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

[highBOLTage]

Originally Posted by Frazod

Mahomies.

Mahomers.

[jallmon]

Originally Posted by notorious

After watching Alex miss wide open receivers all over the field, this excites me the most.

JD: Thank you for the nice write up on Mahomes II, this is indeed a special time for Chiefs fans. I wish the best for him and the Chiefs.

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by notorious

After watching Alex miss wide open receivers all over the field, this excites me the most.

I think I've probably seen this GIF a thousand times. Every single time I see it I get pissed off at Alex Smith.

Somebody should strap TigerUppercut and the other Alex Smith ballwashers into a chair and make them watch this play until they scream for mercy.

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by notorious

After watching Alex miss wide open receivers all over the field, this excites me the most.

How many times do you guys have to be reminded that Hill wasn't open on that play? Look at the safety there, he's 15 yards from Hill and standing still. When he starts to run toward the LOS he's just baiting Smith into making that throw. You guys just don't see the strategy here. If Smith makes that throw it's a walk in TD. How in the hell is that good for the team? By running out of bounds he set us up for a potential hidden touchdown with his gigabytes and game changing accuracy on the bubble screen to Maclin that he also didn't throw because the corner was within 8 yards with no other defender within 20.

[KINGPIN CHIEFS FAN]

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.

Don't be delivering sour milk to the thirsty fans who have waited 34 years to drink at this oasis. Some people can be effective by doing things the unorthodox way. Look at Jim Furyk in golf, you wouldn't teach his swing to anybody but it works for him. Not everybody has to have textbook form and footwork to be effective. If he scans the field while eluding tacklers and throws darts to our receivers i don't care if his footwork doesn't compete with a ballerina!

[Line Judge]

An idea for a tee shirt. A clock with an Arrowhead logo set at 1:45. The caption says: Is it 2PM yet?

[Beef Supreme]

Originally Posted by highBOLTage

Mahomers.

I approve.

[JDKinman]

Originally Posted by mdchiefsfan

Same here. I saw that as proof he needed work until I heard the interview. Time will tell if it is an actual benefit, or a perceived one. I still would like it to be ironed out, because you can only go so far in football on physical talent. Once that starts to fade, fundamentals are paramount (much like a shooter vs a dunker in basketball).

What everyone is going to enjoy is going to be the rapid progress and learning that Mahomes will demonstrate. Ask any Tech fan and we'll tell you that each of the three years we had Mahomes, it was like having a vastly new and improved version of the one the year before.

We've had some good quarterbacks over the years at Tech, from Kingsbury to Sonny Crumbie (OC at TCU) to Graham Harrell to Baker Mayfield to Davis Webb (drafted by the NY Giants and who will be a very good understudy to Eli Manning). But the difference between all of them and Patrick Mohomes II was that his ability and performance rocketed upwards each successive year. Kingsbury credited that to an even and equal combination of athletic ability, intelligence and attitude.

Originally Posted by DRM08

Right, that is usually how he operates. He keeps his eyes down field and tries to get the ball to the receivers. But he is willing to make plays with his feet near the goal line.

One flaw in his game that he needs to correct though. Protect your body. He took a number of self-inflicted injuries at Tech because he was not willing to give up on plays. Lower shoulder trying to run over people (injured throwing shoulder). Diving for the end zone (hyperextended knee). He is a warrior though. Played through both of those injuries even though Tech fans thought he would have to sit out at least a few games each time.

Gruden emphasized to him that he really needs to protect himself. The Chiefs want him to be their QB 10 years from now. He won't get there if he keeps taking unnecessary hits and injuries. Try to slide more often, etc.

This.

Again, difference is, Mahomes is surrounded by more talent and experience with the Chiefs--including coaching--than he ever has been in his entire life. His fire to win will get him bumped a few times, but he'll discover that taking a knock from an NFL linebacker is a lot more painful than from most NCAA linebackers. And as I've emphasized in previous posts, the boy was an Academic All-American, so there are a few brains up there and he's a quick learner.

In the meantime, enjoy this youtube clip of one of the greatest shoot-outs in Big 12 history between #3 TCU and #20 Texas Tech--and watch PMII on the last play of the game when there was no time left on the clock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8vatZKjVMg

--JD

[JDKinman]

Originally Posted by Line Judge

An idea for a tee shirt. A clock with an Arrowhead logo set at 1:45. The caption says: Is it 2PM yet?

Ha ha ha! That's AWESOME. Take that idea over to Barkley (advertising agency) and tell Jeff King (CEO) that "Tex approves of that idea and he'll be good for two of the shirts."

