T-Jack is Back--and Looking for a Strong Start

When the 3-6 Minnesota Vikings play host to Daunte Culpepper's 2-7 Oakland Raiders this weekend, Minnesota Viking starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will be in the line up.

Jackson has been injured three times this season, exiting a game in week two against Detroit with a groin injury, and missing two weeks. Upon his return Jackson played two more weeks and was sidelined against the Dallas Cowboys with a broken finger on his throwing hand. T-Jack sat one week and missed that game against Philadelphia, and returned in time for the San Diego game. Jackson was then hurt again with a neck injury and did not play last week in Green Bay.

The Minnesota Vikings had used back up quarterback Kelly Holcomb all season when Jackson was out, but Holcomb was sidelined with a concussion on a missed face mask that drove his head into the ground in week eight against Philadelphia. That left third string quarterback Brooks Bollinger. Bollinger made his first start of the season against the Green Bay Packers, and what a disaster. Bollinger completed 16 of 26 passes for 176 yards, threw one interception, no touchdowns, and was sacked twice in a 34-0 defeat. Minnesota was so desperate, they went out and hired Koy Detmer for one week, payed his 90+ thousand dollars, then cut him.

This week our Minnesota Vikings are back at home in the safe confines of the Metrodome. The Vikings will be facing former teammate Daunte Culpepper for the first time since he left Minnesota in 2006. Tarvaris Jackson will get the start in hopes of turning around his personal season and make something of himself. Many fans all around are questioning if Jackson can even make it in this league. With a dismal 46.4% (56/110) pass completion ratio, and a 50.6% passer rating, Jackson looks like he should be playing somewhere in the Arena League.

I like Tarvaris Jackson, and see the unfortunate situation he has been put in. Jackson was a back up quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks for one season before deciding to return home and attend Alabama State University. Jackson had some good success there and played for three seasons and helped lead his team to two division titles, and two bowl appearances. There would have been three of each, but in Jackson's final season, the team was 6-1, before losing their last three games of the season by a total of 14 points.

Jackson was ranked 7th in SWAC Conference history with 67 touchdown passes, and 9th in SWAC history in passing yards with 7,839. T-jack did all this in just three seasons in the league. Jackson was a very formidable player and athlete in the SWAC Conference, and our Minnesota Vikings saw that in him and drafted him in the second round.

I see Jackson as being capable of making it in this league, but only if he is prepared properly. Jackson needs about two years behind a good veteran quarterback like Donovan McNabb for example. A player like McNabb who has great success could really benefit Tarvaris and get him ready to play successfully in this league. I also heard on a pre-game show a few weeks back that McNabb would like to come to Minnesota and teach Jackson for a year or two to help him better prepare for the NFL. I believe that is a sign that even Donovan McNabb sees Jackson as a starting quarterback in this league, and him being successful in a Viking uniform. Jackson has been injured a few times this season, but I have yet to see him as injury prone. he had very few injuries in college.

Hopefully for Jackson, head coach Brad Childress, who has impressed no one, has the intelligence of recognizing this and doing something about it. Thus far, Childress has proven to be too head strong to take suggestions from anyone, and rarely admits to mistakes unless it benefits him. Childress needs to step back, reconsider his position on Jackson as the starter for now, and get a strong veteran quarterback like McNabb to train Tarvaris Jackson and get him ready to be the team leader and starter in the 2009 or 2010 season. I believe that one or two seasons behind McNabb, will benefit Jackson and get him ready for the NFL.

SKOL JACKSON!!!!

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SKOL VIKINGS!!!!

Frozen in the Tundra

One week after playing the game of their lives, the Minnesota Vikings looked as if they were standing still at Lambeau Field yesterday, as they were dominated by Brett Favre and his Green Bay Packers 34-0.

Brett Favre broke yet another NFL record passing for over 60,000 yards in his NFL career, becoming only the second quarterback in history to do so. The legendary Dan Marino has 61,361 career yards, just ahead of Brett faver who has 60,257 yards. Favre completed 33 of 46 passes for 351 yards, threw three touchdowns and no interceptions against our Vikings. A Minnesota pass defense that has been ranked close to last or even dead last all season, had a tremendous week against the San Diego Chargers last week. Minnesota only allowed 197 passing yards to the Chargers and only 42 yards rushing. In yesterday's game, Minnesota allowed 351 yards passing and 120 yards rushing. Yesterday was the first game where a team ran for over 100 yards against this number two rush defense.

It was the Ryan Grant show in the backfield yesterday, as he was given the ball 25 times for 119 yards. It was as if Minnesota could not get moving in the great outdoors of Lambeau Field. Grant also had one touchdown and one run that went for 30 yards. The remainder of the backfield ran for only two yards on seven carries the rest of the game.

