Tag: QB

Chiefs QB Jordan Ta’amu played as Lamar Jackson on scout team offense

Ta’amu was tasked with simulating Ravens QB Lamar Jackson for the Chiefs defense on the scout team offense.

The Kansas City Chiefs used a new player to simulate Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on the scout team offense during practice this week.

Last season, the team used DB Alex Brown to simulate the dynamic Ravens QB. Brown was a wildcat QB in high school and a very good athlete coming into the NFL. Unfortunately, Brown tore his ACL during training camp and was out for the season. The year prior the team had used former draft pick Tremon Smith, who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts.

With each of the previous two options unavailable, the Chiefs decided to use a new player, QB Jordan Ta’amu. Chiefs HC Andy Reid revealed that Ta’amu got the opportunity on Saturday. He also admitted that simulating Jackson in practice is a tough job for anyone.

“Yeah, he’s a hard one to simulate,” Reid told reporters on Saturday. “We had Jordan (Ta’amu) do it. He worked the quarterback spot this week. I mean Lamar (Jackson) is fast, good arm, see’s, understands their offense so well, you’re going to have a hard time finding somebody to just jump in, but Jordan did a nice job with it and gave our guys a look. Then, it’s important that you get out and you play. That’s what our guys are getting ready to do here in the next couple of days.”

A free-agent signing fresh off a stint in the XFL, Ta’amu was a natural fit to play the role of Jackson for Kansas City. In the XFL, Ta’amu was a dynamic player for the St. Louis BattleHawks in the same vein of Jackson with Baltimore. Ta’amu recorded the highest completion percentage in the league, completing 72% of his passes for 1,050 passing yards and five touchdowns. He also had the most rushing yards of any quarterback with 41 carries for 217 yards and a score.

Will this help the Chiefs contain a dynamic player like Jackson? As Reid said, Ta’amu gave them a look, now the team has to go out and play and stop the real thing.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes featured in Time’s 100 most influential people list

Mahomes is among the titans in the annual list from Time magazine.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is among the 100 most influential people in the world according to Time magazine.

Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people of 2020 was revealed on Tuesday night. The list is made up of the most influential groups of pioneers, artists, leaders, titans, and icons from the past year. Mahomes was one of 21 titans featured on the list, a group that includes other sports stars like Dwyane Wade and Lewis Hamilton. He’s the only NFL player featured throughout the list of 100 and one of the few athletes.

As part of being named to the list, Mahomes had a feature penned by Derek Jeter. Here’s a glimpse at what Jeter wrote about Mahomes:

“When Patrick Mahomes steps onto the football field, all eyes are drawn to him. It’s not just that his combination of athleticism, creativity and vision is fun to watch. What his play really showcases is his love of the game and the commitment he’s made to his teammates and coaches, and it’s clear that is the true foundation of his success.

That joy and loyalty drive his work ethic and the hours of practice and studying he puts in to be the best he can be. It drives his ability to stay calm, steady and focused when challenges arise, whether in the middle of the biggest game or over the course of a long season. And most important, it drives his competitive fire and strong leadership qualities, which just continue to grow.”

Jeter and the folks at Time seem to believe that Mahomes can be
“one of the most impactful athletes of his generation.” They know the incredible things that he’s already achieved as such a young player in the NFL and they’re excited to see what’s in store for him next, both on and off the field.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes approaches two career milestones ahead of Week 2

Mahomes can soon become the quickest player to 10,000 career passing yards and hit yet another passing touchdown milestone.

The growing list of career milestones for Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is tough to keep up with. In his first three seasons as a professional, he squashed age-old records and out-paced all-time greats. As he enters his fourth season in the NFL, Mahomes is rapidly approaching two more accolades.

After the Chiefs’ Week 1 win over the Houston Texans, Mahomes has 9,623 career passing yards in just 32 career games played. He needs to pass for 377 yards in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers to become the fastest player to 10,000 career passing yards.

Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner holds the current record, reaching 10,000 career passing yards in 36 games played. It’s worth noting that Mahomes has never thrown for more than 256 passing yards against the Chargers, so he might have to wait until Week 3 to hold this record.

Last season, Mahomes became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 70 career touchdown passes. Now, with a three-touchdown game against the Chargers in Week 2, he can reach another touchdown-related milestone.

Mahomes passed for three touchdowns in the teams’ season-opening win over the Texans and it became his 16th career game to do so. He’s currently tied with former Colts QB Peyton Manning and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott for the most-such games through the first four seasons of a player’s career. Mahomes needs 12 more three-touchdown performances in order to surpass former Dolphins QB Dan Marino, who holds the record with 27 three-touchdown performances in his first four seasons.

That last one might be a bit of a stretch for Mahomes as he only had five such games last season, but he can’t have every record. To have his name stamped among Hall of Famers in the NFL record books is recognition enough.

