Thigpen Is Gannon Like
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Watching Tyler Thigpen all through the off-season, then training camp and in the Chiefs pre-season I was always struck by a feeling t hat I’d seen him play before. While I certainly enjoy the Carolina beaches almost every summer, I’d never seen him hook it up for the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on a name until this week.
Rich Gannon. Tyler Thigpen reminds me of Rich Gannon.
Not the Rich Gannon that won NFL MVP honors with Oakland and helped lead the Raiders to the Super Bowl. That was the veteran, experienced Gannon.
I’m talking about the Gannon the NFL saw over his first seven seasons with New England, Minnesota and Washington, before he blew out his shoulder and missed the 1994 season.
Most Chiefs fans don’t remember that Gannon; he played for the Vikings and Redskins and was off their radar screen. When Gannon signed with the Chiefs in 1995, his arrival was met with … nothing. Not a single reaction. He was considered just a guy, a veteran coming off major shoulder surgery who hadn’t played for a season and when he had played, didn’t exactly do a lot of memorable things.
Let’s look at the old Gannon and Thigpen. I think you’ll see the similarities.
SIZE: Gannon was 6-3, 210 pounds. Thigpen is 6-1, 225 pounds. Gannon was taller, Thigpen is broader, but essentially they have very similar body types.
COLLEGES: Both played Division 1-AA football; Gannon for Delaware, Thigpen for Coastal Carolina.
COLLEGE STATS: Gannon produced 7,432 total offensive yards for the Blue Hens, including 1,505 rushing yards. Thigpen had 8,224 total offensive yards for the Chanticleers, including 1,626 rushing yards.
DRAFT STATUS: Gannon was a fourth-round selection of the New England Patriots; Thigpen a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings.
SCOUT’S VIEW: Gannon was viewed as a potential safety, maybe even running back when he was coming out of college. In fact, he asked to be released by the Patriots when they wanted him to move to safety in his rookie training camp. That’s when New England traded him to Minnesota. Some teams viewed Thigpen as a potential wide receiver coming out of Coastal Carolina.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Gannon was the punter for Delaware in college; Thigpen was the kicker for his high school team. He wasn’t a side-winder either; he kicked straight on.
RUNNING ABILITY: It was a big part of Gannon’s abilities and often got him in trouble during his early years. After his first seven seasons, Gannon had 808 yards rushing on 165 carries while playing in 56 games for the Vikings and Redskins. He also had 20 fumbles at that point. Combined with his 43 interceptions, his 63 turnovers at that point outnumbered his 43 touchdown passes. Taking off out of the pocket is something Thigpen does frequently and its has produced some nice runs and some mistakes.
When you see Thigpen run, he looks so similar to the way Gannon would take off, even in his time with the Chiefs when he wasn’t so much interested in running and finding a receiver.
Gannon’s first NFL start was on Sunday, September 30, 1990, the Vikings hosting Tampa Bay at the Metrodome. Against the Bucs, he completed 19 of 36 for 253 yards passing, but threw a pair of interceptions and was sacked twice. Gannon ran nine times in the game for 65 yards.
Even when he got older and wiser, Gannon still would take off and run. In 1998 with the Chiefs, Gannon ran 44 times for 168 yards. Those 44 carries were the most by a Kansas City quarterback since Steve Fuller ran 60 times in the 1980 season for 274 yards.
Thigpen’s immediate future will be played out over the next few weeks. But he has a chance to leave an impression. Gannon was in his fourth NFL season before he started a game, so Thigpen is already ahead of that curve.
But it’s not how you start. As Rich Gannon proved, it’s how you finished, and he finished big.
I remember my response when the Chiefs signed Gannon, I was pissed! I remember calling my Brother (He still lived in Mo. at that time) and he didn’t even know that they had signed him, whats more is that he had never heard of him.
I remembered him in Mn., so I thought it was just another guy to put a single digit # Jersey on and call him a QB.
I first seen Thigpen play in the Chicago game and flashes of Gannon jumped out at me then.
Man, I hope he’s like Gannon, except for the leaving the KC and doing well thing…. but I also hoped for a win last week….
Thigpen has a much stronger arm than Gannon ever did. Whether he’ll ever have the football smarts of Gannon, the calmness in the face of chaos around him when everything breaks down, and the improvisational abilty remains to be seen.
I said he looked good , he has the eye-hand touch and when I heard he was spending extra time with Tony. This is what Montana did with Bill@Jerry Rice!
Gannon was calling the Raiders game and would see things (from his experience) and lament that Thigpen was late. I think it would be very wise for the Chiefs to pay Gannon to be a QB consultant spending time with Croyle and Thigpen.
I think you hit the nail on the head with that one “Alphaman”. Would be the best thing that could happen to Croyle & Thigpen as well as the Chiefs.
I agree. Dick Curl needs to go.
In my short history on this site, I almost always agree with Bob Gretz. Let me state that I ALWAYS appreciate the content here?
All that said, I do believe that Bob is reaching here in comparing Thigpen with Gannon. Gannon had his upside and some downsides but I always got the feeling that he knew what he was doing and commanding respect from his team mates.
I see none of that from Thigpen. I know. It’s way too early to draw comparisons between the two. But, Bob did open that door, you know?
Young but no promise ,this football team is going backwards especially offensively.It starts with mental preparation from all offense ,defense, and special teams. Mental preparation brings intensity, and consistency. It starts with the coaches, and players. Without that one key this season will be a long one.
Bob is comparing Tyler to the young freshly drafted Gaannon. He is saying that at this point in Tyler’s career he is looking very much like Gannon did at the same point in his career. He never once said that Tyler was going to be the next Gannon. The point that Bob is making is pretty hard to argue unless you are in possession of some film of Gannon in his early twenties, which I doubt. I believe that Bob may be on to something. However if history does repeat itself and Tyler is the next Gannon then it is doubtful it will benefit the Chiefs. It was Gannon’s 5th team that reaped the rewards of his talents.
Bob, I had the same reaction to Thigpen. Looks like Gannon, maybe Brees or Fran Tarkenton, only raw as all get out. This is off the subject, but where the heck is WR-Maurice Price? I didn’t see him on the roster or practice squad on KCCHIEFS.COM today. Please don’t tell me they lost him.
i was a closet viking fan for a long time because of the fun i had watching tarkenton play. gannon reminded me some of him so i watched gannon a little. two things impressed me, the occasional flashes of brilliance he showed and his unwillingness to compromise just to be in the NFL. he BELIEVED he was a pro quarterback and lived to prove it. his greatest attribute, his confidence in his ability, was also sometimes his greatest liability. reminds me of Thigpen as well. early in his career, gannon believed he could make every throw and made a lot of mistakes because. when he came to kc, i thought he was finished because of the injury and was most disappointed because marty didn’t get him before he got hurt. playing martyball, gannon finally learned that pro dbacks weren’t d2 dbacks and interceptions weren’t just unacceptable, they were inexusable. the reason thigpen didn’t have five interceptions last week was because he thought his arm was strong enough to throw it past defenders like he did in d2 and instead he threw it through them. if he learns what gannon did under marty, don’t take stupid chances with the ball, he’ll make a qb.