Remember our old friend Tyler Thigpen? Here is a pretty funny video of him getting doinked in the head with a football.

Point of clarification: I have no knowledge of Tyler Thigpen’s religious affiliation, nor is this post in any way an attempt to make fun of Thigpen for said unknown religious affiliations.

"It seems in your anger, you killed her"

Former Kansas City Chiefs QB coach Dick Curl is finally retiring.

Curl, 104 years young, has been serving as the QB coach for the St. Louis Rams this season since 2009 but before that, Curl worked under Herm Edwards for the Kansas City Chiefs.

In case you don’t remember him, Curl is the man who brought you Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen and for a limited time, Damon Huard. Curl was the guy who lobbied Herm Edwards and Carl Peterson to stand pat with the three superstar QB’s mentioned above during the 2008 draft. Thanks for that Dick…

Besides being the worst thing to ever happen to Kansas City Chiefs QB’s, Curl also holds the team record for the best porn star name, much to Mike Cox’s chagrin.

Though I think Curl’s retirement is probably a good thing for young QB’s everywhere, I will miss the non-stop entertainment he provided on the sidelines during games. My buddies and I always used to watch the games and joke that Curl was like Senator Palpatine from Star Wars. Always whispering in the QB’s ear, always trying to coax him over to the dark side.

Good luck, Dick Curl and may the force be with you.

Hi. My name is Patrick and I’m an Arrowhead Addict.

Exactly one year ago today, on December 16^th, 2009, those were the first words I ever wrote for this web site.

In the year that has followed I have had an absolute blast covering the Kansas City Chiefs for FanSided.com. I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of awesome staff members who have helped make Arrowhead Addict the success it is today.

In the last year, our traffic is up 97.99% and we’ve had over 1 million visitors. Last December, this website was averaging somewhere around 750 hits a day. Today it averages thousands.

I just wanted to drop a post to say thank you to my staff, in particular Randy, Merlin, Double D and Jeremy who were here before me and have been incredibly supportive and helpful from day one. Those guys are the heart and soul of AA and I know they love this place just as much as I do. I’d also like to thank Andrew “The Crock Pot” Crocker, who helped get this whole operation off the ground.

Lastly, thanks to Adam and Zach Best who created this awesome website and gave me the opportunity to take over their baby.

In celebration of a great year here at AA (and for the Chiefs), I decided to re-post my first ever Arrowhead Addict column. I feel like it is just as relevant today as it was back then. 1,995 posts later, I’d like to share it with you again.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

Dear Dolphins Fans,

Patrick Allen here, lead writer from over at Arrowhead Addict.

First let me say that Brian (our Dolphins blogger) did not ask me to write this. I am doing on my own. I also want to say that I like the Dolphins and their fans. Miami has always been a classy organization that I’ve never had a problem except for that one time you guys knocked us out of the playoffs.

Anyway, I am here to talk to you about Tyler Thigpen.

Thigpen has been gone from Kansas City for a while now but I am still very fond of him. In fact, he is one of my favorite Chiefs of ever.

The 2008 season was miserable for the Kansas City Chiefs fan. We were coming off a 4-12 season and Herm Edwards had turned our team into a Division 2 college squad. I mean this team was bad. Really, really bad. We lost a heart breaker (and our starting QB) to New England 17-10 to start the season. The next week, against Oakland, Herm Edwards trotted some guy name Marques Hagins out on to the field to play QB for the Chiefs. There were just two problems with this scenario.

Problem #1: Hagins was a call up from the practice squad.

Problem #2: HE WAS A FREAKING WIDE RECEIVER!!!!!!!(#@!#!@#__

Sorry for the outburst…er…Herm Edwards you know…

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Source: Yardbarker.com

Welcome to our Chiefs/Bills game preview. We try to do a post every week where we go “Inside The Enemy Camp” to scout the Chiefs next opponent.

I spoke with Paul Mill over at Buffalowdown, Fansided’s Bills blog. Here is what he had to say.

