ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs personnel spoke with the media at training camp Friday.
Chiefs Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub
Q: Head Coach Andy Reid said that you were involved in the decision to move Tremon Smith over to the offensive side of the ball. What led you to suggest that maybe he’d be better off there?
TOUB: “We talked a little bit about it last year and then we talked about it this year. We just thought that the timing was right. We were talking the other day and Andy decided to make the move. He had a good day today. If you watched him, he caught the ball well out of the backfield and he looks pretty natural over there.”
Q: What have you seen from Blake Bell from a special teams contribution standpoint?
TOUB: “Right now, Blake Bell is playing all of (Demetrius Harris’) positions. Right now, the plan is to have him be that guy. We got a lot of out Demetrius last year. He played three phases for us. I think he had the most special teams plays for a tight end in the whole league. He was setting the bar really high. We are not going to necessarily ask him to be that guy, but he’s going to be playing a lot of those same positions. He might be just a two-phase guy, but we’ll see.”
Q: Is the thought to keep Tyreek Hill as your punt returner or are you trying to find someone else to fill that spot?
TOUB: “We are trying to develop Mecole (Hardman) to be that guy, to pick up a whole bunch of reps there because Tyreek is getting so much on offense. I don’t think we ever want to be in a situation where we are going to take Tyreek out. We always want to have that threat that we’re going to have Tyreek back there. I think it’s important that teams get prepared to play against Tyreek.”
Q: Is there a clear-cut starting punt returner right now?
TOUB: “No, not yet. It’s too early to say. Mecole, he’s a work-in-progress. We have four preseason games that we have to see him in. We don’t know how he is going to react when the live bullets are coming down there. He’s catching the ball, been getting a lot of balls on the JUGS machine right now. He’s still getting better and better every day with his catching. He’s got to build confidence in himself and we have to build confidence in him.”
Q: Is there anybody else that might be a factor in returning punts?
TOUB: “Yeah. (Byron) Pringle is a guy, a kick returner, that at the end of last year before he got hurt, was really coming on. He almost made the team before he got hurt. He is a guy that we are really going to look hard at. Obviously, D-Rob (Demarcus Robinson) is another one that we could use in there. We have a plethora of guys. We have a lot of returners. We are fortunate in that way.”
Q: How has Harrison Butker developed and what are you seeing out of him?
TOUB: “He’s an ultimate pro. For his years, he’s really beyond his years. He’s a student of the game. He’s a perfectionist, and that’s what you want out of a kicker. He’s hard on himself. I think he’s only missed one field goal this whole camp, which is saying a lot — and it was a long one, it was a 58-yarder. He missed it, then he came back and made it. He made a nice long one today again. He’s right on track. He’s doing everything that we expect him to do. He has a very strong leg. We’re happy that he’s going to be with us for a very long time.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: Have you had some of your magic crunch cereal yet?
MAHOMES: “I haven’t gotten to taste it just yet just because it just came into the stores. I’m excited for it, I’m excited for everything that it’s doing, helping my foundation and I know the fans are going out and buying it so I appreciate all them.”
Q: It’s flying off the shelves like crazy, have you seen any of that on social media?
MAHOMES: “I’ve seen it on Twitter for sure. People are posting pictures of them going to get it and getting several boxes at a time. I’m glad we have that fan base that will support me and everything I do to support my foundation and everything it does.”
Q: Did you have any input on the flavor or texture?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I like Frosted Flakes so I said to make it as close to Frosted Flakes as they could, so they did it and it’s a little bit healthier. Less sugar, so I’m excited it’s that too, and I’ll be able to eat it a little bit here this season.”
Q: Some of them are buying it and not even eating the cereal, just saving the boxes, can you imagine that?
MAHOMES: “It is cool. I’ll definitely have a box that I will keep forever. Whenever you’re a little kid and you see the people on those cereal boxes it is a tremendous honor, so I’m excited I’ll be able to have my own.”
Q: Did you sign any of your new cereal boxes today?
MAHOMES: “I signed one. I saw several. It’s cool that people will go out there and get that. Like I said to support not only me, but my foundation and everything that is hopefully going to do for this community.”
Q: You had a lot of deep balls to Tyreek (Hill) today, you seem to be in-sync already, how is that going so far?
MAHOMES: “That’s what we are here for, to try to push the ball down field. Especially in training camp, you want to try to take advantage of those deep shots and get that timing down. I feel like we connected on those today and we’re going to keep working on that. Not just Tyreek (Hill), Demarcus Robinson, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman and all those receivers. We’re going to keep trying to push the ball down field and connect on those deep plays so whenever the season comes, we can connect then.”
Q: What were you thinking when Tyreek (Hill) went down in practice the other day?
MAHOMES: “I didn’t think it was that bad just from how he got hit. I knew he probably had a little bit of a stinger because he got hit pretty hard when (Bashaud) Breeland went for the ball and made a good play. I kind of talked to him as he was walking off the field and he seemed fine, so I knew when we got up there it wasn’t going to be a big deal. It’s just kind of something that he got hit and it stung him a little bit.”
Q: From where you have started with Mecole (Hardman), where would you say he is now?
MAHOMES: “I think just growing in this offense. Whenever you’re in this offense, I mean you can see it with any rookie. Me in my first year or any of these younger guys there is a lot put on your plate. Coach Reid doesn’t kind of baby you into it, he gives you everything and throws everything at you. So as he (Mecole Hardman) picks up the offense, where he needs to go each route and he’s able to recognize coverage based off stuff we’re doing pre-snap or post-snap. I think that’s stuff he is picking up with every rep he’s getting. He’s not making the same mistake twice so those are good because when you get guys like that who can play at a high speed and learn from their mistakes, those guys end up being good players.”
