SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR CHRIS HORTON
Opening Statement: "It's good to see everyone today. I hope you guys are all doing well. It's exciting to see us trying to audition for our third punt returner out there today and figure out who that's going to be. I thought Andrew Vorhees did a great job fielding that ball. Kudos to him, but as we get ready for this game, I've just been talking to our guys about just going out there and really just focusing on us, because at the end of the day, that's really who it's truly about. They're going to line up 11 guys. There are still a lot of unknowns – who's going to be out there for those guys with it being the first week – so for us, it's really, 'Let's focus on us, [and] let's take care of our business,' and if we do that, I think we'll come out of that game feeling pretty good about how we play."
Are you making any serious observations about that offensive line punt drill? It just strikes me that tracking punts seems harder than maybe people think. (Kyle Goon) "It's a lot harder than what people think, which is kind of why when you evaluate guys, it's always easy to say, 'Oh, this guy should be able to do it,' or 'This guy can do it,' because maybe his skill set is a reciever, or he's a DB that has pretty good ball skills on the offensive or defensive side of the ball, but when you go out there, and that ball is in the air, you just kind of read that nose of the football. It's got a bit of wind in his face or behind him; that changes the trajectory of the ball, so it is a little bit more difficult than what people think."
On kickoffs, how do you balance trying to pin the guys back or putting the ball in the end zone and playing it safe? (Todd Karpovich) "When you think about playing football, I don't think ... are you really trying to play it safe? I think you always want to be as aggressive as you can if it fits what you do. I don't necessarily say playing safe in football is a good thing to say. For us, it's like what do we feel like we're good at? If we feel like we're going to be good at covering kicks, I think it's an advantage for us. If we don't think we're going to be good at that, then I don't think we put ourselves in situations that we can't handle, but we just have to go out there, and we just try to go play football."
Three games into this, what have you learned about this new kickoff rule? (Bo Smolka) "As you evaluate all the plays from across the league, we spent a lot of time ... we watch every play – every kickoff and every kickoff return – and I think the thing you saw in the preseason is, guys are really just trying to figure out who's going to be good blockers, because it was a lot of man schemes. You didn't really see a lot of different schemes like that. I think maybe guys are holding those off until the regular season, but for us, it's about, 'OK, what are we good at? What do we feel like we got really good at?' And I think that's going to be our approach as we move forward throughout this first game and this second game and maybe the third game until we start to see a little bit more of the schemes."
Do you get the sense that there are going to be guys who pop under the new rules who maybe didn't under the old rules? Is it going to be a different set of standout players to some degree? (Childs Walker) "I wouldn't necessarily say [that]. I don't necessarily think there would be a different set of players that will stand out. I think all these guys are really good at what they do, so there are good football players. I think the play will benefit some guys better than others based on the nature of, OK, running down the field, not having to run down the field, the close proximity of the player and how quickly that guy is going to engage blocking you, but I don't think it's going to change. These guys are all good football players. They'll make the plays that they are supposed to make."
I don't know how tight the special teams coaching fraternity is, but I know we had preseason, but with this being the first game of the real stuff, do you feel like everyone in your profession is going to be looking you and Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub to see how you guys do as the guinea pigs for this, regular season-wise? (Jonas Shaffer) "When you are the first game, everyone is going to be wondering, 'This is a new play; what are they going to be doing? What are we going to see? Are they going to do something different than what they've shown? How are they going to handle different types of schemes and things like that?' So, I do think everyone is going to be looking, but I do think the other 30 teams are going to do what they do well. I don't think they're going to be concerning themselves so much about what we do, whether we put the ball in play [or] whether we don't put the ball in play. I think they're going to go into it based on their own judgements of what they think their team is."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TODD MONKEN
In preparing for this upcoming game against the Chiefs how much do you look at the AFC Championship game last year versus push that aside and start over? (Bo Smolka) "First of all, it's an obvious question. It's them, right, so we're going to watch that game; we're going to watch the Super Bowl; we're going to watch the game before we played them [when they played] against the Bills; we're going to watch situational things – so, sure that's a part of it."
