 Early in the off-season talked about going good to great. At this point, how close does this team to great? And does it take two more wins to get there? Well, I think that we have certainly improved. I think we've made progress. Something that we focused on a while back is just trying to continue to improve each and every week. So how close we are, I don't know that. I know that we're going to do what we've done for a long time. And what we know is to prepare, to try to go in and play with confidence, and execute, try to build momentum throughout the week, and see if it can translate to the game, and then be ready to make adjustments as the game goes on. B to get a team to, I don't know. I know, you're on fire today. Backing up, nobody wants to ask any questions. Apparently, B to get a team to keep improving. It is a long season, and that can be tough for some teams to do. What we've talked about it, you kind of recognize it in the middle of the season when the injury report gets a little longer. Guys play a lot of snaps, and we talk to them about ways of improving physically or mentally. And we feel like the details of the meetings and the walkthroughs, some of those little things that don't take a lot of physical exertion is something that we thought we could do to improve, because either you go out and training camp and have a bunch of reps, or practice against another team, or have a lot longer individual, or one-on-one periods, those are obviously the easy ways to improve. It's, and then when you get into November, in the back part of the season, how do you continue to improve when you don't have the ability to run 50 or 60 plays? Just be. I'm sorry. Are you done? Sorry. Go ahead. Coach, do you feel you've improved and grown as a coach? Well, I mean, I try to do that. I mean, I tell the team, like the coaches, we're going to need our best efforts every week to game plan, to give them a plan that they understand, that they're confident in, and that they have trust in. We have to improve each and every game and how we go out there, and what's new. You always write down questions, at least I do, and I know that the staff does, is what's the game plan run? What's the game plan pressure? What's the punt rush of the week? What are the, and so that now our players, we have to be able to say, hey, here's what it is. They're copycatting something that somebody did a few weeks ago, or this is the pressure. This is the front that we're going to see that's new, so that our players, after the first series, can understand, hey, this is the game plan that they've worked on all week, and you're going to see similar plays off of formations that we haven't seen from this team in a while. So as far as my improvement, I just try to come in every day and do things to help the team win and be prepared. What have you seen from the Chiefs? You face the Chiefs, obviously, over the season. What have you seen them make improvements, and what are the challenges? They're very good defensively. They're playing very hard. I think the scheme is what it is, but the players are playing hard. They believe in each other. They've been noticed, and as you watch, their effort to the football and the way that they chase and the way that they tackle, those are great compliments to Spaggs and his staff. And obviously, Andy, as the head coach, they're explosive on offense. They're athletic. They're fast. It'll be a huge challenge. What is this offense deck for an offense? We don't do comparisons or predictions. So I'll answer whatever you want, but I'm not going to compare anything. Sure. Maybe just in terms of how explosive, touched on it a little bit, how explosive this Chiefs off. It is, and it can score from any part of the field. They have roles, and they have guys that they like to do certain things. I think the thing that I appreciate the most about watching Andy and their offensive players is that I know what the diagram in the book looks like, and a lot of those routes and plays don't really look like those diagrams. Travis, for example, he's put the personal touch on a lot of routes. I would say every route that he runs, there's going to be something to it that probably looks a little different than most tight ends. Tyree Kill, obviously, the speed and the explosiveness, they have plays that they like for Sammy. And Patrick does an amazing job of getting everybody involved and using the weapons and his ability to get out of the pocket and extend plays. That was a big factor in the game the other day, his ability to gain yards and chunk yardage outside the pocket. It's these teams that have high-ranked defenses. Arthur has drawn up good game plans. What are you most impressed by? Are you impressed by his ability to just, in the games, preparation during the week, the communication with the players when you dissect what Arthur has done well? What would you say the biggest strength is? Well, I think it's been very inclusive. I think that the entire staff has done a great job of getting the information to him and helping all of us sit down and come up with a plan. And there's run game meetings. There's play action pass meetings. There's third-down meetings and red-zone meetings. I think the ability to have a great relationship with the