talastan
11-06-2008, 04:46 PM
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/11/06/qa_with_tyler_thigpen__116/
Q&A with TYLER THIGPEN - 11/6
Nov 06, 2008, 4:09:19 PM
Q: Do you feel like you’re the starter now?
TYLER THIGPEN: “I’m definitely feeling a lot more comfortable. Three weeks in a row, can we do it? That’s what everybody wants to know. We’re just going to go out there and execute our gameplan to the best of our ability.”
Q: Can this offense do more than it could a couple weeks ago?
THIGPEN: “That’s one thing with (offensive coordinator) coach (Chan) Gailey and the offensive coaches. As an offense, with me in there consistently, they’re able to expand the offense and put a little more on the shoulders of the receivers and other players.”
Q: This team has played well the last two weeks. How much of that is you?
THIGPEN: “It’s not me, it’s the team. It’s a team game. The offensive line is doing a wonderful job blocking, pass blocking, run blocking. Give them a lot of credit. Coach Gailey is doing a wonderful job play calling. The credit is not going to me; it’s going to the offense. The offense deserves the credit.”
Q: Can you talk about your timing with your receivers, especially WR Mark Bradley?
THIGPEN: “Timing-wise it’s definitely coming along a lot more. The more you practice with these guys, the more you get your timing down. We’re definitely coming along in that aspect of the game.”
Q: Do you have a go-to receiver?
THIGPEN: “I don’t think I have a go-to receiver. I think we have some playmakers, guys that we try to get the ball in their hands in certain situations. Our game plan, in-general, we have it spread out to all the guys so the opposition can’t key-in on one guy. They have to respect everybody.”
Q: You have to recognize that this team is playing better with you at the helm.
THIGPEN: “Yeah, definitely. I’m never going to take any credit. I’m going to give to those guys that deserve it. I might be the quarterback in this situation, but I can’t do it without those linemen up front blocking, or backs picking up a blitz, or receivers running out there catching the ball. Those guys are the ones out there working hard as well, so they deserve some credit.”
Q: Where’s your confidence right now?
THIGPEN: “It’s coming along more and more. Offensively, we’re going in the right direction. That’s what we want to do this week, go out there and execute our gameplan and take care of the task at hand, which is the San Diego Chargers.”
Q: Have you talked about finishing games?
THIGPEN: “Yeah we have. A lot of people want to put stuff on the defense’s shoulder about the last two games; it’s not the defense’s fault. On offense we’ve got to go out there and score points in the second half. It’s tough for the defense to go out there every single possession against their offense and try to stop them. It’s the National Football League, there are good players. They’re not going to be able to hold them every single time. We’re going to have to put that on our shoulders. When we come out in the second half we have to put some points on the board so we don’t put our defense in that position.”
Q: When Coach Gailey called the bootleg on third-and-five last week, was that a sign of confidence that you could go make that play?
THIGPEN: “I don’t know if it was a sign of confidence. I just thought that Coach Gailey felt that we could get a first down. It was just a good play call. There was a guy in my face and (TE) Tony (Gonzalez) made a great catch. It gave us an opportunity to get out on the corner and have a run-pass option.”
Q: With the incorporation of the spread offense into college football, do you see quarterbacks changing in the NFL?
THIGPEN: “It depends on what system you’re in. It’s just the system that they’re in and the offensive coordinator that they have. Do they want a QB that can go in there and run the spread, or do they want someone who can line up under center and make those types of throws? It just depends on what they want. Or guys that can do both.”
Q: Would more spread quarterbacks in college filter up the NFL?
THIGPEN: “You’re asking the wrong guy. I did it my senior year. In college I did both kinds of systems. When you come into the NFL, where it’s usually just the under center and then third down you’re in the gun, it’s nice – the Shotgun – for a log of quarterbacks. I enjoy being back there and I feel like I can see the defense a lot better.”
Q: What are you like in the huddle?