Knowing the questions about the offensive line coming into the season, how do you think that group has taken shape through training camp, preseason and your comfort level where does that stand? (Morgan Adsit) "I feel real good about those guys. First off, every one of them, besides Andrew [Vorhees] at left guard, those guys have been with us – and Andrew was with us last year. They've had a great offseason [and] a great camp, so we're real comfortable with them playing. Excited to see them play; it's time to go play and see."
I think one of the first things QB Lamar Jackson told head coach John Harbaugh at the end of the season, after you guys lost, that he wanted more flexibility before the snap to get you guys in and out of plays. What have you seen from him, and how helpful do you think that could be against a team like the Chiefs? (Jonas Shaffer) "Sure, I mean we're always looking, from the day I got here, to empower the quarterback. I think that's the only way you get the most out of a player – it's not just a quarterback position – is to empower them. In terms of when you're game-planning, what you do on the field and the tools you give them; we've had a great offseason to streamline that, to really wrap it up and make it better. We're about to see if all the things that we did in the offseason and the way that we practiced come to fruition."
Along those lines do you listen to insight from RB Derrick Henry and what works for him that would affect your installation based off what his strengths are and what he's shown here? (Kyle Goon) "Well, I would just say that from what we've seen in the past, [and] from what we've seen in the offseason [as well as] from what we've seen in training camp, we have a pretty good idea of what [Derrick Henry] brings to the table; and now we're ready to go play somebody and see that."
When you read the national previews one of the big questions that you see everywhere is what is RB Derrick Henry on the Ravens offense going to look like. Are you sort of interested to see it in real life, too, or do you feel you have a pretty good sense? (Childs Walker) "I really don't ... I don't think of it that way. Football is football; teams run duo, they run inside zone, they run wide zone, they run gap schemes, [and] they run jet protections. That's what [Derrick Henry]'s been doing. What we've done in the past and how he fits that, and then how we build that around him and the rest of our skillset; we're excited to see it come to fruition. Like I said, it's been fun having him, and now we're excited to go play."
You've been listening for months how you guys didn't run the ball enough against the Chiefs when you guys played in January. I would think that they know you've been listening to that. How much do you have to get in a space where you don't try to overthink yourself and predict what they're going to do in reaction to potentially having a run*-heavier plan?* (Jeff Zrebiec) "Oh I'm not overthinking it. I've tried to let that go a little bit. This is this year, and we're going to run the football. We did run the football during the season, so I really don't think of it that way. I really don't listen to that as much, other than we're going to try to do the best thing we can do for us to move the football and score points."
Obviously, you've gotten a lot of questions about two-tight end sets this offseason. Maybe it's a tough question to answer, but how much more comfortable do you feel about having TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely on the field together this year, in Week 1, as compared to where you were last year? (Jonas Shaffer) "I feel good. Mark [Andrews] was out a little bit of last year's training camp, and then 'Zay' [Isiaih Likely] came in and he got dinged up a little bit in the preseason. So, it's a little bit hard as we worked through it. They've been healthy this offseason, [and] they've been healthy for the most part through training camp. So, we're excited to get those guys on the field at the same time."
Anything surprise you about the results of the punt-catching competition amongst the linemen out there? (Noah Trister) (laughter) "I thought Ben [Cleveland] and Roger [Rosengarten] were really too casual, to be honest. They looked athletic enough – they certainly believed in themselves – but they were certainly too casual."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ZACH ORR
What's the biggest challenge of going against QB Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's offense? (Jamison Hensley) "They can score from any part of the field, because obviously, Andy Reid is a great coach, but Patrick Mahomes is obviously a problem. He can beat you with his legs. He can beat you with his arm from every part of the field, and they have great players around him, so that's what makes them tough to defend. You could defend the first play, but then you have to defend the second play and the third play, and that's where they make a lot of their hay at – when the first play breaks down, he gets to moving around, and guys do a great job of uncovering and finding seams to create explosive plays. We definitely have to limit that."
