KANSAS CITY, Mo. A mind-meld between Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes was engaged from their first meeting, before the NFL draft in 2017. And what the offensive mastermind and his revolutionary disciple have conjured together since could leave you wondering where one imagination ends and the other begins.
Or even if theyre now, say, completing each others sentences.
Its funny you say that, Reid said with a chuckle Monday in a conversation with The Star. He knows me better; I know him better. He can about call the play before I call it.
More specifically, as they emerged from a quarterback meeting the previous Friday, Reid began to say something to Mahomes that he recalled wasnt even related to football.
Just then, Mahomes uttered the very words for which Reid was reaching.
Exactly the same, said Reid, re-enacting the moment with a playful recoil and turn of the head. I go, Wait a minute.
Which happens to be the right term to provide anyone shallow enough to think the reduction in Mahomes statistical output this season is an indication of some sort of regression.
Wait a minute: Mahomes is a better quarterback in virtually every way, and no one understands the substance and nuances and alignment of that better than Reid.
Yes, he went from throwing for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in 2018 to throwing for 4,031 and 26 in 2019.
But lets step back and put that in context, starting with the text Reid sent Mahomes after the Chiefs beat the Chargers, 31-21, in the regular-season finale last Sunday.
I just go, For you to be able to have back-to-back seasons like you have, I mean, thats a sign of being a tremendous football player, Reid remembered writing to Mahomes. Because these great defensive minds have had a whole offseason to study you.
Its one thing when youre fast onto the picture, and guys are scrambling to put a game-plan together. (But) this is now. Youve been tested here with time and effort by these great minds (trying) to stop you. And youve answered that, right?
In fact, there are ample other answers to any questions the diminished numbers and even stylistic tweaks might evoke.
First, the statistical baseline was fundamentally altered when Mahomes missed two and a half games with a mangled knee (OK, dislocated kneecap) that could have had season-ending implications. He also was impaired much of the first half of the season with ankle issues, at times affecting the range and scope of plays Reid called.
Beyond that, his injury-riddled offensive line was in flux much of the season. And the broader capacity of the offense at times was hampered by injuries to star receiver Tyreek Hill (out four games) and starting running back Damien Williams (five games), among others.
