San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, offensive line/run game coordinator Chris Foerster, and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke to reporters after Thursday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 7 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen
You guys had a pretty dominant performance on defense in Seattle. How do you build on that against a more high-powered offense when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs coming here this weekend?
"Yeah, I mean, it wasn't perfect. We were happy with a lot of the things we did as far as how we wanted to play against them. And the guys really stepped up. A lot of guys played and even the young guys stepped up. So, you always want to progress and keep building. Tough opponent, obviously, really good players, really good coaching and just our next step. Hopefully we can piggyback off last week."
Kansas City might have the best interior offensive line in the league. How do you feel about that matchup?
"You're right. Really good. Center, both guards really, really tough. There's always going to be tough matchups. They have really good receivers. Even though a few are down, they just have tons of weapons everywhere. So it's tough and we've got to step up and we've had guys get banged up and I feel like our guys have met that challenge of the classic next-man-up mentality. And it's good to see young guys step up, whether they're rookies or second year, third year, or just new guys to our system. It's been fun to see guys challenge and step up."
What makes Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid so difficult to face, particularly off of a Bye Week? Is he presenting things that he hasn't shown on film yet or does he get a feel for what you're doing?
"Yeah, I think whenever you have more time, it's always a race every week, and I think when you have more time, you can look at more stuff. Sometimes that can hurt people. I think he's really good about deciphering how he wants to utilize this extra time and the information that he gets. Plus he's been around the league so long, I think he knows how to do that and he knows how to attack schemes and he is one of the best ever."
DL Nick Bosa and DL Leonard Floyd have each faced Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes a few times. How can that experience benefit them going into this one?
"I mean, however many times you've gone against Mahomes, it's going to be hard. I think it helps a little bit because you understand the preparation for him. But he's so difficult because he doesn't always do the same thing. The arm angle's never the same, he doesn't have to set his feet, sometimes he does. He's really good at reading the defense and kind of throwing it to where he needs to. So, it helps you understand who he is, but it doesn't necessarily mean you're just going to automatically have success because he's so good."
Mahomes has been a little bit more prone to throwing interceptions this year? How can you guys capitalize on that?
"Just if we get an op, catch it. If it touches your hands or you have a chance to go take your shot, you've got to make the most of it, regardless of who it is. He is elite, one of the best. But he'll take some chances here and we've just got to make it happen when we get it."
How does a guy like Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy with his speed change the offense from what you saw last year?
"They have guys that can run, but he is an elite speed guy. I feel like they've always had guys that have that top-end speed that can take the top off and run all those routes. I know they use him in different ways as well, but speed's always tough. You always want fast guys in football, you want guys that can play as well. Anyone that can threaten you down the field, you have to be aware."
You guys were in pads today so you can thud up guys. One guy that's not in the no-contact jersey is WR Ricky Pearsall. What do you tell your guys in terms of how you make contact with Ricky to kind of reintroduce him to football?
"If he needed a blue jersey, [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and the medical staff would do that. I trust those guys and I don't think we treat him any different. I don't think he would want to. I'm just excited to see him out there. Just really cool."
I think there's been 42 missed tackles in the last three weeks and LB De'Vondre Campbell Sr. has missed I think eight or nine of them. Obviously you're going with him. Why is he a better option than LB Dee Winters or LB Jalen Graham?
"We like both of them. I mean, they've both been getting snaps, talking about Dee and De'Vondre. He's got so much experience. He brings a calmness. He understands the scheme and he's been doing a really good job. And we've also been rotating Dee in there as well, so just like both of them."
How much has CB Renardo Green improved since training camp and how much has your confidence in him grown?