Y'all are sure making me miss Kansas City in the fall. (Not so much in the winter, though.)

--JD

[Halfcan]

Originally Posted by KINGPIN CHIEFS FAN

Don't be delivering sour milk to the thirsty fans who have waited 34 years to drink at this oasis. Some people can be effective by doing things the unorthodox way. Look at Jim Furyk in golf, you wouldn't teach his swing to anybody but it works for him. Not everybody has to have textbook form and footwork to be effective. If he scans the field while eluding tacklers and throws darts to our receivers i don't care if his footwork doesn't compete with a ballerina!

I agree. You would think the way the media and haters are talking about PM2's footwork, that he is a clumsy off-balanced clown back there- lofting up lame duck balls for easy interceptions.

I guess I am not seeing this horrible "footwork" - it seems the INT's that he has thrown mostly come from not giving up on the play and trying to squeeze passes into very tight windows. That is a product of a decision that he felt comfortable with as he was playing to win.

Am I missing a ton of tape where he is off-balanced and looks like a tanglefoot back there passing? What rookie QB's come out and Don't need to improve on their technique?

It seems this "footwork" narrative has become a blanket statement to use as an attack on this kid by the same people stating he is Not a winner since he played on a team lacking real talent besides himself.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

I agree. You would think the way the media and haters are talking about PM2's footwork, that he is a clumsy off-balanced clown back there- lofting up lame duck balls for easy interceptions.

I guess I am not seeing this horrible "footwork" - it seems the INT's that he has thrown mostly come from not giving up on the play and trying to squeeze passes into very tight windows. That is a product of a decision that he felt comfortable with as he was playing to win.

Am I missing a ton of tape where he is off-balanced and looks like a tanglefoot back there passing? What rookie QB's come out and Don't need to improve on their technique?

It seems this "footwork" narrative has become a blanket statement to use as an attack on this kid by the same people stating he is Not a winner since he played on a team lacking real talent besides himself.

You should be grateful for those criticisms. If they didn't exist, he would be the #1 overall pick. Pat should also be grateful for those criticisms. They will help him improve and he ended up with a great organization instead of arguably the worst organization in the NFL (Cleveland). He is very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from Andy Reid, Alex Smith, and the rest of Andy's coaching staff.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Line Judge

An idea for a tee shirt. A clock with an Arrowhead logo set at 1:45. The caption says: Is it 2PM yet?

[Halfcan]

Originally Posted by DRM08

You should be grateful for those criticisms. If they didn't exist, he would be the #1 overall pick. Pat should also be grateful for those criticisms. They will help him improve and he ended up with a great organization instead of arguably the worst organization in the NFL (Cleveland). He is very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from Andy Reid, Alex Smith, and the rest of Andy's coaching staff.

I agree- very happy we got him. Steal of the draft imo. I was mostly pointing out that the "footwork" criticism has grown Louder since the draft.

"PM2 has a big arm but shitty footwork- total project."

"Chiefs gave up too much for an Air Raid QB with terrible footwork."

Oh, and Donk fans are already calling him a total bust since he has such horrendous footwork.

It has been pushed so far that it is becoming a false narrative-continually repeated as a way to slam this kid that has all the natural talent in the world. Just like people comparing him to Jay Cutler.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

I agree- very happy we got him. Steal of the draft imo. I was mostly pointing out that the "footwork" criticism has grown Louder since the draft.

"PM2 has a big arm but shitty footwork- total project."

"Chiefs gave up too much for an Air Raid QB with terrible footwork."

Oh, and Donk fans are already calling him a total bust since he has such horrendous footwork.

He has NO footwork. NONE.

But if someone can teach that fat dinosaur Kirstie Alley to mamba I'm sure 2PM can learn to take a 3 step drop and square his shoulders...

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

I agree- very happy we got him. Steal of the draft imo. I was mostly pointing out that the "footwork" criticism has grown Louder since the draft.

"PM2 has a big arm but shitty footwork- total project."

"Chiefs gave up too much for an Air Raid QB with terrible footwork."

Oh, and Donk fans are already calling him a total bust since he has such horrendous footwork.

It has been pushed so far that it is becoming a false narrative-continually repeated as a way to slam this kid that has all the natural talent in the world. Just like people comparing him to Jay Cutler.

I do think they are overblowing some of the criticisms. He is very naturally accurate, regardless of his footwork and arm mechanics. Reid, Payton, Arians, O'Brien, and other coaches around the league recognize this. He has room for improvement, but so do the other QB's in this draft. However, none of the other QB's in the draft have the upside of Pat Mahomes.