Terrific Trios: Mahomes-Hill-Kelce Best of All?

Terrific Trios: Mahomes-Hill-Kelce, Best of All? – By John Cooney – The history of the National Football League is chock-full of successful teams led by wonderfully gifted and skilled players. Many of the championship-worthy franchises fielded offenses that featured dynamic duos, terrific trios and even fabulous foursomes spearheading their potent attacks. The list of outstanding 3-player ensembles dominating defenses is long, filled with colorful characters, storied offense feats and often interesting, unique versatility.

John Cooney’s articles and analysis can also be found at: P.A.S.S.

The Dallas Cowboys enjoyed championship runs during the heyday of “Triplets” Troy Aikman at QB, RB Emmitt Smith and bombastic wideout Michael Irvin. Before that famous trio football fans enjoyed

the astounding accomplishments of triumvirates such as the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and Lynn Swann (toss in John Stallworth for a fierce foursome), the St. Louis Rams sported the “Greatest Show on Turf,” led by sudden superstar QB Kurt Warner, 2,000 yards from scrimmage ace Marshall Faulk and silk-smooth, lightning fast wideout Isaac Bruce. Yeah, Torry Holt wasn’t a bad 4^th-weapon either. There were offenses that racked up air miles with a trio of high flying pass-game aces at QB and WR. The aforementioned Bradshaw-Swann-Stallworth and Warner-Bruce-Holt trinities are perfect examples. How about that awesome mix of San Francisco gold, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and John Taylor or the purple power punch of Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss and Cris Carter. Those are some amazing 3-man units rolling up major yardage, totals and touchdown. Heck hit the wayback machine and we find the Jets back in the 60s lining up Joe Namath at QB with savvy Don Maynard and playmaking George Sauer snagging Joe Willie’s tosses.

Yes, there are many sets of terrific trios who have dominated defenses over the years. Today, the Chiefs field a rather unique 3-headed offensive aerial attack that doesn’t quite fit the positional format laid out here. Coach Andy Reid has his own type of terrific trio, and he’s has created the perfect playbook that makes the most of the Kansas City performers’ abilities. The Chiefs terrific trio of today are, QB Patrick Mahomes, the swift and dangerous WR Tyreek Hill, and the unstoppable force between the numbers, TE Travis Kelce. It is quite rare that a TE would be a key cog in a tremendous troika, but Kelce is that rare breed of playmaking TE.

The Chiefs offense features Tyreek Hill as the top receiver outside, but there is no other wideout in Kansas City that commands the attention of enemy DBs, or of Patrick Mahomes. In this distinctive diagram of offense, Kelce IS that 2nd wideout, the complementary pass-catcher opposite Tyreek Hill. Kelce’s numbers say it all in 2020: 105 receptions out of 145 targets, 1,416 receiving yards, 13.5 Yards Per Receptions (YPR) and 11 TDs. Kelce established a league record for yards in a season by a TE, 14,16 and became the first to record a 100-catch season twice in his career. His 105 catches this season ranked 4^th most overall in a campaign, for any position. The former Bearcat from Cincinnati was 2^nd in receiving yards as only Stefon Diggs topped Kelce’s 1,416 this year. He tied for 5^th most receiving scores with 11. His splashy pass-catching partner, Tyreek Hill, surpassed Kelce with 15 TD snags (2^nd most), but fell 4 rungs lower in receiving yards, finishing with 1,276. Hill is actually designated the Chiefs’ WR#1 due to his position as a true wide receiver and the extremely dangerous skillset he brings to the field. In 2020 Hill grabbed 87 passes on 135 targets, raced to 1,276 yards at a fleet 14.7 YPR and caught 15 TD passes. He would add 2 more TDs rushing. Hill carries the WR#1 label in Kansas City, but Travis Kelce delivers the top-receiver numbers. The dynamic receiving duo are the benefactors of the extreme arm talents of QB Patrick Mahomes. There have been incredibly gifted passers in the history of this league, but never one who does the incredible and seemingly impossible with the consistency and clutchness as Kansas City’s still rising star. In his 3 seasons as the Chiefs starter Mahomes has amassed 114 TD passes and averages 4,622 passing yards per season. The power-passing Patrick broke over 5,000 yards throwing in his very first season as a starter (5097 in 2018) and would have cleared that milestone mark again this season had he not sat out (missed) the finale versus Chargers, a defense he lit up for 302 yards in week 2. The 4^th-year pro — a 3 season starter — has already had a remarkable career and he is just getting started. Mahomes has topped 5,000 yards in a season, fired up 50 TD passes in that same year, won a Super Bowl and already has his squad back in the title game for a shot at a 2^nd Lombardi Trophy. Say it once, or say it one hundred times, the NFL has never seen a QB like Patrick Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce comprise the most dangerous, lethal and flat-out best performing trio in the NFL today. Ah, but where does this holy trinity of the gridiron rank in the annals of the NFL? Has there ever been a triangled attack by a QB-WR-TE as potent or successful as the Kansas City triple threat? After a good deal of looking back, I’ve been able to zero in on five (5) other groups of three playmakers that give the Chiefs trio a run for their historic money. Finding qualified 3-man units limited to QB-WR-TE proved to be challenging due to the TE position. There were QB-WR-WR examples in abundance and even QB-WR-RB formatting yielded ample groups but QB-WR-TE was sticky.

