KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and recently added running back LeSean McCoy talked football Monday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Head Coach Andy Reid
OPENING STATEMENT: “It’s great to get to this point of preparing for Week 1, and in particular, against the Jaguars. We respect that football team. They’re an aggressive, physical football team. Well-coached. We look forward to that challenge of getting ourselves ready. They’re being challenged this week with the hurricane. Our hearts go out to them because they’ve had to move people around. Hopefully they’re safe and everything goes well for them there. I appreciate, as the organization does, and coaches in particular right now, the effort that the players gave us that we ended up having to release. We’re hoping that they have an opportunity to hook up with another team, but their attitude was phenomenal throughout all of the OTAs and camp. I thought (General Manager) Brett (Veach) and his staff did a nice job of navigating through the last couple of days. Those are tough putting together this final roster. I think they handled that very well. There are no injuries to talk about. Everybody is up and going. We worked yesterday, now the guys are in a normal routine. Today is their day off. They’ll be back in tomorrow for film and lifting. Then, we’re right into the normal week and getting ready for Jacksonville. Time’s yours on that.”
Q: What tells you that LeSean McCoy still has the capability to play at a high level?
REID: “Just the tape. We looked at the tape. I have known him for a long time, obviously. There are not a lot of 31-year-old running backs running around out there, but he still has the great feet and the vision. The way we’ll work that situation is that we are lucky to have Damien (Williams) here who we consider a starter, as we do Shady. I think it is a great situation to be in, really for both of them and for the football team. They don’t know each other, but they’ll get to know each other here. I know they’ll work well together.”
Q: What are your expectations for McCoy coming in?
REID: “To really learn the offense. This is different than what we did in Philadelphia. There will be some familiar things, but it’s quite a bit different. He is going to have to get in and learn it. Then, we’ll just have to see how that goes. They both have an opportunity to play. I’m not going to put him out there in a bad situation without knowing the plays. I would never do that. We have other guys that can play, too, so I’m not saying that. That’s where we are at.”
Q: Will you put McCoy out there against Jacksonville?
REID: “We’ll see. We’ll see what he can pick up in a short period of time here, how comfortable he is with it and then we’ll go from there. He’s a pretty sharp kid, so I think he’ll be OK doing that. He’s been practicing and playing in their preseason games. The conditioning part is not an issue, it’s just becoming familiar with the protections and the run game part.”
Q: What were the conversations like with McCoy prior to him making the decision to come here?
REID: “Well, they were, ‘How you doing? (Laughter) We would like to get you here.’ We’re familiar with his agent, it’s Drew (Rosenhaus). It was a matter of talking to Drew and then just working from there. Both Drew and LeSean wanted to get that thing done fast. They had some options. So, we felt good about it.”
Q: Why do you think that you and McCoy had such a good relationship in Philadelphia?
REID: “When he came into the league, he was young. He, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean (Jackson), they were all young guys. Jeremy and LeSean were the youngest ones in the draft, I believe, when they came out. I got them when they were kids and they had success. I was close with all three of those guys, just by raising them, kind of, in the NFL. He has a trust there and I have a trust in him. I know what to expect and he knows what to expect. He and Brett are very close. Brett was responsible for us drafting him in Philadelphia. They are close from that standpoint.
Q: How did you feel when you got the call Saturday that you and LeSean McCoy would be reunited?
REID: “It’s good. Listen, it comes down to coaching and playing once he’s here, that’s what it is. I think the main thing is he knows what to expect. He knows I’m not going to pull any punches with him. He’s going to get to work and he has to learn the offense. I’ve been very honest with him about Damien (Williams) and how good of a football player he is so, I think it’s a great situation for both of them and for the team. From where he’s at in his career, you’re talking about a potential future Hall of Famer with the numbers and stats he’s put together here. Here he has an opportunity to come to what potentially is a good football team as we go forward here and be a part of that.”
Q: How long was the conversation between you and Brett Veach when he became available, knowing how you both felt about him?
REID: “It wasn’t extremely long. You have to maneuver a lot of things, you have the cap part and then you have the roster and how he’s not a special teams player and then how it fits chemistry wise in the hard work these other running backs have put in to making this football team. You have to think about all those things and evaluate them. It didn’t take a lot of time.”
Q: There was a report last week that Jalen Ramsey was following Tyreek Hill all game, what was your initial reaction to that?
REID: “I mean he kind of did that last year, same kind of deal. That wouldn’t be a surprise. He is a heck of a football player so that’s always a neat one for fans to watch that competition between those two. They’re two good football players going up against each other.”
Q: Once Shady (LeSean McCoy) gets rolling, do you see a role for Darwin Thompson?
REID: “Yeah. I have done this before where I have done it by committee. Most of my time in Philadelphia, that’s what I did and they all had success and worked out pretty well for them. We have the ability to play everybody if we go that route.”
Q: Is there a different feeling going into the season with the highest expectation of this team?
