Mahomes, Gretzky and Greatness

              The Kansas City Chiefs run for a third straight Super Bowl title has many proclaiming Patrick Mahomes as the “greatest” player in NFL history.  Suffice to say that as the ‘latest of the greatest’, the Chiefs’ Quarterback stands on par with the short list of the NFL’s  best ever.  The Greeks after all erected a Pantheon for the gods rather than settling on just one.  

                So what propelled Mahomes to the Pantheon?  Like all world class athletes, this player extraordinaire possesses the required physical attributes.  But his mental intangibles buttressed by team support transformed him from a merely great player to the pinnacle of his profession. 

                Indeed, this link of unique talent with a solid supporting cast exists for anyone deemed the ‘greatest’ in any sport.  Mahomes’ talent and success parallels that of Wayne Gretzky—arguably the “greatest of all time” in hockey, albeit a different though in some ways a similar sport—which underscores a commonality of traits and circumstances required for the moniker, the ‘Greatest’ of all-time.  The similarities are striking.

              Mahomes and Gretzky entered their respective leagues with both ballyhoo and doubts.  By league standards, the hockey player was neither big nor the fastest of skaters. Likewise, the footballer performed well but not overly impressive in the NFL Combine that tests players’ physical attributes. 

                Gretzky holds goal scoring records though his shot was never the hardest in the league.  But he released his shots quickly and accurately, often before the goaltender could set himself to defend the shot.  His skating ability included quick feet and a tight turning radius.  This ability  allowed him to ‘eel’ around defenders, which gave him time to shoot the puck, or to find passing lanes in the defense so he could direct the puck to open spots that found teammates’ sticks which created surprising scoring opportunities.  

                Likewise, Mahomes does not possess the strongest arm in the NFL, but his quick and multi-angled releases accurately deliver passes that lead breaking receivers to the ball in open spots between seams of opposing defenders.   His dashes out of the pocket with shifty runs, cuts, fakes or stops on a dime, then accurately passing on the move or running in the field’s open alley leave defenders flummoxed.   

                Similar to Gretzky, Mahomes’ elusive moves give him time to harness that mental component that sets him apart from his peers: That rare ability to remain composed in the epicenter of the whirling cyclone of opposing players who seek to dismember him. Nimble footwork buys time.  But spatial awareness amidst the maelstrom of harassing defenders while remaining calm enables him to exploit openings when most others hit the panic mode.   In short, Mahomes—as did Gretzky—resides in the calm of the eye of the hurricane that allows for a better calculation on how, when and where to dispatch the football or to set out on a run. 

             The “Greatest” in their respective sports were also given the good fortune for their genesis to find root in environs that allowed their skills to shine.  Gretzky’s supporting cast included six future hall of famers with whom he won four Stanley Cups.  Likewise, Mahomes started his career with a well-coached, playoff team ready to be led to the next level.  

             If Gretzky played for the Winnipeg Jets, or Mahomes broke in with the Cleveland Browns, they still would have put up impressive individual ‘numbers’.  However, neither would have been afforded their moments on the biggest stage where teams win championships and players’ achieve individual fame, without which neither would have been bestowed their titles as the “Greatest”.