Q: How much does it seem to help Mecole (Hardman) that he has Tyreek (Hill) out there?
MAHOMES: “Definitely. Seeing a guy who has a similar skillset with speed and that compact body and able to go out there and make tough catches. I mean when you see a guy that’s at the top level of that and see how you have to work to get there, it’s definitely something that has impacted him in a positive way.”
Q: Does a completed deep ball feel like it did when you were throwing it 10 years ago or does it feel so routine now?
MAHOMES: “No, it’s still a great feeling. Every time you take that shot and connect, when you’re playing NFL defenses, that’s what they are trying to prevent. They are doing everything they can to try to prevent those plays so you get limited chances so whenever you get that chance you want to make sure you connect on it.”
Q: How does this year’s defense compare to last?
MAHOMES: “We got a lot of players, so we know their defense is going to throw a lot of different looks at us. They’re definitely going to try to keep us underneath and underneath routes but that’s the blessing about this team is we got a lot of guys that are good at those too.”
Q: Between this training camp and last, what ways do you feel comfortable in these first few weeks?
MAHOMES: “I think I’ve seen more. I’ve seen more defenses, seen more different disguises and different stuff so just being able to file that in the memory bank and pull it out of the memory bank. When I see a defense maybe we haven’t necessarily scouted our defense for that I may have seen it last year and I’m able to know where to go with the ball whereas last year it was new to me every single time I saw a new look.”
Q: Has the defense out here felt more improved and is it more difficult?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, they do a lot of stuff. It is hard to read, and they get me on a good amount of times and I think I have them picked up and they have something that goes off of something they may have done two days earlier. I think just having that and having that inbox where they can go and show one blitz one day and then do the exact opposite the other when it looks the same is something that will be hard for other offenses to progress against.”
Q: How are you developing the impromptu chemistry with the newer guys?
MAHOMES: “What we say is this offense always stays running. There’s never a dead route, there’s never a route that doesn’t have a chance of getting the ball. I rolled out to the right and I was very off balance and it was probably the ugliest 60-yard pass I have ever thrown in my life, but it got there and got caught and he scored the touchdown.”
Q: Being voted four out of the Top 100 players after your starting season, what does that say about your peers voting for you?
MAHOMES: “It’s definitely an honor to be on that list. There’s a lot of great football players in this league. I’m just going to go out there and be the best football player I can be and hopefully and we can go out there and win a Super Bowl and everyone can keep climbing that list as we go.”
Q: What kind of sense have you gotten from the new guys on defense with the new energy and the new confidence?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, they are going to keep coming at it every single time. I think that’s the biggest thing is no matter whether it’s a good play or a bad play, they are going to come back with that same energy that they are going to go after us every single play. You have to have that mentality and same as the offense does. If I throw an interception or play that doesn’t go the right way, that next play we’re coming in trying to get a touchdown. Having that mentality is something I feel like has grown and grown as this camp has gone on.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about Andy (Reid)’s personality?
MAHOMES: “I think the best thing about Coach Reid is, I mean of course, he expects a lot from us. He expects us to go out there and be the best person that we can be on the football field but the way he treats us as people I think is the best thing. He treats us and gives us respect. He pushes us to be great, but he cares about us as players and as people. That’s the biggest thing I love about Coach Reid.”
Q: Is there an example you have?
MAHOMES: “Every day you go in that meeting room and he’s asking and quizzing you in front of the class but he’s joking with you and being not just a coach but a great role model for you to look up to.”
K HARRISON BUTKER
Q: (Dave) Toub was saying that you spend a lot of time looking at other kickers? What do you get from that?
BUTKER: “I mean I look at a lot of guys. I think everybody has something that you can take from them. I mean I look at Justin Tucker (Ravens), he’s got a couple things that I like, Graham Gano (Panthers), (Greg) Zuerlein (Rams). I think there is 32 kickers in the league, and you’ve got to learn from each other and try to get better. Anyway that I can get better from looking at other guys is what I want to do.”
Q: (Dave) Toub was saying that before you guys even go into watch film as a group, you all watch your kicks three times through, is that something that you have always done?
BUTKER: “Yes. We get a lot of flack as kickers since we do not kick a ton. There is only so much kicking that you can do before you potentially injure yourself. I look at it as how can I put more work in that is not necessarily physically on the field, and how can I put more work in outside of the field. If I am watching film and I am taking notes, I’m getting that much better and putting that much more time in. I think the more you watch film, it just starts happening in your mind, so when you go out to kick it’s like your body just naturally does what you’ve been watching on film.”
Q: You’ve been having some great kicks, where right now are you most comfortable at in terms of distance?
BUTKER: “When it is warm outside I feel fresh. I feel good at 60 (yard line). I hit my normal ball. Yea when I’m fresh I definitely feel good.”
Q: Can you state the value of having Dave Toub be here year after year?
BUTKER: “It’s been great. I mean that is consistency to have the same special teams coach now going on his third year. I guess I’m tooting my own horn, but I think he has a great eye for talent to get me to come here. He’s been great. He’s let me kind of do my thing. I think he trusts me and is going to give me some pointers and tips along the way. He’s seen my work ethic, and he knows I’m trying to be the best kicker I can here, and he respects that and he helps me to flourish here.”