- Chiefs tight end ‘wants to perform every single rep on every play’
- Mahomes also said the team forced the tight end to dial it back while healing
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes talked about the energy Travis Kelce brings to the team during practices and his dedication to weekly preparation.
Mahomes spoke to the press just days before he and his team were scheduled to head to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.
During a press conference, he praised his teammate and favorite target and said his dedication raised the level of other Chiefs players.
“He brings a lot of (energy). People don’t even see it in practice. I mean, the energy he has,” Mahomes explained.
“He wants to take every rep. We have to take him out of practice just to give him some rest, and he wants to be there for every game.
Patrick Mahomes praised Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce and the energy he brings to the team
Mahomes says Kelce’s dedication to preparation raises the standards of the rest of the team
When Kelce was injured earlier this year, Mahomes said they had to dial back his effort
“And I think that mentality … when you see a (future) Hall-of-Fame tight end coming and he wants to be the guy that works the hardest, it raises the bar for everyone.
‘It raises the standard of the way you practice. It raises the standards of how you prepare. Because you know, that guy who has done it at the highest level wants to keep doing it every week, every day.
‘And at the same time he enjoys it a lot. And I think that shows that you can work really hard and still enjoy going to work every day.”
Mahomes also spoke about the start of the season – when the tight end was dealing with an ankle injury that caused him to miss the first game of the season.
“There were times during the season where we had to shut him down,” Mahomes revealed. “I mean, he didn’t want to, but we had to get him out to let his body heal.
“And it wasn’t that his mind wasn’t there, but you could just see his body – it wasn’t moving the way it always moves. I think by having that rest, and… more time from when the original injuries happened, you could see that his body was now recovering, and we felt really good going in, even at that Cincy game….and going into the final week and getting that rest and going into the playoffs.
“You could tell his body was returning to the real Travis Kelce, and so it was definitely good for him. And hopefully we can keep that thing going, not just in this game, but for years to come.”