he came and threw for 600 yards. We watched every snap that he played. Brett Veach had been on him from the get go and he told me about him before he was 'Patrick Mahomes'. We had a chance to watch him play and then once you get to meet him you go, 'Wow, this guy is all about football and wants to be great.' Now he's got to do it. It's all out there in front of him."

Q: What are the Texans getting in Zach Fulton?

REID: "One of my favorite guys. Zach can play any position. Very smart. Very consistent. Doesn't say much. He's not a loud talker, that's not his deal. You'll just appreciate how he comes to work every day."

Q:What do you think of the depth of this year's quarterback class?

REID: "I haven't studied it as much as I normally do because I've got a guy. It looks like there's pretty good depth. I love the quarterbacks coming out in today's world because they're throwing the ball. You get to evaluate them. It's not like they're running the wishbone. You actually get to see them out there playing and slinging the ball around a little bit. It's a just a matter of digging in and finding out what their vision really is and can it fit into what you're doing."

Q: On the Commissioner saying there is a need for more coaches of color on the offensive side.

REID: "That's a big question. I'm into good coaches. I don't get caught up in all of the color. Eric Bieniemy is a phenomenal football coach. I can't speak for other people but I go out and I talk to everybody, if you open the door, if you see me at the Senior Bowl, I always have people coming up and talk to young guys. I don't care what color they are. I just talk football. As long as the guy loves ball, has aptitude, is willing to work I'm all in on them. That's what Eric Bieniemy has. I've got some good young guys on my staff, Mike Kafka and Greg Lewis who I think is really sharp, Al Harris on the defensive side. These are young guys that are ambitious about their profession. I could add Mike Smith and the rest of those young guys on the defensive side. These are young guys that are working to get better. That's what I think about."

Q: So basically if everybody just looks for the best guy then those guys will rise up?

REID: "Yeah. Open your eyes, man. Do what's best for the game. I don't care what color. Do what's best for the game."

Q: On Albert Wilson.

REID: "Albert is a really smart football player and great core strength, so he gives you something after the catch. He'll be able to play any wide receiver position and he'll love doing it. He's a very good competitor. He was a high school quarterback so he kind of gets it all."

Q: What is he like off of the field?

REID: "He's a really good kid. He loves to play."

Q: Having lived that Philly job for 14 years, how do you think it's going to be different for Doug now that they won in terms of pressure and the fan base?

REID: "There's high expectations there anyways. Doug's wired right to handle all of that. He's not going to change. You saw that at the Super Bowl. He went down there and he was Doug Pederson, that's what he was. I think you'll see that even with the pressure and the expectations as they rise he'll keep being himself. He's presenting that to the team every day. That's the important thing. As long as he's got the good players and he's got them, I think they're in good hands. I'd put my two cents in for Howie (Roseman). I think it's good to see Howie back in the picture and kicking butt."

Q: Is it a different job now that there's a Lombardi Trophy there? Do you think the fans or the media will be a little easier?

REID: "I always go back to when Charlie (Manuel) won the World Series. He came out the first game, ring ceremony and everything and then they were losing and they booed him. That's a badge of honor in Philly. That's alright. It comes with the territory."

Q: Not that (Laurent) Duvernay-Tardif needs more letters on the back of his jersey, but M.D. do you have any thoughts on adding that next month?

REID: "I don't think they can do that anyway. I'm not big on the other additions on the jerseys but he'll be alright."

Q: When he was hurt midseason he said it took him until December until he felt like he was himself again. Was that a big loss midseason for you guys?

REID: "He's a good player for us. We were lucky to have good backups which helped. Zach was our sixth man and then our center went down and he just stepped in and it flowed. We had some good backups that could go in and roll. Anytime you lose a guy like that it's a big loss."

Q: How do you think Dontari Poe will fit into Ron Rivera's system?

REID: "He'll do great. Talking about a guy like that who loves to play the game. I think what you'll be amazed with is the guy is 330 pounds and his endurance is phenomenal. He can go all day. We have a running test and he would always be right up in the front of that running test when the guys would come back to camp. He's an unbelievable athlete."

Q: Is he one of these guys in the middle that can be an occupy blocker when needed but can also be a penetrator?

REID: "Yeah, absolutely. He can do whatever he wants to do. He's very talented."

Q: Was his weight an issue for him?

REID: "I never felt that. He kept it right there. Like I said, conditioning he was unbelievable. Always in unbelievable condition. I never had a problem with his weight."

Q:What convinced you that now was the right time to turn it over to Patrick at quarterback?

REID: "There's a bunch of things that go into that but he gives you the confidence most of all that he can do that. I had a chance to work with him for that Denver game. Most of all I thought that that was more of introduction to Mike Kafka than it was to Patrick because I knew I was going to lose Nagy. I wasn't sure we were going to go the direction we did with Alex. But it ended up being I got to work with both of them. I came out of that going 'You know what this kid is ready to go. He's ready to go ahead and lead'. He had a great teacher. Alex Smith was a phenomenal teacher for him. That's this day and age of the NFL. Then it helps you in the cap. You have to add that part into it. We weren't in the greatest cap situation so you have to make moves like that. Whether it's losing our corner, losing Alex, you have to make these moves. You always have to stay three years in advance. That's just how it works."

Q: What kind of player do you think he'll be early?

REID: "He gives you the confidence that he's going to be OK. I think it's how we manage it and how we manage him. That you still understand that he's got growth ahead of him."