Being “Patrick Friendly” is explained by Rashee Rice

On Sunday, the rookie wide receiver for Kansas City made his mark on the league map.

In Week 12, Rashee Rice, a rookie wide receiver, had the best game of his young career as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 31-17. The SMU product scored a touchdown and gained 107 yards on eight receptions.

In addition to scoring his fifth touchdown of the year, Rice’s performance was his first over 100 receiving yards as a professional.

To characterize the bond that Rice displayed with quarterback Patrick Mahomes against the Raiders, the Chiefs head coach coined the term “Patrick Friendly” on Monday.

On Thursday, in the locker room, the rookie tried to explain Reid’s latest addition to the NFL lexicon.

According to Rice, “it’s just a matter of thinking like a quarterback and figuring out where the soft spots are on the field to get open for them.”

Although Rice is not unfamiliar with these abilities, he is aware that collaborating with the most well-known NFL player elevates their performance.

“In my opinion, I’ve always been able to think the way I’ve been thinking,” he went on. It kind of fits well with my quarterback’s game because he is so excellent. Although they refer to it as “Patrick Friendly,” I’ve always felt comfortable in the zones. It so happens that Pat and I get to do it together. He and I both know where I should be at all times.

Matt Nagy, the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, addressed the media on Thursday prior to practice. The seasoned coach feels that Rice has now reached a stage in the season where he has sufficiently run the team’s plays to begin adding his own touches.

Nagy said, “He’s probably come along right where we need him to.” “No quarterback, no wide receiver, and no player in general want to play like robots. You most likely feel like you are when you are learning the offense because you are attempting to comprehend. You want to run it that way when you look at a playbook and see a line there.

He simply has more plays, which enables him to say, “Okay, hey, I’ve run this play seven times, and now I can put my little feel to it.” The more plays you run, the less robot you become.

Earlier in the season, Nagy acknowledges, Rice would not have been trusted to make some of the big plays on Sunday.

The coach acknowledged, “Probably not right away early in the season because we didn’t know what he could do.” However, you’re investing more money and volume now to see what he’s doing.He’s been playing more. He’s getting more reps, which translates into greater experience and trust. Thus, you simply piece everything together.

Despite Reid’s offense being notoriously hard for rookies to learn, Rice is pulling it together.

Nagy restated, “I’ve said this since training camp. We joke about him drinking water from a fire hydrant. I still start with that every day as I watch him develop and do things. In what line do you stand? What direction should you go? First, if you can get rid of that thought process, that’s a start. There are certain routes within the play where there is a lot more zone where there is a feel. He is skilled at running routes against zones, but how can you counter what the defense does, which can vary week to week?