"It's continued to grow. I think with him it was, he always felt like he could do it and then when he goes out and does do it, it just keeps growing and it's kind of grown from the offseason on because we've kind of progressed him as far as immediately teaching him nickel and he's gotten better at that. Then going back to corner and then being able to do both. I know he hasn't played nickel, but he's trained and then going out and performing in the game because we've kind of been rotating again, much like with Campbell and Dee, him and Ike [CB Isaac Yiadom]. Getting those snaps in and to see him step in when Mooney [CB Charvarius Ward] couldn't go was awesome because all those guys were, all three of our corners, Demo [DB Deommodore Lenoir] and Ike and R.G. were just fired up to go play and just compete regardless of who they went against. And I think they all stepped up."
What have you seen from S Malik Mustapha?
"Oh, same thing. Competitive kid that, they both love football so they love to compete. They like to learn and then they apply that. So I think with him, it stunk he only had a certain amount of snaps last week because he got banged up, but he's just a tough kid who cuts it loose and then getting the pick on that first drive was huge. So, having the playmaking ability, not just when you see him be physical in the run game, to go make a play on a pick was awesome."
I was talking to DL Evan Anderson yesterday, he's telling me he could dunk, which is pretty amazing. What do you think of him because he's getting an opportunity that he didn't expect to get and he seems to be playing pretty well.
"He's been great. I'm not surprised. He is explosive, like the way he gets out of his stance and stuff. Again, he's one of those guys that's really progressed. I mean, even from training camp, but just seeing him jump the last couple weeks, he got an opportunity to play and he stepped in and did a nice job and then progressed and got better the next week. So just, how far could he take it? We're excited."
Mahomes over these last couple years, has been a lot more willing to just take what's there, whether it's short throws down the field. What are the challenges of sustained drives that are from short plays?
"How violent you finish and how well you tackle. I think that's the most important thing. If they're going to check it down, are they checking it down at five? So what's happening after that? Is he getting hit? Are we punching it out? Are we hitting him with two, three guys on a compression tackle? What's the stack monster? How are our D-Line coming out? Are they hitting him too? So what do those look like when they're throwing it is what matters. Whether it's an RPO or perimeter screen, if they're going to catch it at five and get eight or nine, that's not good."
So many guys are, and you got a couple of them on your team that have been really good at punching the ball out. How do you balance the going for the punch out with making the tackle?
"I've always been a huge advocate of, I think you can punch pretty much every time you tackle. There's sometimes you can't, but you've got to set your mind on being able to punch and tackle. Never sacrifice the tackle for the punch. But I think you can almost every time bring a punch with a tackle. A lot of people punch and they don't bring their feet or they don't bring their body. So, I think the key with that is don't let your feet die and keep bringing your body with the punch and wrap with the other hand. But, the ball is everything and everyone knows the turnover margin is so important and why not go for it every single time you can."
Assistant head coach/defense Brandon Staley has been running the turnover meetings that you used to run. How's he been doing?
"He's been great. He's doing a great job. Yeah, he had it today. It was good."
Does he put any special twist to it?
"Yeah, he makes it fun too. He's done a really good job. He put some basketball clips in there, I think today he showed [former NBA player] Kobe Bryant covering [Los Angeles Lakers F] LeBron [James] in the All-Star game. It was cool."
Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Chris Foerster
This week you guys get Kansas City Chiefs DL Chris Jones and you played former Los Angeles Rams DL Aaron Donal, you've been in the league a long time. You've seen former DL Reggie White and former DL Bruce Smith and all these great players. Where is this guy in the greats of the great at the interior spot? Is this guy at the top of the list?
"He's not top. He's in that group. He's a guy you have to account for in every place. Some way, shape or form if you can. You got to do the best job you can. They have ways to isolate him one-on-one. They put him in all different positions. Their defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo does a great job of putting these guys in different places. This defense has evolved so much and Chris Jones is such an integral piece of it. I think he's playing his best football. This is probably the best I've seen him play, short sample size. I thought he had a great year last year, but he's starting off having an MVP kind of season. He's really playing well, run game, pass game, everything he does. There's a thought behind everything he does. Really a challenging player to play. Everybody has different things. This guy's a monster. He's a big guy. And then at the same time, he's got athleticism. He can move, he's got quickness, he's got all the things that it takes to be a dominant defensive lineman, which obviously he is. So, we have our hands full, but we have our hands full every week. Believe me, we have our hands full every week. This one I just keep waking up with 95, 95 and that's what my every day is like that. So, I'm hoping to get over that dream this weekend."
