Kansas City Chiefs OTA Quotes: Andy Reid Talks Demtrius Harris, Weston Dressler, And LeBron James
By Ben Nielsen
May 24, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) reacts following a basket against the Indiana Pacers in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Q: What separates the crossover basketball players from the ones that make it and the ones that don’t?
REID: “Not that the NBA isn’t physical, I mean basketball is physical. But now you’re throwing a helmet on and we’re asking you to knock each other around a little bit. Nobody is blowing in anybody’s ear out here. My guy LeBron (James), man, I’m glad he just held it. LeBron was heck of a football player at one time, I mean, that was close to a forearm shiver distance right there. I’m glad he held back on him.”
Q: If LeBron James wanted to play football would you take a shot at him?
REID: “Oh yeah. LeBron is my guy, man. I like LeBron. He’s alright. Tough kid.”
Q: How do you measure progress during OTAs?
REID: “I’ve seen the improvement. It’s really coming now that they’re able to not work against air, but work against an actual offense and defense. Then special teams is the same way. The guys were running out and going versus air, so now you get to see them make adjustments and that’s where I’ve seen the improvement over the three days. It’s not a matter of knowing what they’re doing route-wise, it’s just being able to make the adjustments against the different looks, whether it’s from a defensive standpoint or an offensive standpoint.”
Q: Have you noticed the physical development of Demetrius Harris?
REID: “Oh absolutely. First of all, he did a great job in the weight room. He and Barry (Rubin) became one there. They joined hips there and started working that son-of-a-gun to where he felt strong and so far he’s been able to transfer that on the field which is a good thing. Now, it’s not live, so we have to see that part of it as we go.”
Q: A lot of guys got dieticians and worked out differently in the offseason. Was that something you forced on them or was that voluntary?
REID: “I think that’s where the game is going. I mean these guys understand that their body is their livelihood and that’s what’s going to make them a living for X number of years that they get to do this, so why not take full advantage of that. Between Rick (Burkholder) and Barry (Rubin), they do a great job of talking to the players about that and we’ve got a couple of nutritionists on board that help us with that too. It’s a joint effort. Most of all, the player has to want to do that and we’ve got a lot of them that do.”
Q: What about Weston Dressler?
REID: “I like his quickness and I like him in the slot. He’s got great quickness there. That’s what he played in Canada, he played in that area. You can see he’s got a real feel in there and good quickness that goes with it.”