Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football alums: Looking back at laughable Pat Mahomes scouting reports

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 26: Patrick Mahomes #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates with Jakeem Grant #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders after scoring a touchdown against the TCU Horned Frogs on September 26, 2015 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU won the game 55-52. Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 26: Patrick Mahomes #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates with Jakeem Grant #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders after scoring a touchdown against the TCU Horned Frogs on September 26, 2015 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU won the game 55-52. Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next

He was just a system quarterback at Texas Tech

We saved everyone’s favorite criticism of Texas Tech quarterbacks for last.  Pat Mahomes was thought by most to be a “system quarterback”.

That term in and of itself is moronic.  Every team runs a system and every player is a product of some type of system.

Emmit Smith was a product of the Dallas Cowboys’ system in the 1990s.  Was he not an all-time great?

More from Wreck'Em Red

Joe Montana was a QB with marginal arm strength, limited mobility, and less than ideal size.  But he played in the West Coast offense of the 1980s 49ers.  Doesn’t that make him a system QB?

So the thought that Mahomes was merely a product of Tech’s system was as ludicrous in 2017 as was now know it to be in 2020.

"“Mahomes played in a spread offense at Texas Tech, and quarterbacks coming from the spread don’t have a good track record in developing into productive pro players,” opined Adam Teicher of ESPN.com after the 2017 Draft."

When was the last time an LSU quarterback made it big in the NFL?  But are scouts going to hold that against Joe Burrow this year?  Will people point to the fact that Russell was one of the most legendary busts in history when evaluating this year’s Heisman Trophy winner?  No.

So why was Mahomes lumped in with other Tech quarterbacks despite the fact that he played the game so differently than guys like Cody Hodges or Sonny Cumbie?  Because it was an easy take to have for people who didn’t really study the Big 12 and Texas Tech football but who wanted to position themselves as experts.

"“I like Patrick Mahomes but I’ve seen him a couple of times this year and he doesn’t look like he’s getting any better. I think he’s being hurt by that play-calling and offense. It’s like he’s playing a different sport (in Texas Tech’s offense), so projecting him won’t be easy. Who is he going to be with a running game and better protection? That’s what you have to figure out,” an AFC scout reportedly told Zerlein."

But instead of Mahomes having to change the way he played, given that he looked like he was playing “a different sport”, the game has changed to fit the way he wants to play it and that has made it more exciting.  What’s more, the thought that it was hard to project what he would be like with a stronger run game and a better set of blockers hasn’t been a concern given that Kansas City hasn’t been particularly strong in either of those areas.

Still, why would any QB regress or fail when surrounded by better ground games and offensive lines?  That was a puzzling take by that scout.

"“Texas Tech runs the “Air Raid” offense, which allows quarterbacks to put up gaudy numbers but doesn’t necessarily provide the requisite skill set for NFL success,” wrote Bob Glauber of Newsday in 2017.  “It’s a high-octane attack in which the quarterback rarely, if ever, lines up under center and rarely, if ever, makes a serious read of opposing defenses.”"

Where was that same criticism of Baker Mayfield the following year?  He played in an Oklahoma offense which was developed by Lincoln Riley, a former Texas Tech assistant under Mike Leach and disciple of the “Air Raid”.

In college, Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 was a product of Sonny Dykes at Cal.  Of course, Dykes was also a Leach assistant at Tech and he runs a version of the “Air Raid”.

It is idiotic to think that Mahomes might be a risk because he put up too many yards or touchdowns in a system that asked him to throw the ball every down.  If you want a QB to be a successful passer, don’t you want him to have thrown as many passes as possible against top competition to refine his passing skills?

Why wouldn’t scouts be more uncertain of a player like Alabama’s Tua Taogvaiola, who has played in a system built around running the ball and throwing only against one-on-one coverage as teams load up the box to stop the Crimson Tide ground attack?  I’d feel better about a QB who has had to carry an offense on his right arm when everyone in the stadium knew he was going to throw it 55 times a game than believing in a player that had to throw it just 20 times a game.

Next. Lessons Tech Tech must learn from Super Bowl LIV. dark

The following are players that Mahomes was compared to back in 2017: Jay Cutler, Derek Carr, Chase Daniel, and Bryce Petty.  Not only is hindsight always perfect, but it’s also uproariously funny at times as well.

Home/Texas Tech Red Raiders News