Chiefs’ Andy Reid roundup: defensive depth, team mindset and Mahomes honesty

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took the podium Monday afternoon following the team’s 38-27 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Let’s round up the big takeaways from Reid:

Reid acknowledged there is something to keeping a strong mindset no matter the score on both offense and defense.

I saw this tweet from one of the AP readers on Monday:

Good timing by Andrew, as Reid provided an answer to this thought on Monday:

“Human nature, you have a tendency to pull [back],” Reid said. “You’ve got to fight that on both sides of the ball, whether it’s dropping a ball on a third-down play, when you have an opportunity to convert, whether it’s easing back just a step when the ball’s in front of you, where you’re late on either breaking it up or miss a tackle—that type of thing. And that’s human nature, but you have to fight it in that situation.

“We’re a young football team, and so you have to learn that. You’ve got to power through that and learn as you go to how to finish those type of things.

We told you Dee Ford is scheduled for an MRI sometime Monday. Reid said that if the injury is serious, he feels comfortable with the depth of rookie Breeland Speaks and Tanoh Kpassagnon.

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Here is the latest on Ford.

“I think we’ll be fine there if that’s the case (Ford being hurt),” Reid said. “I know he was sore [Sunday] and for him to come out of a game—that’s never a good thing, so we’ll see how he does here, but I’m glad we’ve had an opportunity to play those guys and give them a little experience here. They’ve been rotating in, so I’m not as worried about it as if they had zero experience there.”

Speaks has played a bit more than Kpassgnon, but both players have seen time in each game. To be exact, Speaks has 45 defensive snaps this season to Kpassagnon’s ‘s 25.

“They’ve both been kind of rotating as they go depending on who needs a blow there,” Reid said. “I think they’re both playing to be in there an equal amount. I don’t even know the number of reps on it—who’s higher than the other—but they normally come in as a tandem unless something happens like an injury, and then you get one over the other, but we’ve been trying to sub both of them in at the same time.”

Reid admitted Patrick Mahomes did have some struggles early, but it was good that Mahomes was honest with it when he came back to the sideline.

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We have seen more efficient days from Mahomes, who had 14 incompletions on Sunday.

“He had a couple where he was over-striding his throws,” Reid said. “The ball was moving about 100 miles an hour—you know, one of those. That probably was a little extra adrenaline, but the main thing there is he’s real about it. He’s real with [the media]. He’s real on the sideline, and that allows for progress. If you’re conning yourself into something your not, that’s an issue at that position. If you’re willing to put it out there and say, ‘This is what I am, and I got to get better in certain areas,’ then you normally can do that.”

We mentioned in snap counts linebacker Reggie Ragland had a season-high 49. Reid likes the trend he’s seeing in Ragland after his knee issues in the offseason.

Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images

“I think, Reg, the more he plays, the better,” Reid said. “We saw it last year and he’s one of those guys who didn’t have much time in camp and he’s a big guy that we’re asking to do a lot of things with, so the more he does it. He just needs to keep playing,

Terrance Smith had 11 defensive snaps Sunday.

“Smith has done a nice job when given the opportunity,” Reid added. “Two different syles of play. We use him a little bit more in coverage stuff—in the nickel stuff, and Reg in more of the base stuff.”

Reid (kind of) addressed the Earl Thomas rumors.

More on that here. Reid also added there could be another update on Eric Berry coming on Wednesday.