In my mind, Thigpen is under the same cloud every other player on the team is on. With so many holes on the roster, how can you put everything on his shoulders and say well he didn’t win so so he’s not the starter. Is it Thigpens fault that after putting up 31 points they still lost because the defense was getting run all over? I don’t think so. Is it Thigpens fault that a missed extra point because a backup snapper that was moving furniture for $13 an hour the week before botched a snap? I don’t think so.

The QB has to be able to win, no doubt, but when the roster is so full of holes like it has been all year, I don’t think you can point to that one position and say that its his fault.

If Thigpen continues to develop and play well as he has, I think he will have earned the right to be the starter at the beginning of next season. But that doesn’t mean he is the “franchise” QB. I still think we should draft a QB. How high depends on how committed they are to this spread style offense. If they are going to scale it back and use the offseason to work with Thigpen on more conventional NFL offense, we don’t know if he will be able to do that or not and I think we should be looking at a 1st round QB (can never have too many good QB prospects and we have the cap space to carry him and can always trade him for picks to a desperate team later).

However, if they are going to commit to a form of the spread long term, they can be looking at the group of QBs that are often passed over as “system” QBs that run the spread in college in the 3rd or 4th rounds. Graham Harrell, Chase Daniels, etc. These QBs are less useful to a conventional NFL offense, but in the spread, they can get the job done and at a later draft pick that will free us up to pick up LBs or DEs in the top rounds.

Because he’s one of the players on the team playing well enough to win.

He’s outperformed Huard and Croyle, Quinn Gray’s likely not a long-term solution, Thigpen’s no more of a risk than any of the free agent QBs available this offseason and even if we draft a rookie it’s unlikely he could step in his first year and play better.

Assuming he doesn’t completely go in the tank for the remainder of the season for individual performance there’s no reason not to keep him as the starter.

he doesn’t necessarily have to win THIS year. 2nd round QB draft pick is almost a must though depending on who’s available. MLB and DE MUST, I repeat MUST be addressed in free agency and/or the Draft. He needs a COMPLETE supporting cast that hopefully can stay healthy. I’d keep Gray as our exp backup for next year which we could go into training camp with Bones, Gray and a rookie at QB.

If he keeps playing well and gets over the bad game he just had but the rest of the team keeps costing us games. If that happens then to me he doesn’t need to win. One of the best signs this season was the one where he drove us down the feild at the end of the game, he got the TD and then we had to decide to tie or go for the win. He is really really good in the 2 minute drill so I like him as the starter if the rest of the team gets better.

Well, Thiggy seems to agree with that, so it’s hard to argue the point.

A lot is made about the Spread O, but I don’t see that as a destination. I see it as a direction, and a starting place. If Bones can build /from/ the spread, and become something of a Peyton Manning Light (or better than lite), we’d have an offense to be reckoned with. Time will tell, though, where this train can go.