OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PRESS TAYLOR
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2023(On how difficult it is to keep the offensive line cohesive due to injuries) “It gives us an opportunity to
continue to evaluate everybody and put everybody in certain situations. These environments are so
controlled from what we’re trying to get out of each thing, for what a period is for us, that I don’t think
it’s really that big of a shock to the system to have a different group. You would love to have the same
five, to create continuity within the group but at the same time we like the idea of rolling people and
creating that atmosphere that is going to come up at some point in the season.”
(On OL Walker Little and other lineman having opportunities due to injuries) “Right, and also you have
OL Chandler Brewer playing center. There’s a bunch of different moving pieces that at some point in
time this season odds are we’re going to have to go to something in some way, mix and match. We kind
of have this to fall back to, ‘At least that guy has experience playing with or next to so and so’.”
(On what he has thought of OL Cooper Hodges) “Cooper has brought a physicality. He shows up in the
team periods, he’s done a good job. He’s very entertaining pre-practice with his cartwheels, his high
fives, and stuff like that. No, we’ve enjoyed him. He brings a physical aspect. That’s been the one thing
as these young guys continue to adjust to the speed of the game and the amount of offense we have in,
he’s done a good job of just being physical. At the end of the day, that’s a huge part of this game and
playing offensive line. He certainly has that element. Now, it’s just about continuing to get better every
single day and these games are a little different than practice, so we’ll see as we get into this aspect of it,
what it looks like for him.”
(On if he thought the offensive line was missing some physicality last year) “I don’t know if I’d say that.
We’re pretty happy with the physicality that we had. There were certain times that maybe you wish
something went a little better, whether that was the scheme, who we’re playing, whatever that may be.
But it’s certainly an element of our offense that we take pride in, and we want to continue to invest in.”
(On if adding WR Calvin Ridley pushes the other wide receivers to be better) “Absolutely. He’s got
different experiences than some of these guys so I think a lot of these guys watch him and say, ‘Oh he’s
got this piece of his game, maybe I can add that.’ So, the group we have, they are all very locked in
mentally on what’s going on. So, they are all very observant of other people and they want to continue
to add pieces to their game. I mean none of these guys have been complacent since we got them, in
terms of where they are and their development. So, it’s just cool to see them pick each other’s brains,
pick each other’s parts of their games that they feel like they can apply and make their own.”
(On if adding WR Calving Ridley helps the younger wide receivers)
“I think it pushes the room as a whole. The young guys getting to see a guy that’s done a lot of things in
this league, what it looks like, how he works, and how he approaches it. Then really with [WR Zay Jones]
Zay, [WR Chrisitan Kirk] Christian, and [WR Calvin Ridley] Calvin, the way they talk in the meeting room
is incredible. So the guys are able to ask questions and pick their brains. They are able to explain whythey did what they did, what they’re thinking, maybe another way they could’ve run a route or certain
things like that, I think is invaluable for the young guys.”
(On how TE Brenton Strange has made progress) “Brenton just continues to get better in a little
different aspect of his game each time. We’ve done more with him on the line and continue to see him
as a Y with his hand in the dirt, versus off the ball as an F in the fullback role extended from the
formation. So, each day you kind of see one step or one aspect of us spoon-feeding little bits and pieces
of the offense to see where he can go with it. The biggest thing with him is his versatility, all the
different things he can do. He brings a physical element to his game that we value but he’s also able to
get away from the formation, get down the field, get down the seam. I’m excited to see him as a ball
carrier in some of these games we get into too.”
(On his reaction to Wide Receiver Coach Chad Hall being hired) “I’ve known a lot about Chad. We have a
lot of mutual friends, people that think very highly of him and have spoken very highly of him. Honestly,
he was really the only person we went after. When (University of Texas Wide Receivers Coach Chris
Jackson) CJ took an opportunity to go to Texas, Chad was our first call. We kind of extended an offer,
wanted to see where that went, gave him a lot of time with it because everything we knew from him,
from (Head Coach Doug Pederson’s) experience with him, mutual contacts with him, (Special Teams
Coordinator Heath Farwell) Heath’s relationship with him, we just felt like he would be a fit with us, our
room, and our staff. So, he was the only one we really went after and certainly excited with what we’ve
done so far.”