AA: I will start out with the Chan Gailey connection. Chan was the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs under Herm Edwards. Chiefs fans most remember him for the remarkable work he did with QB Tyler Thigpen that made a horrible season somewhat fun to watch.

I’ve always thought Chan has never gotten a fair shot at being a head coach. With the Bills being 0-6, what are your impressions of him so far? do you think he is a bum or that he is trying to turn around the franchise the right way?

BLD: It’s tough to judge a guy only 7 weeks into the season, and my verdict isn’t out yet with Chan Gailey.

But I will say that I really like how Gailey is a no nonsense type of coach. Even going back to earlier in the year, Gailey was working this team hard during training camp and the preseason , something that players weren’t use to under the Dick Jauron regime, and the hard work is finally starting to show out on the field.

More after the jump.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

As we are nearing the end of the OTA season, I am looking ahead to the long, long weeks in between the conclusion of the offseason program and the beginning of training camp. Historically, July is the month where Chiefs news will be very scarce.

In the spirit of training camp, I’ve decided we should come up with our very own depth chart. There are sure to be more than a few position battles this summer lets get a head start and see how Addict Nation thinks the team should look this September.

Each day we will have a poll to deal with another position. You will vote on who you think the starter should be. However the standing shake out will determine the teams depth. For instance, if we vote on QB and Matt Cassel gets the most votes, followed by Croyle, followed by Gutierrez, the depth chart will follow the results. Some of these will be clear cut and some won’t. The key to make this fun, however, isn’t just to vote but to debate. If you think Croyle is a better QB than Cassel, don’t just vote but tell us why in the comments. When all is said and done, we can see if the Chiefs chose the same guys we do to be the team’s starters.

Let’s start with the offense and the most important position on the team.

We review the QB’s, after the jump.

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Thigpen threw from 2608 yards, 18 TDs and 12 INTs with Kansas City in 2008. He was persona non grata with the Chiefs after new head coach Todd Haley came in and was traded during the season to the Miami Dolphins for an undisclosed draft pick. An undisclosed draft pick means it was very low. Just like the undisclosed (7th round) draft pick the Rams got for Tye Hill. But I digress.

The Rams would absolutely take Thigpen’s stat line from their quarterback in 2010. Kansas City had one great weapon on offense in 2008 in Tony Gonzalez and a bunch of questionable talents on offense. Sound familiar? The Rams have one great weapon in Steven Jackson and a bunch of questionable talents. Thigpen played better with Kansas City than his much more heralded replacement, Matt Cassell.

NFL Gridiron Gab

I don’t know if this would be such a good idea for the Rams. Thigpen did not look good in preseason last year. It just seems he had a lot more trouble taking snaps from under center and without Tony G roaming the middle of the field.

Still, whatever system he succeeded in, you can’t argue with the numbers Thigpen put up in the NFL playing for the Chiefs. They were pretty solid. The kid is still young and can certainly make things happen with his legs. I wouldn’t mind seeing someone try to develop him. Thiggy was the only thing that made 2008 bearable.

It is the Chiefs fans 2010 January lament. Who can blame them?

It is hard to argue against the idea that the Chiefs did not improve in 2009. Their defense gave up only 16 fewer points than the 08’ squad. The offense scored a whopping 3 points more than Tyler Thigpen and the “Arrowspread” offense. The variance in the numbers between 08’ and 09’ are so minuscule that is it hard to find any real difference between the season that got Herman Edwards fired and the season Todd Haley lead the team, disappointing so many. To most long suffering Chiefs fans, it was just different faces getting the same results.

I’m not here to tell you not to be angry about all the losing. I am here to try to give you an objective look at why the Chiefs 09’ season was not a lateral move. I actually think Haley did a remarkable job, given the circumstances he inherited.

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Ray-Ray Lewis and the Ravens will snap Brodie in two, and then Thiggy Smalls would come in relief comic relief and get more ass-rippings from Todd Haley than completions. I seriously don’t know if I will be able to stomach it. Croyle missed Dwayne Bowe, one of the biggest WRs in the NFL, at least six times the other night in a half. Meanwhile, Thigpen threw two picks against back-ups on possibly the worst defense in the NFL. Watching those two quarterbacks in the same game is akin to watching Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton co-star in the same movie. I would rather have my inner thighs waxed by Brock Lesnar.

