Kansas City Chiefs Have The Secret Sauce For Winning It All Again
The offseason filled with trips to the White House and Wimbledon, to Taylor Swift concerts abroad and ring ceremonies at home, and, yes, arrests and other drama, including a heart attack in a meeting room, is over for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The team that won its third Super Bowl in five years and followed with an offseason filled with shenanigans is moving on. We saw that Tuesday when players reported to training camp.
Jul 5, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany Mahomes in attendance for the Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Frances Tiafoe of the United States (both not shown) match on day five of The Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Chiefs Training Camp Begins
The Chiefs had rookies (and some veterans) report to training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo.
And the message that sends is clear:
The Chiefs have turned the page on last season and the offseason, and it's on to the 2024 season.
And, yes, winning another Super Bowl.
"I think for us, it’s just we’re back in St. Joe, it’s time to get better," quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters. "Every season starts different, you’ve got to come in with that same mentality you had the year before, even a higher intensity.
"Even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn’t play our best football, especially offensively, so it’s our goal to be better that way, and we’ve got to come with that mentality every single day."
Here's some bad news for the NFL:
The Chiefs won it all last season. But they weren't happy how they got there. They struggled during an 11-6 regular season before finding their rhythm in the postseason.
And while veterans want a repeat of the end result, they don't want to retrace the steps that led them there.
Washington, DC - June 5 : President Joe Biden is presented a jersey from Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Tight End Travis Kelce as he welcomes the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate their win of the Super Bowl LVII, at the White House on Monday, June 05, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Mahomes: Super Bowl Great, Getting There Not
"Obviously the end result was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth because we really didn’t play football the way we wanted to play all year long and it wasn’t fun," Mahomes said. "Every single week, having to try to just continue to get better and better and the results not paying off the way you want it to – it wasn’t a lot of fun.
"And we have a lot of those same guys back, and they know how that felt, and so we’re going to try and prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season and, obviously, try to end with the same result."
And here's the secret sauce of how the Chiefs can do that:
Patrick Mahomes is awesome. Well, that's part of it.
Firstly, he is gifted and can do things most quarterbacks do not – especially in crucial downs, during crucial games.
But what makes Mahomes simply better than a lot of equally gifted players is he is never satisfied with winning. The guy is a championship glutton.
So he's won back-to-back Super Bowls. And he wants more. And more. And more.
Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mahomes Remains Hungry For Titles
That means the Mahomes who reported to camp on Tuesday isn't in any way satisfied with his past accomplishments. And that makes him dangerous.
"You experience the offseason of being able to say you’re the champ, and you experience all the different things and activities you’re able to do because you’re a Super Bowl champ, and you experience the feeling of just winning the Super Bowl," Mahomes said.
"For us – I’ll speak for myself – I mean, when you don’t win it now, it sucks because you know what it could be like if you were to go out there and win it."
Coach Andy Reid loves this. Of course, he'll tell his team this is a new season. Every coach says that.
But Reid knows his best players, starting with Mahomes, embrace that thinking. No one is resting on laurels. No one is satisfied with a Super Bowl title. Or three.
So when Reid tells the team to forget what they accomplished in the past, it doesn't ring hollow for these guys. They actually forget.
And then they work to achieve new accomplishments as if it was their first time.
Mar 14, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches the game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Reid Message Rings True For Chiefs
"I think we all know, in the NFL, every year is its own year," Reid said. "We’ve said that every year along the way here. You have to stay on top of your game, you have to practice, you have to go through this camp and be in condition so you can perform well - mentally and physically - once the games come around.
"It all starts from scratch and happens all over. We talked about it in the offseason and I think the guys will be ready to go."
"The one great thing about Patrick is he is always going to work on his game, and then he always wants more. As coaches, you can’t ask for more than that."
That sort of mindset also applies to Chiefs cornerstones such as Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and several others.
"That’s what the great players do, they want you to dig in as a coach and find something, give me something here that can help me become better than what I am," Reid said.
That's what the Chiefs are doing now. That's what they are now:
A defending Super Bowl champion that wants to get better.