Dear, Vikings: Thanks for our quarterback; Sincerely, Chiefs

[DaKCMan AP]

Dear, Vikings: Thanks for our quarterback; Sincerely, Chiefs

By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer

I heard someone last week ask if there were any way the Minnesota Vikings could repay Kansas City for dropping star defensive end Jared Allen on their doorstep, and, yes, I said, there is. In fact, they've already done it.

Meet Tyler Thigpen.

He's the Chiefs' quarterback for now and maybe the future, but he wouldn't be in Kansas City if the Vikings hadn't cut him loose a year ago to make room for a reserve tight end.

The move was a gamble, and Minnesota knew it, but it figured it could re-sign Thigpen -- chosen by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2007 draft -- to its practice squad after he cleared waivers.

Only he didn't clear. Kansas City claimed him.

Now he's playing so well that Chiefs coach Herman Edwards confessed he's considering scrapping the Chiefs' run-heavy offense next season and going with what works for Tyler Thigpen -- a more spread-out, wide-open, two-minute approach that usually has Thigpen operating out of the shotgun.

That can't be good news for someone like running back Larry Johnson, but it is for Thigpen. It means someone has a conviction about the guy, and that someone is Edwards -- with the coach considering a change next season from his offenses of the past just to suit his young quarterback.

If that happens, it means Edwards believes in Thigpen as his future starter. But he isn't there yet, and he emphasized that when I reached him Wednesday.

"We've got four games left," he said. "Let's see what he does. But one thing I do know: He's a No. 2. There is no doubt about that. That we know."

Others within the Kansas City hierarchy admit "cautious optimism" about Thigpen, who produced his first victory last weekend and who has played well for one of the league's bottom feeders. In fact, in a recent four-game stretch, he threw eight touchdown passes and one interception and took, in order, the Jets, Tampa Bay and San Diego to the mat, with all three games decided in the closing seconds.

Now, let's make something clear: Tyler Thigpen is not the next Eli or Peyton Manning. But he is a pleasant discovery in a not-so-pleasant season in Kansas City, and the Chiefs can address those "thank you" notes to 9520 Viking Drive, Eden Prairie, Minn. They wouldn't have Thigpen were it not for the Vikings' gamble.

The common perception is that Kansas City discovered Thigpen when the Chiefs and Vikings held a preseason scrimmage, but Edwards shot down that idea, saying Thigpen didn't play "that much" when the two teams practiced against each other. Instead, he said, Thigpen appeared on the Kansas City radar when he was a star quarterback at Coastal Carolina, with the Chiefs rating him a low fifth- or high sixth-round choice.

He could run. He had a strong arm. He was accurate. He was durable. And he won. Basically, he was everything you wanted from a quarterback, with a couple of drawbacks: 1) He didn't operate in a pro offense, working instead out of the shotgun, and 2) he played at a small school against lesser competition.

Nevertheless, when the team's vice president of player personnel, Bill Kuharich, watched him that summer in the fourth quarter of an exhibition game, he noticed something he liked.

"It was just the way he handled himself and the pressure," said Kuharich. "It reinforced what I had seen on tape. (Team president) Carl (Peterson), Herm and I decided if he ever became available we would claim him."

Which, of course, they did when Minnesota stuck with Tarvaris Jackson and acquired veteran backup Kelly Holcomb. Now, Holcomb is gone, Jackson is benched and Thigpen is playing for Kansas City. Hindsight is 20-20, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out the Vikings erred when they let Thigpen go.

I came to that conclusion last weekend when Thigpen led Kansas City on a 16-play, 91-yard drive that broke a 10-10 deadlock against Oakland. He completed three of four passes and ran for two first downs on that series.

I came to that conclusion again that afternoon when, on third-and-3 with just over two minutes to play, he iced the game by hitting Dwayne Bowe with a 12-yard completion.

"We've got ourselves a pretty good quarterback," said Edwards.

That's as strong a statement as you get from the head coach, but it tells you what he will not: That Tyler Thigpen could be the quarterback the Chiefs envisioned when they drafted Brodie Croyle in 2006. Croyle was supposed to be the Chiefs' quarterback of the future, but those plans have been scrapped because he can't stay healthy.

Thigpen can. He can also win, with last weekend's defeat of Oakland a breakthrough. After close calls against four opponents -- including New Orleans -- he finally demonstrated that he can close a deal, and that's what the Chiefs have been missing the past year and a half.

But that's just the beginning. They rave about Thigpen's mobility. In fact, it was the first quality Edwards ticked off when he listed his quarterback's strengths. Thigpen can throw with accuracy, too, with a string of 161 passes without an interception and a third-down passer-rating higher than those of Brett Favre and Jay Cutler. Plus, he's an outstanding athlete -- the only quarterback in Kansas City history to score a touchdown by running, passing and receiving.

"The question now," said Edwards, "is how will he continue to play and do we want to change the offense? I have to talk to (offensive coordinator) Chan Gailey, but right now I'm thinking we would.

"We changed everything to build the offense around him. It's like we're operating with a three-page notebook, adding a little with each week. Now the question is: Do we stay with this? Because it means you would have to do some things differently, like look at a little different offensive linemen."

The Chiefs have four games to produce an answer, but that they are even considering a change in their offense tells me one thing: They may have found themselves a quarterback.

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/11149961

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Darth CarlSatan

What the **** does a loss from 2003, with a completely different roster have to with this?

The argument is valid; run this Quasi-Spread against a Top 10, and SHOW ME THE ****ING WIN!!!

Right now we just have to take improvment and player development despite certain members of our coaching staff...

It cant be judged on W's and L's when your HC is a proven loser over the course of his pathetic career...

Next year is more of the same as well. All we can hope for is that we have enough of a foundation from Mr Keen Eye for the next GM and staff to work with...