Seriously, I have not been waiting for a young franchise quarterback since Todd Blackledge flopped when I was five years old only to land him and see him sit out the first game of the season. That’s kinda like wandering through the desert and seeing a big puddle of water only to have your camel piss in it before you can take a drink.  Excuse my French here, but if I have to endure Croyle/Thigpen again the taste won’t be much different than piss water. Last year, they were at the heart of Harmageddon, the single worst football experience of my life. Yes, even worse than three-a-days at Emporia State in 100 degree weather with scents from a nearby bakery and slaughterhouse converging to gag me underneath my facemask. This is how frustrated I am with these two “quarterbacks,” two players that only a complete idiot like Herm Edwards would consider starting options.

Cassel, Haley, if you guys can pull it off — and I don’t care how as long as we don’t jeopardize M.C.’s future, which might even be worth it — please get No. 7 out there Sunday. It will eat me alive to see Terrell Suggs complete a Mortal Kombat-style fatality on Croyle (“get over here!”),  with Ed Reed picking off Thigpen six times as an encore. Save us, Matt Cassel, you’re our only hope.

Don’t miss out on the chance to get $80 off the price of CBSSports.com’s Fantasy Football Commissioner. Click here to get started. Time is definitely running out on this unique offer, so act now.

Post-Blackledge Stress Disorder – A condition that has tormented Chiefs fans ever since the Chiefs selected quarterback Todd Blackledge out of Penn State seventh overall in the 1983 NFL Draft. Blackledge became a monumental bust, and most Chiefs fans never recovered.The condition is typically defined as chronic paranoia when it comes to drafting a first-round quarterback, a voyage which almost every NFL team must eventually take.

The severity of this condition has worsened over the years. After former Chiefs GM Carl Peterson (1989-2009) refused to select a first-round quarterback during his 20-year tenure, Chiefs Nation has become much more resistant to the idea of their beloved team doing just that. Medical experts compare it to when a person becomes so obese they’d rather just accept their current state, instead of having the courage to step on a scale, accept the problem and take the proper measures to correct it. One of the surefire signs of PBSD is denial.

In recent years, PBSD has become so severe within the Chiefs Nation community that many fans openly stated that they preferred Brodie “Brokie” Croyle to Chad Pennington, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, and more recently Tyler Thigpen to Mark Sanchez, Matt Cassel and Matt Leinart.

Another recent turn in this chronic state of mental illness is delusional thinking. For instance, many fans currently think that new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli finding another Tom Brady or Matt Cassel in the final rounds of the draft is a mortal lock.

PBSD is a very serious condition. There is no current known cure for this ailment, although experts hope the Chiefs actually drafting or trading for a legitimate young franchise quarterback will eliminate all symptoms.

Sometimes you have to go to great lengths to make sure a message registers, I suppose. Following up on that message, here’s a quote I heard today from Mel Kiper that I couldn’t agree with more:

This notion that you are going to find Tom Brady or Matt Cassel late — good luck. That’s catching lightening in a bottle.

Even for Scott Pioli, the football executive who helped discover those two quarterbacks, the odds against him pulling that off again are astronomical. 10:1 at best, I’d say, if not 50:1. Besides, we think Pioli discovered these guys, but who really knows what went down behind closed doors. It could have been all Pioli. It could have been all Bill Belichick. It could have all been some maestro of a quarterback scout we’re paying no attention to.

We’re rebuilding our franchise. Period. Anyone who argues that is stuck in a state of denial. Any rebuilding effort that’s worth a damn in the NFL starts with a QB.

I keep hearing this “defense wins championships” stuff ad nauseum. Well, if that’s true, then why was it the Steelers’ offense who bailed out its defense in the Big Game? If that’s true, then why have the past four Super Bowl winners been led by a first-round quarterback? If that’s true, then why have the past three Super Bowl winners featured at least one former first-round wide receiver (the Colts had two)?