REID: “Listen, that’s all kind of outside buzz. Inside, you get to work. The one thing is, we know how good Jacksonville is. I mean, they’re a physical football team that is well coached. You better get yourself right and we’re playing at their place where it’s loud and you have to get yourself ready for that. If you go about doing that, you aren’t worried about the other stuff, you’re focused on the team. I don’t worry about it, I don’t think much about it. I think when it’s all said and done I don’t think the players think much about it. They respect the opponents you play in this league. It’s a very small margin of winning and losing in the National Football League. You have to get yourself right every week and if you do it right, you exhaust yourself, then you don’t have much else to think about outside of that.”
Q: It’s a different looking Jacksonville team than you faced last year, how do you go about preparing when there isn’t a lot of tape with the new quarterback?
REID: “He’s a good player and our guys respect that. They didn’t play a bunch of their starters much in the preseason. They have a couple good receivers, a good offensive line, so they have good talent on that side of the football. They kind of went through a change like we did on defense, they did on offense personal wise. They brought in new players, but I think that’s a positive. You don’t know. Listen no one knows, you get through the first three games and that’s kind of the way it goes. There is going to be some surprises there you have to adjust to. You have to trust your fundamentals, you’ve got to trust the scheme and then at times you have to make adjustments. So as coaches and players that’s all part of it. Everyone is going through it.”
Q: With Breeland Speaks, how difficult of a decision was it to put him on IR now and close any door for him coming back late in the season?
REID: “He’s a young guy and you want to make sure he has a bright future ahead of him and you want to make sure that leg is right. That’s the route we chose.”
Q: Do you know much about your new offensive tackle from Houston, (Martinas Rankin)?
REID: “I know when he came out that he has good feet. He’s a good pass protector. He was in college and he carried that part over into the NFL. There’s some of his game that he has to work on and get better at, but he’s a young guy and Andy (Heck) really liked him when he came out. As did our scouts, so I think it’s a good fit for him.”
Q: Is there an expectation that Deon Yelder will be ready to go this week?
REID: “(Deon) Yelder is healthy and ready to roll.”
Q: What have you seen develop in Nick Foles, not only physically, but mentally both in Philadelphia and Kansas City as you prepare for him?
REID: “He played for me as a rookie in Philly and I thought he did a nice job there, as young as he was in his first year. Then he was with Chip (Kelly) and he had a nice go there, then things got a little sticky. He was kind of fed up with football, then he decided he wasn’t fed up and decided to come back and came here. I think that was good for him, I think it was good to be in the room with Alex (Smith). It was a good room. I think it was good for him to be here and around people he was familiar with, and so he had a couple good games for us. He’s a good football player and I’m happy for him. I’m happy for him being with a good organization and having another opportunity to play. He ended up going back to Philly and having success there in the playoffs and the Super Bowl. He can play. We have to prepare ourselves going against a good football player.”
Chiefs RB LeSean McCoy
Q: What made Kansas City the right place to land after being released by Buffalo?
McCOY: “When I had time to reflect on just how the season went last year and what type of scheme I wanted to be in, there were a group of teams that called in and I thought this probably was the best fit for me. You see the offense, I’m just trying to get in here and fit a small role. These guys are rolling. To be a part of that, I think we have a great chance at a championship. You have to pick a team that you want to play for, and I think the best part about it is (Head Coach) Andy Reid, who has been one of my favorite coaches of my NFL career. He’s had me since I’ve been 20 years old, now I’m at 31. We had a long talk. (General Manager) Brett Veach, a guy that believed in me for years. This was the right fit, I think so.”
Q: What were the conversations like on Saturday with Reid and Veach?
McCOY: “The team they had here, where they were going, the type of goals, a realistic approach to getting to the dance. You look at a team like this, it’s so explosive on defense and especially on offense. There are playmakers around. Then, the quarterback. I mean this guy is for real. He’s the real deal. Getting in here with him and all of the other weapons, and as a unit, it just made sense. That is kind of how the conversation went and what we talked about. Knowing Andy for years, he is always sitting in his office drawing up plays, looking at old tape, trying to fit the players in there. That was the biggest conversation.”
Q: You said a part of the reason you decided to come here was to play for Andy again. What is it about Andy that attracts players to come play for him?
McCOY: “To answer that question, there are so many different answers. I love Coach Reid. The biggest thing for me is that he has just always been honest, since Day 1. He shoots you straight. His family is the same way. As a coach, I’ve learned so much from him. Now coming here, I am sure he can teach me different things. I am an older player and I want to stretch my career out as long as possible. I want to be productive, as well. I think just playing with him, the type of roles and set up’s – and when you watch the tape of the offense and how they go up and down the field with small plays to big shots, and to utilizing all of the open space for his players. When you see that, you fall in love with that. He does a great job of getting the talent. A lot of these guys were drafted here, and they get better with time. He gets a lot of that credit.”
Q: Can being in this offense help get your career numbers back to where they once were?
McCOY: “I think so, just with the players that they have around that they have here. The space, and also, I would say that for the majority of my career, I’ve been the key guy. I come here and I’m kind of down a little in the grouping. You have the quarterback and all of the wide receivers, even in the backfield they have some good players. If you look at it that way, I can come in here and do some things. I won’t be just the red dot that every game the defense is circling. That helps out when you have a lot of help around. They are already set, the group of guys are already there, I am just coming in here to do my part.”