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Texas QB Sam Ehlinger expresses initial reactions to upcoming season

During media availability on Tuesday, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger voiced his opinions on the upcoming season.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger did not shy away from letting his opinions be heard on Tuesday. Continue reading “Texas QB Sam Ehlinger expresses initial reactions to upcoming season”

Texas Football: Quarterback outlook after Ehlinger era

The quarterback room at Texas is suddenly loaded with talent.

Texas went through a quarterback rut between the likes of Colt McCoy and Sam Ehlinger. Continue reading “Texas Football: Quarterback outlook after Ehlinger era”

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Former Chiefs QB Alex Smith to be ‘in the throes of’ Washington QB competition if healthy

Smith could push Haskins for the starting job in Washington if he returns from the PUP list.

The comeback tour continues for former Kansas City Chiefs starting QB Alex Smith and things are looking up.

Smith was placed on the PUP list to start training camp with the Washington Football Team. The continued progress made in his return from a devastating 2018 leg injury is nothing short of remarkable. The strides that he’s made so far has Washington HC Ron Rivera optimistic of Smth’s ability to participate in the ensuing quarterback competition. He’s crafting a plan to make the quarterback repetitions equitable if Smith is able to make his return from the PUP list.

“This could be a very interesting challenge for us because of Alex Smith,” Rivera said, via Washington Post reporter Nicki Jhabvala. “If Alex is healthy and continues to get healthy and we do activate him, he’s going to be in the throes of this competition. It’s going to unfold I think very nicely for us as a football team. This competition is only going to make you better, it’s going to push the young guys as well. So I just feel really good about what we’re going to be doing as we start going forward. It’ll be a very challenging situation to make sure everybody’s reps are equitable and their competition is the same.”

The fact that Smith has made enough progress that Rivera is preparing for his eventual return is a great sign. For anyone that saw the “Project 11” documentary on Smith’s injury and recovery, it’s nothing short of incredible that he’s been able to work himself back to where football is on the horizon.

Smith threw 205 passes for 2,180 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions prior to his injury with Washington in 2018. He added another 41 carries for 168 yards and touchdown on the ground.

Despite Smith’s previous success, he won’t simply be handed the job by Rivera and company. He’ll have to earn it in an open competition. Second-year QB Dwayne Haskins is excited to see Smith return, but he’s also excited about the challenge of competing.

“I’m excited for Alex,” Haskins said, via Jhabvala. “I hope he gets back to full 100 percent health. Whoever is in the quarterback room, I have to compete with, and even though he’s not really practicing with the offense, he’s still working hard, and even if we get to run against each other in competition and drills, I’m trying to make sure he gets me better and I get him better. We look at Alex as somebody who’s a mentor in the room that can help us every day as far as getting ready for who we’re playing each week and who we’re getting ready for next week.”

Haskins clearly has the right attitude about competing with and learning from Smith. He certainly isn’t oblivious to the fact that Smith is credited with much of the early success that current Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes had in his career. It might even be best for Haskins in the long run if Smith wins the job.

As Haskins implied, these two aren’t yet competing in a head-to-head QB competition. Smith still needs to clear the hurdle of the PUP list. From the sounds of things, we shouldn’t be waiting much longer to see Smith make his true return.

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Texas QB Sam Ehlinger selected to Manning Award watch list

For the second-straight year, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was named to the Manning Award watch list.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger continues to add to his list of preseason honors. Continue reading “Texas QB Sam Ehlinger selected to Manning Award watch list”

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes practices behind-the-back throw

Next up in Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ arsenal: The behind-the-back throw.

The next crazy throw in Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ bag of tricks has been revealed.

We’ve seen him break out the no-look pass, the left-handed toss, the sidearm throws and everything in-between. What we haven’t yet seen is the highly-touted behind-the-back pass. We knew that it was in his arsenal when he toyed around with the throw during the 2019 training camp, but it looked unrefined. It certainly didn’t look like something that he could do successfully on gameday.

He practiced it as the season went on and ahead of the Super Bowl, NFL Network’s James Palmer polled some of his teammates about the throw.

“[Mahomes] tries it all the time because he keeps lobbying for coach Reid to put it in the system,” Chiefs QB Chad Henne said. “He tells coach Reid, ‘I can option this way and then throw it back this way’, and I’m like, ‘Ahhh, let’s just take care of the ball.'”

“He can get it downfield a good 20 yards and he’s pretty accurate, too, honestly,” Chiefs WR Demarcus Robinson said.

Now during the 2020 offseason, Mahomes is practicing the behind-the-back pass again during his offseason training. It has certainly improved since 2019 training camp and is looking as sharp as it ever has.

