Patrick Mahomes and his offensive coordinator were caught on camera in a somewhat heated conversation in Indianapolis on Sunday. According to coaching veteran Dave Wannstedt, it’s nothing to be concerned about.
Analyst Mike Martz praised the Colts’ defensive game plan against the Kansas City Chiefs. He breaks down how they were able to reign in one of the NFL’s best players in Patrick Mahomes.
Samari Rolle sees some similarities between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, as he previews Thursday Night Football. From their ability to extend plays and use their arm talent to hit their receivers all over the field, they are two of the NFL’s more dynamic players.
The AFC West has turned into a juggernaut during the offseason. Each team has one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and they all made big moves to win the division this season.
For the Chiefs, it’s less about the moves they made this offseason and more about their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 33rd Team contributor Charles Davis explains why Mahomes is the key to the Chiefs’ success this season.
“He’s phenomenal, but a few of the guys we’ve gotten used to him throwing to aren’t there anymore,” Davis said. “There have been changes in that division. Let’s face it. The AFC West fortified themselves to chase down number 15 and Kansas City.”
Brett Favre believes this could be the year the NFL sees its first 6,000-yard passer. Unlikely, says Matt Cassel, but if it does happen expect it to be from one the four quarterbacks in the gun-slinging AFC West. In a conversation with Rich Gannon and Eric Mangini, Matt Cassel explains his thinking.
I had a chance to go check out Kansas City Chiefs training camp, and I will say this, I was super impressed. I had a chance to talk with Andy Reid and visited with Patrick Mahomes about life and Xs and Os.
In regards to camp, I think this team is physically and mentally fit and ready for Week 1 already.
Checking out Mahomes from a bird’s eye view, he really understands the system. He understands what Reid is trying to accomplish—particularly in practice. He was in control and pretty much led the practice. He led all the drills, changed plays and called plays. The coach sat back and allowed him to embrace the quarterback position. I think that’s great for a guy going into his sixth season as he is growing as a quarterback. You look at a guy like Mahomes, he can play another 15 years if he follows the right regimen, which I think he will.
I was super curious to see how this team would look without Tyreek Hill, and I was very impressed. Mecole Hardman is going to step up, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling is going to play a crucial role. I didn’t see who was going to be the ‘X’ or the ‘Z,’ because I was all over the place and I was trying to spend as much time with Reid as I could. I was only there for seven or eight hours, so I wanted to get my time in with him.
Now that Hill is gone, I think Hardman is going to take that step. For one, Hardman is a lot bigger than I thought he was. After seeing him in person, I think he can take on that role of being a ‘Z’. He’s capable of playing a similar role to what DeSean Jackson did for us when I was with the Eagles.
He has that type of speed and explosiveness. They’re not the same because Jackson is different, but Hardman is the guy that can change the outlook and framework of that offense. You just have to put the ball in his hands. We’ve seen him line up in the backfield. We’ve seen him lineup at slot and out wide at ‘Z’ or ‘X’. You can move him around, so I think he’s gonna be the guy to step up the ship for the Kansas City Chiefs receiving group.
Offensively, I think this team is ready to go. I think they are going to pick up where they left off last year. Don’t forget they still have Travis Kelce. When you have that type of safety blanket and mismatch weapon, anything is possible, and it opens up the remainder of the guys on offense. I know Reid will use that to his advantage.
The defense looks sharp. They put themselves in a position to make plays on offense and make practice difficult, which I think is a good thing. It’s always good when the offense and defense go back and forth, and the offense doesn’t just dominate the defense or vice versa. It was very competitive, and I thought that made for good practice, and good things to come moving forward. I was excited to see how they looked without Hill, and I was very impressed as I walked away from practice.