All of those points are important ones to keep in mind. But the most important one is the first-round quarterback point. Defense wins championships? Maybe, but first-round and franchise quarterbacks definitely win championships.

Over the past six years, you have three first-round quarterbacks and possibly a guy who’s on his way to becoming the best QB of all time, Tom Brady. With the recent rule changes that benefit receivers and in an indirect way QBs (You know, the rule changes that were a direct result of that Colts-Patriots game where Ty Law was reenacting The Deliverance “squeal like a pig scene” on Marvin Harrison), quarterbacks have never been more valuable than they are today. NFL players are also just so big, fast, strong and physical nowadays that the NFL feature back is becoming a dinosaur. A dodo bird. A Siberian tiger. It’s almost an extinct breed, folks. I’ve just figured that out in the past year. The NFL is a passing league now.

The aforementioned reasons are why I believe that we aren’t destined to see another Trent Dilfer any time soon.

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Some KC locals think Tyler Thigpen is the answer going forward.  Everyone is allowed to have an opinion of course, but two wins compared to 11 pretty much seals the argument in Cassel’s favor.  Could he be the next Scott Mitchell? Sure, or he could be the next Tom Brady.  Cassel might end up like other QB’s who weren’t drafted by their current teams like Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, or even Brett Farve. (Farve was drafted by Atlanta originally in case your brain stuttered over that one.)

Considering KC’s track record of developing drafted QB’s, making a play for Cassel wouldn’t be a bad idea.  The Patriots have until Feb. 19 to franchise Cassel, so circle that date on your calendar.  The long and the short of it is that the Chiefs can afford Cassel, and they definitely have a need at QB despite Thiggy Smalls performance last season.  Having two starting-caliber QB’s is becoming vogue in the NFL now due to the massive amounts of injuries at the position. Chiefs fans would have to consider themselves lucky to have a Cassel and a Thigpen considering the ridiculous Brokie Croyle circus Herm brought to town the last few years.

In addition to potentially signing Matt Cassel, there are also rumors O’ plenty about shipping Larry Johnson and even Tony Gonzalez out of town on rails.  One, a malcontent RB who may well not have a lot left in the tank after signing a hefty contract.  The other, a wily veteran TE whose value may never be higher after another Pro Bowl season.  Public sentiment seems to be keep Citizen Tony and boot crybaby L.J. — diapers and all.  However, these opinions are formed with three parts emotion and one part logic considering LJ’s legal “issues” (which would maybe be non issues outside the KC fishbowl), and Tony G’s local celebrity status.

Don’t unbuckle those football helmets just because the Super Bowl is over just yet Chiefs fans…we have quite a few more things to look forward to this season, and expect them to come soon.

At first, I was an anti-spread guy when it came to the pros. I’ve softened a little bit on that stance. First off, it’s obvious that Tyler Thigpen is much more comfortable in this kind of offense. The offense line was a five-lane expressway before we implemented the formation. Larry? I think it’s easy for him to get a head full of steam, which makes him extremely difficult to bring down. I also think this offense could potentially extend his career. Tony Gonzalez? More receiving, less blocking. As a result, he’s thrived. Dwayne Bowe has been his usual standout self, occasional drops due to lapses in concentration and all. Mark Bradley has emerged as a legit complimentary receiver.

The other pro is that both Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow run the spread, and rumor has it that we are still thinking quarterback. Don’t shoot the messenger, yo, but we might still draft a quarterback this upcoming spring. If Andre Smith is unavailable, I think anything that early except a QB might be a reach in this draft class. I don’t see a top-five defensive end among the bunch, and I don’t believe top-five linebackers exist. You reach when you pick a LB in the top five. I’ll put it this way; I’d rather have two good quarterbacks than none. Gotta hedge that bet.

One other potential pro is that it could balance out Herm Edwards‘ tendency to be overly conservative. Because the spread is an aggressive formation by nature, conservative playcalling with this formation is counter-productive.