THIGPEN: “I feel like I have a lot more confidence in the huddle. When I call a protection, looking at the offensive line, when I call a Z receiver, I look at Tony when I call his certain play. That’s just knowing your offense and just being mature and having confidence that you know exactly what you’re calling. That’s come a long way since I first started.”
Q: Any guys lobbying for catches?
THIGPEN: “Not at all. I think I do a pretty good job of spreading the ball out. They just know that they could get the ball on any single play, so they’re out there trying to win every single time.”
Q: Looking at San Diego, would you say they’re struggling a bit?
THIGPEN: “I’m not going to say that. I think they’ve been a little beat up. They lost their big guy, (LB) Shawne Merriman. Now they can spread their protection out. People throw the ball on them because their offense over there is scoring a lot of points, so they’re behind all the time. So they’re a pretty good team.”
Q: Do they look a whole lot different without Merriman?
THIGPEN: “Well, also, them firing their defensive coordinator, that changes it up a little bit. They have a different guy in there calling the plays now. So it’s definitely different. With their defensive scheme, it won’t change a lot, but it changes when you lose a guy like Merriman.”
Q: Talk about the little things that coach is doing this week to prepare you for San Diego.
THIGPEN: “It’s pretty smart. We’ll get out there on Friday. I don’t think the heat will be an issue, it gets hot around here too. The biggest thing is we have a nice three-hour flight on Friday. We get there on Friday and you can kind of take care of your business. You have the whole afternoon off. You can go to the mall and do whatever. You can go out with friends and eat. And then on Saturday we have a walk-thru. You come back and sit around the hotel. You have a chance to relax, you’re not travelling on Saturday. I think that’s a big thing. Coach always says with two time zones we fly a day earlier, but I don’t think the time is a big deal. I think it’s nice to be able to sit there on Saturday and not have to worry about things. We have a walk-thru at the facility, travel to the airport, fly, get to the hotel, scramble for something to eat, and then have meetings. It’s nice to be able to relax.”
Q: So you’d like all road trips to be on Friday?
THIGPEN: “I think so. We quarterbacks always talk about it. It’s pretty nice.”
Q&A with TYLER THIGPEN - 11/6
Nov 06, 2008, 4:09:19 PM
Q: Do you feel like you’re the starter now?
TYLER THIGPEN: “I’m definitely feeling a lot more comfortable. Three weeks in a row, can we do it? That’s what everybody wants to know. We’re just going to go out there and execute our gameplan to the best of our ability.”
Q: Can this offense do more than it could a couple weeks ago?
THIGPEN: “That’s one thing with (offensive coordinator) coach (Chan) Gailey and the offensive coaches. As an offense, with me in there consistently, they’re able to expand the offense and put a little more on the shoulders of the receivers and other players.”
Q: This team has played well the last two weeks. How much of that is you?
THIGPEN: “It’s not me, it’s the team. It’s a team game. The offensive line is doing a wonderful job blocking, pass blocking, run blocking. Give them a lot of credit. Coach Gailey is doing a wonderful job play calling. The credit is not going to me; it’s going to the offense. The offense deserves the credit.”
Q: Can you talk about your timing with your receivers, especially WR Mark Bradley?
THIGPEN: “Timing-wise it’s definitely coming along a lot more. The more you practice with these guys, the more you get your timing down. We’re definitely coming along in that aspect of the game.”
Q: Do you have a go-to receiver?
THIGPEN: “I don’t think I have a go-to receiver. I think we have some playmakers, guys that we try to get the ball in their hands in certain situations. Our game plan, in-general, we have it spread out to all the guys so the opposition can’t key-in on one guy. They have to respect everybody.”
Q: You have to recognize that this team is playing better with you at the helm.
THIGPEN: “Yeah, definitely. I’m never going to take any credit. I’m going to give to those guys that deserve it. I might be the quarterback in this situation, but I can’t do it without those linemen up front blocking, or backs picking up a blitz, or receivers running out there catching the ball. Those guys are the ones out there working hard as well, so they deserve some credit.”
