The fascinating potential and unrealistic pressure awaiting Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes

[Hammock Parties]

Ghost written by Baby Lee.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy

The act of burning a jersey is silly, usually petty, and almost always a cry for attention.

After an(other) excruciating playoff loss, at least one Chiefs fan did that with an Alex Smith jersey, and because this is the 21st century, he shared the video on social media. The message is unclear.

Maybe he is blaming the quarterback with the league’s highest passer rating and most success on downfield passes this season for the disappointment. Maybe he’s blaming the quarterback who threw two touchdowns and no interceptions for a loss in which the play calling, receivers, tackling, scheme, health, kicker and, yes, officials all weren’t good enough.

Maybe this is an intended metaphor about a new beginning, with a new quarterback.

Whatever. Doesn’t matter, other than serving as an anecdotal example to open a column making a point I’ve been thinking about for months:

Bless his heart, Patrick Mahomes should know what’s coming.

Smith just played the season of his professional life, one that Mahomes is unlikely to match next year, and has thrown nine touchdowns and two interceptions in five playoff games in Kansas City. And a lot of us can’t wait to get rid of him. At least one of us burned his jersey. This is so weird.

Look, the Chiefs will likely trade Smith. That’s the smart move, anyway, because Mahomes is freakishly talented, showed well in his spot start in Denver, and the team around him could be improved with the $17 million in cap space and draft capital gained in trading Smith.

Assuming that happens, Mahomes will be the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018 and begin his career with more pressure and higher expectations than any athlete in the history of Kansas City sports, with the possible exception of Alex Gordon.

Chiefs fans have been waiting decades for Mahomes. That is not hyperbole. The year he was born the Chiefs won the AFC West with a former 49ers backup and lost their first playoff game, at home, atrociously.

Even back then, many fans were tired of someone else’s backup proving just good enough to lose in the playoffs. Even back then, many fans thought the Chiefs had gone too long without drafting and developing their own quarterback. Even back then, many fans wanted something fresh.

That was 22 years ago.

The Chiefs just won the AFC West with a former 49ers backup and lost their first playoff game, at home, atrociously. The story hasn’t changed so much as it’s gone from molehill to mountain, snowball to boulder.

Dreams of someone exactly like Mahomes are older than Mahomes. Babies have been raised by parents complaining about the Chiefs not drafting their own quarterback. Some of those babies have now graduated college, bought homes, become doctors.

All of those hopes and complaints will now land on Mahomes, who spent much of last year’s training camp learning how to take a snap from under center.

Assuming Smith is traded, and assuming coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach use the flexibility to improve the roster, Mahomes will be surrounded by the most complete team the Chiefs are capable of employing.

We can talk as much as we want about “growing pains” and “learning curves,” but the downsides always sound better in theory than they feel in practice.

In 2012, many Chiefs fans told themselves they just wanted their team to not stink. Five years after that, many of us don’t care about that. It’s about the playoffs now.

For decades, Royals fans told themselves they just wanted their team to be competitive. Two years after a parade, many are already lamenting a rebuild. Mike Sweeney was once the most popular athlete in town, other than Tony Gonzalez. The contract extension he signed to say in Kansas City was still fresh when he started hearing boos at home games.

None of this makes Kansas City fans mean, unfair, unique, or even rare. Just makes us fans.

When I first started thinking about all of this, I had in my head that Kansas City is particularly tough on quarterbacks. But with more consideration, I don’t think that’s true. Lots of places are tough on quarterbacks — Cleveland and Washington and Chicago and Philadelphia and New York and even New England, where just two years ago some wanted Tom Brady out.

“It’s just part of being in one of those 32 jobs,” said Trent Green, who spent six years with the Chiefs and a total of five more in Washington, St. Louis, and Miami. “The team means so much to the city here. That was something as a player that I consciously thought about. You can affect the mood of the city by the way you play and perform. If the Chiefs have a bad day, you can tell, just going around town. They’re going to act differently.”

Kansas City has a different view on quarterbacks, because the Chiefs went so long without drafting one.

Not just that, but Chiefs fans watched one rival win Super Bowls with a homegrown Hall of Famer quarterback who then became GM and convinced another Hall of Fame quarterback to win a Super Bowl there. The Chiefs’ other rival once went to the Super Bowl with the quarterback the Chiefs dumped for Elvis Grbac.

That can’t help but harden you as a fan, in some ways.

This is a lot to take on. Mahomes is 22. This could’ve been his senior year at Texas Tech. Anyone in his recruiting class who redshirted will play college football next season, too.

He’s inexperienced, even when compared to other quarterbacks his age. He was a baseball player growing up, so his summers were about repeating the mechanics on his fastball, not doing the camps and watching the film and competing in 7-on-7 tournaments like most who eventually make the NFL. He didn’t play football full-time until his sophomore year at Tech.

