Patrick Mahomes is entering his Donovan McNabb era

[Realbaddog]

Found this, didn't see it posted prior:

The Kansas City Chiefs can point to a myriad of issues behind their offensive struggles, including Matt Nagy’s playcalling, but their rapid disarmament over the last two years has hit them where it hurts. If you’re searching for a culprit for Kansas City’s offensive demise and fall from top 10 in scoring for the first time since 2016, their wideouts have already been caught holding the bloody knife on the gridiron over the Super Bowl champions’ body. Patrick Mahomes, king of the tight spiral, discovered this season that he, too, is subject to the whims of his wideouts. For the second time in a matter of weeks, a Chiefs receiver has become the main NFL Twitter protagonist after butchering a miraculous Mahomes play on national television.

Kadarius Toney provided a glimpse into what type of season this would be in the Chiefs season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions. That night featured a perfect trinity of drops by Toney including his pièce de résistance in the final two minutes, on a bobbled pass that should have put the Chiefs in position to win. Lightning struck again when Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropped a deep bomb inside Philly’s 5 on one of the final plays of their Week 11 loss to the Eagles. On Sunday, Toney treated the line of scrimmage like an abstract concept, lined up offsides and wiped out the highlight of his and Kelce’s careers. The Chiefs offense is spiraling and the calls are coming from inside the house.

The root of this period of discontent has been Kansas City’s neglect in drafting or signing an elite receiver for Mahomes. It’s analogous to New England’s miscalculations in evaluating offensive skill positions during Tom Brady’s twilight with the Pats refusing to draft a wideout in the first round.

Reid has experimented with this method of team-building around cardboard cutout receivers before and it failed. Welcome to the Donovan McNabb experience. During Reid’s early years at the helm of the Philadelphia Eagles, he surrounded McNabb with flotsam at receiver, developed Brian Westbrook into an amorphous multi-purpose back who could create splash plays at receiver or in the run game.

The McNabb era in Philadelphia was defined by McNabb’s hero ball despite receivers who dropped the ball like they had carpal tunnel. The one season Philadelphia was gracious enough to bless him with Terrell Owens resulted in Philadelphia advancing past the NFC Championship in their fourth try and reaching the Super Bowl in McNabb and T.O.’s only full season together.

It was a near perfect storm that resulted in McNabb setting career-highs in yardage, yards-per-attempt, touchdowns and quarterback rating. Mahomes’ career has been the inverse of McNabb’s. He is a superior quarterback in nearly every way above the shoulders than McNabb, but Philadelphia’s bayonet offense forced McNabb to do considerably more of the dirty work than Mahomes has had to do with Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Travis Kelce creating separation downfield in the Chiefs high-octane attack.

McNabb was haunted by the follies of his wide receivers. Freddie Mitchell thanking god for his hands was the highlight of his Eagles career. James Thrash dropped a crucial pass in the 2004 NFC title game that cost the Eagles a trip to the Super Bowl, months before they acquired Owens. Staley and Todd Pinkston were denizens of Drop City during that championship loss to the Rams, while McNabb gutted it out for nearly three quarters with injured ribs.

In Owens’ shadow, Mitchell and Pinkston were the only Eagles receivers to reel in touchdowns for Philadelphia during their Super Bowl campaign, catching a grand total of three. Philadelphia should erect a monument to the heavy lifting McNabb did with such a mediocre cast of receivers.

During his stint in Philly, Westbrook, Pinkston, Chad Lewis, L.J. Smith, Thrash, Staley and Reggie Brown were his leading receivers. There isn’t a single 1,000-yard receiving season between the three of them. Not a single one. McNabb molded masterpieces from clay and dung.

Kansas City’s contemporary receivers highlight the importance of having competent hands in your lineup. For years, NFL cognoscenti have made it their mission to minimize the effect a great receiving corps can have on an offense spearheaded by a quarterback deity. Great offense is a polytheistic exercise. If anything, Kansas City’s shortcomings should only strengthen Tyreek Hill’s MVP case.

One season of this is enough. Kansas City can’t afford to prolong Mahomes and the passing attack’s suffering. If this season has taught us anything, it’s that while Reid has secured a slot in Canton after starting over in Kansas City, we should put a lot more respect on Donovan McNabb’s name and it should serve as a warning for Reid not to repeat his mistakes of that era.

