Chiefs Dear, Vikings: Thanks for our quarterback; Sincerely, Chiefs - Page 3

**DaKCMan AP** · 12-04-2008, 10:35 AM

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

Micjones · 12-04-2008, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

1) I think you're missing the implication here. He think's that Thigpen is AT LEAST a #2. Meaning, at worst, he knows he has a backup in place. He's displaying some cautious optimism that Thigpen can be the #1, and wants to see how he performs over the last 4 games before they make a decision to permanently change the offense for 2009.

Spot on.

He has a chance to play a bigger role next year, but that will depend on his numbers over the final quarter of the season.

I think if he can minimize turnovers he'll win the job.

I'm looking for something like 6-8 TD's with 1-2 picks.
I think that would do it.

Deberg_1990 · 12-04-2008, 11:25 AM

Although i didnt notice it last week,

Thiggy has ran a few plays from behind center. He doesnt take 100% shotgun snaps.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 12-04-2008, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

Good point. I never have understood the argument that the spread offense won’t work in the NFL. Maybe that’s because I’ve never heard, or read, a reasonable argument for why.

Time may prove me wrong, but I'm betting it won't.

Let's find out some numbers that relate to those "pretty good" defenses we've played.

**The Franchise** · 12-04-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth CarlSatan

Wow. Wow wow wow.

Prior to this thread, I thought that overall we had some really good students of the game in here.

Unbelieveable.

I have never claimed to be a student of the game but your constant bitching is reeruned.

TrickyNicky · 12-04-2008, 11:29 AM

I can almost guarantee our spread is going to be dogshit without Tony catching 10 balls a game.

CoMoChief · 12-04-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I like the fact that having Thigpen has forced Herm to change his offensive philosophy.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 12-04-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pestilenceaf23

I have never claimed to be a student of the game but your constant bitching is reeruned.

And your bandwagon-jumpery is equaly comical. Let's keep this about the ****ing game, okay Sherlock?

Sweet Daddy Hate · 12-04-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrickyNicky

I can almost guarantee our spread is going to be dogshit without Tony catching 10 balls a game.

Excellent point.

**The Franchise** · 12-04-2008, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth CarlSatan

And your bandwagon-jumpery is equaly comical. Let's keep this about the ****ing game, okay Sherlock?

Band-wagon jumping? Are you ****ing kidding me? I'm just happy that Herm has pulled his head out of his ass and let Thigpen run something that he can. Do I think it will work next season? I don't know. I'm not going to bash the fact that it seems to be working right now.

Reerun_KC · 12-04-2008, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

True, but sadly enough Herm isnt a forward enough thinker to maximize his talent until he is forced into doing something he didnt want to do.

Its not like Herm come out and said you know what guys? This team can not run my historically bad buttsexs offense, we need to look at this type of offense to best maximize our potential... It came out of desperation...

IF Herm was such a prodigy, then the Tampon 2 wouldnt be used, when our LB's and Safetys are blah....

kcfanXIII · 12-04-2008, 11:35 AM

any offense the chiefs will be running will be dogshit with out tony. especially a tony g that is on fire.

Reerun_KC · 12-04-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pestilenceaf23

Band-wagon jumping? Are you ****ing kidding me? I'm just happy that Herm has pulled his head out of his ass and let Thigpen run something that he can. Do I think it will work next season? I don't know. I'm not going to bash the fact that it seems to be working right now.

Nice Post, but I dont think Herm has the full head out though.... The defense is still bad enough to make GROB look like Buddy Ryan...

Reerun_KC · 12-04-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcfanXIII

any offense the chiefs will be running will be dogshit with out tony. especially a tony g that is on fire.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 12-04-2008, 11:41 AM

I won't deny that the scheme is working well right now. But the level of play on the part of EVERYONE involved in it needs to up, up, UP Big Time in order to make it work against a Pro Bowl defense.

I'll be plowing through the numbers here shortly, as I want to see how this is truly playing out.

mikey23545 · 12-04-2008, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth CarlSatan

Considering our total ground game, I wouldn't go counting that as a positive.

And if you DO, then know that those yards are coming from outside or near outside runs.

This is utter lunacy.

You're a ****ing idiot, and can't see shit right in front of your clown face.

12-04-2008, 10:35 AM
DaKCMan AP Beloved & Awesome CP Celebrity Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Florida Casino cash: $6724952	Dear, Vikings: Thanks for our quarterback; Sincerely, Chiefs 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
Posts: 35,695

12-04-2008, 11:25 AM	#32
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3884454	Although i didnt notice it last week, Thiggy has ran a few plays from behind center. He doesnt take 100% shotgun snaps. __________________ Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning: Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down. One of the best plays Matt has ever made.
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12-04-2008, 11:29 AM	#35
TrickyNicky My Black Friend, Alan Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Manhattan Casino cash: $10007047	I can almost guarantee our spread is going to be dogshit without Tony catching 10 balls a game.
Posts: 3,648

12-04-2008, 11:35 AM	#41
kcfanXIII Ride on! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Galaxy far far away Casino cash: $10013172	any offense the chiefs will be running will be dogshit with out tony. especially a tony g that is on fire. __________________ Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed, overcomes the fear of death.
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12-04-2008, 11:41 AM	#44
Sweet Daddy Hate Unsparing Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	I won't deny that the scheme is working well right now. But the level of play on the part of EVERYONE involved in it needs to up, up, UP Big Time in order to make it work against a Pro Bowl defense. I'll be plowing through the numbers here shortly, as I want to see how this is truly playing out. __________________ 1. Merciless, severe. 2. Given freely and generously. 100% refusal to overrate 20 year Head Coaches with ZERO **ing rings as a Head Coach. CP's Official Professor of 'Dem Blues for 2019/2020!**
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