Andy Reid says Patrick Mahomes needs to 'keep on cranking' towards perfection

Patrick Mahomes is only 27, yet he already owns two Super Bowl rings and a couple of NFL MVP trophies. As the QB heads into training camp, how do you improve on perfection?

OK, maybe perfection is too strong of a word to describe Mahomes’ level of play. But he’s reached the ultimate goals not once, but twice. The minimum goal is to stay there, maybe win a Super Bowl by more than a field goal, right?

“With quarterbacks, the work’s never done,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said this week in a pre-training camp press conference. “I’ve mentioned it before, it’s like being a farmer. You just keep on cranking. And we’re always trying to give him new challenges with things. And he loves that and loves to attack those types of things. So, that’s where it’s at.”

Reid added: “but there are always things to work on. Fundamentally, there’s things to work on. He spends a tremendous amount of time at that. He puts a lot of effort into it. And, obviously, the new plays.”

Yes, those new plays. Reid is an ace at creating them. And Patrick Mahomes and his offensive teammates love to pitch ideas. That’s how the Chiefs came up with the “Ring around the Rosie” play. They used it against the Raiders to finish the last week of the 2022 regular season. The 11 offensive guys spun in a circle rather than huddling. Then the Chiefs lined up in the wildcat formation. What looked like an option ended up being a throw back to Mahomes, who tossed the ball to the end zone.

Patrick Mahomes definitely has turned out to be the perfect quarterback for Kansas City. Since his first year as a starter, Mahomes has helped lead the Chiefs to five straight AFC title games, all played at Arrowhead Stadium. Plus, the Chiefs have qualified for three of the past four Super Bowls, winning two of them.

If Mahomes wins another Lombardi Trophy, he’d join an elite club of quarterbacks who have won more than two. They are Tom Brady (seven), Joe Montana (four), Terry Bradshaw (four) and Troy Aikman (three). He’s the only one still playing.

So there are reasons to keep improving, to push past status quo.

“I mean, he has a new way to challenge me, it seems like, every day,” Patrick Mahomes told the Kansas City Star. “I always feel like I kind of mastered the offense. (And) I feel like I kind of know what he’s thinking at all times.

“Then he’ll throw a little curveball for me. And I think that’s what makes him such a great coach is he continues to challenge everybody, not just me … He doesn’t let you be satisfied with where you’re at.”