Former Kansas City Chiefs man JJ Birden has flattered current Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with a comparison to NFL legend Joe Montana. Mahomes is a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Chiefs and has everything in place to become one of the great legends of the sport, just like Montana, who spent two seasons with the Chiefs after winning four Super Bowls elsewhere.
Chiefs Wire spoke to Birden about what it was like to play with Montana at the Chiefs. “Yeah, playing with Joe was something special because here, you’re getting the opportunity to play with one of the best,” Birden said. “When he joined Kansas City, he was in his 15th year, already winning four Super Bowls and achieving all these accolades. But I’ve always considered myself a learner. Right away, I think, like, ‘OK, success leaves clues; what can I learn from one of the greatest?’ I certainly did.
“I think what impressed me the most about Joe was that he came in with an attitude like, ‘OK, how can I make the Chiefs players and organization better?’ That’s what leaders do. They lead from the front. Joe came in, studied like a rookie, prepared like a veteran, led like a pro, and lifted us up.”
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Birden’s praise for Mahomes
Birden then brought Mahomes into the conversation, claiming that there are clear similarities between Montana and the current Chiefs QB. “That’s what I see in Patrick Mahomes,” Birden continued. “Even at a younger stage in his career, he is a leader, and leaders lead from the front, and they make everybody else better. It gets me excited to see Hollywood Brown, you know, and obviously [Xavier] Worthy and everybody else, because Patrick will play a role in making those guys better.
“They will see they need to step up their game because when Joe started throwing me curl routes and cut comebacks and goals, I realized that I got to be quicker at on my break, I got to be better on top on the schemes and stuff. It just made me better as a player.”
