09-07-2024, 04:30 PM
(09-07-2024, 03:14 PM)samhain Wrote: Mahomes is better than we as "rival" fans want to admit. He does things that coaches discourage in quarterbacks from youth football all the way to the pros. The difference is that he gets away with it. He's better off-script than any quarterback, possibly ever.
That said, I think Mahomes without Reid would be a bit of a different trajectory. Reid has honed his methods for decades. His system leans a lot on TEs. His textbook role-player RBs are 7th rounders or scrap heap vets like McKinnon. Their skill sets are pass pro and getting yards from dump passes.
What I'm trying to say is, the Reid system is quarterback friendly. It can cover up a lot of warts in a lesser player or a young guy finding his way. It can thrive with or without elite receivers. He's got a real ability to imprint on his players, his qbs in particular.
Mahomes wasn't considered generational as a prospect. Reid knew what he had and did a lot right in his cultivation. He didn't rush him. I think that the system insulated him early but took on a whole new look the more he matured. He wasn't necessarily leaned on early, but once they lost key weapons he was elite enough to get by.
Brady was not a similar player, but his growth was similarly gradual. His team was already built around him and not necessarily with him in mind. Great run game, elite defense.
Most teams don't have these luxuries. If you draft a qb early, you probably have a newer coach and system. Your roster is not likely to be very strong. As was the case with Joe.
This offense has never been quarterback friendly. The line was an issue for a long time. The run game was not respected or even developed to any real degree. We cycle qbs like fantasy baseball pitchers; all with the idea that 9 will elevate them. They aren't here to help Joe. They come here so Joe can inflate their stats and get them paid elsewhere. Again, demand something out of him rather than doing something to help him.
Our running backs have been questionable in pass pro, particularly last year. Perine leaving was unsustainable. Mixon was an awful protector. It's not expensive to get a pass blocking 3rd down back. They are not Ja'Marr wanting 35 mil a year. They are McKinnon making a mil. That was malpractice on every level.
Reid has won with many QBs, I agree that Mahomes isnt the same QB if he didnt start off with Big Andy.
