KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The meetings started five weeks ago with three men in a room. Now, more than twice that number pile in and talk about rhythm and timing and the things that make an offense work.
It was Tony Gonzalez’s idea. He approached quarterback Tyler Thigpen and told him they needed to watch film together. It wasn’t optional. They’d sit in the tight-ends meeting room and watch practice film, not game film, and go over every agonizing detail.
“I think it’s paying off,” Gonzalez said. “I know it is.”
Gonzalez said after the Chiefs’ 20-13 win against Oakland on Sunday that he and Thigpen have established a relationship he didn’t expect when the meetings started a little more than a month ago. He said they’ve learned each other’s tendencies, and each man now trusts the other.
That relationship has translated into the Chiefs’ most dangerous offensive weapon: Thigpen to Gonzalez, a connection made eight times Sunday for 110 yards. That was a week after Gonzalez had 10 catches for 113 yards.
Gonzalez said Sunday the meetings started in the room at the Chiefs’ practice facility.
It was Gonzalez and Thigpen and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, the three of them poring over endless footage. Now, others have noticed and started attending the Friday afternoon meetings. Gonzalez said receiver Mark Bradley is a regular now, and so is rookie tight end Brad Cottam. Backup quarterback Quinn Gray started coming a couple of weeks ago, and last Friday, receiver Devard Darling showed up.
“It’s growing,” Gonzalez said. “We’re all getting on the same page. We’re just reading each other.”
Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said this week that similar chemistry hasn’t existed in recent years because the team hasn’t had consistency at quarterback. The Chiefs have used four quarterbacks in Edwards’ three seasons, changing the team’s starter a staggering 11 times in 45 games because of injuries and Trent Green’s departure.
Thigpen has started the last six games, and that’s a rare thing in Kansas City. Gonzalez took advantage.
“Tony has taken the guy under his wing,” Edwards said. “Tony, being the veteran that he is, any time he thinks he can help a quarterback, he’s going to do that.”
Gonzalez said after Thigpen’s second start, five weeks ago, that there were timing issues between them. Gonzalez didn’t know Thigpen, and Thigpen didn’t know Gonzalez. They’d work on that, Gonzalez said.
That’s when the tight end put his arm around the youngster’s shoulder and guided him toward the film room. Friday afternoon, Gonzalez said, don’t make other plans.
They watched practice footage from Wednesday and Thursday, and both men began learning the other’s habits. The meetings last about 30 minutes. Gonzalez is more talkative than Thigpen, but the tight end decided a long time ago he wouldn’t be doing most of the talking.
“He’s the quarterback; he’s got to be the leader,” Gonzalez said. “I want it that way.”
They watch each other’s movements and explain what they were thinking during plays. Gonzalez runs a receiver option sometimes, and he can cut toward the middle of the field or toward the sideline, depending on how the defender is playing him. It’s a play that usually takes an experienced and patient quarterback, and Thigpen didn’t pass his early tests. Then they sat down together, and things started changing.
