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Thread: Tyler Thigpen

  1. #1
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    Default Tyler Thigpen

    A Different Kind of Homecoming

    Jul 31, 2008, 6:06:47 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ



    RIVER FALLS, WI – No, this isn’t about Jared Allen.
    It’s about Tyler Thigpen.
    All the attention today here in the northwoods will be centered on Allen coming to UW-River Falls with his new Vikings teammates to practice against his old teammates on the Chiefs. That’s understandable; Allen played four seasons in Kansas City and was the team’s best player last season.
    But Thigpen will be celebrating a much quieter reunion, drawing little attention from the media.
    Last year, Thigpen was in the Vikings training camp, as Minnesota’s seventh-round draft choice. He was with the purple when they worked out last year against the Chiefs in both River Falls and Mankato, MN.
    How Thigpen came to be in the Chiefs training camp this year and not with the Vikings is a good story of how the personnel process never ends.
    Going into the 2007 NFL Draft, the Chiefs had Thigpen on their list of players that they’d considering selecting in the later rounds. He was coming out of Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where he displayed great mobility and a strong arm. But as the draft played out, the Chiefs went in a different direction and it was the Vikings that grabbed Thigpen with the 217th choice.
    Minnesota’s first pre-season game last year was on a Friday night in the Metrodome against St. Louis. River Falls is less than an hour’s drive from the dome, so V.P. of Player Personnel Bill Kuharich went over to watch the game before he headed to Cleveland to see the Chiefs against the Browns the next night. The Chiefs personnel department tries to see every other NFL team at least once in the pre-season and when their scouts go out, they have a preliminary list of players to keep their eye on.
    Thigpen was on Kuharich’s list thanks to their evaluations of him from the draft. But the young quarterback didn’t get on the field until the fourth quarter. In two possessions with the Vikings offense, Thigpen hit three of six passes for 29 yards and picked up 18 yards on two scrambles. In the box score the next day, it was hardly a performance anybody would notice.
    But Kuharich did.
    “You see guys like him on tape as you prepare for the draft and you get an idea of what they might be able to do,” said Kuharich. “But put them on an NFL field and that changes things. He came from a small college background and he stepped on the field that night and looked very at home. ”
    Kuharich filed that performance away, especially when the next week the Vikings only put Thigpen on the field for five plays.
    “That told me something right there,” said Kuharich. “That told me the Vikings liked him and they were hoping to make sure nobody noticed. ”
    That was even more evident the next week when Thigpen didn’t even play. In the final pre-season game, against Dallas, Thigpen got a pair of fourth quarter possessions that were dominated by the running game.
    “Pretty much all I did was handoff,” Thigpen said. “I didn’t know what was going on. Hey, I was a rookie. I’ve never been through a camp and a pre-season. I wasn’t sure how it worked. I didn’t know they were trying to keep me under wraps. I can see that now, but I had no idea while it was going on.”
    On NFL cutdown day, the Vikings released Thigpen, but told him to find a place to live in the Twin Cities because they were going to add him to their practice squad. That was Saturday. On Sunday, the Chiefs claimed him on waivers. They had seen enough of Casey Printers in the pre-season to question his ability to handle the NFL game. Thigpen’s performance in that first pre-season game convinced Kuharich he was worth bringing in for a long look.
    The Chiefs had not done a lot of waiver wire transactions under former head coach Dick Vermeil; generally when they added a player to the roster, he had been with the team before and been released. Herm Edwards feels differently. “The question is always this: is the guy on the wire better than the last guy you have on your roster,” said Kuharich. “We felt Thigpen was better. We felt the same with Johnny Baldwin and Rashard Barksdale.”
    Thigpen, Baldwin and Barksdale were all added to the Chiefs roster that weekend, claimed off the waiver wire. All remain with the team, although Baldwin is not in camp as he recovers from the knee injury and surgery he went through last year. Barksdale is competing for a roster spot at cornerback.
    And now a year later, with the whole NFL world wondering if Green Bay’s No. 4 might soon end up in a Vikings uniform, the Chiefs are watching their own No. 4 develop before their eyes.
    “You can see his growth,” said Edwards. “He’s got a real belief in his arm. He’ll throw it anywhere.”
    While Croyle has a gun for a right arm, Thigpen has a cannon and that belief in his arm can get him in trouble at times. He always seems to believe he can fit a pass between two defenders even if they are 20 yards down the field. He’s quickly learning that will also get him in trouble.
    “I’ve got to be careful,” Thigpen said. “I think every quarterback thinks he can throw the ball wherever he wants. But that isn’t always the smartest move.”
    Vikings coach Brad Childress was not happy when his team lost Thigpen last year. He won’t be any happier after he sees him practice Thursday night. With his strong arm and his mobility, Thigpen looks very at home in Chan Gailey’s offense. The quarterback boot legs they are running seem right up his alley.
    “I like it,” said Thigpen. “I like to throw and move on the run. I think it fits Brodie and his style as well. There are chances to make plays.”
    Thigpen will get those chances in the pre-season. Make no mistake, Croyle is the starter. There was some off-season scuttlebutt that Thigpen could win the starting job. But baring a complete collapse, that’s not going to happen; Croyle is the man.
    But the NFL is all about being ready, and Thigpen feels he’s definitely ready.
    “I’m just trying to get better, trying to make this team better in whatever way I can,” he said. “Right now, my future is the next practice.”
    And that just happens to be against the Vikings.
    “That will be neat, to see some of those guys and see some of the coaches,” Thigpen said. “But I’m sure everybody will be watching Jared and his coming back here.”
    Chiefs fans however, need to keep their eye on Thigpen.
    “He’s not shown us any reason why he couldn’t be successful,” said Kuharich. “Like all young players, he needs to play.”
    You can read more about Tyler Thigpen and how the Chiefs scout in the pre-season on bobgretz.com.