While this play might not yet be installed in the Chiefs’ offense, the guiding philosophy that Reid and Mahomes have lived by since Mahomes entered the league is, “Nothing’s impossible until we make it impossible.”

Could we perhaps see Mahomes break out the behind-the-back throw this season?

Don’t count it out.

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7 things we learned from Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ GQ magazine feature

What did we learn about Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes from his feature in August’s issue of GQ magazine?

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is set to be featured on the cover of GQ magazine next month. An expanded, digital version of the profile GQ did on Mahomes has already made it online. Below you’ll find a quick look at some of the things we learned from Mahomes by way of GQ staff writer Clay Skipper.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

What Mahomes said to Roger Goodell following the BLM video

“During his chat with the commissioner, Mahomes says, Goodell was curious about the young quarterback’s perspective and about what he wanted to see and do going forward. Mahomes explained that he wants to draw attention to voter-registration efforts: ‘Helping young adults, but especially the Black community, get registered to vote. It’s the first step.'”

Following the viral Black Lives Matter video that Mahomes was featured in, he spoke with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Up until now the content of their conversation was privileged. It sounds like Goodell genuinely wanted insight and ideas from a player that many see as the new face of the NFL. In addition to talking about voter registration efforts, Mahomes and Goodell talked about the league adding a “social-justice officer” whose goal is to help players become more successful in their social activism efforts.

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How has Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ extension impacted the rest of the NFL?

A lot of quarterbacks are very happy after Mahomes’ big deal with the Chiefs.

The 10-year $503 million dollar extension signed by Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has an impact beyond the scope of one team. Look around the league and Mahomes’ contract has caused a shockwave of chatter, especially when it comes to other star quarterbacks across the NFL.

Many are lauding the decision of Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, who signed his franchise tag this year and is due for a big payday soon. He bought time for Mahomes to sign his monster deal and now the expectations is that he’ll reap the rewards — or will he? K.D. Drummond at Cowboys Wire seems to think that Prescott will look to take a much shorter contract, totaling four years and $144 million.

Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are questioning whether they’ll be able to agree to a deal with Deshaun Watson, who emerged from 2017 draft class alongside Mahomes. There’s a bit of bad blood in Houston after Bill O’Brien traded away Watson’s main weapon in DeAndre Hopkins. According to Mark Lane at Texans Wire, the most recent word out of Houston came from O’Brien on April 17 when he said contract extensions, “take time.” Profound stuff there, coach. Now, you’re late to the party and things could be even trickier negotiating with Watson.

The Chicago Bears are pulling their hair out over the choice to draft Mitchell Trubisky instead of Mahomes. They added Nick Foles this past offseason to compete with Trubisky and hopefully push him in the right direction. Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire is wondering what it would have been like had the Bears drafted Mahomes. Instead of being disappointed over something out of her control, she’s staying optimistic, hoping that Chicago will somehow be better off for passing over Mahomes.

The Buffalo Bills traded away pick No. 10, which was used by the Chiefs to draft Mahomes in 2017 — they’re not crying many tears. They grabbed one of the top corners in the NFL in Tre’Davious White and a year later added starting QB Josh Allen. According to Bills Wire’s Nick Wjolton, by comparison, Buffalo came out better than any other team that passed over Mahomes. That’s fair, but they still missed out on a generational talent. Now, they might have to fork out top dollar to Allen instead.

The one team that could potentially have the next half-billion-dollar quarterback is the Baltimore Ravens. In terms of accolades, Lamar Jackson has the league MVP to hang his hat on, but he doesn’t have the Super Bowl title. Matthew Stevens of Ravens Wire believes that Mahomes’ deal could provide a framework for a deal between Baltimore and Jackson. No matter what it’s going to put some heat on the Ravens when it comes time to pay their star quarterback.

The Arizona Cardinals are led by Mahomes’ former college coach Kliff Kingsbury. They’re also quarterbacked by 2019’s No. 1 overall draft pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year, Kyler Murray. Murray is only one year into his rookie contract, but Cards Wire’s Jess Root also believes Mahomes’ contract could serve as a blueprint for Murray down the line.

The Miami Dolphins only just got Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft, who they hope will eventually turn into a franchise player. Longtime Miami aficionado, Dolphins Wire’s Kyle Crabbs, is praying that one day the team will be able to hand out a contract like the one Mahomes just signed. In fact, he says the team would be lucky to do so. Why? Because that will mean the days of suffering as a Dolphins fan will be over. That’s something that Chiefs fans can absolutely relate to.

Other teams with established quarterbacks who’ve already signed deals, like the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams, they can only watch their quarterbacks slide down the list of top-paid quarterbacks. What’s been made clear is that no matter if you have a quarterback ripe for an extension or one that’s already locked up with a contract, Mahomes’ deal has moved the needle somehow for those players. For many of them, the deal has the potential to influence their own financial future and the financial futures of their teams.

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