(On if there are any coaches that are as animated as WR Coach Chad Hall on gameday) “We were
making fun of him the other day because he was celebrating something on the sideline of a clip and I
said, ‘finally we get to see this on our sideline because we’ve all watched this in Buffalo for years, of him
running up and down’. There are certain coaches that everybody across the league is used to seeing on
the sideline, TV copies running up and down the sideline, Chad’s one of those. Now he’s on our sideline
so hopefully that brings some value, some in-game energy to our group.”
(On how much he has seen WR Tim Jones grow over the last year) “Tim continues to get better every
day and part of it is you see just more comfortability with the way he’s approaching things, he
understands the scheme. Where last year it was new for everybody, so everybody was constantly
learning. Tim’s one of those guys that’s sitting behind these top three guys plus (WR Jamal Agnew) Ag as
well, competing for that spot was the guy that had the job last year and did a lot of things and provided
a lot of value for our team. There are games we played without (WR Marvin Jones Jr.) Marvin, without
(WR Zay Jones) Zay, where Tim had a bigger role. So, we know we can trust him and it’s about Tim and
these other guys continuing to compete for this spot on the backend of this receiver room.”
(On if practice shifts starting today now that it’s game week) “Not yet. Honestly right now we’re still kind
of in our training camp mode of installing, working on certain things, setting up specific situations to see
our offense in. Then we’ll kind of evolve as we get a little bit closer to Dallas of what we’re going to do,
how we’re going to play, who they are, and kind of get into that with our guys.”
(On if they are live today) “I don’t believe we are live today.”
(On if any of the young wide receivers are pushing WR Tim Jones) “Yeah, a lot of those guys. [WR] Kevin
Austin Jr. I know is a guy that has been here, in year two. I think part of it is those guys understand what
we’re asking for that position. As long as we’re healthy on the front of that group, that position becomesspecial teams, blocking, and versatility. If somebody were to go down in a game, you want a guy that
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
can fit in all three spots and not, ‘Alright we’ve got to move [WR Christian Kirk] Christian outside
because this guy can only play inside’ or whatever that is. So, that’s kind of the value of that fifth, sixth,
role right there. You see a lot of those guys whether it be, [WR] Kendric Pryor. [WR] Kevin Austin Jr.,
[WR] Seth Williams, [WR] Jacob Harris, [WR] Elijah Cooks, those guys have done a good job of
understanding what the role is and being able to put themselves in a position to provide that for us.
(On if 5,000 passing yards is sort of reachable for everybody) “The way the game goes, it certainly seems
that way. Every year you see passing records get shattered, how many guys are throwing for over 4,000
yards and all that. I don’t know that it’s necessarily a big deal now, or huge achievement I guess I’d say.
So, it’s certainly out there but I think everybody’s just doing what they can to win the game. At the end
of the year, we don’t care if Trevor throws for 5,000 or 2,000 if we’re in that last game of the year with
an opportunity to win it all.”
(On if he remembers when someone hitting 4,000 passing yards was outrageous) “Oh yeah. I was a big
fan of [QB] Drew Brees and [QB] Peyton Manning growing up and it seemed like every year those guys
were hitting those kinds of numbers. So, that was kind of an outlier at the time and now that seems like
the norm certainly from just the schemes and the quarterbacks that are in the league right now.”
(On if the offense can be more multiple with the personnel they have) “We do. Especially when you look
at the tight end room, the running back room and what those guys provide of what our 13 personnel
could potentially be three really good receivers or three really good receiving tight ends. Whether we
want to attach the formation, open from the formation, whatever that may be the running back room
provides a lot of versatility. We kind of have slashers, power backs, smaller backs. Then even in the
receiver room, a guy like [WR Jamal Agnew] Agnew just provides a weapon. He’s a Pro Bowl returner
that we can create space for. The defense is certainly aware when he’s on the field. So, that’s something
we want to continue to take advantage of. We want to be able to do whatever we need to do each week
to win. We’ve talked about that. Is it, we need to throw it 60 times or we need to run it 60 times? We
need to win a shoot-out, or we need to win a slug fest? Whatever that is our guys understand our goal is
to go win the game. At the end of the year, we’re not really concerned with what our stats are other
than wins and losses. That’s the biggest thing for us and the focus.”