The passing game just crushed our defense as well. Favre's 351 yards was divided up between five receivers almost evenly. Both Donald Driver and Gregg Jennings had four receptions for 63 yards, while James Jones had three receptions for 62 yards. The game breaker as Ruvell Martin who had 4 receptions for 57 yards and two touchdowns, and former Viking Koren Robinson had five receptions for 45 yards and one touchdown. It was as if Brett Favre could throw a pass and someone in green and gold was catching it. Favre's pass completion ratio was at 71.7%, while his passer rating was 115.4% for the day. It was the most perfect day for Green Bay yesterday. Anytime they touched the ball they gained yards.

The Packers had the ball for 40:20 in a 60:00 game. They had 29 first downs, were 64% (11/17) on third down efficiency, 100% (2/2) on fourth down efficiency, and had a total of 488 yards on the day. Green Bay was also able to score points on 6 of 10 possessions, punting three times, and kneeling the ball down to end the game. Packer fans could not ask for anything more than that.

As for the Minnesota Vikings, they had probably their worst game of the season. The Vikings punted five times, threw one interception, and lost the ball on downs three times. They had only 11 first downs all day, and were an embarrassing 0 for 8 in third down efficiency, and 0 for 3 on fourth down efficiency. The Vikings offense only gained 247 yards all game long. Brooks Bollinger was 16 for 26 on passes for 157 yards, threw one interception, and was sacked twice in the fourth quarter. Bollinger had a 61.5% pass completion ratio, and a 65.5% passer rating. Even stud running back Adrian Peterson didn't have much going yesterday. He carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards, and exited the game in the third quarter with an injury.

The Minnesota Vikings are looking forward to returning home this week, as they try and turn things around and get a win against the lowly Oakland Raiders. The Minnesota Vikings are now playing for pride. The way things are going now, a playoff run in improbable. The Vikings are now 3-6, with seven games left to play. The only way the Vikings can make the playoffs is if they win out, and the Giants, Redskins, Eagles, Lions and Bears all lose three or four games. The Vikings now sit in the cellar of the North Division with games against the Bears, and Lions remaining, and have only beaten the Chicago Bears in their own division. Hopefully our Vikings can turn things around, and play respectable the remainder of the season. I'll still be rooting for them, and I am still attending two more games this season.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!

Packers Gearing up for Vikings at Lambeau

Brett Farve and his Green Bay Packers are preparing for their final meet of this season with the torrid Minnesota Vikings. This rivalry dates back to September 29, 1961, when the Green Bay Packers and Bart Starr defeated the Minnesota Vikings 28-10 at Metropolitan Stadium. Since that date, these two teams have met 93 times, with Green Bay winning 47 of those games. The series record between Green Bay and Minnesota gives the Packers a 47-45-1 lead. However, these two teams have met once in the playoffs in 2003, and it was our Vikings winning 23-20.

This season Green Bay and Minnesota played at the Metrodome in week four, as Brett Favre and his Packers defeated our Vikings 23-16, thanks to a last minute interception off Kelly Holcomb. In that game, Brett Favre broke an NFL record by throwing the 422nd touchdown of his illustrious career. In the game on September 30, Favre completed 32 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns, for a passer rating of 108%. Brett's record breaking touchdown was thrown to Greg Jennings for 16 yards, and a 33 yard pass to James Jones. Jennings is one of Favre's favorite receivers to throw to. Jennings has caught 23 passes for 454 yards and six touchdowns on the season.

Brett Favre's other top receiver is James Jones. Jones has 29 receptions for 432 yards on the season and two touchdowns. However, Brett Favre's favorite receiver Donald Driver had 7 receptions for 58 yards against Minnesota in September, and the Viking defense kept him out of the end zone. Driver has 44 receptions for 539 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season. Driver has always been a deadly force on the field against anyone who has to defend him.

In the backfield for the Packers is DeShawn Wynn who averages 4.1 yards per carry, and Ryan Grant who averages 4.0 yards per carry. The Wynn/Grant duo has combined for 97 carries and 389 yards on the season. Against Minnesota's number two rushing defense in the NFL, both Wynn and Grant will have their work cut out for them. On September 30, DeShawn Wynn carried the ball 10 times for 20 yards, which is his lowest average of the season, while his counterpart Ryan Grant had 3 carries for 17 yards.

This game is a must win for our Minnesota Vikings. The key element to winning here will be for Minnesota to continue their performance on the run defense, and have their passing defense step it up again this week. The Vikings had their best game of the season last week against San Diego. Their passing defense stifled the Chargers as they gave up only 199 passing yards for the day. Minnesota's 32nd ranked pass defense usually allowed 288 yards per game. The Viking run defense was also at their best, as they allowed 42 total yards rushing for the game. Minnesota held San Diego's stud running back LaDainian Tomlinson to 45 total yards for the day, and quarterback Philip Rivers to 5 yards rushing, while Michael Turner was stopped for a loss of 3 yards on his only carry.

