Q: What is your feeling knowing that you are the guy now?

TYLER THIGPEN: “It’s a great feeling, it’s definitely a dream come true. It’s something you dream about as a kid. The actuality of it is here now. It’s fun to get out there with the ones and get some reps with those guys and get familiar with and get on the same page with those guys.”

Q: Is it going to be hard to separate the dream come true from actually playing the game?

THIGPEN: “It’s already been separated. The dream’s come true, you’re here now. We’re going down to Atlanta to win a ball game, so that’s what we’re going to do. Coach made a decision this week, that I’m the starting quarterback, so we’re not necessarily living with that, but that’s what the deal is and we’re going to win a ball game.”

Q: Who was the first person you told when you heard you were starting?

THIGPEN: “You know, I didn’t really share with anyone. They told me, right when I was coming out of the locker room is when they told me. So I didn’t really have a chance to share with anybody. Some of the guys on the team came up and congratulated me and said, you know, you’re the guy this week. Go out there and prove them”

Q: Do you feel that this week is one of your opportunities that come in life?

THIGPEN: “Definitely. You look around the league; this is the way this league works. Guys get hurt all the time. This is an opportunity for me to step in there and perform and get the win.”

Q: Were there a number of plays you’d like to have back against Oakland?

THIGPEN: “Definitely. You always say that for every ball game. Obviously this week, I looked at film and learned from them, corrected them. You know we’re going to correct those and make sure we get them worked out.”

Q: Are we going to see a few wrinkles because you are at the helm from the get-go?

THIGPEN: “I don’t think they’re going to change our gameplan. I think we’re going back to more base stuff. Stuff that as a team, you know, I guess you could say are our bread and butter. Those are the things we’re going to stick to, you know, be good at the things we’re good at, keep it simple and execute.”

Q: Do you feel more comfortable with WR Will Franklin because of your time in practice?

THIGPEN: “Definitely. He’s a great receiver, he’s proven that. He got a little time in the preseason before he got injured. It’ll be exciting, he’s done a good job in practice this week. It’ll be exciting to have him out there and have another threat on the field.”

Q: How much are you working on your timing with TE Tony Gonzalez?

THIGPEN: “We stayed after practice yesterday and we stayed after today, because those are the things we’re working on. I feel like he and I have definitely gotten on the same page. That’s one thing we wanted to work on, we talked about it in the shower after the game. We worked on that this week and we’ve gotten a lot better at it.”

Q: That has to take longer than a week though right?

THIGPEN: “Definitely. The more time you have with somebody, the more you’re going to mold and the more you’re going to know about all them. We only have a week to mold. We’ve got to take advantage of the time we get, and make the most of it.”

Q: How will you deal with the pressure of the situation?

THIGPEN: “I’m not going to put any pressure on myself. There’s no reason to. I’m going down there as the starting quarterback, as a team, as an offense. We’re going to try to move the ball and put some points on the board and bring back a win.”

Q: Is it nice making your first NFL start in your own part of the country?

THIGPEN: “Definitely. It wouldn’t matter if I was in California, a start is a start. I’m not going to treat it any different.”

Q: Will you have a lot of family there? THIGPEN: “Yes, I will have a lot of family there. I’m not exactly sure [how many]. Immediate family, most likely there. If I had to say a ballpark of people that I know there, I’d probably say 20 or 25.”

Q: What about Atlanta is going to help you do well on Sunday?

THIGPEN: “They’re a very vanilla team, you know what you see is what you get from them. They pretty much show the stuff that they’re bringing. In film study throughout this week we kind of picked up on their tendencies and stuff. I imagine, me being a young guy, they’re probably going to try to bring some different stuff at me to confuse me. We’re going to stick to our game plan, get the ball out of my hands, and let our playmakers make plays.”

Q: When you were drafted in the seventh round, was that a disappointment?

THIGPEN: “Not at all. You never want to be disappointed. Obviously you want to be that first-round guy, but the reality of it is I was a small-school guy. I thank the Lord that I was drafted and given an opportunity to play in the National Football League.”

Q: How different was it coming from Coastal Carolina to the NFL?

THIGPEN: “The NFL is the best of the best. Coming from Coastal Carolina, a I-AA program, so you’re playing against I-AA guys all the time. It’s also nice being on the scout team for a year. You get to go against your first-string defense to see how the game speed is.”

Q: How helpful is it that you played the second half against Oakland?

THIGPEN: “It definitely benefits. That was kind of a game for me to get warmed up in a way. You hate to say that it was a warm up game, but I got a feel for how the NFL works. I got a little time last year, in San Diego, it wasn’t much. It was the preseason so I wasn’t really going against the ones. So it was nice to go out there against those guys with live bullets coming at me.”

Q: Coach said that you start slow. What causes that?

THIGPEN: “I’m not sure exactly what that is. You want to start out on top and fast. You don’t want to have a slow start in games. If you take a while to get going, obviously you’re going to be too far behind. Definitely want to start out with a great start.”

Q: How difficult will it be for you to remain calm and not get excited on Sunday?

THIGPEN: “Like (head coach) Herm (Edwards) said, you’re our guy that we’re going with this week, you give us the best chance to win. I’m just going to go down there with confidence and there’s no need to put any extra pressure on myself.”

Q: Once you found out you were the starter, how has the life been with media, conference calls and things like that?

THIGPEN: “Nothing really changes. Friends and family were calling me to congratulate me and stuff like that. I’m not going to change my routine by any means. I don’t want to change something up that I’ve done all through the regular season and preseason.”