Cons? Well, L.J. isn’t exactly the Wizard of Westbrook as a receiver and Jamaal Charles hands are suspect. I also think it puts you at a disadvantage in the redzone and on short yardage situations, because if you line up in under-center formations after primarily running the spread it telegraphs that you are going to go to the power running game. Especially with Harm at coach. Additionally, if Harm tries to be too conservative late in games he will clip the spread’s wings.

It’s also currently unknown just how effective either Brodie Croyle or Quinn Gray will be in the spread, or if either guy will even be around next year should we stick with the trendy O. Damon Huard‘s done as a Chief, that we know.

Like everybody else, I’m going to keep an eye on Thiggy Smalls these next three weeks. By the end of the season, he will have had basically 10 games in the spread. I think that’s enough of a look for the Addict jury, and the Chiefs, to reach a verdict.

Addicts, should the spread stay or should it go?

Now before all you Herm Apologists and homers and insane sheep come out and stomp your feet and cry “but we ARE looking better”- hear me out. I’m you! I’m die-hard Chiefs! I hate Denver and Oakland and can’t imagine going to a game in any other stadium than Arrowhead! I am the guy that found Joe Phillips! I am the guy who called for Brodie Croyle’s head! I am the guy who gave you LJ’s accuser! I love you man! Sometimes when we love so deeply we have to give out some tough love. Lock the doors, this has went from column to intervention.

I think Tyler Thigpen is good. I’ll say it again, Tyler Thigpen is good. The guy looks like a capable NFL QB. I don’t know if he can start and win games yet, but he gives the illusion of a good football team. A mirage in a dusty desert Chiefs fans crawl to — reaching out for, holding out hope that someone can rescue us from QB hell and quench our thirst for stability. Oh, hahaha! But then there’s Herm Edwards and Ashton Kutcher there at the water’s edge to kick sand in your face with his 32nd ranked defense. You’re on Punk’d!

Some of my detractors out there, newly-anointed Hermaphrodites, claim that I never have anything good to say about Herm. My reply is, give me something good to say! Why do you think I named him Harm? Because the guy does nothing but bad things for our team. We need a Hippocratic Coaching oath that includes “Do no Harm“, the Lombardi Pledge or Ditka Doctrine could be some good names for said oath.

Fact of the matter is, Mr. Thigpen hasn’t won a game yet, and its not for a lack of trying. The same old Herm reasons also apply here why we are still losing games- poor clock management, poor decisions on 3rd and 4th down, not kicking to send a game to overtime… Common denominator = Herm. The only reason the Thigpen isn’t hurt yet a la Croyle & Huard is because of the spread offense. Thiggy Smalls should be on his hands and knees every G.D. night thanking Chan Gailey for his head still being attached to his body.

We went to the spread offense out of necessity! Necessity! We had to get 8 guys out of our box so we could breathe on offense because Herm’s vanilla ice cream offense melted down our hand — and then like Brodie Croyle’s urine — went straight down the leg. Had we not switched to the spread, we’d be signing more guys off the street and Mark Wahlberg isn’t walking through the doors anytime soon.

You know and I know that we aren’t playing Herm football right now and that’s where this Thigpen mirage comes from. We see the ball flying around and making some first downs and even some touchdowns, but still come up short but “Hey at least it was fun to watch right?” Right and wrong, because next year when we have a starting QB and some semblance of an offensive line and maybe some new toys on defense we are going to be right back to square one with Harm Edwards football. Running the ball (if we still have LJ) and trying to play the vaunted Tampa 2 without the right linebackers and we are going to be having all these same conversations again.

• Why can’t we keep our QB upright?
• What is Herm doing/thinking/watching on that play?
• Why are we losing games in the 4th quarter?
• Why are we running the ball up the gut 3 times and punting?

Get ready Hermlovers, because this is what this site will look like just under a year from now.

