Mahomes Grade Game 2

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

He's still learning algebra, and he's kicking ass at it. He'll eventually learn calculus. Just because he fails calculus now, however, doesn't mean he didn't ace tonight's algebra test.

But in the end he's an NFL quarterback now. It's time for him to be taking the SATs and when the calculus question shows up, nobody's gonna give a shit if he's a 7th grader taking it early - he's still expected to answer correctly or he'll lose the same number of points as any old high school senior. The grade is the grade and there's no points for being young.

The only fair way to grade him is on an NFL curve - not a rookie scale. One of the best answers I ever heard from a player was when he was asked how things changed at the pro level. His answer was perfect "The day I stepped on an NFL field, every single player was immediately better but me".

And that's exactly right. He's now facing the best of the best of the best. He doesn't get a rookie scale when you're grading him (that's what scouting reports are for; not post-game debriefing/grading).

He missed some open guys on iffy reads. At least once he felt pressure that wasn't there. He wasn't confident inside the pocket and he threw a ball that very easily could've gone the other way for 6. By any objective measure, it was not an A performance. It was a good performance for a green rookie with an obscene set of physical tools.

The tools and improvisational ability got him a B on a day where Smith provided the blueprint for how to run that offense (dude absolutely coasted; looked completely in command). If you award Mahomes an A on a day where we saw glimpses of what an A for him truly should be (the physical and improvisational tools he demonstrated combined with the grasp Smith showed), you're grading him too easily. If a coach gave him an A for that, he'd be allowing him to float on talent rather than pointing out where he needs improvement.