Inside what makes Patrick Mahomes one of best NFL QBs ever + why it matters for Chief

[Realbaddog]

Found this good article and wanted to share, don't think it's a dup. if it is, Mods, please delete........

Inside what makes Patrick Mahomes one of best NFL QBs ever + why it matters for Chiefs

By Vahe GregorianSeptember 06, 2023 1:39 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes answers questions from the media at Chiefs training camp on the last day of practice at Chiefs training camp on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in St. Joseph. By Emily Curiel
Patrick Mahomes is a transcendent superstar who has revolutionized the boundaries and dynamics of the most demanding position in sports.

He’s been the most active and visible ingredient in the Chiefs’ emergence from a half-century of postseason depression into unprecedented heights now verging on dynastic.

He’s adored locally and admired just about everywhere — including among most NFL fans I know around the country.

Between his $500 million contract and omnipresent advertising persona, he’s rich beyond comprehension.

So it would seem natural — likely, even — that the two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP who will turn 28 on Sept. 17 might be tracking toward complacency about now. Or becoming a bit smug.

Or at least let up a little here and there. Or flash some arrogance.

But as uncannily as that arm, brain and eidetic memory of his, Mahomes betrays none of those trappings of fame.

In fact, he still radiates exactly the opposite as the Chiefs prepare to play host Thursday to the Detroit Lions in the NFL’s season opener.

Instead of basking in self-satisfaction or relenting to distraction, Mahomes is all the more motivated by his success.

“I’d say the more he’s winning, the more driven he is, which is a little opposite of what you would think,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said during a recent interview with The Star. “Which is really unique.”

As I began to ask Veach if he believes part of that drive is to become the best there ever was, he anticipated the end of the question and said, “Yeah. Mm-hmm. I think he wakes up every day with that in mind.”

Crucial to the formula, though, is this: While Mahomes knows he has the capacity to be among the best ever to play the game, he also has the consciousness to know the path to any such distinction will always be right here, right now.

In a sitdown interview with The Star during training camp in St. Joseph, Mahomes answered the broader question about what his legacy could become in a more bite-sized way.

“I think that should drive every athlete, but not even the best there ever was as far as sports: I want to be the best that I can be,” he said.

Pointing to such debates as Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James, Mahomes added that there are many layers — “this and this and this” — to any such discussions.

“It’s a perception that people will talk about forever,” he said.

Just the same, he’d like to be in the conversation.

“I think If I’m the best that I can be, I think I’ll be satisfied with where I end up at the end (of) my career,” he said. “Hopefully, that’s a lot more Super Bowl rings. But I’m going to put in the time and effort just to be the best I can every day.”

Indeed, Mahomes knows he’s in the embryonic phases of a chase that will be most entwined with championships won no matter how prolific his regular-season statistics become.

Early or not, though, he’s also on the cusp of a pivotal step into the elite of the elite:

He’s now one of 13 quarterbacks to have won two Super Bowls. Only four have won more: Tom Brady has seven, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw have four apiece and Troy Aikman won three.

While those before him offer certain motivational points, anyone who knows Mahomes understands the fire inside is an intrinsic element of his character. To have “no regrets,” as he likes to say.

So, smitten as offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is with Mahomes’ arm and smarts and focus and awareness, he also is quick to call Mahomes’ most vital trait his competitiveness.

“I’ve been around a lot of people, and no one is as competitive as him,” Nagy said. “So he’s (No.) 1, and there’s no 1A.”

If you watched the Netflix documentary “Quarterback,” you saw that zeal up close in everything from his on-field presence to his voracious in-season workouts with longtime trainer Bobby Stroupe.

It propelled him through the offseason, during which he took approximately one week off as he feverishly clung to workouts … even when he was on the road at events around the country.

That mojo was a living, breathing force once again during training camp, ask any observer or teammate, and you’ll surely bear witness to that hard-wired drive again Thursday.

