There are countless tangible reasons that make Patrick Mahomes a great quarterback. Yet, as NFL legend Dan Marino recently pointed out, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback also possesses intangible skills that could lead to yet another trip to the Super Bowl.
The former Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback was recently asked to compare himself with Mahomes, whose career is already rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
"He's an amazing athlete, first of all," Marino said during a one-on-one interview with CBS Sports. "I was a pretty good athelte, but not the kind of athlete that he is as far as how he runs the ball, makes throws from different levels, creates on his own.
"For me, I was able to do that a little bit, but mostly, my stuff was from the pocket."
While how the two played may have differed, the toughness and competitive fire in both are strikingly similar. Marino often held onto the ball until the last possible second before enduring a big hit. He overcame a serious Achilles injury to win Comeback Player of the Year and played a large bulk of his career with serious knee pain.
Mahomes showed the NFL world how tough he is last postseason when he played through a high-ankle sprain.
As far as competitiveness is concerned, both players are near the top of any list. The phrase "field general" was basically made for Marino, whose command of a huddle was second-to-none.
Mahomes has let his competitive fire come out more in recent years. It was on display a week ago in Buffalo when he picked up his first career playoff road win en route to his and the Chiefs' sixth straight AFC Championship appearance.
"He's a really special player," Marino said. "You can tell his competitiveness. Like you talk about, coming from behind when it's tough. He makes it happen."
Marino knows what having a great quarterback can do for a team. While he never won a Super Bowl, Marino won 153 games as a starting NFL quarterback, including the 1984 AFC championship game over his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. He often saved his best for crunch time, as evidenced by his 33 fourth-quarter comebacks and 47 game-winning drives.
The impact of a great quarterback (in this case, Mahomes) is why Marino is not counting the Chiefs out, whether it's this weekend or the Super Bowl two weeks from now.
"They're going to be a tough out," Marino said of the Chiefs. "They've got a shot to win it all again, and it's because of him."
Marino recently partnered up with the "M&M's Ring of Comfort" promotion along with fellow Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Terrell Owens. The trio celebrated the unique ring in a commercial that will air during Super Bowl LVIII, which you can catch on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 11.
The rings are 14K gold and actually include specially created diamonds made from real peanut butter M&M's candies.
"It's just a fun message about guys like myself, Bruce, TO, and a lot of guys -- Hall of Famers, too -- who played hard throughout their whole career and didn't win," Marino said of the promotion. "This is a way they can have some fun with it and get a ring, a diamond ring which is made of M&M peanut butter. It's exciting and a fun commercial."