quarterback is something that's important. I think the ability to recognize when to go fast and when to go on the ball. I think that's something that has helped us here at the later part of the season. When conditioning may be a factor. And when we talk about all those things, the physical reps that you can practice with and how much do you run the players? Because here's the GPS and they've run this many miles or they've gone this many yards. So I think the ability for us to recognize when's a good time for us to get on the ball and not huddle, and then being able to, obviously you have to be able to see how the flow of the game is going. We had one on third-down. The operation in which we get the call in, I think is something that's critical. And when we haven't had many of those, I think that it's decisive with the call that he wants. These last two weeks you haven't needed a ton from your passing day because you've hit plays like the Leaf Touchdown and Firks are in the New England game. How much of that has matchup driven the last two weeks or is that just kind of something you've had to adjust as the games are going on? Each and every week is different. So I think that the ability to hit big plays, the ability to score in the red zone, the ability to run the football, to not turn the ball over, those are all critical things. And so we'll have to go in with a balanced plan and then see how the game's being played and how it's going and do everything that we have to do to try to win it based on our plan and how it looks. And if it's working, then we'll have to, obviously stick with what it is. And then if it's not, we'll have to make adjustments. The offensive line as a whole is obviously playing well, but that left side seems to really be coming together. How have you seen that whole process of Sappfold and LaWon just come together and play the way that they're playing? Well, we can't put any more money over there. I know that, so I think the time that Taylor missed, it was probably naive of me to think that that could just happen in two days of practice, but I think that there's a comfort level. And with those guys over there, we've talked that the teamwork required to work in combination with a guy next to you, whether that's in the pass game and they're running a stunt or they're running a game or they're a pressure or the combination in a run game, whether you're on the back side or the front side to work through a player to another, those are things that we are gonna need to have. And I think Nate's development and Jack's really steady play and then Ben, kind of the glue that holds everybody together. Did you see the push? I know you talked about the Patriots game, you saw the line of scrimmage move. Did you see that again, watching the film, especially the run game on Saturday night? Yeah, I think there were times, certainly, where that happened early in the, I think it was our second drive. I think we ran a zone play and probably gained eight or nine or 10 yards and Derrick's falling forward for the last two or three yards and I think that's the push that when you see that early in the game, when both teams are, I guess, as close to fresh as you can be, those are positive signs. Some of it's by necessity, but some of your younger guys in the defensive back end and the secondary have had to play more because of injuries down the stretch. How much more prepared do you feel they are to face Mahomes this time than maybe they were thrown in back in November? Well, I hope that everybody's more prepared. I hope that everybody's gotten a little bit better at some technique or some coverage that we're running. And then it's not always, I mean, necessity. Like everybody will have so many guys on a roster and the guys that are active have to have a role in the game and to be able to get Amani and Dane in there and whether it's Ty Smith or LaShawn or a Dory coming back, I mean, we need everybody and it was good to see some of those guys show up and make plays. How do you develop that culture because in this run, you've gotten contributions from all 53 to create the culture where those guys have the expectation to contribute and help you win games? I mean, I think that that's where, I mean, everybody's striving to be a starter, everybody's striving to be the best player at their position. And also, I think we've gotten contributions from guys that have been on the practice squad from August and early September to say, you're not here just to look at a card and run a play, you're here to work out four or five times a week with Frank and his staff and to get yourself as mentally and physically ready to play all the way up until Saturday, whenever John and I could bring you up to the roster and we've had guys that have improved and when we've seen that improvement and we felt like they could help us, we've done everything we could to get them onto that game day roster and guys have really taken advantage of their opportunity. With Guy O with Correa in particular on improvement, how much have you seen him grow? He talked after the game about kind of moving out of trying to make too many plays and just focusing on doing, is that a big thing with him here as he progressed? Well, it's a big thing for everybody. You know, I