Honorable Mention

Kicking off this “Best Trio Ever” ranking as honorable mention is a triangle of performers that could have ranked as the best ever had fate aligned their birthdays on more common grounds. The Atlanta Falcons have been a potent offensive unit for a long time, and the birth of that annually explosive offense coincided with the arrival of a beast WR out of Alabama, Julio Jones. However, Jones joined an already impressive cast in the Georgia Dome as the Falcons already had a fast-rising star QB entering his 4^th season (Matt Ryan), an accomplished, physical wideout Roddy White and a sure-fire Hall of Fame TE, Tony Gonzalez. Jones added spice and power to the mix, but the trio of Ryan, White and Gonzalez was tearing up enemy defenses. Ryan blew up in 2011 after hammering out credible yards and TDs the 2 previous seasons. With White and Gonzalez as his go-to receivers in seasons 2009 and 2010, Ryan combined for 50 TD passes 6624 yards passing. The Falcons were a combined 22-8 with Ryan, White and Gonzo leading the way in those 2 seasons. White hauled in 85 of 165 Ryan throws in 2009 for 1,153 yards and 11 TDs. The best TE in football at that time took down 83 balls for 867 yards and 6 scores. Gonzalez saw 134 targets. That next year White ripped defenses for 115-1,389-10 TDs and Tony G caught 70-656-6 TDs. Ryan goes off in 2011, firing 4,177 yards and 29 TD strikes through the air. Roddy White was the target-in-chief as Ryan directed a whopping 180 passes his way, to which White turned into 100 catches, 1,296 yards and 8 TDs. The key performer that propels this unit into the all-time Terrific Trio mix is TE Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez was 35 years old during that 2011 season yet playing at an elite level. How elite? The first-ballot worthy Hall-of-Famer grabbed 80 of his 116 targets for 875 yards and 7 scores. Ryan, White and Tony G would turn up the heat even more the next season. Ryan whipped the ball around the NFC South fields and other locales for 4,719 yards and 32 TD passes. Roddy White hauled down 92 of 142 targets for 1,351 yards and 7 TDs. The now 36-year old Gonzalez upped his game over the previous season, snared 93 (124 targets) 930 yards and 8 TDs. Things got tougher in 2013, the final season of outstanding TE Tony Gonzalez. Injuries plagued the Dirty Birds on offense and defense, and though Ryan kept up his part of the deal by throwing for 4,515 yards and 26 TDs, his outside receivers missed games and were barely able to play in the games they were able to suit up. White appeared in 12 games, shagged 63 passes on 97 targets for 711 yards and just 3 scores, Undaunted and refusing to be denied, TE Tony G, at age 37, showed up each week, locked up 83 of 121 Matt Ryan offerings and finished in the endzone 8 times. As a side note: Julio Jones saw action in just 5 games. The Falcon fun bunch of Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez combined to win 45 and lose just 17 in the Matt Ryan starts during the 4 seasons prior to 2013. What was missing was the Super Bowl victory, but this Terrific Trio deserves to be counted among the best ever based on the span of games played from 2009 to 2013, the Tony Gonzalez seasons in Atlanta.