Obviously you guys held them scoreless in the second half last year. What do you kind of see as the process of, if they're going to come out like gangbusters after you guys. What's the process of steeping that curve, and getting to that responsiveness even faster? (Kyle Goon) "I think just take a deep breath and going out there and focus on executing our job. At the end of the day, I think it's about us. If we go out there and do our job [and] do our responsibility [the way] we're capable of doing it, I think everything will be fine. But I think it starts with just taking a deep breath. The environment is going to be great, [we have to] embrace that, but at the end of the day, understand that the football field is going to be the football field and it's going to be 11 players on defense versus 11 players on offense, and the game is not going to change. I think the big emphasis is [for] us to focus on us, doing what we do, and everything is going to be fine."
What's the key for defending a quarterback who improvises like QB Patrick Mahomes? He can chuck the ball down field; he can throw on the run. What's the key for trying to contain a guy like that? (Todd Karpovich) "[We] just have to keep on coming after them. [Pass] rushers keep rushing, you have to be disciplined in your rush lanes, make sure you don't give them a free lane, and then back in coverage, you have to plaster, [and] you have to cover. You have to expect to not just defend the first [play], but you have to defend the second play. And then just continue to do that play after play, and when opportunities come for you to make a play on the ball, we have to make those plays."
For these three preseason games, what, if anything, have you learned about the process of calling plays? (Bo Smolka) "Honestly, everything [in the] preseason was pretty smooth, but I know it's going to be a lot different, just because there's a lot [of] different personnel groups, it's more gameplan specific. In the preseason, we just had our call sheet, and we just ran our plays. One thing I'd probably [take away], is that you have to be prepared situationally for what's happening right now and then what's going to happen. For example, you're defending a play in the mid field. [If] they get in the red zone, you have to already be thinking about what that team is does in that situation and what your call is going to be and how your guys are playing."
You touched a little just on the stage of this game, but as a player, you've been in the moments. Does that factor when you're on the field of the different platforms of primetime? (Morgan Adsit) "Definitely. I think that the experience is just settle in, just be yourself. Like I said, [during] the game, there's going to be a lot of stuff going on, which is great. It's great for the game. You should embrace that as a player, coach or whatever. But at the end of the day, football is football. You know what plays are going to be ran, you know where you've got to be, [and] you just have to focus on doing that."
Do you allow yourself that small moment of reflection knowing that this will be your first game as an NFL defensive play caller and just how far you've come in that time? (Kyle Goon) "Definitely. It's funny, every night, me and my wife read scripture every night and stuff out of this jar, and every night before I go to sleep, I just thank God for blessing me with this opportunity and putting me in this position. I think I reflect every single night, because I don't want to take it for granted, and I want to give thanks where it's due."
Is this the way you want to start? Going against the two-time defending Super Bowl Champs? (Ryan Mink) "At the end of the day, the first game is going to be the first game no matter who you're going against. Obviously, we know we've got much respect for who we're going against in the Kansas City Chiefs, like you said, '[They're the] two-time defending champs,' but if we have to play them on the schedule, we have to play them. It just happens to be first."
In that meeting last year in January, it felt like the Chiefs were baiting you guys a little bit. You guys had a couple of uncharacteristic penalties. Will that be addressed before the game, just a reminder, given the stage and given the opponent, to keep your cool? (Jeff Zrebiec) "That goes into every week in what we talk about. In the National Football League, everybody is a great team, in my opinion, but you can't beat yourself. It's already tough to beat a team in this league, but you can't beat yourself by getting penalties and getting uncharacteristic, so that's definitely a focus for us this week."
