Do you remember the 80's and early 90's? I do. I remember the great Tommy Kramer who would come out spectacular and offer Viking's fans a glimmer of hope; only to bomb the next week. I remember Wade Wilson, Rich Gannon, Steve Dils, Sean Salisbury and the mediocrity we had at QB leading this team. We have once again entered that era and like it or not, Tarvaris Jackson is our guy.
You would think that a team with a pretty damn good Offensive Line, a killer run stopping Defense and the hottest player in the NFL (Adrian Peterson), that all the latest talk would not be centered around our starting QB. Is it necessary to have a "Brady-like" man under Center to be able to get into the playoffs this year? I don't. What we need from Jackson is a QB who can display leadership and command the respect of the other 10 guys in the huddle. We need a confident QB who knows when you throw the ball away and not force. A QB that can get us a key first down when pinched. And lastly, a QB who controls the tempo and can stay mentally focused. I think since 1998 us Viking's fans have been spoiled with QB's who hit their prime with the Vikings. Cunningham, George and Culpepper airing the ball out to Carter, Moss and Nate. But those days are over...done! Many of us are over that obsession of potent Offensive excitement; only to see the Defense fail to to keep pace. There is only one Randy Moss in the league and he has not been with us since 2004. With Moss (when he plays) any QB can flourish into a first round pick in your Fantasy Football league. Without him, our Offense needs to be retooled and the Viking's need to find other ways to produce. I do not read much of the media reports out of the Twin Cities, I rely on the fans point of view. Although this can be dangerous, I get a better feel from people like myself. There seems to be a 50/50 split with Tarvaris; either people are behind him or they hate him...there is no middle ground. Brad Childress has put pennies into the TJ jar and is waiting to cash in. His NFL coaching career hinges on his vision and gamble to stick with Jackson is in jeopardy if this kid from Montgomery, AL fails to produce. I both respect and admire the confidence that Childress has in TJ and the strong relationship between coach and QB can only be a positive for this team. This will be year 3 with Childress at the helm and year 2 with TJ as the starter; it's do or die for both. With some great additions in Free Agency and some solid draft picks, Childress has taken some of the burden off Jackson's shoulders. Lets not forget we have some young emerging stars in Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Aundre Allison and Sidney Rice. Jackson has all the measurable tools to do great and teammates do get the job done; all he has to do is lead this team.
He's going to get a lot of help just having Peterson in the backfield. He'll be the #1 target other D's will try to shut down. This should allow him more time to throw. Maybe more guys will stay home. The Vikings should feel lucky that they don't have Chicago's luck with QBs.
Posted by: Michael Beasley | June 21, 2008 at 08:20 PM