#5 is a legendary gathering of Baltimore Colts. This 3-man unit never had an opportunity to roll out eye-popping statistics enjoyed by the players of today’s NFL, or even the NFL of the 1980s, but they did dominate defenses 4 of the 5 seasons together. The name value alone just captures attention. From 1963 to 1967 the Baltimore Colts fielded a tantalizing triumvirate of NFL royalty at QB-WR and TE when Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry and John Mackey hit the field at the same time. 1963 was John Mackey’s rookie season and he would go on to cast the mold for playmaking, pass-catching TEs of the future. Johnny Unitas was the passing king of that era and the arrival of Mackey in ’63

mark. Mackey was a force at TE and made an instant impact on the league. In his very first season coming out of Syracuse (’63) Mackey snared 35 passes for 726 yards and a stellar 20.7 YPR, scoring 7 TDs to boot. For his career the athletic TE would average a playmaking WR-like 15.8 YPR and caught at least 40 throws 4 straight seasons (’65-’68) while scoring 33 TDs over his first 6 NFL seasons. Raymond Berry was a entering his 9^th NFL campaign and was one of the very best outside receivers/left ends in the game when Mackey turned pro. Berry would go on to play 5 more seasons, 1963 to 1967 and was still torturing opposing secondaries quite effectively 4 of those last 5 years. From ’63 to ’66 Berry averaged 50 receptions, 723 yards, 14.5 YPR and just under 6 TDs a season, again all during a run-heavy era of offense. Berry was a 3-time All-Pro, 2-time champion and led the NFL in catches and receiving yards 3 straight seasons. Unitas won 3 championships, was on the 1970 Colts Super Bowl team that beat the Cowboys and a 5-time All-Pro. Mackey garnered All-Pro honors 3 times, won an NFL championship, and also, played with Unitas on the 1970 Super Bowl V winner. All three were rushed into the Hall of Fame upon eligibility, with John Mackey being the first TE so honored. This Terrific Trio didn’t have the mountain of statistical eye candy football fans of today crave, but to put into a modern perspective, picture a team trotting out Peyton Manning, Jordy Nelson and Kellen Winslow after an opening kickoff.

The New England Patriots are a true modern day dynasty in the NFL and have fielded some of the most iconic players at their respective positions in the history of the game. One doesn’t make it to 9 Super Bowls without having a few All-Pros and Hall of Famers on the squad, but the 4^th most Terrific Trio to have played this game include a rather undersized, undrafted performer as well as a 6^th round throw-in pick. The now-famous 6^th rounder would be Tom Brady, QB. The undrafted player is super slotter Wes Welker and rounding out this superior odd-bunch is uber-talented, uber-character TE Rob Gronkowski. When one thinks of the Patriots and the glory years, these 3 players are most prominent in mind. However, as successful and quite often dominating as this fab Foxboro favorites may have been in their respective careers, and clearly are attached to Patriot lore, the 3-man ensemble played just 3 seasons together in New England. Brady and Gronkowski are still a pitch-n-catch battery plying their gridiron wares for the

grab out of Arizona. Gronk’s first year was solid but not prolific… except when Brady and company ventured into the Gronk-zone… I mean RedZone. Brady and Gronkowski hooked up for 10 TDs in 2010, a very impressive fear given the freshman TE caught just 42 passes on the season. Wes Welker was doing his thing, making life miserable for enemy safeties efforting to keep Welker in front of the sticks. Welker close out 2010 with 86 snares, 848 yards, a 9.9 YPR and 7 TDs, not to mention a boatload for 1^st-down grabs. Brady was Brady as Tom Terrific capped the year gaining exactly 3900 yards passing, 36 TDs via the pass and just 4 picks. The following season Tommy Legend tossed just 3 more TDs over 2010 but wrecked the NFL house with 5235 air yards. 1569 of those went to Wes Welker, as the slot-machine cashed in on 173 targets for 122 receptions and 9 scores. Gronkowski jumped in on that action as well, icing the 2011 campaign with 90 hauls, 1327 yards, a scintillating 14.7 YPR and 17 TDs. If you’re counting at home that’s 27 TDs for Gronk in just his first 2 seasons as a pro. Injuries slowed Gronk down in 2012 but the massive pass-catching talent caught 55 passes for 14.4 YPR and 11 TDs. What would prove to be Welker last year with Tom Brady and the Patriots, Welker brought in 118 passes for 1354 yards, a 11.5 YPR and 6 TDs. No one should feel poorly regarding Welker’s departure as he ended up linking with Peyton Manning and won another Super Bowl ring… with the Broncos. For his fine work Brady completed passes for 4827 yards and 34 TDs. Ironically, the team with the most Super Bowl appearance and victories failed to secure a Lombardi Trophy while this 3-player contingency was intact at Foxboro. What remains intact are the phenomenal performances and volume of on-field results by Tom Brady and his merry men, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker. A few more seasons together and this 3-way air attack would probably have ranked higher than #4, but #4 it is.