Obviously, OL Dominick Puni has played pretty well throughout this season, but how do you think he will kind of respond to this challenge of having to go up against Chris Jones?
"Check with me after the game on Sunday, I'll let you know. I think he's going to definitely have his hands full. Puni has done an excellent job for us, but every week it's a different challenge and every week when the new guys show up, he's got something else he's got to work on. And now it's another guy. The better players now have more of a book on him. They've seen four or five, six games on Dom and all of a sudden some things have shown up. So will Chris use that? How many times will they put him over there to get the one-on-ones with them? I know every great rusher, they find a place to put their guy that they think the best matchup is so he can best exploit. Not that Chris Jones and [T] Trent [Williams], it's a great matchup. It's fun to watch him, Chris Jones, have a chance to beat Trent. But in the same sense, if you could put him somewhere else, you might want to put him there and strategically they place him in their defense. I have confidence in Dom. I want to see more how Dom reacts as the game goes on. And then next week it follows up. To say that he's going to go in there and dominate, he's going to have his hands full. I know he will."
In the Super Bowl there were a few plays that there were key protection breakdowns. Obviously, this is aside from Jones, it's a physical front, especially in the middle. How much do you go back to those plays in that film preparing for this week or is that separately?
"Yeah, we prepared. We used every game, started off with the Super Bowl and then the games from the season was my starting point because we kind of prepped for that game last year with all the games previous. So I had all the cut ups from that done. I took the Super Bowl and worked from there. And so obviously everything we did in that game comes under scrutiny and research because we hadn't played them since '22. So we played them then and I go back to '19 and watch that Super Bowl as well. I look at anything. I could see if team's similar to us, the way they attack us. We made mistakes. I told the guys on the sideline; this is my fault. I really didn't prep them well enough. I could have done a better job, especially the two protections that we messed up with both [OL Aaron] Banks early in the game and then with [OL Spencer Burford] Spence later in the game. We hadn't prepped that protection for as much as they gave us with that and it kind of come that way. It'd been a protection we added a few years ago and hadn't quite been completely vetted through and we've cleaned it up. But it's still a challenge with what we do with it. It always has been that this style of protection. So that being said, we chose a time to not play our best game up front. The Chiefs did a great job, all credit to them. They won the game. There's no looking back, as Trent said earlier, that ship sailed. This is a whole new season, a whole new game, whole new teams. It always is a new year. But at the same sense, we didn't play our best game. So I hope we can put our best foot forward this week, can play a little bit better game up front and do a good job. They're great front, great defense, well-coordinated. They present a lot of issues and problems, which they presented to us, and we didn't pass the test as well as we could have. I'm hoping the guys are a little more prepared."
It seems like they kind of dial up the blitz even more in the fourth quarter relative to the other three quarters. What kind of challenge is that just in terms of kind of making sure your guys are staying sharp at the end of the game when fatigue might be setting in?