  2. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seek View Post
    What I don't get, Is if Croyle gets Hurt, Thigpen is the next in line, because they already know what they have in Huard.

    So is he saying that Huard is #2 or #3. It sounds like Huard is the #2, and if Croyle gets Hurt. Thigpen is promoted from #3 to starter and Huard will always be a back up.
    So, he should feel right at home at number two - he's been there his entire career.

  3. #12
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    Chiefs’ Thigpen is a quarterback on the move

    BY ADAM TEICHER | THE KANSAS CITY STAR


    function PopupPic(sPicURL, sHeight, sWidth) { window.open( "http://media.kansascity.com/static/popup.html?"+sPicURL, "", "resizable=1,HEIGHT=" +sHeight+ ",WIDTH=" +sWidth); }

    The Chiefs’ Tyler Thigpen is not tall for a quarterback — just 6-1 — but he got a better look at receivers in Monday’s workout in River Falls, Wis., by moving out of the pocket.
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    RIVER FALLS, Wis. | The newest wrinkle in the Chiefs’ offensive playbook was thrown in by new coordinator Chan Gailey as a way to combat p***-blocking deficiencies.
    Gailey frequently moves the quarterback out of the pocket and asks him to make a play on the move.
    It also plays to the strengths of starter Brodie Croyle, who isn’t particularly fast but can throw well on the run. It’s even more suited to backup Tyler Thigpen, who is quicker than Croyle and, at only 6 feet 1, more than happy to get out of the forest.
    “That’s what you want to be able to do, get out of the pocket,” Thigpen said. “That way, you can see the field a little better instead of sitting back there behind those big, old, tall offensive linemen. I’m not the tallest guy out there.”
    While Thigpen hasn’t been a star at training camp, the Chiefs appear comfortable with his progress. They want him to improve his decision-making and accuracy and would like him to force fewer throws.
    In the meantime, Thigpen has vaulted over Damon Huard and is the No. 2 quarterback. With a strong showing in the preseason, Thigpen could play himself into consideration as Croyle’s successor if he falters this season or suffers a long-term injury.
    The Chiefs haven’t determined how much each of their quarterbacks will play in Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Bears in Chicago, but Thigpen will probably get plenty of snaps.
    He is one of the young players they are most eager to see against an outside opponent.
    “We really need to get Brodie and Tyler a bundle of snaps and get Damon some just so he can stay in the mix,” quarterbacks coach Dick Curl said. “Tyler is making nice progress, but we really want to see him in a game. There’s really no other way to get a measure on a quarterback. Practice is practice. The game is full speed.
    “He’s got all of the tools. You can see that. He’s a poised guy. I think he gets it. He doesn’t get flustered.”
    Thigpen came to the NFL not out of a college football factory but tiny Coastal Carolina, a Division I-AA program. He compiled big p***ing statistics, but his ability to move attracted the attention of NFL scouts.
    “He was a really strong runner in college,” said Chuck Cook, the Chiefs’ director of college scouting. “That was one of his ***ets. He was kind of a late bloomer. Our scouts liked him. We could see how cerebral he was. He moved Coastal Carolina along. We knew then he was a real strong guy we could develop.
    “That’s all you can hope for.”
    There was some talk that because of his lack of height and considerable athletic skills that he would become a receiver in the NFL. The Vikings drafted him last year in the seventh round, and the Chiefs acquired him off waivers immediately before the start of the season.
    “There were a lot of rumors going around about that,” Thigpen said. “I’m not exactly sure where those were coming from. I think it was more that people were thinking that if it didn’t work out at quarterback for me, they could out me at slot receiver.
    “During the time I was with the Vikings, somebody had mentioned something to me about playing receiver, but I never did. I was a quarterback the whole time I was up there.”
