Andy Reid explains how Patrick Mahomes benefits from having a good farmer’s mentality
Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s coaching tree is impressive, but so is the list of quarterbacks who have worked with him.
That includes Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Alex Smith, Jeff Garcia, and of course, Patrick Mahomes.
During a chat last week with Mike Tirico of NBC Sports, Reid was asked the intangibles he looks for in a quarterback.
“I think if you take all those guys, they’re smart and they love the game,” Reid said. “When you combine those two things, I think you get, with them athletically, you get this great player. I’ve been fortunate to have been around those guys. Another thing that is universal with them is they have good vision so they can see the field, and that ends up also being very important.”
In his first two seasons as a starter, Mahomes has already won an NFL MVP award and the Super Bowl MVP.
While acknowledging it was a bit farcical, Tirico asked what Mahomes could do to continue his growth as a player.
“As (offensive coordinator) Eric Bienemy and (passing game coordinator) Mike Kafka work with him, I just think he couldn’t be in a better room and then he is a sponge,” Reid said. “He wants to know everything, learn everything and be challenged everyday. Then he wants to go out there and take ever rep he has to better his game, which makes it exciting from a coach’s standpoint.”
Reid added an agrarian analogy.
“As a quarterback, you’re like a farmer. There’s always work to do,” Reid said. “And if you’re into it and you stay humble, then you can get in there and you can correct yourself and keep working on perfection. He’s been able to maintain that mentality.
“He calls me every other day and we talk. He’s on the Webex (chat) with the coaches every day going through things and he just wants more and more and more, and he’s passionate about the game. As a teacher, that’s all you can ask for, because you’re trying to give him one more thing. That’s a great challenge for a coach, to give him one more thing to make him even greater than he already is.”
Reid also talked about being on Mike Holgren’s 1992 Green Bay Packers staff that included former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci and Raiders coach Jon Gruden. Reid said he and Gruden remain very close, despite the AFC West rivalry.
“What Mike did was he challenged us to come up with new things, creative, innovative things, and then he would make us battle each other to get it on the board and actually in the game plan. So it was phenomenal, what a great experience it was,” Reid said.
“I’m still very close with Gruden, even though he’s still a Raider, still very close with him as I am with (Mariucci) and we still talk about all that stuff. Jon and I, we still share ideas. He’s got an unbelievable offensive mind. He loves the game and spends a lot of time at it. When he talks, I respect what he’s saying there.”
Tirico also asked about deciding between drafting an offensive or defensive player when the Chiefs were on the clock in the first round. The Chiefs ended up grabbing Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the No. 32 pick.
“Well, we were picking way down there, which is a good thing, but not always a productive thing during the draft,” Reid said. “You’ve got to discipline yourself to take who you think is the best player at that time.
“Normally we don’t take running backs in the first round. But Clyde is sitting there and we’re going, ‘this guy is tremendous. ‘(General manager) Brett Veach, he covers each base there is 15 times over and loved this kid, and every guy he’s loved has been a good football player for us.”
There is much more in the interview, which you can see here:
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 12:38 PM.
