As the Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2023 training camp at Missouri Western State University, the team carries the weight of both triumph and expectation. Fresh off clinching a second consecutive Super Bowl championship, the Chiefs remain hungry for improvement and consistency.
Reflecting on Last Season
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been candid about the team's offensive struggles throughout last season, despite their ultimate success. "The end result [last season] was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth," Mahomes said. He acknowledged the difficulty of constantly striving for improvement without always seeing immediate results. "It wasn't fun every single week having to try to just continue to get better and better and the results not paying off the way you wanted to."
However, with many of the same players returning, Mahomes is optimistic about preparations for the upcoming season. "We're going to try to prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season and obviously try to end with the same result," he added.
New Additions to the Offensive Lineup
A major focus for the Chiefs this offseason has been adding speed to their offensive lineup. They have successfully signed free agent Marquise Brown and drafted rookie sensation Xavier Worthy. Worthy made headlines at the scouting combine by running a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, setting a new event record. Although a sore hamstring sidelined him for much of the offseason practice sessions, expectations remain sky-high.
"We added a lot of speed," Mahomes remarked. "What's better than going against our defense? It's the best defense in the NFL and we get to go against them every single day and really show where we're at and how we can get better."
Intense Training Camp
The Chiefs' journey toward defending their title kicks off with a rigorous training camp. For quarterbacks and rookies, the sessions began on Wednesday, while the full team will join them Sunday. Mahomes emphasized the importance of immediate readiness, especially for rookies like Worthy.
"There's no easing [him in]. He's going to have to be ready to go. We got a lot of competition on this offense," Mahomes said. "He got a lot of mental work in these last few weeks that he had during OTAs and minicamp, but it's time to go now. Y'all saw it with Rashee [Rice] last year and some of the throwing-up days he had. We're going to push you to the limit and prepare yourself to be ready to go for the season. That's not just him. That's everybody and everybody has to have that mentality when they come into camp."
Personal Triumphs and Goals
Beyond the gridiron, Mahomes is also celebrating personal milestones. He and his wife, Brittany, are expecting their third child, a joyful revelation for the star quarterback. "It's awesome. I always wanted to have kids young. I got to grow up in the locker room. I think I've talked about it before and it made such an impact in my life and so I wanted to have kids young and we're having our third kid now to join our family," he shared.
Despite the demands of his career, Mahomes makes it a point to savor family moments. "I spend so much time in the building at football for these seven, eight months and whenever I'm with my family, I want to enjoy those moments," he said. However, Mahomes has humorously declared an end to their growing brood, stating definitively, "I'm done. I'll say that. I said three and I'm done."
As the Chiefs prepare to defend their title, the combination of sustained excellence and fresh talent aims to propel them to new heights. From the intense drills at training camp to the strategic integration of new players, the Chiefs approach the new season with a blend of caution and audacity. As Mahomes notes, "We're back at St. Joe. It's time to get better."
The stakes are high, but so are the spirits within the Kansas City Chiefs' camp. The team looks to blend the formula of rigorous preparation with their unyielding quest for greatness, embodying a focus and determination that could well lead them to another victorious season.