Q: How do you envision the dynamic being between you, Damien Williams and Darwin Thompson?
McCOY: “They are some pretty good backs. That is for Coach Reid to handle. The good thing about that is that he has been doing that for a number of years with different guys like Duce Staley and (Brian) Westbrook, who had really good careers. I am open to working hard and competing. The ultimate goal is to win. That’s one thing that I haven’t done yet. I have had good numbers and I’ve done some good things, but I want to win with a winning team. Whatever it takes to get that done, we will do.”
Q: Is this the most confident that you have been in a team you have been on to reach the Super Bowl?
McCOY: “I mean, you have to put the work in. Nothing is given to you in this league, you have to earn it. But if you just look at the players and the success they have had, the focus – there’s also something about just being here, the players are all good friends. Sometimes when you have a lot of superstars, this guy has his own routine and it is different on the other side, but they’re all on the same page. That right there is special. Just to be a part of that, I think there is a realistic shot. I really do.”
Q: Have you ever been around an offense that has had this much speed?
McCOY: “We were talking about that earlier. Coach Reid said that this is probably the fastest team. But I haven’t practiced with them yet, I’ve just seen them on tape. They look real fast (laughter). I’m excited to get out there at practice and to see how it really works. We’ll see. Back in the day, that is when DeSean (Jackson) and Mike (Vick) and those guys were really running – and Jeremy Maclin. I’m anxious to see how it really works out.”
Q: How big of a challenge was playing last season in Buffalo behind a young offensive line?
McCOY: “That’s funny you say that because nobody ever talks about that. They always talk about the negatives: ‘Oh, Shady didn’t have a good year and this and that.’ You’re right, just before the season started, we had Eric Wood, a Pro Bowl lineman, go down with a neck injury. Then, we had a Pro Bowl lineman in Richie Incognito, he had a contract situation and he left the team. Then we had Cordy Glenn, our left tackle, he got traded before the season started. Those are three Pro Bowlers on the line. We had guys kind of filling in at the last minute. Give them credit, they did good to the best of their abilities, but then we had a young quarterback and a lot of quarterbacks coming in and out of the games with injuries and different things like that. We had probably three to four quarterback starters. That was a tough year. Mentally and physically, it was definitely tough. But, I’m past that. I’m here now. I’m looking for a big year and looking to help this team out in any way possible. I’m just excited. I really am excited to be here. Going through all of the choices I had when everything happened on Saturday, I felt like this was the best fit for a lot of different reasons and I am excited to be here.”
Q: Do you think you can get enough of a grasp on this offense to be a contributor on Sunday?
McCOY: “I’ve been in the playbook all day today, I will tomorrow and then we’ll keep going. The thing is, some of the terminology is a little different, but a lot of the concepts are kind of the same. Coach has a lot more wrinkles than before, but there are some similarities. The hard part with different offensive schemes is that the code words are kind of the same, so it confuses you a little bit. I should be fine. I’m a smart dude. I have nothing else to do (laughter). It’ll be like homework, here and at home.”
Q: There have been reports that the Chargers were interested in signing you, as well. Why did you choose Kansas City over Los Angeles?
McCOY: “That was a tough one. I have played with (Chargers Head Coach) Anthony Lynn, and his running game is really good. They have a good team, also. Philip Rivers and Tyrod Taylor are guys that I know and are very successful. It was tough but I just felt better with Coach Reid. I know him. I know him very well. I like the offense. I think this is probably my best fit. Over there, it would have been good too, but L.A. is far. I have a 7-year-old son, so he wouldn’t have liked that very much. And also, the taxes (laughter). Everything matters.”
Q: Will your son move to Kansas City?
McCOY: “Back and forth from Philadelphia.”
Q: Before speaking with Reid and Veach on Saturday, has there been a time in the recent past that you’ve thought about rejoining the pair since moving on from Philadelphia?
McCOY: “My last two years at Buffalo, I’ve had so many trade requests. My agent would be on the phone, ‘Hey, we’ve got a trade request.’ Back and forth. Rumors every year. I thought it would be with Coach Reid, this was when (Kareem) Hunt was gone and just left, and then it was the Eagles. I said, ‘OK, I’m going home somewhere. If it is back home in Philadelphia or back home with Big Red, it is going to happen.’ We have always stayed in touch. We always have been friends, from his wife to his kids, and then everybody back in Philadelphia. I knew it would be one of those two. My agent, Drew Rosenhaus, he kind of figured that himself. It worked out.”
—Chiefs—
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -(AP)- Jorge Soler broke the Kansas City home run record with his 39th homer of the season and Ryan O’Hearn hit a game-ending home run to lift the Royals to a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.
The Top 25 went 23-0 against unranked teams to open the season, leaving the rankings mostly unchanged with No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama at the top of the first regular-season AP college football poll of 2019.
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Following a dominating 49-14 win over Nicholls in Chris Klieman’s first game as head coach, K-State will host Bowling Green at 11 a.m. on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Detroit Tigers (40-95, fifth in the AL Central) vs. Kansas City Royals (49-89, fourth in the AL Central)