Patrick Mahomes has already accomplished more than most quarterbacks do in their entire careers, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. At only 27 years old, the former NFL MVP continues to refine his repertoire under his Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff.
Chiefs quarterback coach Matt Nagy returned to the team this offseason after several seasons as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. He was with Mahomes during his rookie season in 2017 and has seen growth in his skill set since.
One thing that Mahomes has always been good at is making plays out of the structure of the offense. Nagy shared his thoughts on Mahomes’ uncanny ability to make spectacular plays outside the pocket during Thursday’s press conference.
“No, that’s always been him from the whole way back to Texas Tech.” Said Nagy. “I mean, he was doing that there, so defensive coordinators – I know because I was a part of it – and I heard them talk that they do get scared to death when he’s outside of the pocket because he just makes so many plays happen, and he’s comfortable being outside the pocket.”
Mahomes has been known for his highlight plays outside of the pocket, but he’s shown improvement in his ability to hang in the pocket since Nagy last worked with him as a rookie. That’s something that the Chiefs’ QB coach is really pleased with.
“Inside the pocket is where he’s grown, and he’s doing great with his feet, his timing, getting his timing down with the routes and concepts of these new receivers,” said Nagy. “That I love too. We work on that every day, and there’s some games this year that he’s had where he’s been really good with ball security, pushing up, pushing out, but his eyes are staying second third level. They’re not going to the D-line, and that’s not easy to do. So, there’s a little part of this game that he’s really doing great with. Again, the beauty of Patrick Mahomes is he always wants to get better every single day. He does not take a day off, and that’s what I love most about him.”
We saw Mahomes manipulating the pocket last week against the Raiders, stepping up behind his interior offensive line and delivering strikes all over the field. The ability to be effective both inside and outside of the pocket opens up more possibilities for the team’s passing offense in the future. His commitment to improvement is one of the things that will make him one of the all-time greats at the position.
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