Q&A with TYLER THIGPEN - 11/20

Nov 20, 2008, 5:05:23 PM

Q: Do you expect the Bills to come out with a lot of fire?

TYLER THIGPEN: “Yeah. I think so. After their tough loss that they had on Monday night, I think they’re going to be ready to come in. They’re going to try to improve and get back on the track that they were on at the beginning of the season. Our biggest thing is we can’t let them do that. We have to try to get ourselves on track and get a win. Get that win out of the way and rest can take care of itself.”

Q: What do they do well on defense?

THIGPEN: “I think they try to run a lot of man. But then again, they run zone as well. Third and long they’re cover two, first down they’re man. I think the biggest thing for our offense is just identifying what they’re going to try to run, whether they’re going to try to run man. I think they’ve got two guys dinged up in the secondary, so they may try to play a little more zone. We’re just going to have to try to adjust and work with that on the move.”

Q: Beyond just playing well, what would wins mean to you going forward?

THIGPEN: “First and foremost, we’re going to take it game by game. You’re exactly right, I would love to go ahead and get that first win out of the way. I think when we get that first win out of the way, the feeling that we’ll get back between all the team and teammates, it’s just going to change the whole feeling around here and in the locker room. We’re going to get that taste again and I think when we get that taste again it’s going to be really good for us.”

Q: Where do wins for you personally, career-sake rank?

THIGPEN: “In this business it’s all about statistics and win-loss records. That’s huge when it comes to it. But my focus right now is the Buffalo Bills and I have to more or less let that stuff take care of itself. If I take care of what it is now, the rest will take care of it in the future.”

Q: Would it be a relief to get a win?

THIGPEN: “Very much so. It’s been a long time. I think, if I’m not mistaken, I’m 0-5 as a starter. That’ll just be confidence, not necessarily for me, but for this team. I think that’s what it’s all about. For this team and for the coaching staff, we’ve been putting in a lot of hours and we’ve just been coming up short these last four games. I think we want to get a win, it’ll help everybody out.”

Q: Your future in this league, could that depend on winning games and not just playing well?

THIGPEN: “Like I mentioned earlier, you’re exactly right. When it comes down to it, when you go to do all these contract things, a lot of people look at statistics. It doesn’t matter if he plays good, did he win? I think that’s the biggest thing. I think if I can get that out of the way, it’ll help out a lot for myself and also for this team.”

Q: This is where you’d like to be right?

THIGPEN: “Exactly. I love it here. I love the fans. I love the surroundings, love the coaches, love the players. It’s just the team camaraderie and everything with everybody. It’s a great group of guys to be around, and why not make this home for me? Hopefully we can get that win and let the rest, let the future take care of itself.”

Q: How much have you progressed personally in the last five weeks?

THIGPEN: “Personally I think I’ve taken some strides. Last week we kind of let ourselves down. We could have played better but, with myself that’s one thing individually for anybody. I never want to put myself before the team, but in order to make this team better, I have to get better each and every week. If I take care of my part and somebody else takes care of their part on the team, then we’re getting better. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Q: Does being the starting quarterback feel normal now?

THIGPEN: “It definitely feels normal. When you do something for five weeks in a row it becomes habitual. It becomes a habit. I don’t want to say it’s a habit. But right now we’re just trying to prepare to win a game. That’s the biggest thing. That’s what it all comes down to. We’re 1-9 right now, we’ve got six games left and the next game on that list is the Buffalo Bills. So we’re just going to take care of the task at hand.”

Q: Do you guys have some new stuff on offense this week? Maybe come out in a Wing-T?

THIGPEN: “Yeah. I think we’re pretty much the same, I don’t think it’s going to be too different. Obviously you’ve got a wrinkle you put in here and there, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Q: Has it been more of a challenge for you or more fun?

THIGPEN: “It’s a challenge in itself, but it’s more fun because the defense can’t prepare for it. You can only do what we show on film. The defense can only prepare for that, so when we show different things, that’s huge, that helps our offense out. That’s definitely a big key for our offense.”