Andy Reid roundup: Chiefs’ demons, Andrew Luck and Mahomes’ first playoff ride

The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round this Saturday afternoon at 3:35 p.m. Arrowhead Time at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs will practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week in preparation for Saturday. Andy Reid spoke to the media to begin the week on Monday.

Unlike most Chiefs fans, Reid’s plan is to treat this week like any game week.

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While everyone who will be watching Saturday’s game realizes the Chiefs are 0-4 against the Colts in the playoffs, including two games at Arrowhead Stadium, Reid is correctly treating this year as new ground.

“I don’t think so,” Reid said, when asked if he will address past failures. “They’re a good football team. Like I said before, every year is different in this league. Every team’s different, so you don’t spend a lot of time with that. You get ready for the game and go through the process of getting ready for it. I think that’s most important. I’m sure there is talk. That’s not where we’re at right now—just getting ready to play.”

Even when it comes to the tough losses to other teams—such as the Steelers and Titans—in recent years, Reid has no plans to address them.

“No, you move on,” he said. “Those are history. You don’t go back on that. You’re always moving forward in this thing, and that’s what we’re doing... I don’t think you need to say anything. You’ve played a season. It’s important you don’t worry about all that. You worry about the process you’re going through to get ready to play against a good football team.”

Despite it being quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first playoff experience, Reid believes he will be ready.

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Reid explained that even with his 20 years of head-coaching experience, it is hard to prepare Mahomes based upon that.

“All quarterbacks are different,” Reid said. “You want to play within yourself—that’s the main thing. I would tell all the players that, and coaches. You do what got you there and go play—get yourself ready to play against a good football team.”

Reid was asked specifically about what tells him the moment won’t be too big for Mahomes.

“So far, I haven’t really seen anything that’s too big for Pat,” Reid said. “I’m not worried about that. He’s going to get himself ready just like he does every week—to play against a good football team. I don’t think he’s wired the other way. I’m not predicting anything, that’s not what I’m doing here. I’m just telling you matter-of-factly how he’s wired and how he goes about his business.”

Reid provided his initial thoughts on the Colts team that defeated the Houston Texans, 21-7, this past weekend.

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“I thought on both sides of the ball and special teams, they played well,” he said. “They flew around, covered well, caught the ball well—all the fundamental things I thought they played a really solid football game, and the Texans are a good football team. They did it at the Texans home.”

Andrew Luck was 19 of 32 for 222 yards two touchdowns and a pick in the game. Luck has a great offensive line that only allowed a league-low 18 sacks this season. The Chiefs, for comparison’s sake, only allowed 26 (No. 28).

“How great are they at that, man? They’re phenomenal at that,” Reid said. “Andrew Luck—it’s great to have him back in the game and going. He’s had a great year. You have to stay persistent with it. I’m not going to sit here and tell you we’re going to do this and that, but you got to bring your best against them and do the best you possibly can every play. He’s going to get you every once and a while, and then you make sure you get him more than he gets you. He’s got a lot of good players around him. That offensive line—people can argue with you that it’s the best in the National Football League and you look at their receivers, they’ve got good receivers. They’ve got a good tight end. You can go all the way around at running back, so you got to bring your best. That’s what the playoffs are all about. This is the best in the National Football League, which is the best in the world.”

The Colts’ Frank Reich, by way of the Eagles’ Doug Pederson (Eagles offensive coordinator 2016-17), falls under Reid’s coaching tree.

“The offense is similar to what we do,” Reid said. “I think [Reich] does a heck of a job. Top-notch guy, person, a good football coach. I’ve gotten to know him a little bit here over the last few years, so I think he’s done a heck of a job.”

The Colts team was constructed over the past two seasons by former Chiefs director of football operations Chris Ballard.

“I think he’s done a phenomenal job, a great job,” Reid said of Ballard’s Colts work. “He’s worked extremely hard for that, too. He picked himself a good head coach and he’s got good assistant coaches and so on. They’ve done a nice job.”

Other notable quotes from Monday:

• Injury notes here.
• Reid watched the Sunday evening matchup between Pederson’s Eagles and Matt Nagy’s Bears. The two head coaches were the previous two offensive coordinators in Kansas City: “I did watch it. I thought they did a heck of a job. It was a great battle, and one point and it comes down to the last play—that’s something. My hat goes off to both guys. I have a ton of respect for both guys. I think they’ve done a phenomenal job with both their teams. I think that’s great for the National Football League, probably most of all, when you put on a show like that and have a competition. The strategy and all the things that went into that game and having it at that level, I think is phenomenal.” Reid added he talked to both coaches after the game.
• Reid on if he’s ever seen a quarterback embraced into a community as quickly as Mahomes: “Yeah, I probably haven’t, but I’ve had guys that ended up being loved by the community with a little time. He’s done a nice job with that, too. That’s a little bit of his personality. He’s an outgoing kid who isn’t worried about giving back or what people think. He makes that haircut work. It all works together. He’s a special kid that way, good person.”
• Reid on what the 30-0 playoff win against Houston back in 2016 meant to the franchise: “You love to win. Obviously, there hadn’t been a playoff win for a little bit here, but I get excited about every win... When you get the (Chiefs) job, a new head-coaching job—and I was on both ends of that relatively quickly—you weren’t doing good enough, so you were released. Then you come to a place that wasn’t normally getting it done and they need a change of scenery, so you come in. Then you find out all these things that might have happened in the past, or whatever. I don’t get caught up too much on that, but I think it was a good thing for the fans, it was a good thing for this organization because everyone works so stinking hard here. It’s not just the coaches and the players; it’s the whole building and it starts with your owner and CEO in Clark (Hunt). You get a playoff win, it’s a positive thing for everybody.”