Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes has revealed that he had to "calm down" colleague Ian Book during a recent team trip to a pizzeria in Missouri .
As the reigning Super Bowl victors set their sights on staging a three-peat in the upcoming NFL campaign, players have been hard at work in preseason as they put in their preparations. However, their reunion at their annual camp at Missouri Western State University has not been a case of all work and no play.
In fact, quarterback Mahomes has now revealed that the team enjoyed a meal out together with stars including Travis Kelce and Chris Jones in attendance as they look to keep their locker room spirit strong. The group enjoyed a trip to Italian eatery Il Lazzarone Neapolitan Pizzeria in a team bonding experience during pre-season.
Speaking during a press conference, Mahomes reflected on a memorable occassion as the team enjoyed some pizzas after putting in the hard yards on the field. He said: "We take the guys, we get some pizzas, I usually do it after the second padded day before the ten-ten-tens, so we were there yesterday.
Serving a warning to the reporters gathered, he quipped that he hoped those present would not remember where they had been eating during their annual camp as he feared they may "try to storm up [the[ party]". Recounting a humorous tale from the night Mahomes revealed that he had to intervene as teammate Book ate "nine pieces of pizza".
"I had to calm him down because the first time we went, he only got one piece because the o-line ate all his pizza so he went in this last day," he said of the back-up's alleged antics before asserting: "Stuff like that is where you build that bond and then you have those jokes and stuff for the rest of the year."
During preseason the Chiefs fell to a 26-13 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 10, while the Detroit Lions also beat them 24-23 on Saturday. They have a chance to avenge these defeats against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 22 before their NFL opening day game versus the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5.
Speaking about the importance of team bonding experiences such as the trip to the pizzeria during their annual camp, KC head coach Andy Reid said that these trips were "probably more important now than [...] before."
"The kids, they'll get on their cell phones and not communicate, they'll communicate through the cell phone," he continued on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "So here, they're eating dinner with each other, they're sleeping in the same dorm rooms and sharing bathrooms and you've got to talk and you've got to communicate.
Reid added: "You develop relationships and for a team the stronger that bond is, the more you respect the guy next to you, you go that little extra mile."
Local Kansas City, MO
Most Popular
Comments / 0