October 22, 2016.
The atmosphere was electric.
Jones ATT stadium.
Lubbock, Texas.
The Oklahoma Sooners against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The final score: Oklahoma – 66; Texas Tech – 59.
The game would set NCAA records for most offense in a single
football game with 1,708 offensive yards. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield took
responsibility for 545 yards, while the Texas Tech QB would be responsible for
734. One of those touchdowns would be the result of a 22 yard run by the same QB,
by the name of Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes was then drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL
draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, introducing a new kind of quarterback and
ushering in what fans hope to be a new era of Chiefs football.
Mahomes spent the 2017 season under the tutelage of Chiefs’
starting QB Alex Smith. During the 2018 off-season Smith was traded to the
Washington Red Skins and the time has come for Mahomes to take the reins of
what promises to be the most explosive offense for the Chiefs. Mahomes has been
compared to such greats as Brett Favre.
You need only look as far as that electrifying match on
October 22, 2016 to know why.
- - - Mahomes: "The Texas Gunslinger" here - - -
In my most humble opinion, Mahomes is not a game manager as
much as he is a high-strung and an extremely competitive gunslinger. If the
Chiefs were to try and turn Mahomes into a game manager, he will not survive.
I believe to get the most out of Mahomes, coaches just need
to let go of the reins, and let him do what he does - be a mad bomber, a gunslinger.
The Chiefs need to build an offense around Mahomes that plays to his strengths.
With such targets as Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Chris Conley,
it appears the Chiefs have done just that.
It needs to be understood and even embraced, that a rookie
gunslinger is going to make mistakes, he is going to throw interceptions, but
he will also make passes that will leave you scratching your head and wondering
afterwards just how in the world he managed to do it.
Fun fact: The Cleveland
Browns have already stated that Tyrod Taylor will be their starting QB for the
2018 season, while first round draft pick Baker Mayfield will remain as second
string. The Chiefs travel to Cleveland in November, but it is highly unlikely
that there will be a Mahomes/Mayfield rematch, but if that were to happen, it
would not be a game to miss, and I can assure you.