But the pursuit of excellence is more comprehensive than that.

It entails almost everything in his sphere of influence.

It’s reflected in everything from Mahomes’ approach to his contract, giving the Chiefs financial flexibility to further bolster the roster, to his generosity as a teammate.

All these years in the spotlight later, now towering above the game in certain ways, he still stands among his peers as essentially the same guy he was at Whitehouse High in Texas.

Back then, for instance, he’d be the one to remind coach Adam Cook of teammates’ birthdays. In seventh-grade English class, teacher Dee Landers told me in 2019, she was always glad to see him enter the room because he invariably smiled and acknowledged everybody.

Flash-forward to today, and that come-along-with-me charisma shows up the same way in his approachability and camaraderie with teammates. And in his description of the anguish of cut day for others. Or in such gestures as having the presence of mind — in the Super Bowl — to retrieve Skyy Moore’s first NFL touchdown ball for him.

Striving to be the best version of himself in everything he does, teammate Travis Kelce said, “oozes out of” Mahomes and into everyone around him.

“What it is in terms of leadership, those are the things you really can’t pay for,” Kelce said. “You’ve got to get a guy who has it in his heart to be able to do it every single day.”

Which speaks to the core of Mahomes’ understanding of how to be the best: by being part of something bigger than himself even when he’s the biggest part.

None of this happens, he knows and often says, without the vision and cohesion among Reid, Veach and himself. And his playmakers and offensive line. Or defense.

“It’s not a selfish drive to be that,” Kelce said. “It’s a very unselfish (approach): get everybody involved, bring everybody along with him, and let’s have some fun while we do it.”

Part of the equation, too, is the self-awareness to know he has to keep improving and the self-assurance to be his own worst critic. Mahomes is always an amiable interview, but he’s never more candid or self-deprecating than when he’s talking about a mistake.

As Cook told me in 2019, he’s far more cognizant of “the fish that got away” — and how to catch it next time — than anything he achieved. No wonder Veach says he still approaches the work like he’s trying to win the starting job even when it would be natural to be less intense. Instead, Mahomes has ramped it up by conducting his own offseason passing camps with his receivers and taking on more coaching during meetings.

Put all these drive elements together, and it’s what animates and even catalyzes everything else in Mahomes.

“He’s always carried the highest levels of self confidence while maintaining a low level of arrogance or ego despite the winning,” Veach said. “It’s one thing to maybe have that mindset when you’re trying to get the locker room to believe in you when you haven’t won anything.

“But then to keep that mindset after all of the fanfare, after all of the winning, I think is something special that you’ll probably never see again. At least I don’t think I will.”

Among other aspects of Mahomes seldom seen before and perhaps never again.

Link:
https://www.kansas.com/sports/nfl/ka...topic%2Fsports

[Dartgod]

I still find myself thinking that I can't believe he is leading my favorite team. Like we really don't deserve him.

[BlackHelicopters]

Cheuf

[Jewish Rabbi]

Originally Posted by Realbaddog

Found this good article and wanted to share, don't think it's a dup. if it is, Mods, please delete........

Inside what makes Patrick Mahomes one of best NFL QBs ever + why it matters for Chiefs

By Vahe GregorianSeptember 06, 2023 1:39 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes answers questions from the media at Chiefs training camp on the last day of practice at Chiefs training camp on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in St. Joseph. By Emily Curiel
Patrick Mahomes is a transcendent superstar who has revolutionized the boundaries and dynamics of the most demanding position in sports.

He’s been the most active and visible ingredient in the Chiefs’ emergence from a half-century of postseason depression into unprecedented heights now verging on dynastic.

He’s adored locally and admired just about everywhere — including among most NFL fans I know around the country.

Between his $500 million contract and omnipresent advertising persona, he’s rich beyond comprehension.

So it would seem natural — likely, even — that the two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP who will turn 28 on Sept. 17 might be tracking toward complacency about now. Or becoming a bit smug.

