On the cusp of his milestone 30th birthday (Sept. 17), it’s tempting just to fixate on all that’s changed since — and to what degree that might be a prologue to the future in what already is a Pro Football Hall of Fame-bound career. So much so that his case could be made merely by stating his name and dropping the mic.

With the NFL rankings for quarterbacks coming out recently, Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes is still No. 1, despite a couple of down seasons. Granted, the Chiefs won a Super Bowl and went to another,