Is Jackson ready?
Fans are going to get what they want.
Rookie Tarvaris Jackson will start Thursday in Green Bay, as the Pioneer Press first reported Tuesday night.
But everyone should temper their expectations.
Jackson obviously has a great arm, great feet and a feel for the game. But Jackson still hasn't had an opposing defense throwing everything at him yet. His 100-plus preseason ranking was against vanilla schemes, and his playing time in two games this season was when the opposing team was playing prevent defense.
So Jackson will have a tougher time Thursday, when the Packers are sure to try and confuse and pressure him into making mistakes.
Consider the first start of a couple of more heralded rookie quarterbacks this season.
Jay Cutler was 10 for 21 for 143 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 23-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. One of Cutler's picks was among the worst in the league this season.
Vince Young was 14 of 29 for 155 yards, with one touchdown and two picks in a 45-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Only Matt Leinart was somewhat successful, completing 22 of 35 passes for 253 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. But his team still lost, 23-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs, and he was sacked four times in that game.
But this is what the Vikings need to do. They need to see what they have with Jackson, so they can figure out what they need to do in the offseason.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Jackson's performance in these final two games will determine how much the Vikings need to spend at the most expensive position in football.
If they think he's ready to start next season, then the Vikings can find another discounted veteran, like Anthony Wright or Tim Rattay. But if they think he needs more time to learn, then the Vikings may have to splurge on someone like Byron Leftwich, Jake Plummer, Chris Simms or Matt Schaub.
Rookie Tarvaris Jackson will start Thursday in Green Bay, as the Pioneer Press first reported Tuesday night.
But everyone should temper their expectations.
Jackson obviously has a great arm, great feet and a feel for the game. But Jackson still hasn't had an opposing defense throwing everything at him yet. His 100-plus preseason ranking was against vanilla schemes, and his playing time in two games this season was when the opposing team was playing prevent defense.
So Jackson will have a tougher time Thursday, when the Packers are sure to try and confuse and pressure him into making mistakes.
Consider the first start of a couple of more heralded rookie quarterbacks this season.
Jay Cutler was 10 for 21 for 143 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 23-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. One of Cutler's picks was among the worst in the league this season.
Vince Young was 14 of 29 for 155 yards, with one touchdown and two picks in a 45-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Only Matt Leinart was somewhat successful, completing 22 of 35 passes for 253 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. But his team still lost, 23-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs, and he was sacked four times in that game.
But this is what the Vikings need to do. They need to see what they have with Jackson, so they can figure out what they need to do in the offseason.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Jackson's performance in these final two games will determine how much the Vikings need to spend at the most expensive position in football.
If they think he's ready to start next season, then the Vikings can find another discounted veteran, like Anthony Wright or Tim Rattay. But if they think he needs more time to learn, then the Vikings may have to splurge on someone like Byron Leftwich, Jake Plummer, Chris Simms or Matt Schaub.
posted by Unknown at 10:11 AM
1 Comments:
I've posted about the upside of this decision here.
I'm not expecting to see a savior but I also don't see a downside to this decision, either.
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