think that we all want to make plays, we all wanted to do things that help the team, but sometimes we stray from that and when we try to do too much, I think as players it's a coordinated system in all three phases with 11 guys needing to be in 11 spots doing their job. And so the one thing I'll tell you about Kamala is I absolutely love his effort and his intensity in which he plays. So guys that play hard are always gonna have a lot longer leash when it relates to me and how I perceive them. And I know that he plays extremely hard, he cares about the team and so that's why he's out there playing for us and then we'll keep coaching him up and see if he can help us again this week. How did they along do and I guess with Jay-Anne, does it just kind of wait and see how the week goes? Two questions. David, you know, I think when I said after the game it didn't feel like it was too big for him. It didn't look that way. Watching it on tape, you know, he's not a big player. He played, I think, aggressive. I think he played physical. I think he triggered. I mean, he made a fantastic play on a fourth and one play to be able to get through the little rabbit hole and find the quarter. Basically, he mirrored the quarterback, he mirrored Lamar and was able to get through and come up with a huge stop. Again, there's things that we'll need to coach him on and then moving on to Jay-Anne. We don't practice here for a few days. We'll meet today, but we'll see how he progresses. Jarrell Casey's been here a long time and he's been through some really bad times and now some pretty good times. Now, how satisfying is it for you to see a veteran who's met so much in this organization play well and get to this point? I can't say enough about his leadership and he was voted as a captain by the team. He has done everything that I've asked him to or Dean and his coaching staff. I mean, when you're somewhere for a long time and you're used to it a certain way and new faces come in, I'm sure that could always be a bit of a challenge. Jarrell's never done anything but put the team first and anything that we've asked him to do. And so when people like that have success, you're excited for him. When you flip on the tape, AJ's gone up against, throw the stats away, but just the tape, AJ's gone up against two of the best corners in the league the last couple of weeks. What have you seen from him and his ability to get off against those guys to get over it? I mean, AJ just keeps working every week. I love his attitude. We've handed him the football. We've thrown it to him on short routes. One of the huge plays at a game was a third down play where catches it in traffic, gets up field, doesn't try to run sideways, runs a guy over, gets a first down and we're able to score a touchdown on that drive instead of settling for a field goal. So it'll be a new challenge this week for him and they mix coverages and they'll play post-safety. They play Tampa and they'll blitz. So every week's a new challenge, I think, not only for AJ, but for the entire team. What's changed for you in the red zone? Two and seven, I think, in the red zone in the post-season. What's been different with your guys? You know, I think we've been close. It's not like we have, I mean, we've been pretty close and I know we went from wherever we were last year, which was probably high, one, I know where it was. And so I don't think it was like just awful. You know, maybe have a play here or play there or quarterback that gets out of the pocket or whatever it may be. So I think that we're trying to understand maybe what we're doing and the players are executing very well and that'll be a huge key to force them to kick field goals like we did last time. I think with any running back, when you look at the workload Derek's been getting the last few weeks, you look and say, that's a lot. Is there something unique about him that gives you confidence that he's going to be able to withstand this 30 carries week after week? Yeah, he comes to me and says, give me a ball. Like I could only take him for his word. And I mean, you know, when he looks over and says I need a break, he gets a break and then, you know, we go from there. But I mean, he's durable, he trains. I mean, he's one of the best conditioned players on our team. When you watch him in April and May and June and that's how he trains and that's how he's built. You guys are at the games. I mean, it's not very often. I mean, sometimes, I mean, it happens and gets tired. He got caught after he ran 50 yards the other day and he was a little tired and we gave him a break, put him back in and, you know, it means a lot to him. You know, I mean, he's become a very good leader for this football team. You know, when you're durable and you perform and you play hard, it's easy to be a leader. The last three games you've gotten opportunities to get Marcus on the field with the offense. How valuable is that in terms of creating a moment of confusion or uncertainty, maybe, for a defense? Well, we'd just like to try to have a role for everybody that's active in the game. And Marcus, you know, not only had a role in the game and will continue to have role in the game, you know, helped us prepare last week. You know, I know that, you know, he'll