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

He most certainly did, and all the Herm lover's conveniently ignore that. This offense has only had success because we have scrapped Herm's power running bullshit, and started throwing the ball again.

Are we all now going to start defending that article outlining putting LJ behind Tyler in a shotgun, that we were all TRASHING BEFORE?!?!?

Fickle. Will O' The Wisp. As The Wind Blows; these are but a few of the descriptives I can apply to certain members who have now turned a 180 on this.

Or do you just like arguing with me for shits and giggles?

[FringeNC]

Originally Posted by Darth CarlSatan

What the **** does a loss from 2003, with a completely different roster have to with this?

The argument is valid; run this Quasi-Spread against a Top 10, and SHOW ME THE ****ING WIN!!!

Supposed Thigpen was 30-40 for 375 yards and 4 TDs and 0 ints against a top 10 defense and we LOST

or Suppose Thigpen was 12-33 for 177 yards, 0 TDs and 3 ints and we WON because the other team had a bunch of fluked turnovers.

This is my last response to this idiocy. Everyone who watches football understands QBs can play well and lose and play poorly and win -- everyone but you evidently.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

but Hootie, you were so in love with that 2006 offense with Huard at the Helm..

Divorce can be a nasty thing, if you need to talk, I will listen...

Jesus Christ...

I liked the Chiefs winning games...and we were better in 2006 with Huard than we were with Green...that was my point at the time...I don't know how people still don't realize this.

Huard is the best QB in the R2P2...that's not a compliment, it's just a fact. I never ONE TIME claimed Huard was a starting caliber QB with starting caliber QB qualities.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Right now we just have to take improvment and player development despite certain members of our coaching staff...

It cant be judged on W's and L's when your HC is a proven loser over the course of his pathetic career...

Next year is more of the same as well. All we can hope for is that we have enough of a foundation from Mr Keen Eye for the next GM and staff to work with...

Get this team a premium O-Line, and I will be more than ready to buy in to the potential success of this system.

[Hootie]

LJ has looked better the last three games than he has since Herm arrived IMO...he's running like he did in 2005...last game he finished every run and looked terrific. Yeah, our running game is really suffering

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

Dear Chiefs,

Thanks for the Hall of Famer.

The Vikings

LOL.

He's a good DE and all...but HOF...let's see what he's got the next 5 or 6 seasons before we go all Canton on him.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Hootie

We went to the playoffs in 2006 with an offense half as effective as the one we've ran the last 6 weeks with Thigpen.

This offense has been playoff caliber lately...too bad we have NOTHING on defense.

And why is that? we have spent many picks on the D line and the D as a whole over the last 3 years. We have a coach that is supposed to be a D mined Guru and promised to fix this defense when he smuggly bashed DV and his tenure at his hiring...

At somepoint he needs to be held accountable for the injuries and the lack of progression of the Defense. This should be a Top 5 defense anything less is a failure when your HC was part of the Buc Ball Glory years...

So now is Herm an Offensive guru now?

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

Supposed Thigpen was 30-40 for 375 yards and 4 TDs and 0 ints against a top 10 defense and we LOST

or Suppose Thigpen was 12-33 for 177 yards, 0 TDs and 3 ints and we WON because the other team had a bunch of fluked turnovers.

This is my last response to this idiocy. Everyone who watches football understands QBs can play well and lose and play poorly and win -- everyone but you evidently.

Ben Roethlisberger won a Super Bowl game in which he posted a QB rating of 22.6.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Hootie

Jesus Christ...

I liked the Chiefs winning games...and we were better in 2006 with Huard than we were with Green...that was my point at the time...I don't know how people still don't realize this.

Huard is the best QB in the R2P2...that's not a compliment, it's just a fact. I never ONE TIME claimed Huard was a starting caliber QB with starting caliber QB qualities.

Its okay Hootie, I was just picking on you. It was nothing personal about your post..

Just a little old time fun...

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

Supposed Thigpen was 30-40 for 375 yards and 4 TDs and 0 ints against a top 10 defense and we LOST

or Suppose Thigpen was 12-33 for 177 yards, 0 TDs and 3 ints and we WON because the other team had a bunch of fluked turnovers.

This is my last response to this idiocy. Everyone who watches football understands QBs can play well and lose and play poorly and win -- everyone but you evidently.

THIS ISN'T ABOUT THIGPEN, GOD DAMN YOU; IT'S ABOUT THE RUN!!!

THE RUN,
THE RUN,
THE MOTHER****ING RUN!!!!

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

And why is that? we have spent many picks on the D line and the D as a whole over the last 3 years. We have a coach that is supposed to be a D mined Guru and promised to fix this defense when he smuggly bashed DV and his tenure at his hiring...

At somepoint he needs to be held accountable for the injuries and the lack of progression of the Defense. This should be a Top 5 defense anything less is a failure when your HC was part of the Buc Ball Glory years...

So now is Herm an Offensive guru now?

Don't know where I ever said that...I think Herm SHOULD be held accountable for the defense...this should never have happened...rebuilding or not...it is unacceptable that Herm has fielded this bad of a defense.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Darth CarlSatan

Or do you just like arguing with me for shits and giggles?

This....

This is one of the reasons I like this board, I agrue with people just to get them bent out of shape.... Its fun...

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by Darth CarlSatan

Get this team a premium O-Line, and I will be more than ready to buy in to the potential success of this system.

Great.

So we'll score 26 points per game instead of 23, but the defense will continue to give up 30.

Brilliant.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Hootie

Don't know where I ever said that...I think Herm SHOULD be held accountable for the defense...this should never have happened...rebuilding or not...it is unacceptable that Herm has fielded this bad of a defense.

You didnt say that nor was I implying you said that, I was just asking a question about offensive guru and your 100% correct on the D....