Henry McKenna
AFC East Reporter
ST. JOSEPH, Missouri — Even Kansas City Chiefs fans seemed bored watching an infamous 10-10-10 practice. In about 90 minutes, Andy Reid ran 30 plays, 10 each for offense, defense and special teams.
It was day 12 of the training camp. The adrenaline of the early training camp was long disappeared. And it was a sweltering, humid heat that can only be found on Missouri farms.
Still, Patrick Mahomes looked like he was having the time of his life.
That’s when it occurred to me: Maybe we’ve overdone it with the comparisons between Tom Brady and Mahomes. Maybe we’re missing the point when we compare the New England Patriots to the Chiefs.
The more I watched Reid, Mahomes and the Chiefs at work, the more I realized how different they are from the Patriots with Bill Belichick and Brady. There’s no denying that Kansas City is a dynasty, just like New England was. There’s no denying that the Chiefs are the favorite to win the Super Bowl and therefore are in the running to become the first team to win two championships in a row. And yes, Mahomes is the reason for that, just like Brady was for the Patriots.
But Mahomes couldn’t be more different from Brady, even though they are always compared.
Brady was a control freak who was obsessed with repetition, intensity and seriousness. His reliance on structure led to his consistency and his greatness. He was the perfect quarterback for Belichick.
Mahomes is a living reminder that football players playthat this is all a game. It is not Only a game, of course, but Mahomes plays with joy and creativity that help him achieve his unique greatness. He’s the perfect quarterback for Reid, who knows how to rock a Hawaiian shirt better than anyone.
The longer you watch Mahomes, the sillier he gets. And Reid embraces that silly side, building the team’s identity around Mahomes’ personality – not just his skills.
“Yes, absolutely,” Reid said on Monday. “Because he wants new things [in the playbook]. And so you can build it around his personality.”
Most notably, Mahomes’ silliness doesn’t dampen his competitive spirit. The Las Vegas Raiders recently poked fun at Mahomes’ silliness. Raiders rookie Trey Taylor used a Kermit the Frog puppet to cite that Mahomes sounds like the iconic Muppet puppet when he speaks.
And that silliness triggered the quarterback’s killer instinct.
“It will get done when it gets done,” Mahomes told reporters.
It was cold. It was a moment when you weren’t allowed to poke the bear.
Does Patrick Mahomes himself have the best roster on the Chiefs?
For the past few seasons, the Chiefs have lived by Mahomes’ high-voltage mentality.
The Chiefs know it’s that mentality that can get them to the Super Bowl in February 2025. And it’s that dual nature that makes Mahomes simply and undeniably great.
All of these examples of Mahomes being a killer make it hard to watch the guy at Chiefs training camp on Friday. The quarterback put on a blindfold and played a round of Dizzy Bat before attempting to throw the ball into a precise net. And he almost hit it!
On Sunday, Mahomes came out on the field early and started throwing a football over his head, like a rainbow in football. Later in practice, he juggled the football like a soccer ball. When he encountered former Raiders and Bucs coach Jon Gruden at practice, Mahomes walked over and said something that drew laughter from Gruden, backup QB Carson Wentz and general manager Brett Veach. Then on Monday, Reid called a hook-and-ladder play on the second snap of competitive team drills.
What kind of team does something like that?!
A hook and ladder script for play 2!?
Well, I guess it’s an exciting team. I guess it’s Mahomes’ team. And at some point, this silly play will help the Chiefs win a big game. You bet on it.
Ask any of Mahomes’ teammates and they’ll tell you he’s as playful as an NFL player can be.
I’d bet that Mahomes is the guy who designed the team’s quadruple pass that went viral in July. It’s no secret that Mahomes is the mastermind behind these over-the-top trick plays (that occasionally make it into the game plan). There’s genius in that – letting Mahomes design plays and encouraging the team to practice them. This continues to mold the offense around him.
[McKenna: Patrick Mahomes is Chiefs’ trick-play engineer. Here’s how they come together]
Mahomes has a special way of balancing the simple pleasures of football while staying focused on the ultimate goal: another win in February. He wants that win no less than his other three.
These titles have even increased his desire for another title.
“For us – and I speak for myself – it sucks if you don’t win now because you know what it could be like if you go out there and win,” Mahomes said.
Maybe one reason Reid encourages Mahomes’ antics is because it helps the medicine work.
Given the size of Reid’s playbook and the speed with which the Chiefs implement plays, he requires his players to memorize about 15 plays a day. This dynastic team continues to hold its training camp at Missouri Western State University, where the players – most of them millionaires – sleep in the dorms. Reid demands a lot from his players. His Hawaiian shirt as quarterback helps keep things running smoothly.
Mahomes is a brilliant shooter. He’s a brilliant football expert. He’s a fantastic leader. We see all of that every Sunday.
What doesn’t often get the spotlight, but is just as important: the way he lifts the spirits of the Chiefs – the way he reminds his teammates what football is all about. That it’s still a game they played as kids. The Chiefs are fully aligned with that vision. And that’s one of the main reasons Kansas City can win again.
It’s about Mahomes, who is part idiot and part assassin.
Before joining FOX Sports as an AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna covered the Patriots for seven years for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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