Clark Hunt — if you or your minions are reading this, I implore you, I beg you…make your mark on this franchise. Its time to step out of Daddy’s rather large shadow and take the reigns of this stagecoach because its headed over the cliff and the horses have blinders on. Hire us a winning coach and the rest of the pieces will fall into place. None of this “do-over” and free shit season pass business. This football team is exactly that, a business. Treat it as such.

I love the Addicts and all Chiefs fans, but I spit the Herm Edwards bait out, and I’m not falling for this debacle and never will. We are worse than the Detroit Lions record-wise. Think about that.

1-18 is UNACCEPTABLE!

I picked us to go 4-12 again this year. Not too much to ask for and it could still happen, but until I see improvement on the win/loss record, we aren’t getting any better no matter how thirsty we are for victories, what we are seeing now is a mirage, and a lot of Chiefs fans are seeing what they want to see.

The Rams just had to one up Herm Edwards‘ decision to start Damon Huard for the Chiefs this Sunday, didn’t they?

“The Chiefs are going with Damon Huard. They think they can just ride him to the No. 1 pick? Not so fast, K.C. You want to start that hasbeen clipboard holder? Fine, we’ll one up you. We’ll start the guy you dumped to pave the way for that hasbeen clipboard holder. Take that!” – Scott Linehan…I swear

Trent Green? Really? This isn’t 2003, Al Saunders and Co. As far as we go, I’m actually looking forward to Damon starting. Not for his play, but for the sake of our defense and young players like Dwayne Bowe, guys who need consistency in order to develop. That being said, Damon still is a waste when it comes to the grand scheme of things and preparing for the future. It’s not that I like him for us right now, it’s that anything is better than the alternative.

Speaking of that alternative, why don’t we just cut Tyler Thigpen and give Buffalo a call about J.P. Losman, the non-Chiefs QB who seems to most interest our readers?

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“Thanks to Herm, this skeleton represents the Chiefs’ season.”

I found this interesting Tyler Thigpen pic on Deadspin with the following excerpt:

What better way to kick off your Wednesday evening then to have Chiefs’ new starting quarterback Tyler Thigpen mock rear-entering a skeletal model. Maybe Coastal Carolina University had just recently generated enough funding to support a human anatomy class and he was just overly excited. Remember, the school’s football program began five years ago. That actually might be one of the only groupies the team had. Or perhaps this is a more recent photo and Tyler is demonstrating what he’s going to do to the Atlanta Falcons defense this weekend. Regardless of the motivation, rejoice Chiefs fans: your skeleton-banging quarterback is here to resuscitate your offense. Whitlock must be pumped.

Unbelievable.

Addicts, it’s your turn–caption this pic!

Well, we already had one insane, angry outburst by a commenter. He’s probably shooting up a Wendy’s right now. Issues. By the way, going on a Michael “Kramer” Richardsesque rant on the site and the Addicts–its staff and commenters–will get you banned. I know a lot of you are upset about our Chiefs, but you can vent and still be respectful of your fellow fans (and almost all of you do–thanks!)

Was my score prediction wrong? Absolutely. I have no problem admitting that. I mean, how was I supposed to predict that Tom Brady would finally get hurt after 128 consecutive starts? Especially when I misplaced my magic crystal ball recently? Regardless, the Chiefs damn near took the defending AFC Champs down.

Why didn’t they? The same reason I said the Chiefs would get blown out, and the same reason I still think they will go 4-12 again. That reason: quarterback play. Brodie Croyle has a good arm and he’s a good kid. But I’m not sure he could make it through a 16-minute season, let alone a 16-game season. He’s never going to be a dependable starting QB. This isn’t even about talent, it’s about durability. Like Samuel L. Jackson, the kids call Brodie Croyle “Mr. Glass.” He’s just brittle. I’m not trying to be mean, but there’s no other way to put it. Maybe it should be Brokie (KCMizzou!)?

Meanwhile, Damon Huard is a waste of time. He may give us a better chance to win right now than Croyle or Thigpen, but not by much. I have never seen a more timid, flat-footed QB in my life. He simply does not like to get hit and does not get rid of the ball. It’s “two Mississippi” and tuck with that guy. His progressions are non-existent as well. Way to totally telegraph that pass to Dwayne Bowe, who was smothered by tight double coverage.

