Ravens DC: Reid-Mahomes a modern-day Walsh-Montana
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale likened the Kansas City Chiefs' combination of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to one of the greatest coach-quarterback tandems in NFL history Thursday before the teams' Week 14 matchup Sunday.
"I think Mahomes is (Joe) Montana - I'm taking about the San Francisco Montana and not the Kansas City Montana," Martindale said, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "I think how everything is cyclical and history repeats itself. I think you're seeing that combination between Andy and Mahomes of Montana and Bill Walsh. I really do."
Mahomes has taken the league by storm in his first season as a starter, emerging as a contender in the MVP race. Montana captured that award twice, along with four Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers.
The 23-year-old Mahomes has, presumably, benefited from the coaching of Reid, who emanates from the Walsh tree as a former assistant to Mike Holmgren, who worked on Walsh's staff. Together, Reid and Mahomes have led Kansas City to the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 37 points per game.
"He's wise beyond his years, the way he controls the line of scrimmage, the way he checks, the audibles, snap count, the way he moves the safeties with his looks and his dropbacks," safety Eric Weddle said of Mahomes. "(I'm) obviously impressed with what I've seen, and it's exciting for me to go out there and try to make him mess up with what I can do and maybe force him into some throws he wouldn't want to do."
The Ravens, owners of the league's top-ranked defense, will attempt to slow down the high-flying Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.