There is no arguing the greatness that was Peyton Manning as a dominating record-breaking, championship winning QB. Manning would guide the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl title in 2006 and have his team back in that big dance in 2009, only to suffer a loss in that one to the New Orleans Saints. 6 years later, at the tender age of 39 and now a former Colt, Peyton Manning took the Denver Broncos into the 2015 title bout against the Carolina Panthers and won his 2^nd Super Bowl ring. Manning had the great fortune of not only being born with great QB genes (thank you papa Archie) but playing with a very deep and talented teammates. RBs Edgerrin James, Joseph Addai and wideouts like Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Brandon Stokley and TE Dallas Clark all helped Manning rack up his records. Harrison, in particular is the most recognized receiver in this group, and why not? Harrison broke over 1,000 receiving

2008 campaign. Reggie Wayne took over the WR1 reins and just went off. Wayne and Peyton Manning would continue what the Manning-Harrison duo started. From 2006 to 2009 Wayne hauled in catch totals of 86-104-82-100. He combined for an outstanding 5229 yards over that span, averaging a blistering 14.1YPR and netting 35 TDs. During that same run of seasons with Wayne at the 1-spot, Manning fired off 16,939 yards and 122 TDs from 2006-to-2009. The dynamic duo became a terrific trio when TE Dallas Clark got involved fully. Wayne scored 35 TDs in the 4-year segment and Clark kept pace with 31. In 2007 Dallas Clark hauled in 58 passes for 616 yards and 11 TDs. Next season Clark upped his receptions to 77, gained 848 yards and notch 6 TDs. Clark went off bigtime in 2009, tearing the middle of 2^nd-level defenses for an even 100 snags, 1,106 yards (11.1 YPR) and 10 TDs. Clark added a rushing TD in 2009 as well. Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne rocked secondaries for 8 solid years, with Dallas Clark giving the Colts 6 ace seasons out of his 9 years with Indy. In the schedules played from 2006 to 2009, Manning, Wayne and Clark were among the most terrific of trios in the NFL.

Coach Don Coryell developed an aggressive, down-the-field aerial attack that became the rage back in the mid-1970s and into the 1980s. “Air Coryell” is the foundation that the famed West Coast Offense is built upon. Coach Coryell’s offensive philosophy was adopted and expanded by the like of Rams Super Bowl offensive coordinator and head coach Mike Martz (Greatest Show on Turf), Eagles and Chiefs coaching great Dick Vermeil, Raiders and NFL icon John Madden, Washington’s Hall of Fame field boss Joe Gibbs and many, many more outstanding coaches and coordinators. Coach Coryell was directly responsible for the high-flying success of San Diego offense led by then record-setting QB Dan Fouts. As head coach and offensive genius of the Chargers beginning in 1978, the Chargers led the NFL in passing yards an NFL record six straight seasons (1978 to 1983) then picked it up again in 1985. Fouts was the pilot at QB that flew this aerial bomb squad and eventually was voted into the Hall of Fame along with