I’m being hard on Huard, but here’s the point: we are wasting our time with these two quarterbacks. Damon Huard is a 35-year-old back-up who’s made it painfully clear that he would rather hold a clipboard and get paid than get hit. As for Brodie Croyle, like Woody Allen said, “80 percent of success is showing up.” He is never going to hold up to the physical pounding an NFL QB is subjected to. He is officially an injury-prone QB. Besides, he hasn’t been worth a damn when he’s healthy.

This is exactly why I was preaching that we should add another developmental QB this summer. Don’t even try to bring up Tyler Thigpen–you know better than to go Thiggy Smalls on me. Now we have to bring in another guy, preferably Chris Simms. If we don’t bring someone in at this point and hedge what, at best, is a risky bet on Brodie, we are ginormous morons.

Our quarterbacks cost us this game. They will continue to cost us and hold back our progress until we find a long-term solution. King Carl and the Preacher better get their asses looking for Option B, and do it like yesterday.

More on the game to come…

“They released me,” Simms said in a text message Saturday.

Simms played in three preseason games, completing 19-of-30 passes for 155 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. But he performed well enough to prove to other teams he is fully recovered from the effects of abdominal surgery that forced him to miss nearly all of the past two seasons.

The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers are expected to have the most interest in signing Simms, who becomes a free agent.

The Cowboys’ backup quarterback is 40-year-old Brad Johnson, Simms’ teammate with the Bucs. The Packers have no experienced quarterback behind starter Aaron Rodgers.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen,” Simms said. “I’m just going to wait and see.”

You’d have to think that if we were interested, that we’d be a more intriguing option than either the Cowboys or Packers. This is no knock on Croyle, but at this point I think Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo are more entrenched as thier respective team’s starters. Coming to Kansas City might be Simm’s best shot at earn a starting gig by the end of the season. That is, if we are interested. Again, we should be.

I think Tyler Thigpen and most of the second-tier receivers need to play well to secure their jobs. The Chiefs‘ passing game needs help, especially with Will Franklin on the mend. If nobody steps up, I’m almost positive we’ll import help when some decent players get cut later this week. Our linebackers will also be watched closely, as will our two kickers. It should be interesting. Well, at least for a half or so.

Which players need to play well tonight in order to make the roster of 53?

Anyway, the real news here for Chiefs fans is that the Bucs have a jillion QBs. Why is that news? Because the Chiefs don’t have a good back-up option at quarterback. Tyler Thigpen is short, and he’s a better athlete than quarterback. As for Damon Huard, it became clear to me last season that he prefers holding a clipboard to getting shellacked. Plus, neither player has impressed anyone up in River Falls. The Chiefs need a back-up quarterback, preferably one who has some long-term potential should Brodie Croyle fail.

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The Chiefs obviously like Thigpen. After he was realeased by the Vikings last year, the Chiefs signed the Coastal Carolina University single-season and career passing leader (in basically every category, folks) the next day. They also didn’t draft a quarterback back in April. To me, that is just as big of an endorsement of Thigpen as it is of Croyle. Clark Hunt is going to be somewhat patient with this rebuilding effort. At the same time, I think the entire front office would like to know if they have a quarterback on the roster they can move forward with by season’s end. That being said, they will want to take a look at Thigpen should Croyle get hurt again or flop.

From ESPN:

Some observers believe Tyler Thigpen will push Croyle. The quarterback job will be Croyle’s if he performs well, but it is surely the biggest unknown heading into training camp and it will be one of the most closely watched stories in the AFC West in the preseason.

Personally, I don’t think Brodie played well enough last year to walk in on day one of the preseason and be handed the job. He should be first in line, but I think Thigpen or someone not presently on the roster (like Byron Leftwich or Chris Simms) should be in the running for the job. I think competition breeds success, especially at that position.

What does everybody else think about Thigpen and a potential quarterback position battle?