Chiefs Patrick Mahomes Has Room For Improvement

Laddie Morse

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Ever since Patrick Mahomes was drafted in 2017, Kansas City Chiefs fans have been in awe of his abilities which were revealed as soon as he pulled on a Chiefs jersey and continue to astound. What many have not seen is his progression behind the scenes. With two league MVPs under his belt, as well as two Super Bowl MVPs and two SB victories, it’s hard to see where a guy like Mahomes could improve, but that’s exactly what he has room to do: improve.

Here’s Mahomes on his training routine:

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In a recent media event, the Chiefs new offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, was asked what Patrick Mahomes had to be working on specifically, to which he replied:

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“I would say, for us, he does so many things well. So, you want to find the things he can improve at. You can always go back to footwork and timing with any quarterback.

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Sensing that his response was a little too typical, Nagy went on to say:

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At the same point and time, too, but I think the other thing would be working with his getting to progressions, getting to No. 3 and 4 is always another thing that, instead of maybe trying to force a throw here or there — which I thought he did a good job last year, of making smart decisions — working to that third, fourth and sometimes that fifth progression in the play. Really, in training camp, we’ll really be able to focus on that with the pads.”

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While most Kingdom fans would say they love Patrick Mahomes, he would tell you that he still has a lot to work on. During the earlier parts of the offseason, he had invited both Chiefs players and draft prospects down to his Dallas area home to workout with him and build a connection. As revealed by James Palmer back in April:

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Mahomes did the same thing last offseason inviting WRs to workout with him, and that obviously appeared to work well, considering that the Chiefs won the Super Bowl… with his WRs playing a big part in that victory.

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Mahomes: Working at Playing

If you look, you’ll find Patrick Mahomes working at playing during the offseason. Plus, you won’t have to look that hard. We’ve witnessed behind the back passes and even Mahomes taking a lateral from MVS:

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This is one of those plays I hope we never see in a game. Could we see a behind the back pass? Sure, but I’m hoping that they leave the QB Lateral play in the can.

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Mahomes’ Focus

Mahomes said this right before the most recent Super Bowl:

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“No matter what the situation is, you have to make sure you’re focused on the five to six things that can help impact the play in the best way possible… all you can focus on is having a successful play, that play, and once that play is over, no matter if it was good or bad, you have do it [again] the next [play]. Having that mindset, winning or losing, helps you out, just going out there and being the best you can.”

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I’ve been around to see quarterbacks come and go for decades with the Chiefs, and that goes all the way back to when Len Dawson was pitching the pigskin. A person (QB) can workout in the offseason, but not remain focused. It’s possible. I’ve seen it. However, that’s not true of Patrick Mahomes. With Mahomes, he never seems to lose what’s important to keep being focused upon and in March he said :

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“You never know if it’s going to be like this for the rest

of your career, so I try to win as much as possible now,

and do whatever I can to win multiple Super Bowls.”

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In the same piece for “Balance the Grind” Patrick Mahomes said:

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“You have to grind every day. You can’t just show

up and play on game day. You have to prepare

throughout the week to get ready for the game.“

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I was surprised to see Mahomes working out in the weeks after the most recent Super Bowl. Why? Because his ankle was injured in the AFC Championship game and re-injured in the Super Bowl against the Eagles. Here’s a look at his workout in early March this year (10:07):

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FitnessClone.com has a piece on Patrick Mahomes’ diet. Here’s what the author (unknown) said about Mahomes’ eating habits:

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“Mahomes’ personal approach to diet is to eliminate junk and fast food. His… [wife Brittany] handles the rest, which includes a lot of lean protein. He usually has 4-5 smaller meals per day so he never feels too full. He snacks on fruit. He doesn’t worry about counting calories. One less-than-healthy thing he loves: ketchup, and he is known to have an occasional beer. Mahomes drinks plenty of water to stay hydrated.”

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Amazing that Mahomes denounces fast food when he is the one responsible for bringing What-a-Burger to the K.C. area. BTW, my brother points out that there is not a What-a-Burger within the K.C. city limits. What’s that all about?

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Patrick Mahomes is everywhere now, including nationally televised commercials. It’s incredible to me that he found the time to do work with Trey Lance in April:

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CNBC interviewed Mahomes recently and asked him, “What do you think people get wrong [about you],” to which he replied:

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“People see me on the field playing, and we win a lot of football games, and [they see] the contract and [they see] the different businesses I work with, and they think everything I do is just working out. I make mistakes. I learn from them just like everybody else. I think [a] ‘defeat’ helps you more than ‘success.’ If you lose on the football field, or in your company, what ever it is, I think that helps you out more because it drives you to learn from your mistakes. It drives you to be better the next time.”

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Is Patrick Mahomes a great quarterback? Yes, for sure, but it all begins in his head. So, does Patrick Mahomes have room for improvement? Just ask him and he’ll tell you.

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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