Mahomes Addresses Crosby, Rice and … Tortillas

On regaining their swagger with Rashee Rice back:

“I mean, yeah, for sure. I mean, I think we've gotten better and better, and adding guys like Xavier (Worthy) back and then getting Rashee back, we'll just continue to hopefully improve what we can do. And so, I think all you can ask for is get better each and every week. And I feel like we're doing that.

On expectations for Rice:

“Yeah, I mean, he's going to want to be out there every single play. I mean, that's the mentality that he has. I think it's gonna be our job as teammates and coaches to kind of build him back the right way, but it's gonna be hard to keep them off the field, for sure.”

On his relationship with Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, on and off the field:

“Yeah, I mean, it's a ton of respect. I mean, like you said, I mean, when I talk to him outside of football, it's like we're friends. You wouldn’t even see what happens on the football field. But he's the type of competitor, like me, it's like me on that football field; it's whatever it takes to win, and you're going to leave everything on the football field.

“And I have a ton of respect for that. I mean, those are guys that you want on your team, because they play with that mentality, and he's trying to do that and build that culture there. And so, I know when we step across the line, you get on that football field, it's gonna take your best effort to find a way to go up against that guy.”

On Travis Kelce’s shape compared to last season:

“Yeah, I mean, you could see it from the first day of OTAs. I mean, obviously, like I play golf with him and stuff like that, but you don't know until you kind of get out here and you start moving around. And so I think right when you got to OTAs, and you saw him, and going through workouts, you could see that his body was in good shape. And he was moving a little faster than he even was the year before. And I could tell, just from the mentality that he had, that he was going out there to prove something, and he's done a great job starting off this year.”

On Kelce’s shake move against Detroit:

“Did you say his shake, or shape? Oh, his shake. Okay, no, yeah, it's the Hakeem Alajuwon shake, yeah. No, he, he's still got it, man. He's got the vet moves, when you get up there a little older,  how to use the other guy’s athleticism against him. And I feel like I have a couple of those as well. Maybe not the shake yet. I'm going to have to learn that one from him.”

On how a similar situation in 2022 is preparing him to add Rice back into the fold:

“Yeah, no, for sure. I think the guys just know that. They know if they get open, I'm gonna throw them the football. It doesn't matter who it is. If you're getting open, you're gonna get the football in your hands.

“And so, I think the room is going to help out a ton with that. I mean, they have a lot of guys that truly care about each other and truly want each other to succeed, and it's a good problem to have, to have that many talented guys in the room. But Coach Reid, Nags (Matt Nagy), they'll do a great job of calling different plays for different guys, and they'll keep defenses guessing. They won't know exactly where the football is going to go.”

On receivers settling into roles now that the roster is at full strength:

“Yeah, yeah. And I think it's that those guys work so hard to be their best. I mean, from training camp, OTAs on. And, I mean, I know they're going out there and trying to do what they can without Rashee there, but they want their guy there. They want one of their teammates there that worked his tail off to be in that position.

“And so, I think just having him in that room, you can just tell those guys are energized and they're ready to go, and they want to showcase who they are, as a complete room. And they've done a great job so far this year. And I think it's gonna get even better with Rashee now.”

On whether he expects to see favorable matchups, in addition to Rice, now that he’s back:

“I'm sure there will be. I mean, I think you saw even this last week against the Lions, with the speed that we had with Tyquan (Thornton) and with Xavier (Worthy) and Hollywood (Brown), sometimes those guys underneath are getting open a lot more.

“And I mean, adding Rashee there and him catching those balls underneath, and then him with his YAC (yards after catch) and able to make stuff happen, is going to force defense to choose: Are you going to sit back and let us throw stuff underneath, or are you going to come up and have to deal with all that speed running down the field? And so that's a good problem to showcase towards defenses.”

On having dug out of holes this year, and guarding against another step backward:

“It was the first thing Coach Reid said, is about showing consistency. I mean, that's something that's super important in this league. You can have highs and lows and stuff like that. This a long NFL season. It's about who can be the most consistent, week-in and week-out. And so that's something that we have to be better at.

“We've showcased that we can play against anybody, but we've also showcased that we can make mistakes and lose against anybody. And so, for us, it's about going out there and playing our best football every single week, getting better at practice. Better at practice today, and continue that throughout the week – to go up against a Raiders team that's hungry, and that it's always gonna be a tight, contested football game.”

On including Jaylon Moore in the trust he has in his offensive line:

“No, I think it's just, I know the work that Jaylon has put in. He's been a professional every single day, every time he's been in there, if that's been left tackle, right tackle, guard, wherever it is. He's done his job and done it well.

“And so, having those reps in training camp and throughout OTAs, I know that he's going to go out there and battle, and he's done a lot of great things that you just haven't seen on the field. So, you see it now that he's a starting tackle in this league, and can go out there and compete against anybody.”

On preparing for a noon Sunday kickoff, compared to primetime games:

“I think it's something we can be better at, honestly. I mean, we haven't got that noon game this year. And I think last year we kind of came out flat in some of those games. And so, we have to have the mentality of getting your work done at night and making sure you get a good night's rest, preparing yourself maybe a little bit more during the week, so you don't have to get that last-minute study, kind of like cramming for an exam.

“You want to prepare yourself throughout the week, and so that when you wake up in the morning, you're fresh, you're ready to go, you get to the stadium, and you get out there and start the right way, and don't start flat and have to dig yourself out of a hole.”

On whether this is as much trust and comfort he’s felt in a long time:

“Yeah, no. I felt good these last few weeks, especially. And I think that it all starts with the offensive line. When they're blocking the way they're blocking, it gives me a lot of confidence to sit in the pocket and make these throws down the field. And then when that's not open, hit the guys underneath and let them make plays happen.

“And so, you to continue to steadily build on that. I have to continue to get better and better. And then look at the tape. Learn from it. Even when we're having success, learn from the little things, the mistakes that we make. And that's what I'll try to continue to do throughout the rest of the season.

“And I think, I mean, obviously, when you start bad, you kind of don't have the room for errors; you have to stay on top of everything. And so, sometimes wins can almost like hide some of the flaws that you have throughout the team. And when you lose, you really take a deep look at what you can get better and better at. And so, for us, it's about accepting that challenge of, now that we're having a little bit success, still looking at the film the same way, and then going out there and competing and getting eat better each and every week.””

On whether he’s been in touch with Josh Simmons:

“I'll keep conversations kind of between us, but I mean, I'm always praying for him. I'm praying for all my teammates. So, I'm always praying for them, and I’ll keep everything else kind of private to us.”

On the Texas Tech tortilla tradition:

“I’ll stay in line with Coach (Joey) McGuire. I mean, I love the tortillas and throwing the tortillas and doing that the first kickoff is awesome. But whenever it hurts the team, you don't want to do that. But I love the passionate fan base that the Red Raiders have, and I love how the Red Raiders are playing football right now.

“And so, just keep it to not getting penalties on gameday that could hurt the team, and then go out there and continue to win football games.”

On the Raiders rivalry, intense no matter where they call home:

“Oh, 100 percent. You feel that when you step in the building during Raider week. I mean, I’ve always said, it doesn't matter whether you're doing good, they're doing good, both doing good, both doing bad. This game, it means more to everybody, everybody that's playing in the game, both sides of the football. And so, you have to have that mentality. It's like, it's a true rivalry game. You don't have a lot of those in the NFL, and I'm blessed to be a part of it, because it really does bring out the best in both teams.”