Kent Swanson: Building the Offense for Patrick Mahomes - Article Series

[Dante84]

Kent is the new "Seth" over at AP since Seth went to the Athletic, and I think he may be better from a football perspective.

He's put together this series of how he would design a Mahomes-led offense this year, and it's been a good read.

Sharing it here in the first group of posts in the event y'all want to read as well.

Series Overview:

In the flurry of offseason moves and drama surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs this year, it feels like we don’t always remember or truly comprehend a pretty important thing: Patrick Mahomes will be leading the offense this year. Not just a throw-away Week 17 game in Denver. The whole season. From day one. It still doesn’t seem completely tangible yet. We’re still in unfamiliar territory as Chiefs fans.

Sure, he’s all over the news. But have you really sat down and spent much time thinking about what we’re all about to experience? The guy that ended the Chiefs 30-plus year drought of first round quarterbacks is now the guy. Similarly to how crazed the days leading up to the road win in Denver were, I think the closer we get, the more we’ll settle into that reality. Part of it is just the unknowns about a Mahomes-led offense. The training wheels are about to come off.

I’ve spent some time thinking about the elements I want to see included in a Patrick Mahomes offense. So much so, that we’ll be building it the next few months here on Arrowhead Pride.

The Chiefs averaged about 61 plays per game last year. We’ll bump that up to 65 and breakdown the types of plays and concepts, and the frequency I would like to see them run. We’ll be doing this as if the game script is neutral, not requiring them to play catch up or protect a lead. This is about the baseline concepts and ways I would like to see the offense function.

Before we get into specifics, we need to talk about the overarching philosophy I would like the Chiefs to employ with their young signal caller. The Chiefs have built a terrifying offense. There are threats all over the field. Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill will likely frequently line up outside the numbers. Travis Kelce will be working in the middle of the field. Kareem Hunt will be carrying the bulk of the load in the run game. Defenses are already stretched thin. The Chiefs have given Mahomes every possible weapon around him to succeed.

Luckily, the Chiefs also happen to have one of the greatest offensive minds in the game as their head coach as well. He has a knack for building around a player’s strengths. Andy Reid will have plenty to work with Mahomes.

I think the plan should be to find ways to utilize his quick release, immense arm talent and touch while trying to manage the risk involved with what they ask Mahomes to do. Teams are always scheming up easy throws for their quarterbacks. Reid is the best at it. What if your quarterback can throw a ball accurately from odd platforms with rare quickness but also stretch the field with the best of them?

I have a few ideas on how to make it easy on Mahomes while letting his special talents shine through it all.

Part 1: Run-Pass Options

Part 2: Breaking Tendencies

Part 3: Empty Formations

Part 4: Two RB Sets

Part 5: Play Action From Under Center

Part 6: Condensed Formations

Part 7: Sprint Out of the Passing Game

Part 8: Screen Passes

[Pasta Little Brioni]

I want a SR breakdown series

[Simply Red]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

I want a SR breakdown series

Sure thing! People will start leaving Youtube forever.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

Sure thing! People will start leaving Youtube forever.

No one is watching anything from the Athletic, so have at it...

[Bowser]

I'd watch SR selling insurance on YouTube.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

I request a Bigfoot pizza review!

[Chiefshrink]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I'll say it again - Mahomes lined up in shotgun with Hunt and Ware flanking him, Kelce and Watkins split wide and Hill in the slot. Where do you focus? How do you defend all the avenues in that formation, considering the abilities of all those players on the field? Zone? Run it with either Ware or Hunt. Cover 2? Let Hill roast that shit up the seam. Cover 0? Good luck with that linebacker 1-on-1 with Kelce. Cover 3? Watkins will feast over the middle.


This shit is going to be fun this year. This is the offense Vermeil and Saunders wanted considering what we have at wide receiver now, and that is no small statement considering what they rolled out.

Andy I'm sure has been a 'kid in a candy store' revamping his playbook immensely this offseason and to no end because of the endless options to choose from for whatever type of defense is thrown at us to your point .

I better see some different stuff(offensive plays) this year because it's not like we don't have enough offensive talent and a QB to run it like in years past.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Damn, that’s sexy.

[Halfcan]

Swanson is my new favorite sports writer. Excellent work.

So many possibilities with the talent we have on this team. They will dominate.

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

No one is watching anything from the Athletic, so have at it...

