Chiefs Teicher: Chiefs encouraged by Thigpen; cancel meeting with Culpepper - Page 5

**Tribal Warfare** · 10-27-2008, 11:36 PM

Chiefs encouraged by Thigpen; cancel meeting with Culpepper
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Tyler Thigpen didn’t realize just how much things had changed, how much he had changed, until he reviewed the video Monday.

He saw himself throwing darts in the previous day’s 28-24 Chiefs loss to the Jets at the Meadowlands. Absent were the balls sent zipping off to nowhere. In their place were on-target throws that frequently beat good coverage.

One of the more vivid examples of Thigpen’s dramatic improvement came on his 19-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez in the first quarter. Gonzalez was covered by both cornerback Dwight Lowery and linebacker Calvin Pace, but Thigpen’s throw went where only Gonzalez could get it.

That’s the type of play, Thigpen only now realized, he couldn’t have made before.

“A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t have even tried to throw that one to Tony,” Thigpen said Monday. “I wouldn’t have had the confidence. That play was a big difference for me.

“I know I’m here for a reason. If I wasn’t good enough to play or didn’t have the talent, I wouldn’t be in the National Football League. So it was just time to trust my instincts and just go out and play just like it was backyard ball.”

Suddenly, the Chiefs’ need to sign Daunte Culpepper to stabilize their quarterback play doesn’t seem as urgent. The Chiefs were planning to meet this week with Culpepper, a three-time Pro Bowler, but the visit was abruptly canceled, a move that could end the talks between the quarterback and the team.

It’s coincidence, probably, that the conversation between Culpepper and the Chiefs was scrapped in the hours after Thigpen delivered the team’s best-quarterbacked game of the season.

There’s real danger in making a judgment based on one game, good or bad. Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay at Arrowhead Stadium will be a better test for Thigpen. The Bucs, second in the NFL in scoring defense and fifth in yardage, are much stronger defensively than the Jets.

“It gives you some hope that the guy can continue to play like that, that he’s going to get better,” coach Herm Edwards said. “And you’ve got a guy who’s consistent at the quarterback position. I don’t think we’ve started two games with the same guy starting at quarterback yet. So that gives you that stability. Now hopefully he can go out there this week. The problem this week again is he’s playing one of the better defenses in football.

“I think that helps you when you get a guy who plays the way he played. You go, ‘Wait, wait, this guy did pretty good.’ I think he gave everybody some confidence, not only himself but also the team.”

Even when Culpepper’s signing with the Chiefs looked probable, he would have needed at least a week or two before he was ready to play. Thigpen could have made the Chiefs’ eventual decision to bench him a difficult one.

“He did a good job, he really did for his second start and playing against a pretty good defense on the road,” Edwards said. “He didn’t do everything right. But for his second time starting, I think he did a pretty good job. He moved the team, he moved the ball. That’s progress. From his last game, he got better.”

Thigpen said he only realized the Chiefs were talking with Culpepper on Monday after reading something about it on the Internet.

“I’m going to worry about the things I can control,” he said.

The way he plays falls under that category. Thigpen entered the Jets game having completed 42 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

His passer rating, a complicated statistical measure of a quarterback’s efficiency, of 44.3 was the lowest among the 34 NFL quarterbacks with enough pass attempts to be ranked.

Against the Jets, Thigpen was 25 of 36 (69 percent) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 110.9, which is higher than that of the NFL’s season leader, Philip Rivers of San Diego.

Thigpen searched for an explanation for this startling transformation but didn’t hit on one he liked until he stumbled on this one.

“Something,” he said, “just clicked.”

The Chiefs can only hope.

“I knew what to expect and was more comfortable in the situation,” he said. “It was my second start and really like my third start because the Oakland game was pretty much a whole game.

“The biggest thing is that I didn’t turn the ball over. I was really just trying to keep the chains moving. It’s better to hit the 5-yard pass than throw a 50-yard go-route that’s out of the guy’s reach. It’s so much better seeing the ball complete and knowing you’ve given the receiver a chance to do something with it.”

**OnTheWarpath15** · 10-28-2008, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

Looking at mistakes other teams have made drafting quarterbacks isn't any reason not to draft one. Stafford is nothing at all like Alex Smith, who most people had pegged as a bust to begin with.

I don't think that's what he's saying, Brock.

I think he's saying that it's a mistake to draft a QB with our first pick for no other reason than we need one.

If there's a guy worthy, then great.

But to pick a guy that's not worthy, just because we need a QB is reeruned.

Just because the consensus of this forum thinks that Stafford is the next coming of Christ, doesn't mean he's worthy of a #1 or #2 overall pick.

We'll see in April...

KCrockaholic · 10-28-2008, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

Geez. Let's not start sucking each other's dicks just yet.

you mean like you do for LJ? haha j/k man, but seriously havent you realized hes a piece of shit?

