Soon-to-be-released football simulation game Madden NFL 24 made sure to retain a very important detail on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes: his tongue. Thatâs what she said, or whatever.
Like his dad, former professional baseball player Pat Mahomes, Mahomes Jr. has become known for poking his tongue through his teeth and out the corner of his mouth while throwing, running, and all-around playing ball. NFL 24 apparently keeps Mahomesâ character model accurate by having it do the same tongue stuff, screenshots Operation Sports founder Steve Noah posted to Twitter indicate.
Patrick Mahomes actually sticks his tongue out when throwing in @EAMaddenNFL 24. đđ pic.twitter.com/E1uHtiltNP
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) August 16, 2023
Yep, that pink ounce of Frostbite engine flesh looks like Mahomesâ tongue to me. I would knowâone of the, approximately, four-and-a-half times Iâve ever watched American football, I noticed Mahomesâ habit and asked my boyfriend, âEw, whatâs he doing with his tongue?â He unhelpfully replied, âThatâs just what he does with his tongue.â
More usefully, Science posited earlier this year that âtongue protrusions may improve the accuracy of [Mahomesâ] hand movements.â You might know, anecdotally, that amphibians like salamanders send their tongues flying toward prey, but studies have indicated that mammals like mice also jab out their tongues when readying to grab a tasty snack with their paws. Researchers wonder if humansâ dexterity is likewise linked to their squishy mouth muscles.
âI think it is the center of our being, as crazy as that might seem,â University of Lethbridge neuroscientist Ian Whishaw told Science about the tongue.
Iâm sure that Madden developer EA Sports took all of this into careful consideration when adapting Mahomes to its video game. In any case, you can see more of the center of Mahomesâ being when NFL 24 officially releases on PC and console on August 18 (its Early Access period is already underway).
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