"Yeah, I think every protection we've talked about it. We know the strengths and weaknesses. Like I said, that protection, we knew the strengths and weaknesses, but it hadn't been played out as much. So it has been played out now, there's other things. That's my job is to always think ahead. We're going to call this in the red zone. We're going to call this on third down. We had one last week, we got a pressure on our quarterback. There was a third-down call that I blame myself. I hadn't emphasized it enough that [OL] Colton [McKivitz] could have helped [OL] Jake [Brendel] on one, it was a third-and-two pass where the three-technique got up the field and Colton could have helped. And we talked about it. It had never come up. I've talked about it ever since I've been the line coach here that, 'hey, when we get this play and this call, it happens to be a wider --- this is what you need to do.' I could have emphasized a little bit more. Those things have to be because it's those critical times. It's like I used to joke all the time. We used to have these discussions as coaches. We'd talk and we'd say, 'yeah, gosh, it might just happen once.' I'm like, 'great, you guys all go home and go to bed.' What if that once is the third-and-three in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl in overtime? It happens that one time we're like, 'ah, crap, they got us.' Wait a minute. You don't know when that one time's going to be, so you have make sure you go through it all. Now, same sense, you can't practice 12 hours a day and you don't get the reps at everything every week. You just can't do it. That's why you hope over time guys have experience. They learn, they listen, they take good notes, and when it comes up in the game, bam, it's there. And that one last week and others in the past, I blame myself first and foremost. I will say, I could have emphasized it more. In the same sense, you're a professional football player. I say it once, should you get it? I don't know. That's the tradeoff. As a coach, I got to make sure they get it just because they're a pro football player and get paid, there's still a lot going through that brain. And they have the physical challenge of that was brought up earlier. I got to block Chris Jones. Okay, coach had all these nice coaching points in a nice, air-conditioned room and watching tape. I can take all the notes and I can talk about it. We have a walkthrough, and [OL] Ben Bartch is playing Chris Jones, great, I got no problems today. But then all of a sudden, it's live bullets and all of a sudden, I got to block this guy and remember all these coaching points and it's going a hundred miles an hour. And granted that's what they get paid to do but it's not easy. And that's why it's my job to alleviate as many of those things as I can to make sure they're able to succeed."
Why are play action passes difficult to execute against defenses that are putting six defenders on the line of scrimmage?
"Well, I'll put it this way, a lot of play action passes you're selling a run where you're able to actually help each other, right? So you can come off the ball like a run and there's people to help and protect you. When all of a sudden you have five or six-man blocks, how aggressive can you really be when all of a sudden if I go after a guy, he just jumps inside or jumps outside, I have to temper what I do a little bit more. So while the ball action may still show how aggressive can I really be? We had one a couple weeks ago we called one that was a play two weeks ago, Arizona, it might have been last week too. I can't remember the week. It was second and 18. And we called a play, sort of a play action pass kind of play. And I'm always like, 'hey, at your own risk, bro' because it's like second and 18, I'm not sure they're buying the run. It's like the three-technique last week that beat Jake up the field that Colton probably could have helped him on. Like I say, my fault, not Colton's. They're probably not playing the run on third-and-two or three, even though we've run the run, they're not going to honor it as much on third-and-two to three. Same thing with the play action. So situationally, five or six-line of scrimmage you're not having help, where so many of our play action passes there's help inside so you can come off the ball a little bit harder and then when you don't have the help, you come off the ball a little less. So all of a sudden you take five or six guys not able to come off the ball as hard, it's harder to sell the runs."
You guys ran it really well against eight-man fronts this week. That play where RB Isaac Guerendo had the 76-yard run, Puni took two guys out on that play. You were really excited about Guerendo and we saw it this week. What's the key to run blocking for a guy who's a little raw, but has great speed?
"Well, it's like when we had 31 here before I talked about [Miami Dolphins RB] Raheem [Mostert], and obviously he's not as fast. We've talked about this. If you give the guy the space, if you give the guy the crease, he's going to hit it and he has a chance to really make things happen. The challenge is the same challenge. You're still trying to create the same amount of space for [RB Jordan Mason] JP, for [RB] Christian [McCaffrey], for everything else. What's exciting about 31 is he keeps seeing it. I think I told you when we played the Rams and Banks missed a play that you'd have loved to see. It comes out because I think Isaac could have split the safeties and gone a long way. But Banks missed the block, so we didn't get to see it. This was one where he happened to create a nice scene for the kid and the safety took a bad angle, which sometimes they take bad angles, they're faster. That's the exciting thing. When we used to call [Miami Dolphins Head Coach] Mike McDaniel had a term for Raheem. He said he's the angle assassin, meaning that you think there's an angle, the proper angle for most safeties to take out a runner is this. But with Raheem, he was the assassin. He would beat those angles because you couldn't take the same angle with Raheem because he was so fast. Guys with a little more speed, it changes those angles. So those guys are used to fitting a run a certain way and just all of a sudden you can't. Great story, [President of Football Operations/General Manager] John Lynch, right? He tells the story I might've told before. [Former WR] Randy Moss is one of his first games. John, Tampa Two, let's say they're supposed to line up at 12 yards deep. I don't know what their depth was as a safety, but playing Randy, all of a sudden John looked up in the third and fourth quarter and [former CB] Herman Edwards looking at him and saying, 'Hey, bro you're 20 yards deep here. Why are you 20 yards deep?' Well, because Randy, you'd stay at 12 and all of a sudden you have to play the deep pass on Randy, he's past you. So all of a sudden that changed the whole dynamic of how he played. And he found himself at 20, deeper than he should be. John tells a story better than me, but the same thing with this. So that's the excitement of playing with a guy like that because boy, when you can get through there, all of a sudden it might be just a little bit different than they're used to. And that's that change of pace back."
