Tyler Lays Claim to Job But Daunte’s Coming
From the Meadowlands in New Jersey   Â
It was the laugh of the week in the NFL in the days leading up to Sunday’s game.
The Chiefs and Tyler Thigpen, starting just his second NFL game against the Jets and Brett Favre, the legend, the guy who would be making regular and post-season start No. 282.
In the end, Favre got the last laugh, leading his Jets to a last minute victory over Thigpen and the Chiefs.
But on this day, Thigpen outplayed the great Favre. Here are the numbers:
- Thigpen: 25 of 36 (69 percent) for 280 yards, two TD passes and no interceptions. Passer rating of: 110.9
- Favre: 28 of 40 (70 percent) for 290 yards, two TD passes and three interceptions. Passer rating of: 76.
The only number that really mattered was the “W” for Favre. But on this afternoon, Thigpen displayed some of the skills that had the Vikings and now Chiefs quite interested in his services.
“The job has been handed to me to step in there and play football and I’m going to take advantage of that,” Thigpen said.
With Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard done for the season, Thigpen seemed to be the man. But that could change. Daunte Culpepper will be visiting the Chiefs this week, possibly as early as Monday. It’s unlikely he would end his retirement and it’s unlikely the Chiefs would bring him to Kansas City if he was not going to be added to the roster.
Obviously, Culpepper isn’t going to be able to come in and jump right into the starting lineup. But just as obviously, it’s doubtful that he’s coming to Kansas City with the idea of being a No. 2 guy. Will the Chiefs view him as a rent-a-QB, or a guy who could be part of the equation for the 2009 season? Those questions remain to be answered.
And all that is not something Thigpen is going to spend any time thinking about. He’s the man right now and he showed against the Jets that he’s improved in just about every category you can name from his first start against the Atlanta Falcons.
First, there were no interceptions. No question there were several throws where Green Bay defensive backs came very close to picking off Tyler, but they couldn’t make the play. The number of “why did he throw that pass?” moments were considerably diminished.
Thigpen was sacked four times, but he did a much better job of using his pocket and overall, probably had the best protection any Chiefs quarterback had this season. What became part of the Chiefs offense was the bootleg and several times Thigpen rolled to his right, had no obvious open receiver and took off running. He ran four times for 20 yards and none of his running plays were those where he’s bouncing off pass rushers and getting away from the defensive guys; the type of runs that produce fumbles.
He also showed his ability to throw the football, whether it’s with touch or with the gun attached to his right shoulder. Thigpen’s first TD throw of the game went to Tony Gonzalez and he lofted a pretty pass over the defensive back and into his tight end’s hands. It was a great touch throw.
His second TD pass, this one to Mark Bradley was a rifle shot at the back of the end zone. Bradley was able to get both sets of toes in, although officials originally ruled him out of bounds. A replay review gave him the touchdown. Again, this throw showed the strength of Thigpen’s right arm.
What Thigpen was able to show everyone on Sunday was that he was something more than a laughingstock. Media types in Kansas City had drubbed him a horrible quarterback — the worst in the league — without taking into account his background and his position in the game. Where he takes this opportunity from here depends on Thigpen and his continuing to improve.
If he does that, Culpepper will never see the field.
No matter what happens, for the rest of his life, Tyler Thigpen will always be able to tell people that on one October Sunday, he was the best quarterback on the field, no matter if the other guy was Brett Favre.
“It wasn’t about outplaying him,” Thigpen said. “It was about play for myself and my offense. Offensively we played a good game and we had a chance there at the end to win. Offensively, we just didn’t get it in.”
“No question there were several throws where Green Bay defensive backs came very close to picking off Tyler, but they couldn’t make the play.”
- I know Tyler has a hell of an arm, but strong enough to throw it all the way to Green Bay?
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
ha…i saw that…silly bob
I guess Bob hasen’t gotten use to having Brett wearing anything other than a Green Bay uniform.
Has anyone really gotten used to it? I still havent’!
Didn’t the Chiefs play Green Bay??
It’s cool Bob it’s the color green that’s confusing
I called them “Green Bay” yesterday too.
If they sign Cullpepper, I see another distraction coming.
He’s already stated he doesn’t want to be the #2 guy, then you get into all this crap of one group of players likes one better than the other as a starter,
PFT!!!
More snaps taken away from Thigpen, BAD IDEA! Unless he knows coming in THIGPEN IS THE STARTER until he’s not!
Wrong time to bring in Culpepper. Chiefs would be smart to cancel the visit. Quin Gray gives you the very same thing that Culpepper would– with fewer emails to the media.
Thigpen must start, unless he gets injured. The Chiefs need to know whether to draft 1 or 2 QBs in the next draft and what round(s) to draft QB in. Good or bad, Thigpen needs to go the distance.
unless the chiefs are going to the spread offense as their base, Thigpen has to show he can handle playing in anything other than shotgun.
Don’t let friends pull for Culpepper. Just say no.
Miami….washout
Raiders….washout
Raiders….washout
Raiders….washout….sorry, that just sticks with me.
At this point in time I say let Thigpen start the rest of the games and then decide after the season. Give the guy a chance to settle in and see what can happen with some stability. Since he didn’t get hurt on any of the plays maybe he is durable enough to be the starter.
