Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Chiefs change mindset, showcase the deep ball
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes II was poised to enter his first NFL game, the butterflies no doubt waltzing in his stomach, when Andy Reid sauntered over and asked him about the first play he would call.
It was the first play that starter Alex Smith and backup Tyler Bray had run, both of them hitting a deep ball down the sideline.
Smith's throw to Tyreek Hill helped to set up a touchdown in Friday night's game against San Francisco, while Bray's 83-yard touchdown throw was called back by a penalty.
With success like that, how could Mahomes argue?
So the No. 10 overall draft pick trotted out to the huddle, called the same play and looked for his wide receiver down the right sideline.
And while a bit underthrown — nerves, perhaps — the throw likewise went for a long completion, only to be negated by a holding penalty.
"Coach Reid actually asked if I liked it, from what I'd seen from the other quarterbacks," said Mahomes, who performed so well in his preseason debut that he moved past Bray on the depth chart when practices resumed Sunday. "They both completed theirs, so I thought it was a good idea."
Now, the upshot of three long throws by three different quarterbacks isn't a whole lot. This was still a relatively meaningless preseason game, one played primarily by backups with little hope of making the roster.
There are a multitude of reasons for the Chiefs' failure to force the ball downfield, starting with personnel.
Smith is hardly known for his big arm, and his playing style lends itself to checkdowns and a more conservative batch of throws, rather than deep shots into heavy coverage.
His wide receiver group was also incapable of creating the kind of separation needed to complete those long throws. Jeremy Maclin was slowed by an injury much of the season, speedster Tyreek Hill was a rookie finding his way, and the rest of the group offered little in downfield threats.