Players Sound Off
By Nick Floyd
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs are now 9-1, that is the situation. But when you think about how far they have come, most Chiefs fans, and the team, would happily be 9-1 when last year they finished worst in the league. They have come along way during the season, and with the loss to Denver in the rear view mirror, the players look forward to the next week and about being 1-0 this weekend.
Quarterback Alex Smith
On about starting fast with the offense,
"I think the biggest thing is getting into a rhythm and moving some chains, getting consecutive plays ran, helping you get into the flow of the game, change field position at a minimum. I think that’s where it starts. It starts with that first, first down, let’s get a first down, let’s move the chains, let’s put a chunk of plays together, get into a rhythm offensively. I think if you have a few three-and-outs it’s tough, you never get into a flow."
On what he can do better as a quarterback,
"I think obviously play better, execute, I think that’s the most obvious thing. I look back at myself and how I played on Sunday night and certainly didn’t play very well early. I missed some opportunities there that really could have helped us get into a flow.I think we turn on the tape, all of us offensively, and we all look at it and it was all of the little things. A little thing here and a little thing there, we all had our share, and that’s what results in the inability to execute, but basically the inability to move the football."
Smith was asked he he feels it is important to show he can go down field with the ball,
"I certainly think you need to be able to offensively attack all parts of the field. It changes week in and week out, play by play, depending on how a defense is playing you, but certainly if a defense is getting aggressive, you need to be able to do that, be able to take advantage of shots downfield"
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Tight End Sean McGrath
He was asked what it takes to come back from a loss,
"Every game we play in the NFL is going to be a tough one. The idea is to move on, that game is over. We’re focused on San Diego right now, and we learned from our mistakes. We came in and watched film yesterday and granted we got them (Denver) again in two weeks, but right now all of our mindset is on San Diego"
He was also asked what he sees in the San Diego Chargers defense,
"We’re expecting their best effort. We’re not doing anything different in terms of preparation. We’re going to go out and do the same thing we do every Sunday, go out and execute the game plan."
Newly acquired receiver Kyle Williams,
Does he feel comfortable in the Chiefs offense,
"Pretty comfortable. It’s different terminology, but there are a lot of the same things, a little carryover. I’m really comfortable with it, and whenever they put me in there, I’ll be ready to go."
Is San Diego a good game for him to make his first start as a Chief,
"It all depends. I don’t want to say that it can or can’t be, but it depends on the coaches and what they see fit and how they’re going to attack them and if they want to use me, again I’ll be ready to go."
Safety Kendrick Lewis
What he thinks about the San Diego receiving corp,
"They have some explosive guys. They have some play makers who you know if they are able to get the ball in their hands, they can make plays. We feel like we’re going out there and our guys matchup really well with those guys. We’re going to practice and see their tendencies and see what they like to do, and we’ll cover those guys like we do every week"
Does the secondary have pride when they get a coverage sack,
"Absolutely. Because Tamba (Hali) and (Justin) Houston and (Dontari) Poe, those guys come to us and are like, ‘Good job on that. He didn’t have time to find a receiver down field. You guys were locked up.’ That’s how we go back and forth. We congratulate them when they get a sack and take the pressure off us. That’s why I say it works hand in hand, and we look out for each other."
Offensive Lineman Donald Stephenson
Does the injuries on the offensive line impact him,
"I mean that’s something, being in the offensive line, throughout the year (there are) different guys in and out. That happens a lot, but I feel like in these situations, we are able to do pretty well. We’re able to communicate and get the job done late in the games. With the exception of a few games, I think we do a pretty good job there."
Is Arrowhead Stadium going to be loud this weekend,
"It should be loud again. It’s the Chargers, another divisional game. We’re coming off of a loss so I’m pretty sure fans are probably ready to get a win again."
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Linebacker Tamba Hali
He was asked how many times he think he got held during the Denver game,
"oe Thomas said what we calls holding, that’s good blocking. At the end of the day, we have to just try a little harder to get to the football."
Finally he was asked his thought on upcoming quarterback Philip Rivers,
"He’s a really good quarterback, probably one of the best in our game. It’s the same game plan. We have to stop the run there. They have a really good runner who is running the ball well this year. We have to make sure we stop the run and then get to Rivers."