KCrockaholic · 10-28-2008, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj56dt58

I dont understand all the hate on Thigpen..its not like he's sucked for 10 years and had one good game..He's a young 7th round draft pick who had a hell of a game and could be starting to put things together..he said it just started to click..thats how a lot of good qbs have come about..they got some playing time and it clicked one game and they never looked back. The plays he made on Sunday did nothing to make me think that this was just a fluke, but we'll see

he showed me we has great poise, and of course a rocket arm. The throws to Tony Gonzalez, and Mark Bradley were perfect, were only the reciever could reach it. now he just needs to stay consistent, and maybe the coaching staff with put him in good spots to make plays...hm, maybe we shouldve passed on that 3rd down lol, instead of running Smith left side 3 plays in a row...thats why Herm and Chan Gailey suck

donkhater · 10-28-2008, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I don't think that's what he's saying, Brock.

I think he's saying that it's a mistake to draft a QB with our first pick for no other reason than we need one.

If there's a guy worthy, then great.

But to pick a guy that's not worthy, just because we need a QB is reeruned.

Just because the consensus of this forum thinks that Stafford is the next coming of Christ, doesn't mean he's worthy of a #1 or #2 overall pick.

We'll see in April...

Absolutely. If the coaching staff falls in love with a QB (not that that means anything when it comes to this staff's ability to rate QBs) then they should grab him, no doubt. They were flirting around with Matt Ryan, and as it turns out, looks like would've been a good pick despite the objections of many around here.

But what you never, ever, EVER want to do going into a draft is think that you HAVE to draft a certain position #1. Guaranteed recipe for disaster. If no QB strikes their fancy, then the highly rated O-linemen in this draft or Crabtree would be awfully good picks IMHO.

10-27-2008, 11:36 PM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2997187	Teicher: Chiefs encouraged by Thigpen; cancel meeting with Culpepper Chiefs encouraged by Thigpen; cancel meeting with Culpepper By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star Tyler Thigpen didn’t realize just how much things had changed, how much he had changed, until he reviewed the video Monday. He saw himself throwing darts in the previous day’s 28-24 Chiefs loss to the Jets at the Meadowlands. Absent were the balls sent zipping off to nowhere. In their place were on-target throws that frequently beat good coverage. One of the more vivid examples of Thigpen’s dramatic improvement came on his 19-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez in the first quarter. Gonzalez was covered by both cornerback Dwight Lowery and linebacker Calvin Pace, but Thigpen’s throw went where only Gonzalez could get it. That’s the type of play, Thigpen only now realized, he couldn’t have made before. “A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t have even tried to throw that one to Tony,” Thigpen said Monday. “I wouldn’t have had the confidence. That play was a big difference for me. “I know I’m here for a reason. If I wasn’t good enough to play or didn’t have the talent, I wouldn’t be in the National Football League. So it was just time to trust my instincts and just go out and play just like it was backyard ball.” Suddenly, the Chiefs’ need to sign Daunte Culpepper to stabilize their quarterback play doesn’t seem as urgent. The Chiefs were planning to meet this week with Culpepper, a three-time Pro Bowler, but the visit was abruptly canceled, a move that could end the talks between the quarterback and the team. It’s coincidence, probably, that the conversation between Culpepper and the Chiefs was scrapped in the hours after Thigpen delivered the team’s best-quarterbacked game of the season. There’s real danger in making a judgment based on one game, good or bad. Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay at Arrowhead Stadium will be a better test for Thigpen. The Bucs, second in the NFL in scoring defense and fifth in yardage, are much stronger defensively than the Jets. “It gives you some hope that the guy can continue to play like that, that he’s going to get better,” coach Herm Edwards said. “And you’ve got a guy who’s consistent at the quarterback position. I don’t think we’ve started two games with the same guy starting at quarterback yet. So that gives you that stability. Now hopefully he can go out there this week. The problem this week again is he’s playing one of the better defenses in football. “I think that helps you when you get a guy who plays the way he played. You go, ‘Wait, wait, this guy did pretty good.’ I think he gave everybody some confidence, not only himself but also the team.” Even when Culpepper’s signing with the Chiefs looked probable, he would have needed at least a week or two before he was ready to play. Thigpen could have made the Chiefs’ eventual decision to bench him a difficult one. “He did a good job, he really did for his second start and playing against a pretty good defense on the road,” Edwards said. “He didn’t do everything right. But for his second time starting, I think he did a pretty good job. He moved the team, he moved the ball. That’s progress. From his last game, he got better.” Thigpen said he only realized the Chiefs were talking with Culpepper on Monday after reading something about it on the Internet. “I’m going to worry about the things I can control,” he said. The way he plays falls under that category. Thigpen entered the Jets game having completed 42 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating, a complicated statistical measure of a quarterback’s efficiency, of 44.3 was the lowest among the 34 NFL quarterbacks with enough pass attempts to be ranked. Against the Jets, Thigpen was 25 of 36 (69 percent) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 110.9, which is higher than that of the NFL’s season leader, Philip Rivers of San Diego. Thigpen searched for an explanation for this startling transformation but didn’t hit on one he liked until he stumbled on this one. “Something,” he said, “just clicked.” The Chiefs can only hope. “I knew what to expect and was more comfortable in the situation,” he said. “It was my second start and really like my third start because the Oakland game was pretty much a whole game. “The biggest thing is that I didn’t turn the ball over. I was really just trying to keep the chains moving. It’s better to hit the 5-yard pass than throw a 50-yard go-route that’s out of the guy’s reach. It’s so much better seeing the ball complete and knowing you’ve given the receiver a chance to do something with it.”
Posts: 43,454