Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid met with the media over Zoom conference call Monday, a day after the team’s 33-27 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Watch the full presser above or by clicking here. Here were the most significant takeaways:
Reid discussed Patrick Mahomes’ tough day — and how the coaching staff responds during the rare times he faces adversity.
Mahomes had three interceptions to go along with his 393 passing yards and two touchdowns at Hard Rock Stadium.
“We coach him— that’s what we do,” explained Reid. “And he wants that. That’s something that he wants. He takes it very well. At the same time, I want him to keep firing. There’s no discouragement that takes place. That’s not how we roll. If there’s something we can give him to help him, we’ll do that because we understand how he’s wired and how receptive he is to it. A lot of times he’ll come off it and say, ‘What’d you see? What do I need to do there?’ It might be that Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) could’ve moved over a bit into space where the quarterback could see him. There are all kinds of things that you work on. It’s not always just the one person.
“These guys, and this is what is a little bit unique about this team I would tell you, is these guys want you to coach them. They want to do the right thing. They get upset when they don’t. All of a sudden you see Clyde and Pat together and they’re talking through it or whatever the situation is. (Travis) Kelce, first guy off the field saying, ‘Ah, I should’ve done this on the screen.’ Then Pat goes, ‘No, I should’ve anticipated him bouncing up like that.’
“So, it’s pretty selfless that way. They’re not ones to point fingers at each other which I think is really a pretty good thing to have.”
While Mahomes still does things that surprise Reid, he emphasized that the key is not expecting those things.
It remains difficult to fathom everything Mahomes has accomplished in such a short time in the league, but that is not what surprises the Chiefs head coach.
“it in practice, I see it in games — yeah there are things,” noted Reid, “but I try not to expect those things. I think you get into trouble when you do that. There’s just so many things. I mean when you ask that question, my mind goes into the detail at practice, how much study time he spends away from this building here at home, making sure that he’s got all the wording down of every play and I mean, it takes time. It’s a great challenge that way.”
Reid continued.
“Not only that, but to know where everybody is on a split second and then how he practices out here with these guys, how he manages the guys around him and keeps everybody involved where you think you have a chance on about every play to get a grab if he’s throwing it, how he makes the linemen feel a part of it, that transfers over to the defense the same thing. Gives the defense an opportunity to feel like you have a chance in any game right, so we can do these things here on defense, we stand a chance and special teams likewise, so I mean, it’s a bigger question than maybe what you thought, but he does a lot of things for you, that way.”
Reid weighed in on the play of offensive lineman Yasir Durant, who filled in on Sunday.
Durant replaced right tackle Mike Remmers when he hurt his back midway through the Chiefs’ game against the Dolphins. Durant finished with 24 snaps at right tackle.
“I would tell you that he did some good things,” said Reid of the rookie. “He’s young so there’s some things that he needs to work on but he’s a great kid. His heart is in the right place and he wants to do well. It’s just a matter of experience there.”
Reid mentioned he would still need to meet with offensive line coach Andy Heck regarding Durant’s play. If Remmers can’t play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, it sounds as though the Chiefs may use Durant again, but whether it is at right tackle remains to be seen.
“He’s a smart kid and I’m not telling you he’s not going to be in there — that’s not what I’m telling you,” added Reid. “The one unique thing about him is that he plays guard and tackle for you and he can do both at a good level, so I think he’s got great upside. I mean the one thing none of us know, he hasn’t had to do it for an extended period of time so a week is a week, more than what he would’ve had and that’s a plus and one game is one more game ahead than what he’s had before and we all watch and see how things go.”
Reid was asked how far the Chiefs may be from playing their best football.
For the fifth straight week, the Chiefs won in a one-possession game.
“I think that team [Sunday] was a good team,” started Reid, talking about the Dolphins. “I think Brian Flores has done a heck of a job down there and they’ve got good players. So, we’ve got to take care of a few of the little things there, but I appreciate the effort. The mistakes that we’re making are guys trying to make that extra play, you know, just that extra little inch to be even better than what you are. So, sometimes you can go a little too far with it, but that’s easier to back down when you don’t have the juice.
“When you’re trying to muster up juice, that’s not always a good thing, so this is probably just the opposite of that. So, we’re close. We’ve got a few games here, or a couple games here at least, to get ourselves right where we’re really hitting that thing full-speed.”
The Chiefs have three games remaining — away at New Orleans, then back home at Arrowhead Stadium for the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers.