Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes is confident about training camp

Members of the Kansas City Chiefs arrived at training camp on Sunday, and Patrick Mahomes seems confident about his second year in St. Joe.

The Kansas City Chiefs are finally beginning training camp and the season is almost here. Coaches, quarterbacks, and rookies all reported to St. Joseph on Sunday while most of the veterans will arrive later in the week. Training camp will be open to the public on July 26.

The hype train has been through the roof this offseason surrounding new starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The shiny new toy that fans are raving about is finally getting his chance to command the offense. As fans are finding themselves in new waters with the Chiefs finally developing their own guy, it’s hard not to be excited.

Patrick Mahomes is also excited to get going in 2018 as he reported to training camp on Sunday. Sitting behind veteran quarterback Alex Smith for the 2017 season, Mahomes finally gets his shot. Unlike most first-year starters, Mahomes has been through the training camp process and had a better understanding of the NFL.

When speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mahomes talked about what he expects from training camp and how he feels being “the guy” in 2018. While some are wanting the hype train to slow down, it doesn’t seem to phase the young gunslinger one bit. He’s ready to get out there on the field and get better with his teammates.

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"“It’s exciting to know that you’re going to get the majority of the reps, you’re going to get to really work on your game. It’s something you dream of as a little kid. So, for me, this is the start of the new season. You really get to come here and work with the guys and just build that relationship and that bond.”"

While it’s his first time being the starting quarterback at training camp, Mahomes talked about what prepared him from last year entering this training camp. Having that experience whether it be in camp or working with Alex Smith throughout the season puts him ahead of the game.

"“I think being through the process of an entire season. I mean, you came in this last season and you didn’t necessarily know what to expect. You just kind of came in with your college and what you did in college but not knowing how NFL training camp works. Being through the whole entire process, I know what to expect so I’m excited to just kind of go out there and utilize that knowledge and to get better.”"

Entering his first season as the starter, Mahomes had plenty of time to learn from Alex Smith about the entire NFL season. Learning to watch the film in the NFL, learning from mistakes, and the general understanding of what it takes to be a successful quarterback in today’s league.

Last week Mahomes talked at the National Fantasy Football Convention about what he learned last season. He complimented Alex Smith for everything he learned as a rookie. He continued to talk about the most valuable knowledge he took away from working with Smith at training camp on Sunday.

"“I would say just the process of having a lot of success in the NFL. He had a process of how he did things, how he made sure he was prepared for every situation in the game as well as every practice. So, for me just being able to watch that and understand what’s needed in order to have success in the NFL is probably the biggest thing he did for me.”"

Last season Mahomes came into camp as the third-string quarterback. Given his limited reps, the former Texas Tech product was preparing for every rep that he would get. That hasn’t changed this season as he will see most of the reps in camp.

Mahomes also talked about how starting in the final game of last season gave him confidence going into this season. Getting the chance to go out there and do what he has worked so hard to do and have the type of success he did brings momentum going into 2018.

"“I mean it was important just to give me a confidence booster going into this year. That last game was kind of that thing where all that hard work that I had been doing, I knew that I could have some success in the NFL. That game was huge on just getting the win. Just getting to go out there and go through the process of the huddle and making the plays and having positive plays happen. Now it is just about doing that for an entire season and just kind of grinding through.”"

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While many fans are worried about the hype and expectations surrounding Mahomes, he doesn’t seem too concerned about it. He’s talked over and over about not caring what his stats are, and it’s all about winning as a team. Even with comparisons to Brett Favre, Mahomes doesn’t seem to care about anything but winning as a team which should bring some confidence to Chiefs fans.