(On if he sees OL Walker Little taking a big leap this year) “Yeah and I think a big thing with those guys is
the consistency of the message. So, they’re used to sitting in a meeting with [Offensive Line Coach Phil
Rauscher] Phil and understanding the techniques we’re asking them to utilize. They’ve practiced this,
they’ve repped this for a year and a half now. So, you’re seeing that all come to fruition. They’re seeing
why he’s asking them to play a certain way or whatever a scheme is asking them to do. I think as they
understand that they’re able to play a little faster, they’re able to be a little bit more confident, and play
with a little bit more conviction. So that’s just kind of the natural growth we expect from year one to
year two in this system.”
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2023
(On how it is having multiple talented wide receivers) “It’s pretty good. I’ve been super happy with the
group that we have from a talent standpoint but even just the communication, the work ethic and the
way those guys practice. It’s really awesome. Those guys want to practice every day, they want every
rep, they want to run every play, they want to be out there, that mindset is going to help us a lot
especially come late in the season.”
(On what the dynamic is like between WR Coach Chad Hall and the wide receivers) “It’s great. I think
Chad does an awesome job. He’s definitely unique in the way he coaches the position and it’s been cool
to see his perspective and the way he does it. He has an amazing relationship with all of the guys, and I
think that is why he is able to have those great relationships because he gets deep, gets to know them
and I’ve seen that firsthand. Just the way he coaches them, He’s really passionate about it and the guys
can see that. He played the position, he has experience, and he’s been doing it for a while now, he’s
coached some great ones. So, those guys have a lot of respect for him, I do as well, and I think he’s doing
a great job. “
(On what wide receiver has pleasantly surprised him) “I don’t know if I’d say surprised, but I think [WR
Kevin Austin Jr.] Kevin is having a great camp. Obviously, all of our guys right now, [WR Zay Jones] Zay,
[WR Christian Kirk] Christian, [WR Calvin Ridley] Calvin, [TE Evan Engram] Evan, and [WR Jamal Agnew]
Ag, all those guys have been doing a great job. I think for tight ends, [TE] Gerrit Prince has looked great.
He’s had an awesome camp so far. So, I’m excited for him just to see him getting better and better, it’s
awesome and it’s going to help us a lot. [WR] Elijah Cooks and [WR Jacob Harris] Jacob have looked
great. All of our guys really from top to bottom, we have a really good group, really smart, they know
the system, and they know what they’re doing. It’s not always like that. I’ve been on teams where some
of the guys that might not be starters or second-string guys, they don’t necessarily know all of the stuff,
they don’t know what they’re doing, and they’re not making the plays. It seems like every time you turn
around someone’s making a play no matter which groups in there. I think that’s encouraging for us to
see, just to have so many guys that are playing well.”
(On how much of camp is figuring out different wide receivers catch radius) “It’s definitely about getting
to know my guys. Obviously, I know [WR Christian Krik] Christian, [WR Zay Jones] Zay, [TE Evan Engram]
Evan, and [WR Jamal Agnew] Ag we played together last year or two years with some of those guys. But
I’m still learning more and more, putting them in different positions, maybe they didn’t run some of
these routes last year or maybe we had a different formation, and now we’re trying to give them some
new plays. some new routes, whatever it is. For [WR Calvin Ridley] Calvin every day is a learning
experience of how to throw a certain ball, when to trust him on this route. With him, sometimes he
looks covered and he’s not, he’s just got that ability to go up and make a play and really great route
runner. When do I trust him to win on certain routes? I think we’re still learning all that, it’s still early,
but I love how our relationships coming along and our chemistry’s growing every day. I think today we
had some nice plays.”
