Childress sticks with T-Jack to go for title
December 19
Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Brad Childress decided not to keep his starting quarterback a secret until Sunday after all. The Vikings coach is sticking with Tarvaris Jackson, even though veteran Gus Fre- rotte is healthy enough to play.
Jackson will make his second consecutive start Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in place of Frerotte, who suffered a broken bone in his lower back against Detroit. The No. 3 quarterback last week against the Arizona Cardinals, Frerotte will serve as Jackson's backup Sunday.
Childress said he considered a number of factors before ultimately deciding that Jackson "gives our team the best chance right now."
"That takes nothing away from Gus," he said. "It's more a product of what Tarvaris has done with the ball in his hand."
Childress, however, declined to say whether Jackson will remain the starter beyond Sunday's game.
"I'm staying in the now," he said.
Benched after an 0-2 start, Jackson has played admirably since replacing Frerotte. He earned NFC offensive player of the week honors for his performance in a 35-14 victory against the Cardinals. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 163 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions and a 135.5 passer rating.
"I feel differently," Jackson said. "But you have to keep on doing it. I guess when you play well, it makes you want to play better and makes you want to work harder and keep improving week in and week out."
Frerotte, who went 8-3 as the starter and said his back feels 100 percent, did not hide his disappointment.
"Obviously, I'm not happy about it," he said. "I mean, anybody that's competitive wants to be the guy that's out there. I put a lot of hard work and a lot of effort into this. But it's coach's decision, and I'll be out there to help this team no matter what."
Jackson reiterated he's taking a different approach in his second stint as the starter. He played with the weight of the world on his shoulders the first time and the pressure clearly bothered him.
"I almost killed myself earlier in the season just trying to be perfect," he said. "I always put a lot of pressure on myself. It's not that I'm not doing that now. But I'm just having more fun and being looser."
Asked what made him change, Jackson joked: "Being on the sideline for about 13 weeks."
Jackson credited input he received from former college teammates at Alabama State. Their advice?
"Man, loosen up," Jackson said. "Go out there and have fun. All my guys told me to get back to the guy they knew in college and that's what I did."
Jackson has played only six-plus quarters in relief of Frerotte, but his coaches and teammates say he's benefitted from his demotion.
"I've seen a difference in his demeanor and probably the benching has been a great thing for him," offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. "I'm not sure he's [going to say], 'Hey, it was a great thing for me.' But it ends up being a good thing for him because I do fe
Link
Calendar
