Patrick Mahomes’ Reign Over the NFL’s Barren Waste Land

by Laddie Morse | May 24, 2019

Perhaps it’s appropriate to address Patrick Mahomes’ reign over the NFL’s barren waste land when the midland continent is under such a dense deluge of rain and constant thunderstorms. However, it has become pristinely clear to me that whoever is running the the shows for both NFL LIVE on ESPN and the NFL Channel as well, are out of their friggin’ minds when it comes to choosing content that has anything to do at all with the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player, his team, or city. While the Kansas City Chiefs Patrick “The Great” Mahomes has been as interesting to watch during this offseason, as he was during the season, these network nitwits are instead covering dynamic stories like… who is wearing a hoodie just like Bill Belichick?

Give me a Breaking Bad break!

Yesterday, the Chiefs were allowing reporters into their practice, the third day of OTAs, so let’s give some credit to the NFL Network for showing up to do a little — and I do mean a very little — coverage of PMII:

Here, Palmer talks about Mahomes’ use of a visor, but that is not one of the real stories of Patrick Mahomes in 2019. What people want to know in Kansas City is, will he be able to repeat his success of 2018 this season. Now, that begins with the WRs he’ll be throwing to, including Tyreek Hill. What fans should be looking at is, the progression of Hill and the other receivers Mahomes was throwing to in 2018:

I think what Alex Smith was able to accomplish in Kansas City was tremendous. His legacy has a lot to do with the progress we’re able to see here. However, this jump in the percentages of the Chiefs primary wide receivers from 2017 to 2018 was due to… the Patrick Mahomes effect. If you think he’s a transcendent player, as I do, then you have to ask yourself why there was such a jump from the output of the Chiefs WRs in to 2017 to 2018?

Obviously, I’m in no way comparing Alex Smith’s past value to what Patrick Mahomes, the league MVP, has already become, to not only the fans of Kansas City, but to the whole country of football fans at large. That’s precisely the story that I think ESPN and the NFL Network are missing, for the most part. However, we must give credit where credit is due and the NFL Network’s M-F morning show called Good Morning Football (GMFB) does get it.

There is nothing like watching and smelling a cloud of smoke rise above the Truman Sports Complex parking lot early on a Sunday morning hours before game time… long before game action… and wandering the parking lot and being greeted by hundreds of other friendly Kansas Citians who are there to share in one of the best experiences going: tailgating before Chiefs football. Kansas City Chiefs, and the greater Kansas City metropolis area, need to stand up proudly and be counted as one of the best NFL locations in the world. Just like the presidential elections, which are decided in the swing states across the middle of the country, the same is now true for fans of football. Here’s a map of NFL Fandom from the atlantic.com:

This map was from 2014. It shows the Rams still with a hold of some fans in Missouri but that was one year before the team relocated back to Los Angeles. Also, 2014 was one year before the Broncos won the Super Bowl and the Chiefs have taken over the division since then so the Chiefs fan base has grown since this map was first published as well. The Cowboys (so-called America’s Team) has the south locked up but their grip is based upon decades old fans still hoping and praying, because that’s all they’ve had since the early 1990s, a hope and a prayer. Chiefs fans are in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and I would guess that the Chiefs have taken over parts of Oklahoma now as well (we here at ArrowheadOne have Chiefs fans from all over the world). FYI, in the 20 years I lived in the Dallas area and went regularly to a local bar to watch games with like-minded Chiefs fans, the only fans with more numbers were the Green Bay Packers… and they were pretty obnoxious.

With the city of Kansas City just being awarded the 2023 NFL Draft, there’s tons to talk about and be proud of for Chiefs fans, way beyond Patrick Mahomes. However, Mahomes has been a one man band of Chiefs promotional story lines:

The Derrick Thomas 101 Award
Getting the cover of Madden
Trading Jerseys with Dirk Nowitzki
“15 and the Mahomies” foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children.
PMII and his contractual projections
Gehrig Dieter wedding attendee with Travis Kelce
Throwing out the Royals first pitch
PMII and EA Sports connection
PMII and his Girlfriend, round, round get around, they get around
Mahomes House address given out by a local TV station
Playing basketball… hehe… or not.
His continuous unprompted promotion of Kansas City

Along with Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes is one of the most dynamic personalities the Kansas City area has ever been graced with…. and his career is just beginning. K.C. greats George Brett and Len Dawson come to mind… and then it’s Patrick Mahomes. Plus, he’s not just good for Kansas City, he’s good for the National Football League.

That’s what is shameful about the lack of coverage that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are getting from ESPN and the NFL Network. When you consider what a genuinely good guy he is, you would think that there would be even more need to celebrate and promote him at a national level.

Wake up NFL Network and ESPN… and smell the Patrick Mahomes. You’ll be glad you did:

Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

If you are viewing this in Apple News and would like to join the Discussion, [GO HERE.](http://arrowheadone.com/patrick-mahomes-reign-over-the-nfls-barren-waste-land/#disqus_thread)