You were teammates with a bunch of guys that won the last Super Bowl with the Ravens. They had to break through the Patriots in their time. Have you taken any of their thoughts or their advice on how a team can break through against the Chiefs? (Kyle Goon) "[We] just have to play Raven football, and we know what that looks like. We know that's playing all out brand, being together, being physical, giving maximum effort and high-level execution. Those guys come around a lot, and they tell us, 'All we have to do on defense, all we have to do as an organization, is play Raven football.' Like I said, it's playing fast, physical, maximal effort and executing at a high level."
What makes it difficult to confuse or trick a guy like QB Patrick Mahomes, where it's not so much about that, it's just about trying to pressure him? (Brian Wacker) "Obviously, he's been around for a while, he's played a lot of football. He's played football in the biggest games. To try to stop a guy like that, teams throw a lot at him, so he's seen pretty much everything. You try to study the film, study tendencies [and] see what they do. You try to punch and then get ready for the counter punch. With guys like Patrick Mahomes and coaches like Andy Reid, you have to be ready for the next thing that's coming, because they're thinking a step ahead, so you have to think that they way, too."
Along those lines, do you expect the Chiefs to take more downfield shots this year? They added some guys in the offseason. I know WR Marquise Brown isn't expected to play, but they have the rookie with speed, WR Xavier Worthy. (Childs Walker) "Yes, shoot, from those guys, we're expecting any and everything, but we definitely expect them ... They took a lot of shots last year. I know they didn't connect as much as they wanted to, but they took a lot of shots, and we're very aware of the personnel that they've brought in this year. Obviously, their guys are fast, and they want speed – they've always had speed on their offenses – and want to stretch the field, so we're definitely aware of that."
CB MARLON HUMPHREY
On the mindset heading into this game against Chiefs: "I would say, the mindset is kind of simple – just win; that's really kind of the biggest thing. Everybody wants to win Week 1, so we're doing everything we can to put things together to kind of go into this week with the best chance we've got and to hopefully get a victory."
On the atmosphere he expects to play in: "Yes, [I'm] pretty excited. [GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium] is a loud place, obviously, and they'll be celebrating their Super Bowl [victory]. [It's the] first game of the year. [There are] a lot of exciting things, and you get a great test out of the gate. Obviously, [they were the] Super Bowl Champs last year, so you really can see really where you stand as a team against a team you know is really good."
On his expectations for the secondary: "I think we've got a really talented secondary. We've really got a lot of depth – even with 'Art' [Arthur Maulet] on IR [Injured Reserve] or whatever he's on. We've got a lot of depth with whoever. It seems like it's been two or three years since we've had the secondary to where at every position there's a great guy behind [them] – at every single position, so that's a really good thing [and an] encouraging thing. But I think our secondary is really deep."
On what he's most excited to see from this defense: "Just flying around. We've got some great leaders in our room, led by 'Ro' [Roquan Smith], and the standard is high. So, 'Ro' kind of sets it, and we all try to match it. I think this defense can be really good. It's never the same [from year to year], but I think this year, we can prove to ourselves that we've still some pieces, we've still got some players, we've got some guys stepping up in some new positions, and we can be lights out."
On the key to slowing down the Chiefs offense: "Well, this year, there are no keys. We're hoping to find some Sunday, but it's a new year, new test, and so, whatever it takes, we'll see out there Thursday."
On being able to throw different things at the Chiefs because of the depth at secondary: "Yes, I know we've got depth, but as far as going against their offense, we'll have to see. It's a new year, so I think we've got great depth, but it all kind of will ... We'll see what we've got Thursday."
On the possibility of the Chiefs celebrating last year's Super Bowl victory during pre-game: "I don't think it's a ... Well, for me, personally, I don't think it will really be a fueling thing for me. I just think it's kind of cool. Obviously, it's not cool for us, but it just shows who you're playing. You're playing the defending Super Bowl Champs, and that's a ceremony that you want to be a part of, but you want to be on the other side. So, for me, I just think it's a ... [For me] wanting that so bad, I think it will be bittersweet to go out there [when] they're celebrating their Super Bowl thing and hoping – fast forward a year later – you could be doing the same."