The Athletic's growth is getting bigger and bigger. Not sure what you are referring to. The growth is also well deserved.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I'll say it again - Mahomes lined up in shotgun with Hunt and Ware flanking him, Kelce and Watkins split wide and Hill in the slot. Where do you focus? How do you defend all the avenues in that formation, considering the abilities of all those players on the field? Zone? Run it with either Ware or Hunt. Cover 2? Let Hill roast that shit up the seam. Cover 0? Good luck with that linebacker 1-on-1 with Kelce. Cover 3? Watkins will feast over the middle.


This shit is going to be fun this year. This is the offense Vermeil and Saunders wanted considering what we have at wide receiver now, and that is no small statement considering what they rolled out.

Oh man. Ware and Hunt going in the flat in the backfield is going to pull LB’s away from the middle of the field and Hill/Watkins is going to force safeties to watch the deep ball.

Kelce is gonna have the whole middle of the field open isn’t he?

[saphojunkie]

Interesting videos, but dear Lord, man... did you ever take a single writing composition class?

[-King-]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

Interesting videos, but dear Lord, man... did you ever take a single writing composition class?

He needs to add some compound sentences to his arsenal.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Dante84]

Part 8: Screen Passes

Spoiler!

Whether your quarterback is 22 or 42 years old, finding ways to get easy completions is beneficial to your offense. We’ve spent quite a bit of time in this series finding ways to get young Patrick Mahomes those easy completions. I have the full expectation that the Kansas City Chiefs will prioritize that.

The talk about Andy Reid’s ability to get the most out of his quarterbacks starts with easy completions. Reid has the pulse of players’ abilities better than any coach in football. He is remarkable at truly understanding what a player is and how to best utilize him. You’ll hear him mentioning his desire to have players put their personality into the offense. That’s part of it. The other part of it is his experimentation in OTAs and minicamps to figure out what his players can and can’t get away with.

The concept of easy completions comes with somewhat of a stigma that these plays can’t be lucrative. In some cases, that’s true. Not with Reid. The most enjoyable moments offensively of the Reid era in Kansas City have been when they are dictating the action. The fear the Chiefs forced up on defenses with their explosive plays from their personnel allowed Reid to dial up unique concepts and window dressing. Reid is great at seeing the big picture. He can find ways to utilize two or three players’ reputations and abilities to his team’s advantage. Reid utilizes his players to support the quarterback, which is why players like Kevin Kolb can have success with him and significantly less elsewhere.

A piece I wrote in January profiling Mahomes’ ability to get rid of the ball quickly (among other things from his Week 17 performance) provides some context for what his release can provide an offense.

Mahomes getting the ball out so quick is worth an extra blocker on the edge. Denver shows pressure, ball is on Wilson quick enough to give him an extra step or two. RPOs are going to be a problem. pic.twitter.com/6BC9HepB6i

— Kent Swanson (@kent_swanson) January 3, 2018

Extra space is created for Wilson because the ball is accurate and on him quickly. In that piece, there’s a screenshot of how much time it created. It’s a special talent that can make the short game more effective. The Chiefs averaged nearly 8.2 yards per attempt on bubble screens in that game. That’s significant. It was on display at Texas Tech as well.

Underrated part of Mahomes' game. Doesn't need a well established base to execute screen game. Ball is out quick. pic.twitter.com/fkZ9wOb9k5

— Kent Swanson (@kent_swanson) July 17, 2017

This was a run-pass option (RPO), but the point remains. Mahomes doesn’t need a perfect base to deliver quick throws like this. Reid needs to be finding ways to use that ability. Mahomes shows comfort, control and consistency in the short passing game. They feel like layups when he is delivering the throw.

The Chiefs have incorporated similar looks like this in the past. They should use it with Mahomes in 2018. pic.twitter.com/5YrBE2eByS

— Kent Swanson (@kent_swanson) June 30, 2018

Whether the run play is live or not, I love the idea of swing screens out two-running back sets. The Chiefs have used some looks with running backs leaving early and running a swing screen to him, especially in short-yardage situations. Mahomes doesn’t need to set his feet well for these; he can just flip the ball out. If the run is live, this can just be an addition to the RPO looks the Chiefs should continue to roll out.

We have the context to what Mahomes’ release can provide. He can throw from less than stable platforms with consistency. Now tie them to some of the things Reid does with play designs and they could be something special.