Q: Where’s your confidence right now?
THIGPEN: “It’s coming along more and more. Offensively, we’re going in the right direction. That’s what we want to do this week, go out there and execute our gameplan and take care of the task at hand, which is the San Diego Chargers.”
Q: Have you talked about finishing games?
THIGPEN: “Yeah we have. A lot of people want to put stuff on the defense’s shoulder about the last two games; it’s not the defense’s fault. On offense we’ve got to go out there and score points in the second half. It’s tough for the defense to go out there every single possession against their offense and try to stop them. It’s the National Football League, there are good players. They’re not going to be able to hold them every single time. We’re going to have to put that on our shoulders. When we come out in the second half we have to put some points on the board so we don’t put our defense in that position.”
Q: When Coach Gailey called the bootleg on third-and-five last week, was that a sign of confidence that you could go make that play?
THIGPEN: “I don’t know if it was a sign of confidence. I just thought that Coach Gailey felt that we could get a first down. It was just a good play call. There was a guy in my face and (TE) Tony (Gonzalez) made a great catch. It gave us an opportunity to get out on the corner and have a run-pass option.”
Q: With the incorporation of the spread offense into college football, do you see quarterbacks changing in the NFL?
THIGPEN: “It depends on what system you’re in. It’s just the system that they’re in and the offensive coordinator that they have. Do they want a QB that can go in there and run the spread, or do they want someone who can line up under center and make those types of throws? It just depends on what they want. Or guys that can do both.”
Q: Would more spread quarterbacks in college filter up the NFL?
THIGPEN: “You’re asking the wrong guy. I did it my senior year. In college I did both kinds of systems. When you come into the NFL, where it’s usually just the under center and then third down you’re in the gun, it’s nice – the Shotgun – for a log of quarterbacks. I enjoy being back there and I feel like I can see the defense a lot better.”
Q: What are you like in the huddle?
THIGPEN: “I feel like I have a lot more confidence in the huddle. When I call a protection, looking at the offensive line, when I call a Z receiver, I look at Tony when I call his certain play. That’s just knowing your offense and just being mature and having confidence that you know exactly what you’re calling. That’s come a long way since I first started.”
Q: Any guys lobbying for catches?
THIGPEN: “Not at all. I think I do a pretty good job of spreading the ball out. They just know that they could get the ball on any single play, so they’re out there trying to win every single time.”
Q: Looking at San Diego, would you say they’re struggling a bit?
THIGPEN: “I’m not going to say that. I think they’ve been a little beat up. They lost their big guy, (LB) Shawne Merriman. Now they can spread their protection out. People throw the ball on them because their offense over there is scoring a lot of points, so they’re behind all the time. So they’re a pretty good team.”
Q: Do they look a whole lot different without Merriman?
THIGPEN: “Well, also, them firing their defensive coordinator, that changes it up a little bit. They have a different guy in there calling the plays now. So it’s definitely different. With their defensive scheme, it won’t change a lot, but it changes when you lose a guy like Merriman.”
Q: Talk about the little things that coach is doing this week to prepare you for San Diego.
THIGPEN: “It’s pretty smart. We’ll get out there on Friday. I don’t think the heat will be an issue, it gets hot around here too. The biggest thing is we have a nice three-hour flight on Friday. We get there on Friday and you can kind of take care of your business. You have the whole afternoon off. You can go to the mall and do whatever. You can go out with friends and eat. And then on Saturday we have a walk-thru. You come back and sit around the hotel. You have a chance to relax, you’re not travelling on Saturday. I think that’s a big thing. Coach always says with two time zones we fly a day earlier, but I don’t think the time is a big deal. I think it’s nice to be able to sit there on Saturday and not have to worry about things. We have a walk-thru at the facility, travel to the airport, fly, get to the hotel, scramble for something to eat, and then have meetings. It’s nice to be able to relax.”
Q: So you’d like all road trips to be on Friday?
THIGPEN: “I think so. We quarterbacks always talk about it. It’s pretty nice.”