The Chiefs head coach was pretty unphased by Mahomes' latest magic trick.
There are some coaches with whom the amount of playfulness must be carefully measured, whose approach is so strict and stern that players have to decide if it's worth the likely punishment or response to engaging in some level of tomfoolery in the locker room or even going off-script in a game.
Andy Reid is not such a head coach.
Reid, long known as a "player's coach" in the NFL, is a firm believer in allowing players to be themselves in the locker room and to remember to have fun even as they go about their business. That sort of freedom and positive culture could be felt on Saturday during the Kansas City Chiefs' preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
Despite the loss to Detroit and the varied performances of different players on both sides of the ball, the only thing that had anyone talking after the game on a national level was quarterback Patrick Mahomes' behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce. Yes, you read that right. He threw a behind-the-back pass.
The ensuing response was overwhelming on social media with people effusive in their praise for Mahomes and/or expressing their shock at the guts to go for it—even in a preseason game. The fact that it was a completed pass for positive yards only made for a greater highlight.
After the game, Reid was asked by reporters about the pass itself and how he felt about it. It's here that some coaches would come back with a dismissive response, but Reid's culture is different. In fact, it's clear he doesn't really care at all.
"Listen, they do it in basketball every game. Several times in every game. So it’s not that big of a deal. Behind the back," said Reid. When asked whether or not he'd seen it before in an actual game, Reid paused and then said, "I don’t think I have but I see it every day in practice."
Clearly winning cures a lot of ills and the Chiefs are riding the good vibes of an NFL dynasty. A lot of things will be allowed as long as a team is reeling off consecutive Super Bowl wins. However, it's also true that Mahomes has broken the mold of quarterback ideals in many ways and Reid recognizes that allowing his star QB to do his thing is best for the player, team, and the sport.
