Much is made of Patrick Mahomes’ running style. As a fan of the only team who can seemingly give him or the Chiefs any consistent trouble, it’s frustrating to no end. He’s like those Monstars in Space Jam when they’re stacked on top of each other inside a trench coat to crash Madison Square Garden for a Knicks game. Or any such scenario where that classic trench coat stunt is done.
Except Mahomes doesn’t need to steal the talent of real-life professional athletes like the Monstars did, because he’s maybe the most talented real-life athlete of my lifetime. Part of what makes him such a compelling watch is the cognitive dissonance between how inebriated and imbalanced Mahomes looks when the play starts to break down, and how at the same time, he seems to have eyes in the back of his head to avoid incoming defenders. There’s a weird klutziness to how he moves, yet I’ve also never seen an NFL quarterback with such uncanny spatial awareness.
The dynamic combination of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift — oops. What I meant to say is: The dynamic combination of Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes has lifted Kansas City to three Super Bowl wins in the last five years, including each of the last two. Standing on the field with the Lombardi Trophy in one’s hand is the ultimate apex and envied destination that most NFL players will be super lucky to experience once in their careers. Mahomes and Kelce have already gotten it done thrice, but it’s not all about that final destination. It’s about the journey and the good times along the way.
Like with any power couple, Mahomes and Kelce have made it work and gotten along like gangbusters because they’ve accepted each other completely, quirks and all. So you know it’s all love when Kelce ribs Mahomes for his unconventional sprinting style, as he did in hilarious fashion on the latest New Heights podcast. Citing a Pat McAfee tweet that featured a Forrest Gump GIF, the Kelce Bros got into it about how Mahomes runs, and Trav’s take was hysterical:
“I don’t think Pat really runs like Forrest. He doesn’t have any knee drive! Are you kidding me? That’s all that Forrest had. Pat runs like he doesn’t have any knees. […] There’s a meme online right now of an ostrich running away from a dog. Just like weaving in and out inside…I mean that’s Pat Mahomes. A little top-heavy with the skinny legs, and he’s out there just kind of like leaning.
He’s scampering, though! He’s out of there. Ostriches can roll, now. You can’t tell me this is Pat weaving in and out of the defense. […] Shout out to Pat — Pat Vick!”
Travis had the perfect comparison for @PatrickMahomes’ running style pic.twitter.com/IaacNMHYHl
— New Heights (@newheightshow) October 24, 2024
Did my best to describe Mahomes running, but now that I’ve seen that ostrich-dog clip from above several times, that may be the best summary I’ve seen to date.
Anecdotally, this reminds me of the ol’ drama school days and doing animal work to spark inspiration for the physicality of a character. It’s a strange-sounding technique but one used by many working actors today. You can see animal work in action in such a broad range of performances. From dramatic roles like Jake Gyllenhaal’s coyote-esque Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler to Jim Carrey’s unique brand of bird-brained slapstick comedy in Ace Ventura, that tool is applicable across any genre. I’d be surprised if Tom Hanks didn’t use some animal work in Forrest Gump, though I can’t find any confirmation on that at the moment.
The reason I bring all this up is, I’m sad to report that neither me nor any of my classmates to my recollection ever channeled an ostrich. BRB, gonna ostrich run like Mahomes around my neighborhood block on a quick jog.
No but really, let’s give Mahomes some props. If we’re going to clown his running form, we have to at least acknowledge that he brought the freaking thunder to 49ers defensive back Malik Mustapha at the goal line this past Sunday.
4th and goal…
MAHOMES TRUCK STICK ALERT! pic.twitter.com/jvUrHromyy
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024
