Thigpen's Quarter

In response to Thigpen haters, I just thought I'd throw this out. As usual, I see some things I like, some things I don't like. Still haven't seen Thigpen get many good opportunities.

Thigpen under center for the first couple-few snaps. Set up well. Ball comes out quickly, incomplete to Cottam. On 3rd and 14, Thigpen evades a tackler who would've sacked a lesser man, does a good job finding Taurus Johnson, who, as I expected, did a nice job of coming back to help out his QB on the scramble. Far short of the first down, unfortunately.

2nd series. Thigpen under center. Short drop, quick slant to Webb for minimal gain. 2nd down, Thigpen evades the pass rush. The receivers aren't into their breaks yet, and there's 10 yards + of running room in front of him. He takes the sure thing, and scrambles for the easy 1st.

1st-and-10, left tackle is beaten. Thigpen's eyes are down the field and he leads Javarris Williams to the open area, but Williams slows down before he turns and the ball falls to the turf in front of him. Looked like a good pass, but like Williams was tentative. Others can argue with me about that one.

Next play, Texans send 4, but it looks like 5 or 6, the way they're having things their way. Thigpen evades the rush and running forward to his right slings it to Rodney Wright for an easy, wide-open reception and the first down

Shotgun. Been in shotgun the last few, too. Chiefs are in hurry-up. Draw play/delayed handoff to Javarris Williams a la Sammy Winder, and about as effective as Winder was in his SB losses. Minimal/no gain. D penalty. 1st down.

1st and 10 from HOU 30. 4 wideouts and Javarris vacates the backfield at the snap and heads out into the pattern. Nice OLE! block by the left tackle. Nice if you're a Houston fan, that is. Thigpen steps up, sees the 1st down in reach and runs for it. Houston is sending 4 and keeping 7 guys back in coverage, with nobody spying on Thigpen, who gets another easy 1st down plus half the distance to the goal on the late hit. Lawrence delivers some good blocks on this and other playes.

After a couple unremarkable plays, it's in and out of the hands of Jeff Webb. This has never happened before in the history of the NFL! Questionable pass interference gives them 1st and goal at the 1. Apparently the NFL frowns on reach-arounds. Webb wasn't anywhere near being open, although he had position between Thiggy and the defender. Williams futile trying to punch it in. This version of the short-yardage o-line was soundly beaten. Next play, Thigpen rolls out, FOUR of the D comes up to prevent him from running in the easy 6 and Thigpen throws a baby pass to wide-open Cottam, behind them.

Thigpen standing in the pocket against 4-man pass rush. Somebody coming untouched virtually every time. No good looks down the field, and no good throwing lanes if someone is actually open. 2 short dump-offs for short gains, at best. 3rd and 5, doubles left and Lawrence split out to the right, against what looks like 1-on-1 press coverage. Thigpen is again in a big hurry. The RDE is having a field day against the LT of the Chiefs. Lawrence fights off his man pretty well, but slows down, and Thigpen leads him, expecting him to RUN, dammit, and Lawrence fails with a leaping try. If he'd just kept on running hard and fighting, he might've been off to the races, but we'll never know, now.

Last possession. Desperation time. Incomplete to Lawrence over the middle. The RB might've had some running room if Thiggie could've seen him in the left flat. Lawrence should've left his feet but lets the ball through his fingertips, flat-footed, instead. QB scramble, Savage run for the first. Strange call, but you get the sense that there isn't a WR on the field who's a playmaker.

Oh, there's the lame underhanded shovel pass that everyone was dissin' Thiggy for. About to be sacked, he basically handed it to a RB who was, for some unknown reason, still standing behind him doing nothing. He fumbles. I have no idea what Savage was trying to do on that play. Didn't block. Didn't filter out for a screen. Just standing there kinda behind Thigpen while the pass rush descended.

Following play, Thigpen is once again running for his life, to his LEFT this time. Throws it to a lone red jersey in a sea of white jerseys in the middle of the field. Had one man wide open down the left sideline right in front of him, 10 yards down the field. Not a huge play, but it would've gotten 'em to midfield and stopped the clock with 30 seconds.

Final KC offensive play, Thigpen running for his life to his right. Bounces a pass off Savage's chest and into the arms of a Houston player. Haley takes off the headphones. Game over.