(On how much more comfortable he feels over the offense now compared to last year) “Yeah, I feel
really comfortable, feel really confident. Feel like that’s me but that’s also the other guys. We’ve had so
much experience together and so many different situations we’ve seen. It’s nice to be able to lean on
those for your second camp in this system. You can go back to Week 14 of last year, I remember
checking this play against this team in this coverage. So, the call comes up again and you see them same
thing it’s like, ‘Alright, you remember when we did this?’ and you can just get to it quick. I think that’s so
valuable when you think about an offense and just being able to do that. To just get yourself in the play
that you want and as a quarterback that I feel confident and I can just go play free because I know what I
want, I know what I like, and I know what my guys are good at.”
(On if he feels like he needs to play in the preseason) “Yeah, I mean that’s something that we’re going to
talk about, it’s kind of whatever [Head Coach Doug Pederson] coach wants to do. I think it’s valuable to
get some reps, especially when you’ve got a few new pieces, get some live game reps where it is full
speed, it’s full contact, there’s something on the line. That’s valuable. Who knows how much that will
be, but whatever it is I’ll be ready. You just want to be clean, you want to execute, you want your
offense to look sharp, you want to make the plays, you want to be smart, and just be clean. That’s the
main objective, obviously to play well too. But that’s the same thing whether it’s the starters of
whoever’s in there, to play well and execute our offense. Just like we’re doing out here, just carry that
over to a different opponent and go win the game. So, however much that is, I don’t know the details in
that, but we’ll be ready.”
(On if he has been approached about the quarterback series on Netflix) “Yeah, I was approached. I
decided to not do it this year but that was just something where I feel like it was just not the right time
for me. Who knows, maybe in the future. I watched the show though, the show was great, I think they
did a great job. But yeah, that’s pretty much it there.”
(On if coaches have good handwriting) “Offensive coaches?”
(On if it matters if his coaches have good or bad handwriting) “Yes and no. Now we have so many
different ways, everything’s printed off, it’s done in a program, they do it on a computer so everything’s
straight lines, it’s tight. So, the handwritten stuff isn’t as big now. Obviously, you talk about notes and
drawing stuff up on the board really quick to kind of brainstorm stuff is different but, now you’ve got
everything done on a computer so that’s nice. I’ve had coaches with good and bad handwriting.”
(On how his handwriting is) “It’s alright, it’s not the best but it’s legible.”
(On how he has seen OL Walker Little grow) “He’s done a great job. Last year and our rookie year he was
kind of thrown into a spot where he was maybe not expecting it necessarily but had to go in and start.
Every position is tough but not expecting to have to go in there and play the rest of the season, but
especially left tackle that’s probably one of the harder ones. He’s done a great job, he’s always been
ready. That’s something that I think has been cool to see, is a guy that wasn’t a starter but has been
ready every week like he is and then when he gets the opportunity there’s no drop off. That’s what you
look for in guys on our team and he’s been a perfect example of that. He’s ready for this opportunity, I
think he’s going to do great. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him, he’s worked really hard. You’ve seen him
get more and more confident over the last two years as he’s played more and proven himself so I’m
excited for him.”
(On if he has seen college teammate and Chiefs WR Justyn Ross make plays at camp) “Yeah, I’ve seen
them. It makes me feel happy for him. I played with him, I know him really well, we came in together at
Clemson. Great player. Just the person he is, he’s got a great work ethic and to see the battles he’s had
to go through, some of the adversity, it’s cool to see him getting his opportunity. I hope he just
continues to play well, takes it and runs with it, and the Chiefs use him well. I think they will. It’s been
awesome to see from him. I’ve seen that a million times in practice, so I’m not surprised at all. But just
to see him get that opportunity just makes me happy and I’m excited for him.”
(On if his knowledge of the offense translates to faster decision making) “This is the part of camp where
it starts becoming full speed, contact, and longer days. We’ve got to do better of getting in and out of
the huddle and playing a little faster from that standpoint. Once we get into what we want and we get
the checks, get the changes done, we’re playing really fast at the snap so that’s good to see. We need to
get a little bit better pre-snap but that’s going to come. You’re playing with a couple of new guys, so
you’ve got to get all the kinks worked out. But I think we’re playing really fast, I feel like my decision
making has been much quicker than in years past, especially at this point in training camp. Like I said,
just the confidence in my guys, knowing what they’re going to do versus different looks and also being
able to get to the right play for me, for us, for what we want to do.”
