Compliments come in all forms -- especially from football coaches.
Possessing an easy grin, an unmistakable voice, a miracle for an arm and the calmest of cools under pressure, Patrick Mahomes has been described plenty of ways with a plethora of superlatives.
Add another one from his offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
"You guys have been around him, you know him. He’s a competitive prick, OK," Bieniemy said Saturday with a smile. "He’s a great kid, but he’s a competitive prick."
Former AP Most Valuable Player, reigning Super Bowl MVP, breaker of records and a competitive five-letter word.
Bieniemy was asked if, even with a Super Bowl trophy in the rear view, the ultra-competitive Mahomes would be looking to improve on anything. His answer spoke volumes of the face of the Super Bowl-winning franchise and arguably the NFL, as Mahomes seems to always have a quick and easy grin, but it hardly distracts from the knowledge that there's a fire in his belly as much as there is magic in his arm.
"He wants to improve at everything he can possibly improve on," Bieniemy said. "He wants to be the best at whatever he can do. And along the way, he wants to make sure that he’s leading the guys, he wants to be held accountable by his peers. But also, too, he just wants to work. And that’s what you love about being around him every single day.”
Bieniemy's been the Chiefs' offensive coordinator since Mahomes was drafted in the first round. He knows Mahomes well and well enough to deliver a good, if not unconventional, compliment.