Or at least let up a little here and there. Or flash some arrogance.

But as uncannily as that arm, brain and eidetic memory of his, Mahomes betrays none of those trappings of fame.

In fact, he still radiates exactly the opposite as the Chiefs prepare to play host Thursday to the Detroit Lions in the NFL’s season opener.

Instead of basking in self-satisfaction or relenting to distraction, Mahomes is all the more motivated by his success.

“I’d say the more he’s winning, the more driven he is, which is a little opposite of what you would think,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said during a recent interview with The Star. “Which is really unique.”

As I began to ask Veach if he believes part of that drive is to become the best there ever was, he anticipated the end of the question and said, “Yeah. Mm-hmm. I think he wakes up every day with that in mind.”

Crucial to the formula, though, is this: While Mahomes knows he has the capacity to be among the best ever to play the game, he also has the consciousness to know the path to any such distinction will always be right here, right now.

In a sitdown interview with The Star during training camp in St. Joseph, Mahomes answered the broader question about what his legacy could become in a more bite-sized way.

“I think that should drive every athlete, but not even the best there ever was as far as sports: I want to be the best that I can be,” he said.

Pointing to such debates as Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James, Mahomes added that there are many layers — “this and this and this” — to any such discussions.

“It’s a perception that people will talk about forever,” he said.

Just the same, he’d like to be in the conversation.

“I think If I’m the best that I can be, I think I’ll be satisfied with where I end up at the end (of) my career,” he said. “Hopefully, that’s a lot more Super Bowl rings. But I’m going to put in the time and effort just to be the best I can every day.”

Indeed, Mahomes knows he’s in the embryonic phases of a chase that will be most entwined with championships won no matter how prolific his regular-season statistics become.

Early or not, though, he’s also on the cusp of a pivotal step into the elite of the elite:

He’s now one of 13 quarterbacks to have won two Super Bowls. Only four have won more: Tom Brady has seven, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw have four apiece and Troy Aikman won three.

While those before him offer certain motivational points, anyone who knows Mahomes understands the fire inside is an intrinsic element of his character. To have “no regrets,” as he likes to say.

So, smitten as offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is with Mahomes’ arm and smarts and focus and awareness, he also is quick to call Mahomes’ most vital trait his competitiveness.

“I’ve been around a lot of people, and no one is as competitive as him,” Nagy said. “So he’s (No.) 1, and there’s no 1A.”

If you watched the Netflix documentary “Quarterback,” you saw that zeal up close in everything from his on-field presence to his voracious in-season workouts with longtime trainer Bobby Stroupe.

It propelled him through the offseason, during which he took approximately one week off as he feverishly clung to workouts … even when he was on the road at events around the country.

That mojo was a living, breathing force once again during training camp, ask any observer or teammate, and you’ll surely bear witness to that hard-wired drive again Thursday.

But the pursuit of excellence is more comprehensive than that.

It entails almost everything in his sphere of influence.

It’s reflected in everything from Mahomes’ approach to his contract, giving the Chiefs financial flexibility to further bolster the roster, to his generosity as a teammate.

All these years in the spotlight later, now towering above the game in certain ways, he still stands among his peers as essentially the same guy he was at Whitehouse High in Texas.

Back then, for instance, he’d be the one to remind coach Adam Cook of teammates’ birthdays. In seventh-grade English class, teacher Dee Landers told me in 2019, she was always glad to see him enter the room because he invariably smiled and acknowledged everybody.

Flash-forward to today, and that come-along-with-me charisma shows up the same way in his approachability and camaraderie with teammates. And in his description of the anguish of cut day for others. Or in such gestures as having the presence of mind — in the Super Bowl — to retrieve Skyy Moore’s first NFL touchdown ball for him.

Striving to be the best version of himself in everything he does, teammate Travis Kelce said, “oozes out of” Mahomes and into everyone around him.

