Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid discuss how they avoid complacency coming off a Super Bowl championship.
Two Super Bowl championships, two league MVPs, two first-team All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl selections — these are just a few of the career accolades already accomplished by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
One might believe that success of this magnitude would constitute some level of complacency — accomplishing in five years as a starter what most will never get close to over an entire career. That’s not the case for Mahomes, however, as the superstar quarterback’s desire for greatness motivates him to be even better than his already legendary resume illustrates.
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“It makes me even more motivated,” Mahomes told reporters via Zoom on Monday. “I mean you can see where you can get to. You can see that obviously winning a Super Bowl is so hard to do, but once you’re able to do it multiple times, you see that it’s obtainable to go out there and get more.”
Mahomes is coming off yet another spectacular year in which he led the Chiefs to their third Super Bowl victory in franchise history. He was the league’s leading passer, finishing the regular season with a career-high 5,250 yards and throwing for 41 touchdowns. Adding his 358 rushing yards into the mix, Mahomes broke Drew Brees’ record for most total yards in a season en route to his second NFL MVP. Figuring out a way to top such a historic season would be unimaginable for most, yet Mahomes finds motivation in embracing that challenge.
“For me, understanding that it’s going to be a challenge every year,” Mahomes said. “Every year is a new year. We have to keep getting better and better, but the motivation is to continue to try to do whatever you can to get back and win that game.”
Kansas City head coach Andy Reid echoed his quarterback’s sentiment. In 10 years with the Chiefs, Reid has led the team to a total regular season record of 117-45 — as well seven straight AFC West Divisional titles. With 23 years of head coaching prowess under his belt, Reid avoids complacency by finding joy in the highs and lows of the championship journey.
“Nothing that’s really good comes easy (and) we know that,” Reid said during his Zoom presser. “There’s a lot of highs and lows, there are more games determined by seven points, you know, a score or less. So you’ve got to make sure that you go through the process and do the hard work and build a foundation (and) all those things become super important, as they are every year.”
As for the secret to his success, Reid’s recipe for sustained excellence is simple: emphasize the importance of the process, put in the work, and occasionally, have a pinch of luck come your way.
“The main thing is you don’t cheat that, don’t cheat the process, and so that’s kind of — if I’m sticking to one thing, I’d tell you it’s that,” Reid highlighted. “Do you have to have a few breaks in there? Absolutely, but don’t skip the work.”
Source: arrowheadpride.com
