From a Red Raider alum: Things you may not know about Patrick Mahomes II

[JDKinman]

The majority of what has been written and publicly discussed about Patrick Mahomes II has focused on his arm and his ability to make plays. As is usual, the national sports media rarely sees beyond their keyboard.

I have a vested interest in this because I consider Kansas City my second home and my adopted hometown. The three years we spent in KC were the best of our career and the good folks of Kansas City took my wife and I in and made us feel more welcome and at home than any other place we have lived. For that, we'll always be grateful and we truly love the city as if we were born and raised there.

Now to Mahomes II.

Those of us who are Texas Tech alumni and supporters see quite a bit more. In no particular importance, I want to share my observations and experiences with Mahomes from the past three years.

1. No off the field issues and probably never will be. Patrick is not just an outstanding athlete, but he is an outstanding young man. In Raiderland, we never had to hold our breath wondering what foolishness he was going to get into. He has a solid moral compass, solid values and his focus--both professionally and socially--is on being a role model fit for both young kids and old grandmothers alike. He will be excellent for the Kansas City community in the way that Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith were active, and he has the boyish personality and "boy next door" persona of Joe Montana.

This is huge for me given as how I'm a retired ad agency and brand guy, the leader of a team has to wear that not just on their sleeve, but in their heart as well. Mahomes will make Kansas Citians proud everywhere he goes.

2. He's smart. Book smart, athletic smart and career smart. This too has been overlooked by the media. During his time at Texas Tech, Mahomes was an Academic All-American. He didn't cut or skip class and have coaches cover for him. (Kliff) Kingsbury doesn't tolerate that. We've lost some good players due to their academic hijinks and/or failures.

Concern over Mahomes' ability to learn an NFL playbook? Zero. Concerns over Mahomes' ability to manage his money rather than letting it manage him and becoming a distraction to the team and city? Zero. Concerns over his hitting an intellectual ceiling so far as being a professional quarterback goes? Zero.

3. He has an uncanny ability to not just read the defense, but to read what is happening on the defense as the play develops--and exploit it. Much of what I've read by sportswriters criticizing Mahomes for a "lack of pocket discipline" has been amusing. Watching six minutes of game film highlights and then penning a story for the press does not give one anywhere near the correct perspective of what Mahomes saw and accomplished on the field.

Tech fans have seen this for three years. Mahomes will see what the defense is doing, audible or adjust the play and then make adjustments on the run. Yes, some of this will need to change in the NFL and he will need to learn when a play cannot be salvaged or saved, but see Point #2 regarding his intelligence. The bigger picture here is that the young man has not only the vision to see what a defense is adjusting or preparing for, but also has the ability to react and counter-attack during the play. In high-scoring Big 12 games, this is critical.

4. Mahomes has the best "full field vision" of any quarterback we've ever had at Tech. Period. If what they say about reincarnation is true, Patrick Mahomes was a bird-of-prey in a previous life. His eyesight and vision is other-worldly when it comes to seeing the entire field. In three years and thousands of yards of passing, we may never have any idea how many touchdowns and first downs were made because he saw the entire field and every single eligible receiver.

Broadcasters are always good at pointing out during a replay the receivers that were open that the quarterback missed. You can go back and review all three years of Mahomes playing at Tech and you won't have more than a handful of those remarks by the broadcasters. The kid has incredible field vision and--

5. He analyzes and decides like a super computer. Maybe faster. This was another thing that kept the Raider faithful enthralled on game days. Mahomes knew who his primary and secondary receivers were, but his ability to read and analyze a defense and then adjust, sometimes even on the fly as the play was unfolding, and then process what was happening and then shift who was NOW the primary and secondary receiver was mind-boggling. Even the Tech receiving corps would shake their heads at how fast he could go from one side of the field as they were covered, to finding them as soon as the defense mistakenly thought they had the play covered, and then find his next set of primary receivers and make the play to them with laser-like accuracy.

He is a zone defense's worst nightmare. Man-on-man coverage is up to the receivers, but defensive coordinators and defensive backs are going to lose a lot of sleep trying to out guess and out-react Mahomes.

6. He is a freakshow of an athlete.This has been touched on, but Mahomes' athleticism goes far beyond his right arm. He's a husky, big kid who is a gym rat and fitness fanatic. He has eye to hand coordination that can fake you out on the football field or dazzle you on the baseball diamond.

7. He's humble. I doubt you'll see entourages or "crews" hanging with every move. Mahomes is self-confident and assured. He's not a Manziel that needed hero-worshippers falling all over him every step of the way. Mahomes gives credit to his coaches and receivers and teammates before he talks about anything he might have done in the game. Too much of that gets edited out by the sports writers and broadcasters, but this young man is the consummate team player and a natural leader.

In conclusion, I wanted to share these thoughts, views and experiences from the past three years of thoroughly enjoying Mahomes in a Texas Tech jersey. That he is trading Texas Tech red for Kansas City red. . . Christmas came in April and is now running non-stop for as long as this outstanding young man calls Arrowhead Stadium home.