Link: https://deadspin.com/patrick-mahomes...efs-1851094149

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

It's a sensitive subject for a select group of people that decided Mahomes is the problem, not the roster management.

You're the one saying Mahomes is the problem. If you agree Mahomes is becoming McNabb because we don't have weapons, then you are saying Mahomes is basically McNabb...

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

We are entering a new Mahomes era that’s for sure. Theres going to be a lot turbulence. Reid won’t coach another 5 years. Kelce could be gone after this season. Buckle up.

And Mahomes is taking a larger and larger % of the cap...

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief

You're the one saying Mahomes is the problem. If you agree Mahomes is becoming McNabb because we don't have weapons, then you are saying Mahomes is basically McNabb...

He constantly runs with that strawman.

[Chief Roundup]

You know you are reaching when you pull an article from deadspin.
McNabb never won an MVP let alone multiple. McNabb never won an SB let alone multiple. McNabb only made it to one SB with T.O. and could not win it. Yet Mahomes has been to 3 and won 2 of them.

[Wallcrawler]

Stinkston is actually on our coaching staff lmfgdao.

[njchiefs]

Originally Posted by Realbaddog

Ouch, I just came across the article, didn't say I supported the content.

You should’ve known better than to start a thread here with fewer than 10k posts behind you.

[UK_Chief]

Stopped reading after “Matt Nagy playcalling”

[ChiTown]

Did not read. Deadspin is ****ing worthless.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Last year we won the SB because our Qb played what many thought of as the greatest season a Qb has ever had....ever.

And i recall mentioning/thinking to myself that this would convince the Chiefs F/O to double down on this philosophy and that could really bite us in the ass. But they're the Chiefs so i put those concerns aside. Turns out, yeah, my concerns were justified.

Because AGAIN, as ive been saying since 15 was drafted....NEVER.STOP.LOADING.UP.ON WEAPONS.

Veach said he wouldn't. Yet that's EXACTLY what he did.

And yeah, they deserve to be called out for it. Fix it.

I don’t know that Reid doesn’t care about WRs. He had some awful early years in Philly but also some great rooms towards the end. Last year was more of a happy accident as they planned WRs to play off tyreek and then he left after the main free agency period was over. We then designed a brilliant scheme to make it work and they decided we could save payroll because mahomes could win with anybody. I trust they think differently now. It was more a matter of getting too cute this offseason, but I don’t think it’s a persistent trend. They will get it right this offseason, or at least try

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I don’t know that Reid doesn’t care about WRs. He had some awful early years in Philly but also some great rooms towards the end. Last year was more of a happy accident as they planned WRs to play off tyreek and then he left after the main free agency period was over. We then designed a brilliant scheme to make it work and they decided we could save payroll because mahomes could win with anybody. I trust they think differently now. It was more a matter of getting too cute this offseason, but I don’t think it’s a persistent trend. They will get it right this offseason, or at least try

Again, I don't think that's it at all.

When you're paying your QB the percentage of the cap we are, you're going to have to draft and develop your weapons because you can't afford to pay top of the market price for them.

This group hasn't panned out, but the expectation was for the young players to take reasonable steps forward. To have sustained success, you HAVE to have young players develop, improve, and become your next batch of stars.

This group of players all just shit the bed simultaneously.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

It's a sensitive subject for a select group of people that decided Mahomes is the problem, not the roster management.

The "Goof Troop" abides...

[Couch-Potato]

So... Tag and trade Jones for WR. D Adams? Where we gonna get a TO? He still in shape?

[Couch-Potato]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

Again, I don't think that's it at all.

When you're paying your QB the percentage of the cap we are, you're going to have to draft and develop your weapons because you can't afford to pay top of the market price for them.

This group hasn't panned out, but the expectation was for the young players to take reasonable steps forward. To have sustained success, you HAVE to have young players develop, improve, and become your next batch of stars.

This group of players all just shit the bed simultaneously.

Agreed, cast a wide net.

Would be great to see x2 WRs early in the draft + x1 FA WR.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Where were they when Brady threw bitch fits at least once a season when things didn't go his way?

Brady is white.

That doesn't count as much . . . . .

[AdolfOliverBush]

WRs who can catch are important? Someone should tell Reid. It would probably interest him, I'll bet he never thought of that.