This makes the second time this year where the Chiefs have had almost everything go in their favor throughout the game (the other New England)and they still are not able to come up with a win. If anyone had been told going into the game the Chiefs would be +3 in turnovers, and Thigpen would have had a QB rating of over 100 against a team that lost last week to Oakland, would you believe they would still lose?
Smith’s longest run of the day was 4 yards, yet on 3rd and 4 we try to run again. The Chiefs are not going to make the playoffs obviously, why not stop being conservative when we actually have a game that is in reach and try to create an environment of winning. The Chiefs young players deserved a win yesterday, the coaching staff was just too scared to take it.
I personally am now very excited to see what Thigpen does this week. He is going to go up against a very tough defense, and it will be interesting to see if he is able to keep consistent, and most importantly, protect the ball.
Dante is done. We dont need another fatazz with a bad attitude here.
Let Tyler grow up this year…. maybe we found a QB afterall.
I would be very surprised if anything gets done with Culpepper. The coaching staff is simply trying to not leave any stones unturned. They are not interested in him as a starter.
Congrats to Tyler on a very good game. The Jets D is no slouch either. A bigger test is coming though and hopefully he has built some confidence and will have another competent game. Fingers and Toes crossed!
It would be INSANE to bring in Culpepper, just as it was nuts to play Huard. Thigpen is the man, and should have the rest of the season, barring injury, to show whether he can be the starting QB next year. You bring in Culpepper, you’re undercutting Thigpens’ confidence for no reason. Culpepper signs, you’re going to start him eventually, and you’re just waiting for Thigpen to struggle, which he will do because
1)We’re not so good, and
2)QB’s struggle, even vet QB’s. But you let them play through it, especially in our situation with a young QB like Thigpen. Signing Culpepper would again show, as if we need any more evidence, that Herm has no idea what he is doing.
I don’t think Herm is behind this signing for Culpepper. This sounds like a Peterson move to me. Bringing in a guy who has some flashes of greatness in the past and thinking he can revitalize his career in KC. Don’t do Carl. This guy was washed up in OAK and MIA. Thigpen was one of the quarterback along with Brodie Herm chose to develop let the process continue on. The guy has earned the right. That was a heck of a game for a guy second start in the NFL. That just doesn’t happen to guys who are garbage quarterbacks.
The guy has the talent strong arm and mobility. I jus been saying he needs to be more accurate and he will be fine. Now he jus needs to learn how to continue that and throw the ball away instead of taking sacks.
As for Culpepper the guy is a turnover machine. He was a fumble machine dating back to his days in Min. He hasn’t proved he can be a productive QB without Moss. Besides he doesn’t have the mobility he once possess in MIN and playing behind that o-line he want be any different from Huard except for either throwing interceptions and fumbling the ball.
If we sign Culpepper, it’s Herm’s doing just as much as Carl’s. If Herm doesn’t want him, he should say so(Publically) and then it won’t be done. If Herm is too gutless to do that, then all he has to do is state publically and unequivocally, as he should have done when Croyle went down the 1st time, that this is Thigpen’s job, in this case for the rest of the year, instead of when Brodie returns, and Duante will get the message and look elsewhere for possible playing time.
Folks,
I fairly well convinced with this dysfunctional team relating to QBs, that it’s the old method of, “Throw a tray of spaghetti agains the wall and let’s see what sticks”, IF they sign Culpepper which I’m not in favor of them doing.
Ragu anyone?
Easy,gotta remember Frank Gore (I think that was his name) Buffalo against Houston, probably one of the top five SINGLE games( errr 2nd halves anyway) ever played by a QB.
I think Thigpen can play in this league at a high level but he’s going to have some growing pains.
I too do not favor Daunte ‘Love Boat’ Culpepper climbing aboard the Chiefs.
While I agree with another poster his presence might ‘undercut’ a Thigpen, perhaps the Master Psychologist Herm is using reverse pscyhology, i.e., using a Daunte to push motivate our man Thigpen to even greater heights than on Sunday (too, Herm was a Psych major before he switched to Criminal Justice since he foresaw the skills being a coach of the modern day ‘players’ would require.)
Tyler may turn back into a pumpkin by noon Sunday but until that day, he looks (facially) like Tony Romo and on field like Lenny Dawson with his roll outs/accuracy.
Too, one can never have enuf 260, 265 or 270 lb DE-sized QBs on the roster (Culpepper and Quinn Gray are as large/larger than DE Tamba Hali.) KC can always use either as an o or d lineman in a pinch.
Really…heh heh heh
Meant Thigpen looks like Drew Brees, not Tony Romo. Hopefully he plays as well as either.
You’re thinking of Frank Reich, Jim Kelly’s backup.
No one is thinking this will be Thigpen’s normal game. But the fact that he CAN play this type of game, means he’s worth developing, by giving him all the playing time we can, even when he inevitably has some poor efforts.
Thanks Mark, that is who I was thinking of.
As for the rest of your comment, your preaching to the quire on Thigpen.
Culpepper won’t be a Chief… A Cowpatty is a different story though. Cuz when he emails every tom dick & harry, it’s usually bullsh*t in it’s truest form. :>)