    Quarterback is what Thigpen wants to play, and fortunately for him, he landed with the Chiefs. They have no other plans for him.
    “When we looked at quarterbacks, our whole mind-set was to get a guy that … has the ability to get outside of the pocket and make plays on the run,” coach Herm Edwards said. “When the train is late, you’ve got to have a quarterback that can make a play.
    “They can throw it anywhere on the field. They can throw it to the wide side of the field, the short side of the field. They’re not running quarterbacks, but they have the ability to throw on the run, and that’s what you want.
    “He’s got a powerful arm, and sometimes that gets you in trouble because he’s going to make some throws that are ill-advised.”
    That’s something all young quarterbacks have to learn. The learning begins in earnest for Thigpen on Thursday night.
    “Coach Curl told me that I was going to get a lot of playing time,” Thigpen said. “Last year when I playing for Minnesota, it might have been two or three series a game and usually not even that. I can’t wait for that Chicago game, to get the chance to go out there and see what I can do with it.”

    <H2 cl***=shirttail>To reach Adam Teicher, Chiefs reporter for The Star, call

  4. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chiefster View Post
    So, he should feel right at home at number two - he's been there his entire career.
    The media is now saying that Thigpen has claimed the back up roll from Huard by performing better in camp.

  5. #14
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    Huard is our ***istant QB's coach in pads.
    Thanks for all the yards, TDs, and memories, Priest!

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    Quote Originally Posted by m0ef0e View Post
    Huard is our ***istant QB's coach in pads.
    It is most likely Huards last year as a Chief. I wouldn't be surprised if they pick up someone elses QB and cut Huard once everyone trims their rosters down. I would be even less surprised if they try and trade him.

  7. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seek View Post
    It is most likely Huards last year as a Chief. I wouldn't be surprised if they pick up someone elses QB and cut Huard once everyone trims their rosters down. I would be even less surprised if they try and trade him.
    Trade??? for what... a ball of string and two pieces of bubble gum... ( one used ) ?????

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    Quote Originally Posted by windwalker View Post
    Trade??? for what... a ball of string and two pieces of bubble gum... ( one used ) ?????
    You'd be surprised at how many people think he's the best QB on the roster.
    C:\Users\Master Sin\Desktop\thumb_pl_180492.jpg

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    Quote Originally Posted by Seek View Post
    The media is now saying that Thigpen has claimed the back up roll from Huard by performing better in camp.

    Not surprising; it falls in line with Herm's youth movement.

  10. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chiefster View Post
    Not surprising; it falls in line with Herm's youth movement.
    That and he was competing with HuTard. I would like to see the Chiefs trade him and get something out of him. Maybe we can get something decent for a team looking for a washed up never was to lead their 21st ranked team. If not maybe we can get a free beer for the first 100 fans in the stadium for him. If all else fails think we could get a water boy? Just a thought.




  11. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by McLovin View Post
    That and he was competing with HuTard. I would like to see the Chiefs trade him and get something out of him. Maybe we can get something decent for a team looking for a washed up never was to lead their 21st ranked team. If not maybe we can get a free beer for the first 100 fans in the stadium for him. If all else fails think we could get a water boy? Just a thought.
    I don't believe him to have any trade value whatsoever.

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