Whitlock's main point is that Thigpen is not a franchise quarterback and had a low completion percentage (58%) even though he operated in the shotgun offense, which makes it easier for quarterbacks to complete passes.
Whitlock bases a player's grade on how well he meets or fails to meet Whitlock's preseason expectation for him. Under this criteria, I'm not sure how Thigpen could receive anything besides an "A." I assume that before the season started, there were no expectations for Thigpen since nobody had ever heard of him. And, I would assume that, after the Atlanta game, everybody expected that Thigpen would or should be cut.
Given these assumptions, and the fact that, after the Atlanta game, Thigpen threw for over 2,400 yards with 16 TDs (and 8 picks), I don't see how he could receive anything but an "A." I think these are pretty good numbers for a guy who most people thought should have been cut in September. Granted, he had some bad games at the end of the season (Den. SD. Cinn.), but he also does not have a lot of offensive power around him.
Thigpen may not be a franchise quarterback. He may not even be the quarterback next year. But, given his experience level and the expectations for him this year, he had a pretty good year. In fact, given his expectations, he probably had the best year of any Chief.
Anybody have any thoughts on the "grades."
2 comments:
Whitlock will drop Clark Hunt's grades if Clark does not fire Herm. I know everyone wants to fire Herm, which is understandable. However, I think it may be the wrong decision to fire Herm, at least this year. Right now there are too many openings for coaches, and we would be getting into that game late, which would make it even more difficult. Luckily are two biggest options are still on the market (but everyone is going after the same two). Looking at our division, Herm will be the longest reigning coach in our division (correct me if I'm wrong). Raiders have to deal with coaching issues. Broncos just fired their coach. Chargers are still stuck with Norv. At least when it comes to coaching we are probably in the best position of any team in our division.
I agree with Kurt O. that Thigpen should have received a much higher grade. I thought Brandon Albert could also be bumped from a B to a low A for his excellent rookie season.
I also thought Whitlock was unfair to Will Franklin. Franklin was injured and made some nice catches when he was healthy and got playing time. He deserved better than a D.
Tank and Turk on the other hand, should have failed. Both of these dudes were high round draft picks two years ago and neither have done anything to be remotely impressive.
Finally, I thought D. Bowe deserved better than a D. I'd have given him a high C or low B. Sure, he made some dumb mistakes, but overall he was very impressive on an offense that didn't have much going for it (other than Tony G.)
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