The comments from general manager Brett Veach after the Kansas City Chiefs signed Chad Henne as a backup for new starter Patrick Mahomes II seemed to indicate his new team values the veteran quarterback as much for his experience as his potential to help win games, if need be.
“Chad has been in this league a long time and has a tremendous feel for the game,” Veach said. “His experiences and knowledge will be valuable to our quarterback room, and on top of that, he has the physical tools to step in if needed.”
The Chiefs, of course, hope Henne’s role is limited to being a mentor for Mahomes. Either way, his willingness to share his knowledge with Mahomes is a big reason the Chiefs sought Henne as the new backup.
Veach and coach Andy Reid even discussed that with Henne before he signed.
“I’m more than happy to help and make sure Patrick is ready to go and be the most prepared quarterback in the league,’’ Henne said.
While with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Henne was teammates with a couple of quarterbacks who at one time were high draft picks, as Mahomes was last year. Henne played with both Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles, so he has experience serving as a backup to someone his team saw as a potential franchise quarterback.
“Just setting a routine throughout the week, especially during the season, kind of showing them the ins and outs of how I prepare and how I learned to prepare and kind of just being a secondary coach, in other words,’’ Henne said when asked how he attempted to help Gabbert and Bortles. “They can talk to me. It’s easy to talk to me obviously as a teammate rather than always going to a coach. I can relay that back to the coaches as well.
“Just kind of the routine, seeing what I see on the field, protections, if they need help with that. Just kind of going over the game plan with them, spend a lot of time with them and make sure they’re prepared for each and every Sunday.’’
Henne and Mahomes met briefly last year, when Mahomes was in Jacksonville for a pre-draft visit with the Jaguars.
“It was pretty much just to say hello,’’ Henne said. “That’s about it. I texted him as soon as I signed and just said, ‘Glad to be with the Chiefs and looking forward to working with you.'”
But he knows the basics of Mahomes’ game.
“Real strong arm, can make pretty much any throw, bright kid,’’ Henne said. “That’s about it until I kind of get into the meeting room and kind of get to know his personality and how he is. I’m looking forward to doing that.’’
Henne, who has started 53 games in a 10-year NFL career that included four seasons with the Miami Dolphins, said he has some advice for Mahomes. He learned it from Bortles, who had faced what seems to be a steady barrage of criticism since he joined the Jaguars in 2014.
“The one thing that was good about Blake is that … he just let everything go over his head and brushed it off his shoulders,’’ Henne said. “He didn’t really pay attention to it and just really cared about what his teammates thought. Obviously, with Patrick being a first-time starter, I think that’s the biggest thing. Really [surround] yourself around a good [group] of friends and family but also just remember you’re there to please yourself, first of all, but second, and most important, your teammates and coaches. Don’t worry about the external factors and really just go about your game, pleasing the people around you.’’
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