until Randy Moss came along. He followed up by racing for 1,000+ yards in each of his next 2 seasons, becoming the first to gain 1,000 yards receiving in the first 3 years of a career. Over those first 3 seasons Jefferson piled up 36 TDs. His run came to a close in San Diego following that 3^rd season after getting into a contract war with ownership, leading to a trade to Green Bay. As impactful as Jefferson was, Kellen Winslow was the weapon Coach Coryell utilized to create mismatches that defensive coaches just couldn’t counter. Winslow took the TE position to a whole new level, running deep stems and essentially becoming an uncoverable “big” wideout. Winslow was simply too fast for a linebacker to stick and too physical for DBs to cover or stop after the catch. Coach Coryell made the most of the talent he had in San Diego, recognizing that “If we’re asking Kellen to block a defensive end and not catch passes, I’m not a very good coach.” Winslow was drafted in the 1^st round, 1979 and played just 7 games as a rookie. He made his mark in this offense in 1980, leading the NFL with 89 receptions and gaining an outstanding 1290 yards (14.5 YPR) with 9 TDs. Winslow would go on to tally over 1,000 yards 3 of his 4 seasons after his freshman campaign, topping all receivers in catches again in 1981. QB Dan Fouts made it all work. In 1979 Fouts threw for 4082 yards, just the 2nd QB ever to break 4,000 yards in a season. Fouts would go on to top his own marks for air yards in a season the following season (4715) and yet again in 1981(4802). Not to be stymied by a work stoppage/strike in 1982, Fouts set a record for average passing yards per game, netting a cool 320 yards per contest in ’82. Circumstances created a limited window of opportunity for this Terrific Trio, contract issues, timing of career starts, labor hurdles, but the historic impact Dan Fouts, John Jefferson, Kellen Winslow and Coach Coryell had on the league at that time and going forward in league history is undeniable. Winslow actually only played 1 full season as part of this trio with Jefferson included; doesn’t matter here. Today’s wildfire passing offenses are impacted by the philosophies and performances of this Terrific Trio from San Diego one way or another.

Something big is happening in Kansas City right now and that something is Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is like Coach Andy Reid’s Frankenstein monster of perfection at QB. If Coach Reid could have built his ideal QB in a lab or a machine shop (or both), Patrick Mahomes would have been the result. Coach Reid found his Frankenstein in the 1^st round of the 2017 draft, from the laboratory of Texas Tech and the mad scientist head coach, Kliff Kingsbury. After sitting in as a rookie spectator in 2017, Mahomes got his chance to start the following season and he’s been a force since. With just 1 start under his belt (week 17-2017), Mahomes took the league by storm in 2018, exploding for 5097 yards and 50 TDs. The most lethal weapon of the Chiefs makes plays that defy common QB teaching, technique, and logic and Mahomes seems to do “Mahomes” things at will. In just 3 full seasons of play the Kansas City Express is already over 14,000 yards passing, with 114 TD tosses in the books. A once-in-a-generation talent like Mahomes needs teammates that can keep up and allow the outstanding QB to do what he does to his fullest potential, which is what the league is witnessing thus far. Flashy and fast wideout Tyreek Hill is the perfect fit for the rocket-armed Mahomes. Hill’s turf burning speed, tough and aggressive style of play and overall skills to tie it all together have already become legend around the game. In his 3 seasons with Mahomes as the starting QB Hill has amassed 37 offensive TDs, hauled in 87 passes 2 of those 3 seasons with the power-passer, created 3912 yards from scrimmage and average 15.6 YPR. Hill flat-out strikes fear in enemy CBs and DBs despite measuring in at 5’10-185. It is his elite 4.2×40 wheels along with playmaking vision and drive that elevates Tyreek Hill’s game and growing legend. But Hill is not the only “legend” Patrick Mahomes

105 passes for a record setting 1,416 yards and 11 TDs. In his 3 seasons with Mahomes chucking the rock, Kelce has caught 103, 97 and 105 passes, topped 1200 yards each of those 3 seasons and notched at least 10 TDs 2 of the 3. In fact, Kelce has reached the 1,000-yard mark 5 consecutive seasons and has never dipped below 67 receptions since becoming a starter back in 2014. As much as Tyreek Hill is the flamboyant playmaker and racy weapon that strikes fear in defenses, Kelce is the true “WR1” that Mahomes seeks out in any and most situations. Kelce is following in the footsteps of legendary Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez, the ultimate comparison for a TE in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are most worthy of being recognized as the all-time greatest “Terrific Trio” based on the performances of the last 3 seasons, the out-of-this-world skills and tools they possess, having already won 1 Super Bowl and now back to try for 2-in-a-row. For the fans at Arrowhead, this Terrific Trio has only just begun.

John Cooney – For ArrowheadOne

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