Louis Rees-Zammit on the rugby player: ‘Unbelievable’ Patrick Mahomes reminded him of
Louis Rees-Zammit has noticed parallels between Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and a former teammate as he continues to build new connections.
Rees-Zammit, who shocked the rugby world by quitting before the Six Nations to pursue his NFL dream, is getting closer to making it a reality.
After impressing on the NFL’s international route program, the 23-year-old signed a three-year contract with the Chiefs and has since trained with them.
Make rapid decisions.
That means practicing with Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and Rees-Zammit has noticed similarities between his quarterback and former Wales teammate Dan Biggar.
“Obviously, you are looking at a quarterback, and fly-half is probably the most similar position in rugby,” explained the former Gloucester and Wales international. “Patrick is great at reading the game. Playing with Dan Biggar was undoubtedly one of my top ten favorites. He is one of the greatest 10s to ever play the game.
“You can see how rapidly they can understand the game and make decisions.
“I think the connection is that Patrick Mahomes can read the game, read his cues, quickly scan the defense, and then execute plays. Dan has been doing this since he made his Wales debut at the age of 18, possibly 19.
“I’d rate him among my top ten players of all time. That’s the comparison: how quickly they can read the game and make judgments based on it.
Major League Rugby: Five Things We Learned as Matt Giteau Finally Debuts and the USA Eagles Squad Takes Shape
Rees-Zammit said that it is not only Mahomes and Kelce who are the Chiefs’ key speakers, as the ex-wing stated that the entire squad will routinely “speak up”.
“Every player will speak up and have an opinion and it just goes to show why they’ve been so great over the past few years,” he said.
“Pat and Travis are the main leaders, but everyone on the team has an opinion, which is incredible.”
He conceded that the sheer volume of plays has been jarring, but added that his own accent has elicited a few giggles in the Chiefs camp.
“Each squad has an own playbook and language. So it’s like learning a brand new language,” he explained.
“We’ve literally been in our rooms calling plays while standing next to one other.
Louis Rees-Zammit: From teen sensation to Super Bowl champion
A thousand plays.
“You probably learn up to a thousand plays throughout the season in the NFL… whereas in rugby, you probably learn you probably learn 60.”
He went on to say, “They all love the UK accent and the different words we use.”