Did he really slide or was he caught in the trip?
"I'm saying slide. I saw a change in his gate. I thought he did. Now he said he turned the sideline. Now I didn't say slide. I said score. My hand's going like this, 'score, score, score, score, score.' I don't say slide. You can argue that with our analytics department, but I saw the kid's gate changed. Now maybe the refrigerator jumped on his back and slowed down after 75 yards or so. It looked like he was trying to slide down. Now he says he was too, I'm believing him."
TE George Kittle told me to ask you, what is 'God's play?'
"Okay, well he says it's power. [Former Head Coach] Marty Schottenheimer in his football life story says it's God's play is power. Now I like outside zone. I was a power guy my whole career until I came to work for [former NFL head coach] Mike and [Head Coach] Kyle Shanahan in Washington. We ran a ton of power in with [former FB] Mike Alstott and [former RB] Warrick Dunn and guys like that in Tampa. And power's a great play. I love power. We still run some power in our offense. He calls it 'God's play'. Power and counter are kind of the same thing, but yeah, that's what he calls it."
Do you view the Kansas City staff as the elite staff?
"Well, [Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach] Andy's been doing it for so long, does a great job on offense. I don't study their offense very much. And I think Andy, their offensive line coach is outstanding. Steve Spagnuolo, I said as an outstanding defense coordinator, one of the best. It's just evolved through time, how much better. I liken him to like Kyle, what Kyle did when he was with the Texans and what we did with Washington when we did every step of the way to where he is today with our offense. You see them on defense. It's the same way, he's evolved. It's not just the same old defense. It's evolved and there's a lot of moving pieces to it. And I think Joe Cullen, their [Kansas City Chiefs] Defensive Line Coach. I think all the D-Line coaches, I respect all the guys we go against, but Joe Cullen is one of the best. I noticed that when he was in Baltimore because it wasn't just the starters that played well. He had these second-tier guys, they were like, 'holy cow, this guy's a stud man.' He's doing everything. You actually could go look at the second-tier players that weren't as talented maybe that you saw the technique he was trying to coach because they did everything exactly right. Well, that's a coach man. He's getting his guys to do everything right. I think Joe Cullen and Spags, those are two guys that stand out to me on that side. And then they take the O-line coach with Andy on the other side. I'm not going to crown them. I'm glad to know that was the most important question. The rest of them I'll discard from here on out. But that one right there, that's a very, very good staff."
QB Brock Purdy
What kind of chemistry are you developing with WR Ricky Pearsall? Do you think he could help you guys in the redzone?
"He's doing a really good job, obviously being back and just bringing the juice, going really fast in and out of his cuts and creating some really good separation. And so, obviously we drafted him in the first round and he's got a lot of potential. And yeah, for him to get in and actually be a part of our offense, not just a young guy that's trying to learn his way, but actually trying to make an impact pretty like early on, for me, I love it. It's another great option and another part of our offense. And so, I think obviously tomorrow we'll go through our redzone plan and stuff, but to answer your question, when you've got a guy like Ricky that can win man-to-man matchups and then also open up some other guys too, that's always a good thing. So, I'm excited to see what he does."