Look, if we’re taking roll on who’s been caught up in and contributed to Mahomes hype, I stand before you today first in line with my hand pointed to the sky.

His talent and potential are so much of why sports have had my heart all my life. He did nothing to temper my excitement in that win at Denver. He had the bad interception, and was bothered more by blitzes than I thought watching live, but made at least six completions that simply cannot be taught and haven’t been made by a Chiefs quarterback since ever.

This is why I believe this is important, at least relative to the silliness of sports. It’s not just the jersey burners. As Reid might say, We all have a piece of this, ‘k?

Mahomes really might be a star. But it is nearly impossible for him to statistically match the season Smith just had, and the same way the Chiefs’ lack of playoff success these past five years are about more than Smith, fixing what’s missing is about much more than Mahomes.

[crayzkirk]

I'm going to temper my expectations. Other first year QBs that had rocky starts include Elway, Aikman, Manning, Rodgers, Favre, etc. I'm so excited for the 2018 Chiefs that I feel like a kid on Christmas. One good thing is that if the Chiefs do really bad, they can draft better. Especially in today's NFL, high draft picks don't cost like they used to. Constantly drafting in the high 20s means that a lot of talent goes to other teams. Need a good BIG WR and someone that will remain healthy to help Houston on the other side.

He may be great and he might flame out. I'm just so happy we don't have another lather, rinse and repeat process of trying to win with someone else's expendable QB. The most important position on the field isn't something that a lot of teams simply give away.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

Did you watch his debut? He threw a horribly overthrown ball that was picked and made an awful decision that could have easily been another. That's not going to just magically disappear.

Childish.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

Did you watch his debut? He threw a horribly overthrown ball that was picked and made an awful decision that could have easily been another. That's not going to just magically disappear.

When was that? It certainly wasn't the pass to Harris on the last drive.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Nope. A #1 WR doesn't drop half the balls thrown his way in the playoffs.

The guy just put up WR1 #’s in year two with a QB that struggles to get the ball to his wideouts consistently. You’re a ****ing moron. Congratulations.

Also, half he balls thrown his way were dropped? That’s definitely bullshit considering he still finished with 7 catches for 87 yards.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

Did you watch his debut? He threw a horribly overthrown ball that was picked and made an awful decision that could have easily been another. That's not going to just magically disappear.

10 degree weather which he has never played in before. Good experience for him all the way around, including the negative stuff.

[Sassy Squatch]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

Childish.

Realistic. You all seem to have painted Mahomes as some god of football that's going to lead us to the promised land instantly. That's just not going to be the case, most likely.

[KINGPIN CHIEFS FAN]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

Did you watch his debut? He threw a horribly overthrown ball that was picked and made an awful decision that could have easily been another. That's not going to just magically disappear.

It will improve immensely once he gets a full summer to work with the starters. He did fantastic in his first start in frigid weather and playing with backups. Wait until September gets here and he's playing in 80 degree weather and has the first string offense to work with.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

Realistic. You all seem to have painted Mahomes as some god of football that's going to lead us to the promised land instantly. That's just not going to be the case, most likely.

If the Chiefs can't fix their defense, Mahomes could throw for 5,000 yards and they would likely end up 7-9 or worse.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

If the Chiefs can't fix their defense, Mahomes could throw for 5,000 yards and they would likely end up 7-9 or worse.

The defense is already fixed.

They allowed 18.3 PPG over the last eight games.

We're going to add two or three new starters and start face-raping people.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

If the Chiefs can't fix their defense, Mahomes could throw for 5,000 yards and they would likely end up 7-9 or worse.

We could have in the neighborhood of $40,000000 to $50,000,000 to make some changes. Smith, DJ, Hali, and a few others who have been listed here. Plus a few draft picks. If we can't improve the defense, Veach may not be the man for the job of GM.

[Sassy Squatch]

Originally Posted by KINGPIN CHIEFS FAN

It will improve immensely once he gets a full summer to work with the starters. He did fantastic in his first start in frigid weather and playing with backups. Wait until September gets here and he's playing in 80 degree weather and has the first string offense to work with.

Yes, all things considered his debut was good. I'm not going to act like it was perfect. There's room for improvement. Luckily, Mahomes seems like the type of person and player who will flourish when given the proper tutelage.

[RippedmyFlesh]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Home field advantage would have been awesome. We could have lost to New England, Pittsburgh, or Jacksonville this weekend instead.

The season would have lasted another week at least.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Originally Posted by notorious

People need to temper their expectations for a while. He is going to show flashes of brilliance and failure. Let him grow into the job.

He'll throw for 4000 next year.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

The defense is already fixed.

They allowed 18.3 PPG over the last eight games.

We're going to add two or three new starters and start face-raping people.

We desperately need a pass rush from someone not named Justin Houston or Chris Jones.

[Rausch]

He won't be Alex, that's for sure...