Offensively, Minnesota will need to get the ball to Adrian Peterson about 25 times and Chester Taylor 15-20 times. The Vikings will need to mix it up a bit, and keep Green Bay on their heels. If Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor can find their groove again, it is going to be a long day for Green Bay. This will be Peterson's first trip the the "Frozen Tundra" and the mystic of Lambeau Field. The Vikings have fared pretty well at Lambeau, as they have a history record of 15-15-1. For our passing offense, Minnesota will most likely rely on Brooks Bollinger at quarterback, and the likes of Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade for receiving. Troy Williamson who has been an utter flop in the NFL, should be used more often in short slant passes, then turn up field and utilize his speed to get by defenders. Minnesota's needs to keep Green bay on their heels defensively all day, and look for another stellar performance by their defense.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!

Vikings Set to do Battle in Frozen Tundra

The (3-5) Minnesota Vikings enter the "Frozen Tundra" this weekend looking for revenge from a week four loss to the (7-1) Green Bay Packers. This bitter rivalry is now entering its 94th game in its history, with the Packers leading the series 47-45-1. These two teams met in week four, and it was Green Bay winning 23-16, thanks to a last minute interception off Kelly Holcomb.

This time it will be the Viking's back up quarterback Brooks Bollinger playing for the injured Kelly Holcomb and Tarvaris Jackson. This season, Bollinger is 17 of 24 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown. Bollinger's passer rating is at 112%, and he has been sacked four times this season and thrown no interceptions.

Minnesota's poor offensive performance this year was improved upon last week, as the Vikings newest stud running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 296 yards, three touchdowns, and caught one pass for 19 yards against San Diego. Peterson has been brilliant this season as he has rushed for over 100 yards in every game except week three against Kansas City, and week seven against Dallas. Adrian is also on pace to breaking Eric Dickerson's rushing record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Adrian Peterson is 1,069 yards shy of breaking the record, with eight more games left to play. If Peterson can keep up the same pace in the next eight games, he will make the Eric Dickerson record chase very interesting. Peterson has already set a Viking record of having more than three 100 yard rushing games by a rookie, and two NFL records, as he rushed for over 200 yards twice in his rookie season, and has broken the single-game record of 295 yards rushing from Jamal Lewis, who set that record in 2003.

Peterson's counterpart Chester Taylor is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and scored his first touchdown of the season last week. Taylor was the Viking's number one running back last year and rushed for 1,216 yards, for an average of 4.0 yards per carry. With the emergence of Adrian Peterson and a two week absence due to injury, Taylor has only carried the ball 58 times this season for 267 yards. Taylor is still a vital part to this Minnesota running unit, as he gives a much needed break to Adrian Peterson, and is a great decoy when need be.

The Vikings passing offense has not been nearly as productive this season. The Vikings offense was criticised every week last season, as the brunt of the blame went to veteran quarterback Brad Johnson. This season the Vikings offensive woes have been partly blamed on rookie Tarvaris Jackson. However, the brunt of the blame should go to Brad Childress. Childress has put Tarvaris is a very precarious situation by having an unseasoned quarterback to lead this team. Jackson is fresh out of Alabama State University, and needs a few years of development in this league before being put in to lead any team. Jackson is very young, raw, and inexperienced. Jackson will be sidelined this week with a broken finger. Childress is also resting his offensive success on Sidney Rice, Troy Williamson, and Bobby Wade.

Bobby Wade has been the most productive receiver this season for the Vikings. Wade's 24 receptions for 284 yards leads the team for receiving. Unfortunately, Wade has not found the end zone. The next receiver for the Vikings has been Sidney Rice. Rice has 18 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Both Wade and Rice average 11.8 yards per reception, and they both have 40 yards for their longest pass reception. The big difference between the two is that Rice has found the end zone twice. As far as Williamson goes, it's been another disappointing season for him. He is fifth on the list for Viking receivers with 9 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. Williamson was drafted in 2005 for his speed, and has been ineffective. Williamson continually drops catchable passes, and in my opinion is looking at being cut next season.

This Vikings offense got a huge boost last week in their 35-17 victory over San Diego. Adrian Peterson led the team with 296 yards rushing off 30 carries. He had three touchdowns and a pass reception for 19 yards. His counterpart Chester Taylor had 9 receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown, while Sidney Rice had 4 receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Ryan Longwell was 5/5 in extra points and 0/1 in field goal attempts. Longwell missed a 57 yard field goal, which was run back 109 yards for a touchdown.

The Vikings need to do much of the same offensively this week. The Vikings need to have Adrian Peterson touch the ball 25 times, Chester Taylor touch the ball about 15-20 times, and mix it up a bit with some passes to Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade. Minnesota should also look at giving short slants to Troy Williamson, then let him use his speed to beat out defenders. If the Vikings can get productions from Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, like they did last week. You should be looking at another Viking victory.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!