Last year you had a game against Philadelphia that, from the outside, was being perceived as this big revenge game because of the, obviously what happened in the Championship Game. But within the building, it seemed like you guys were pretty much focused on your business and not getting into all that, what happened the year before. Is this a similar situation to that with the Chiefs?
"Yeah, I would say so. Only because a couple years ago, we played the Eagles, it was a playoff game, NFC Championship, and then whatever happened, happened. And then boom, you've got a whole new situation. You've got to focus on the 2023 season. And it's a similar deal as last year with the Super Bowl. That was the Super Bowl, obviously we wanted to win it and everything, didn't go our way. But now it's 2024, it's a regular season game, it's the next opponent for us. We have some new guys on our team, some guys that have left. I've said this before, but this is the 2024 49ers going against the 2024 Chiefs. For us, we're focusing on the next team up. Are we trying to go out and get our revenge and get all this stuff? That's not our mindset. And if it was, I think we wouldn't be able to play at our best and play at our standard. Our standard is to be our best no matter who we're playing right now, in the present, not looking back in the past, not looking too far ahead in the future, but where we're at right now. So that's our mindset."
I know you're focused on the Chiefs defense, but when you look at Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, do you look at him as an all-time great, someone you're trying to reach? Or do you look at him as a peer and equal?
"I think he is who he is, I am who I am. All the quarterbacks in the NFL, I guess, would say the same thing. And obviously, for what he's done and the Super Bowls that he's won and just what he's done in in the NFL with his plays and his style of play, it's really fun to watch. But do I compare myself to him or anything like that? No, I don't compare myself to any other quarterbacks in the NFL. I am who I am and I'm trying to win for the 49ers and play my style of ball. But obviously, I tip my cap to him and he's done a tremendous job. He's definitely on the way up to being one of the greats in the NFL as a quarterback, and that's no secret. Whenever you get a chance to go up against a guy like that on the other sideline, it's always fun."
When you mention the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs, they're more than likely going to try to get after you and pressure you in this one. How are you trying to prepare for that? How are you trying to prepare for that? If you, I know you can't give the details, but the best way to explain your plan of attack, knowing that that's coming this time around. How's that preparation been for you this week?
"Obviously, in the Super Bowl last year, they made some adjustments of going to more man-coverage and making us win in those kind of matchups. For us it's like, alright, obviously we've got to be ready for that kind of stuff. But it's a whole new year, it's a new season and they're going to be making their tweaks and adjustments as well. So it's not like we're going to get just that. They're going to come in with their scheme and try to dial some things up against us, and so are we. And so for us it's going in, it's being dialed in every play with whatever the situation is and playing our standard and our way of football. If we could just do our job really well, I think everything will fall into place how it needs to. We're a really good team if we can do that. So, that's how I'm looking at it. I know all the guys in the locker room are doing the same thing. We've just got to be ready for all the situations and be on top of our plays and our answers within the game."
A couple weeks ago, you mentioned that you felt like a theme of the season as far as you seeing more man-coverage. You just mentioned the Chiefs doing it more in the Super Bowl last year. Do you get the sense at all that maybe teams are kind of trying to follow some sort of, I know you didn't get it as much against Minnesota and Seattle, but do you get the sense that teams are maybe following that more or is it maybe just more coincidental through the first six games?
"I think it depends on the team and their scheme and their personnel and if they think they can match up against our guys in man-coverage and stuff or not. And every team is different. And so, it just comes down to the moments, how they're coming in and what their plan of attack is from the jump and then making adjustments. That's every game and that'll be the case moving forward with every team that we play. But with that being said, I feel like we have seen some more man-coverage and stuff, and honestly I think we've done a pretty good job still of finding ways to move the ball even though we do see more man. It's not like man-coverage is our kryptonite or anything like that. I still think we've got really good ball players that can create separation and we find ways to win. And so, every team is different. I can't promise a team is going to run this because of what the Chiefs did in the Super Bowl. Every game is different."