“What it is in terms of leadership, those are the things you really can’t pay for,” Kelce said. “You’ve got to get a guy who has it in his heart to be able to do it every single day.”

Which speaks to the core of Mahomes’ understanding of how to be the best: by being part of something bigger than himself even when he’s the biggest part.

None of this happens, he knows and often says, without the vision and cohesion among Reid, Veach and himself. And his playmakers and offensive line. Or defense.

“It’s not a selfish drive to be that,” Kelce said. “It’s a very unselfish (approach): get everybody involved, bring everybody along with him, and let’s have some fun while we do it.”

Part of the equation, too, is the self-awareness to know he has to keep improving and the self-assurance to be his own worst critic. Mahomes is always an amiable interview, but he’s never more candid or self-deprecating than when he’s talking about a mistake.

As Cook told me in 2019, he’s far more cognizant of “the fish that got away” — and how to catch it next time — than anything he achieved. No wonder Veach says he still approaches the work like he’s trying to win the starting job even when it would be natural to be less intense. Instead, Mahomes has ramped it up by conducting his own offseason passing camps with his receivers and taking on more coaching during meetings.

Put all these drive elements together, and it’s what animates and even catalyzes everything else in Mahomes.

“He’s always carried the highest levels of self confidence while maintaining a low level of arrogance or ego despite the winning,” Veach said. “It’s one thing to maybe have that mindset when you’re trying to get the locker room to believe in you when you haven’t won anything.

“But then to keep that mindset after all of the fanfare, after all of the winning, I think is something special that you’ll probably never see again. At least I don’t think I will.”

Among other aspects of Mahomes seldom seen before and perhaps never again.

Link:
https://www.kansas.com/sports/nfl/ka...topic%2Fsports

Thank u

[Realbaddog]

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Thank u

Your welcome.

[Pitt Gorilla]

And I'm spent.

[redfan]

50 years wandering the desert was worth it.

[Graystoke]

The perfect QB, leader, teammate.
I remember this distinctly and it stuck with me.

Or in such gestures as having the presence of mind — in the Super Bowl — to retrieve Skyy Moore’s first NFL touchdown ball for him.

That’s my QB

[DJay23]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

I still find myself thinking that I can't believe he is leading my favorite team. Like we really don't deserve him.

We absolutely do.

You rooted for Tyler Thigpen. Brodie Croyle. Kyle Orton. Brady Quinn. You may not have liked them, but you rooted for them. You have earned every bit of this.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by DJay23

We absolutely do.

You rooted for Tyler Thigpen. Brodie Croyle. Kyle Orton. Brady Quinn. You may not have liked them, but you rooted for them. You have earned every bit of this.

I sat through countless games at Arrowhead with my ass against the cement wall at the very very top. Zero degrees with a strong wind kicking my ass. Screaming my voice raw and my hands and feet so cold they turned numb. Just to see guys like Steve Bono, Damon Huard, Brodie Croyle, Matt Cassel, and Kyle Orton lead the Chiefs to a crushing defeat. After driving hours to Kansas City and hours back to Oklahoma. And paying for the privilege to do it. I still loved every minute of it.

If we don't deserve a QB like Mahomes I don't know who does.

[RedRaider56]

thank you for posting the article. Nice read.

[kysirsoze]

Originally Posted by lcarus

I sat through countless games at Arrowhead with my ass against the cement wall at the very very top. Zero degrees with a strong wind kicking my ass. Screaming my voice raw and my hands and feet so cold they turned numb. Just to see guys like Steve Bono, Damon Huard, Brodie Croyle, Matt Cassel, and Kyle Orton lead the Chiefs to a crushing defeat. After driving hours to Kansas City and hours back to Oklahoma. And paying for the privilege to do it. I still loved every minute of it.

If we don't deserve a QB like Mahomes I don't know who does.

No one deserves him. No one deserves to win the lottery. We're just the lucky bastards that did.

[Otter]

Bullshit we don't deserve him.