Hill motions to the boundary, snap is right as he sets ups. Athletes in space to block. Nice little quick hitter screen. pic.twitter.com/s9WgiEFigT

— Kent Swanson (@kent_swanson) June 30, 2018

Timing is everything on screen plays. Whether you need to time up the release of offensive lineman into space, influence defenders into the backfield or get the ball out to receivers in a timely manner all the elements have to work together. Reid dialed up a well-timed screen into the boundary against the Los Angeles Chargers in week three. Hill motions across the field and Alex Smith throws the ball as soon as he is in position. Any communication made by the defense has to be in on time or else there’s confusion or breakdowns. At the snap, you can see the Chargers defense still communicating.

Rarely does a screen like this into the boundary work. Hill quickly sets up to catch the pass, and Smith delivers the throw off of a one-step delivery (really more of a hop). The formation has Anthony Sherman one yard off the ball and Travis Kelce lined up on the line of scrimmage one yard off the tackle to the play side. Kelce, the widest blocker in the formation, identifies the cornerback as the first threat to Hill and blocks him. Those two and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz are athletic enough to get into space quickly enough to block for Hill. Sherman finds work with EDGE Melvin Ingram. Schwartz actually gets pushed down/tripped by Hill, who pushes through him to the sidelines and runs out of space but not before a nice gain.

While this play was to the short side of the field, I think the Chiefs can dial up similar concepts to the wide side. Mahomes arm strength and quick release should allow receivers to the field more time to process the blocking in front of them. The above play utilized the athleticism of the blockers, the quickness of Hill and Smith’s timing to create an easy completion. It was well designed.

We probably haven’t seen all the screen concepts that the Chiefs are going to be able to get away with due to Mahomes’ abilities. I believe that Reid will ask for a few things that Mahomes can deliver that others can’t in the screen game. Not that there haven’t been others that can do similar things (Aaron Rodgers can pull off anything he wants), but that no one who can do what Mahomes can has ever been paired with the creativity Reid possesses. We have seen Reid’s ability to brilliantly utilize the elements he has at his disposal.

This play is classic Andy Reid with all kinds of window dressing. Orbit motion from Hill in the slot, pump to him on swing screen, running back release on swing widens boundary defenders, more space for Y-Middle screen. pic.twitter.com/xe1mFbF9lE

— Kent Swanson (@kent_swanson) June 30, 2018

I wrote about this play in my weekly in-season article that breaks down one play a week. It’s one of my favorite play calls of the season. Reid is able to get one of the best tight ends in football wide open, with blockers, in the red zone, in the middle of the field for an easy completion. Hill runs an orbit motion (circle the quarterback and back out to the side you came from) from the slot and into a swing. Last season, teams were rotating safeties when Hill would cross the formation in order to get better angles/leverage in pursuit on jet sweeps to him. The action moved the Oakland Raiders safeties, but not before Hill whipped back out the other side. Smith pump fakes to Hill on the swing screen.

Running back Charcandrick West free releases on a swing to the boundary. Smith gives a subtle nod and eyes on West as if he’s going to throw it out to him. This looks like a common design, a pump to one side to throw a swing to the opposite. You can see the corner and linebacker NaVorro Bowman widen in pursuit of West, thinking that’s where the ball is heading after the pump to Hill. Center Zach Fulton, Schwartz and Kelce show pass protection for a count on all three down defensive lineman. After Fulton and Schwartz give a punch to the two interior linemen, they release to lead the way for the Y-Middle screen. Kelce is almost late to release from the edge defender but gets free in time to catch the ball with blockers in front of him for a near touchdown.

Screen plays like this one are best when Reid has the ability to use his unique skill players to create levels of surprise or an inability for the defense to recover. The mad scientist should be able to come up with ways to pair Mahomes’ arm talent with the weapons he has, and the threats they create at all depths of the field. I would call two designed screens a game given a neutral game script.

Breakdown:

• 33/65 plays - RPOs (23) and called run plays (10)
• 6/65 plays - tendency breakers out of the 3x1 looks the Chiefs run RPOs
• 6/65 plays - empty formation, five-man protection passes
• 5/65 plays - two running back pass concepts (also 5/10 discretionary run plays mentioned in part one)
• 3/65 plays - under center, play action passes (also 5/10 discretionary run plays mentioned in part one)
• 2/65 plays - condensed formation pass plays (also 2/10 discretionary run plays mentioned in part one)
• 2/65 plays - sprint out pass concepts
• 2/65 plays - designed screen passes

[Dante84]

Updated with the newest one.

[Hydrae]

At some point a link to the source would be a good idea.