You made your debut against Kansas City, nine or 10 plays, a couple years ago. What do you remember about that? And do you ever, when you're home relaxing, just allow your mind to go back to that moment when you did make your debut?
"We sort of joke about it, actually. Just because when I did get thrown into that game, it was my first real regular-season action, and I just remember it was pretty fast. The game was fast for me, my feet were moving really fast. I just remember seeing [former NFL LB] Frank Clark and some of the guys, I'm like, 'Man, these guys are still in the game? I'm in at the end of the game and they're still in.' Just my mind was going pretty fast. So just to see how I was feeling and everything in that moment a couple years ago, all the way until now, it's pretty funny. But also for me, I take pride in learning, in the growth, in the process of this whole thing of playing in the NFL week-to-week and getting better with my fundamentals and being able to actually thrive in those kind of situations and in the moments, that's progress. That's getting better. And so, I look back on it and sort of chuckle about some stuff."
I know Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is pretty distinct in what the Vikings are doing. But how much do you think, if at all, that sort of game where there's a ton thrown at you, it's pretty unpredictable, how much do you think that helps in terms of preparing for someone like Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo?
"I think, man those are two different schemes, that's for sure. But I think it goes back to just the simple mindset of just being on top of your play every play, and the details and where's my answer per coverage and what's going on. The Minnesota game is, that's such a great experience of going through every single play something different can happen and I have to get to this guy or that guy. And so, when it comes to the Chiefs, and how Spags is going to call the game, it's the same thing for me at quarterback. I have to get to my answers, I have to go through my progressions when I can and obviously just take what the defense is giving me and not trying to force it and do too much. And so, two different schemes, but similar mindset in terms of, I have to find my answer within every play and every coverage."
RB Jordan Mason got hurt last game. Did that reveal anything to you or anybody about the importance he has in this offense for what he's done through six games?
"Yeah, just knowing that he's a physical runner. And obviously, when the gaps and the seas part, that's great for any running back, but with Jordan, it's when the gap isn't there he's still going to push for another five, six yards or break a couple tackles. That's the mark of a great running back in the NFL. That's not easy. And so, when he went down, obviously we love that part of him, but we have some young guys behind him that need to step up and do their part. And I think [RB Isaac] Guerendo did that. [RB] Patrick [Taylor Jr.] did that. They came in, they played physical. But obviously, you just love J.P.'s mentality because he does it every play. Every running back is a little different, but that's what he's really good at. And so, when he went down it's like, dang, that is pretty valuable for us in the run game. But, we always have the next guy up and we're ready to give the next guy a shot and then we've always got each other's back. So it was what it was in the Thursday night game, but we're excited that he's healed up and got some rest and ready for this one."
Steve Spagnuolo has always been extremely complimentary of your play. And this week, he said that you have no weaknesses. Would you agree with his assessment of your play?
"I would disagree (laughter). I think I've definitely got stuff to work on and get better at. I appreciate the comments, but there's always something, in the NFL, there's always something to get better at. As a quarterback too, you can never be perfect, there's always something. So, I appreciate it, but yeah, I've got to get better too."
The numbers show that this Chiefs defense sometimes gives up points early and then gets better and better as the game goes on. Does the film show that? Is there anything on the film that they do differently, as the game progresses, that helps them?
"I think they're just, they have a lot of experience playing within the scheme. A lot of the guys that have been there, they understand how their coordinator's calling plays and where they need to be. It's a very sound and disciplined defense and I think for them maybe, I don't know for sure, I'm not in their meetings or anything, but it might be the bend-but-don't-break kind of defense. And when the game matters and it's on the line, they're the side of the ball that needs to get it done. And their defense has shown that in the last couple games in this season. So I definitely do see it. They haven't given up many points. And like I said, they all have a lot of experience together and they play and they tie together really well just across the board. One of the best defenses that we'll see this year for sure."
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