Best regards,

--JD

[Mr. Laz]

So ....... is everyone ready to turn on all the Mahomes' fan that come to CPlanet for no other reason that to cheer for him?

isn't that a CP rule or something

[CoMoChief]

I'm just concerned with how he'll adapt to running the offense under center rather than out of the shotgun. But then again the Chiefs run a lot of their passing plays out of the shotgun..so we'll see. He's going to have 2 OTA's, 2 camps, and a full season of practice before we're going to have to worry about any of this..that is of course unless Smith gets injured.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

So ....... is everyone ready to turn on all the Mahomes' fan that come to CPlanet for no other reason that to cheer for him?

No...Mahomes is welcomed. He's not a retread game manager who has already hit his ceiling.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by TigerUppercut

Will he be an instant winner like Russell Wilson who had to play behind one of the worst pass blocking offenses? Cause that's what everyone on this damn board is telling me. For having strong legs I'm curious as to why his running ability is so mediocre.

Give him 2 years and he'll be Top 15 in the league. In 4 years he could be top ten. But he has a lot of work to do and is nowhere game ready like Luck/Wilson/Prescott/Winston/Mariota. His ceiling is higher than Winston and Mariota's, that's for sure.

Luck and Wilson shouldn't even be in the same comparison as the others....

To me Prescott benefited from being behind one of the best O-lines in the league. That's not to say he isn't talented but put him in the situation like Seattle, Houston or Cleveland and I doubt we would be talking about him in the same vein.

Mahomes is no different than any other QB coming out of college in a spread offense. He has to learn how to adjust in the NFL speed and if he does that with his raw capabilities it will be a win for the Chiefs.

[MahiMike]

This is what I was talking about in other threads. We're going to see all kinds of new Chiefs fans. And for good reason.

KC got their Russell Wilson.

Excellent write up BTW. This one could make it to our Hall of Fame and it's posted by a brand new Chief fan.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

Yeah...true. But he could also be a great learner, work on his questionable items and make them NFL ready and be a long terms answer for the Chiefs.

That coin has 2 sides.

From his interviews and everything I've read, I fully expect him to be a quick study.

[Chiefshrink]

Originally Posted by milkman

This all sounds great, but the fact is, clearly his decision making was questionable at times, and that, along with his footwork, has to be cleaned up.

He's a bit raw with a high ceiling, and there's a lot of work to reach that ceiling.

I think his biggest challenge will be the discipline not to try to make a play with his arm or legs when the play is past the point of unsalvageable but I can see why he is like this though because he was the only offensive threat that TT really had and felt it was all up to him to get a score.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

So ....... is everyone ready to turn on all the Mahomes' fan that come to CPlanet for no other reason that to cheer for him?

isn't that a CP rule or something

No one turned on Smith fans.

Those of us that hated that trade didn't need these morons coming in here telling us how to be Chiefs fans, while also trying to sell us the beach front property version of Alex Smith when we already knew he was bucket of spilled water.

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

Luck and Wilson shouldn't even be in the same comparison as the others....

To me Prescott benefited from being behind one of the best O-lines in the league. That's not to say he isn't talented but put him in the situation like Seattle, Houston or Cleveland and I doubt we would be talking about him in the same vein.

Mahomes is no different than any other QB coming out of college in a spread offense. He has to learn how to adjust in the NFL speed and if he does that with his raw capabilities it will be a win for the Chiefs.

No doubt Prescott, just as Carr, have benefitted from excellent pass protection and a good to strong run game. Cam Newton also. But Prescott's maturity/humbleness reflects his decision-making on the field which won him the starting job.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

No one cares. See, we drafted a QB to THROW THE BALL.

Yep, dont give a damn about his running ability, he is a 4.8 guy anyway so its not like anyone expects him to dice teams up with his legs

But everything I've seen shows a guy who is great at buying himself time behind the line, then launching a laser guided missile from any angle... and thats what makes a QB

[wazu]

Mahomes rushed for 12 TDs in 2016. 10 in 2015.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by MahiMike

This is what I was talking about in other threads. We're going to see all kinds of new Chiefs fans. And for good reason.

KC got their Russell Wilson.

Excellent write up BTW. This one could make it to our Hall of Fame and it's posted by a brand new Chief fan.

Russell Wilson?

Love you Mahi, but let's take this slow and contain the expectations a little bit. )

[redfan]

Mahomies, Mahomers, Mahopes...everything feels so good

[pugsnotdrugs19]

I've seen Mahomes say in multiple interviews that though he can run, he is always looking to throw on the run because the receivers are the guys who are fast and put the ball in the paint.

It shows up on the tape. He runs as much as Rodgers does. They both look to throw when outside the pocket.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by redhed

Mahomies, Mahomers, Mahopes...everything feels so good

If this keeps up I am going to need a skin graft on Maboner.