Watch: Head Coach Andy Reid Before Sunday’s Practice

Opening statement:

“All right, as far as the injuries go today for practice, really, (Jalen) Royals is the only one that won't practice. Everybody else will go. As far as the challenge of playing the Chargers, again, they're good football team. They're far into that second year (under Jim Harbaugh). So, you know that they've got the offense, defense and special teams down. Jim does a great job with that crew of getting them ready. They've got good players.

“They're well-coached, their coordinators, Greg (Roman) on offense, Jesse (Minter) on defense, and Ryan (Ficken) on the special teams, they are all good coordinators. And, so, should be a heck of a football game. Look forward to going to Brazil. You don't get invited unless you've done all right in the past. So, we feel honored to have an opportunity to go down there.”

On WR Hollywood Brown playing without reps in a preseason game:

“Yeah, so, listen, I think he'll be okay. I mean, he's a veteran guy. If he's younger, I'd probably say he'd be a little bit more worried about it. But he's a veteran guy that kind of knows how to go about it. I think he should be fine. And we've got guys that can rotate in, too, so we mix and match as we go.”

On Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh:

Yeah. Listen, I think he does a great job with really all the phases. And I know as you go here, he can even add more. So, they've done a nice job. That's what I can tell you.

On the Chargers’ defense, which allowed the NFL’s fewest points per game last year:

“Yeah, they're a zone team, but the zones are tight, and they have a bunch of different combinations. Plus, they can play man, and they do that well. But their zones, they do a heck of a job with that. So, you can see why they were ranked so high. And they're going to try not to give up the big play, obviously, but at the same time, be able to attack underneath. They've got good speed on the defense, those front guys. I mean, 52 (Khalil Mack), heck of a player, and that No. 3 (Derwin James) is not bad, either. So, they're good, good players.”

On using past international trips to manage the long flight and player health:

“Yeah, I just look at the time of preparation that the people did. They try to do it so it's not
any problem with the players or coaches. They kind of keep us out of it, but the work that goes on behind the scenes there is crazy. You're moving basically the whole crew to go down there for a couple days. It's one thing to go for a day to a game, let alone a couple days. So, it's quite a challenge.

“And then you've got different medical staffs that you've got, that aren’t quite as familiar with what we're doing and that whole part of it. It's an interesting process. But our guys have gotten pretty efficient with it over the years.”

On the difference between playing international games midway through the season, compared to Week 1:

“Yeah, I'd say, if it was our first year, that might be a pretty big challenge. But having done it before, I think our people have a pretty good feel for it. But I think the players, when it's all said and done, they just wanna play. They don't really care where it is. I'd probably tell you both teams feel that way. That's what I've noticed over the years.”

On how team success has led to unique game schedules, with games on non-Sundays:

“Yeah, well, it's a head coach’s responsibility to keep things as organized and on time for the guys, consistent as you possibly can for that. That’s one of the jobs that I've got to deal with. But it hasn't been a problem. These guys are so willing to do anything that you lay out there, and they go, ‘Okay, here we go.’ It's been pretty good. But depending on the stacked days in a row, as far as when you play three games in 10 days (in 2024), something like that, you gotta give these guys some time to get themselves back.”

On his assessment of Patrick Mahomes over the past four weeks:

“I thought, well, first of all, I thought he had a good camp all the way all the way through. He's a great leader. He's continued on with that. He wants to know everything. Loves that part of it. Asks great questions. I like that he’s got some guys back now for a second term. So, just he's familiar with them and trying to take that to another level on game day. So, I know that's one of his challenges right now, with the crew that we have, and he feels comfortable with the guys, and so that's a good part.

“He didn’t let anything really bother him. He was just full-steam ahead with a positive attitude.
That's a thing I appreciate the most. So, I think he's even taken it up a notch this year, and he's really had a nice camp. You can see he's comfortable with the guys that he's playing with out there.”

On whether Mahomes elevates for bigger, primetime games like Friday:

“No, he likes to play every game. I mean, he probably does. I don't know that. I know he gets up for every game. He could play one of the high-school teams, he'd be fired up.”