do the same thing this week and he's been very supportive of Ryan. And so we'll keep finding ways for him to help us during the games. Was there a moment of the season that you felt this thing turn around to where you are now or foresaw this evening as far as they are now? Just try to take every week, you know, as it comes and try to find a message to the team that I feel like is something that we can relate to that week and then try to find keys that'll help us win and keep them consistent throughout the week and try to continue to prepare the players. I don't know where, you know, what that moment is or what that point in time, it's a long season. It's a difficult season to try to get to this point. What if anything you say to this team about dealing with success given that so few guys have played this deep into a season? I wouldn't start changing the things that we've done up until this point. You know, that's going to be the message. How important is it for an offensive coordinator to kind of be willing to take the risks and to know when to take the risks and I guess how has our third maybe changed throughout the season in that regard? We always want to be aggressive. I think we have to be careful being reckless with our play, with our play calling whether you're a special teams coordinator that wants to run something or you're a defensive coordinator or you're me that wants something run or Arthur. There's some things that you have to take into account but I think you also have to have a level of aggressiveness in any business to succeed. You have to take some sort of risk if you want to win and you want to get to the top. Some of the guys said after the game the other night that this team is as close or closer than any team they've ever been on. Do you sense that compared to some other teams and how valuable is that, especially this time of year to play for the guy next year? We spend a lot of time together. It's hard for me to sense that. I feel that. I'm in a different, I guess, position than when maybe I was a part of teams. I feel that this is a close team. I feel they play hard for each other. I feel like they have the trust in one another to hold each other accountable, starting to see a lot of those conversations between players and in coaches. I ask them to hold me accountable and then any other coaches accountable because we put a lot into it and we're here together a lot. What's the example of then holding you accountable? As far as just scheduling or a call or something I'm coaching or something I'm teaching, I mean ask Logan, ask Ken, ask one of the three musketeers that sits up here. They'll give you examples. They're always on me. But those guys put a lot of work in it and those guys that play hard, that care are great teammates. I'm open for suggestions. You talked about the moment not being too big for guys. Well, this is the AFC Championship you played in a lot of these games. You know how big this moment is because what's on the other side. How do you help your guys avoid that because it just gets bigger each step? I think you have to realize kind of where we've come from and how we've gotten to this point and realize that it's actually worked that our belief in this team and this belief in what we're doing, the confidence in which we're playing with, the preparation in the meetings and on the practice field, the execution during the games and the ability to build momentum throughout the week and try to ignore some of the noise that happens outside this building is what's gotten to this point not about what lies on the other side. I understand playoffs are always difficult when you're stretched and this amount on the road. We don't have to because I already knew what it was going to be when we left for Houston that as long as you keep winning there's not a seventh seed for us to host so we were going to be on the road and I guess that was a nice way to put it when we... because our playoffs started when we left for Houston just the way that the situation presented itself that if you go on the road and you win you're going to go on the road and play another team and if you win you're going to go on the road it was an easy path. They didn't have to worry about if we were going to be home or anything else. Is Humphreys likely to practice this week, do you think? As likely as anybody else when Wednesday comes. Last one. Seven touchdowns in a row for Kansas City yesterday. When you see something like that in a football game and the momentum turn like that what do you preach to your guys of how they can get on the road? You've been out there as a player and you've seen it there's plays that happen and there are only five or six of them that happen during the game that you're going to need and the message is just because you give up a play you're still playing. Just because they got the ball in the 30 yard line doesn't guarantee them a touchdown but there can't be any panic there can't be any flinch that's when you need your leaders and your coaches to get everybody to kind of take a deep breath and figure out that at that point in time you don't need any cheerleaders you need players and coaches that can get players a call and then players can go out there and execute and not have any panic.