It's not the first time that Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid has had a chance to groom a young quarterback on a roster.
Reid had the chance to groom Donovan McNabb when he was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles. Of course, McNabb was drafted by the Eagles in 1999 and went on to lead them to the Super Bowl in 2004 just five years after being drafted.
Reid has yet another opportunity to groom a young quarterback - former Texas Tech gunslinger Patrick Mahomes, who was the Chiefs' first-round draft pick this year. But, in an effort to mold the young QB into what the coach wants, he may have to break Patrick down. But, can it be done?
"He's very calm and you can't break him down," Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. "So, coach gets after him now. And, every once in a while, I'll be looking out the corner of my eyes seeing if he's starting to break down. But, he's doing great. And, you know, as of now, he's pretty unbreakable. But, we'll see how that goes as his test goes on."
Reid feels he's not necessarily trying to break him down, but simply train him for what lies ahead in the NFL.
"I'm not sure there's a breaking point. I mean, that's not what we're trying to get to," Reid said. "We're trying to make sure that right here is like a vault man. And, that it is strong and sturdy. And, you've got all the knowledge in it. Then you can go play."
For now, Patrick seems to be taking everything in stride at Chiefs training camp at Missouri Western State University. It won't be long before opposing defenses will try to break him down. He knows everything is a process and just wants to continue learning and growing.
"[I'm] just trying to get better every single day," Mahomes said. "I'm gonna come out there and work as hard as I can. You get mental reps. You get physical reps, just whatever I can do to get better every single day."
