Well it is official. Tarvaris is out, Gus is in.
I for one don't expect to see much improvement. Until the play-calling improves and the WRs show they can get seperation I think it will be the same-old results.
Not to mention has anyone really looked at Gus and what he did last year in St. Louis? He was horrible! (and he had Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt to throw to) Gus is a career 54% completion percentage QB you know what that means. Same crappy results.
Ziggy------go find a QB!!!!!
His completion percentage stinks, but I'm encouraged by his yards per attempt and yards per completion (though both will probably be lower in Childress' offense). I think the offense will be better: his completion percentage will still be low, but his completions might actually be for first downs. I'd say expect to see some deep balls Sunday if the Vikings had any healthy WRs capable of catching deep balls.
ReplyDeleteI wish the Vikes had signed a better backup QB in the offseason, but I think for now the team will be better. Frerotte will probably take more sacks than Jackson, though. I don't know--we're doomed.
i wish he would have played week 1. without tavaris slipping all those sacks and running for extra yards the pack would have won by a lot more. i don't see how this can be positive for the vikings. under tavaris the vikes were beaten in the final seconds by teams who went 26-6 last year.
ReplyDeleteRK
As long as he hits his 3 and 7s and completes the "pass" over the 2 inches from his hand to Peterson's on a handoff, I think there will be some improvement. If we can go 6-10 on 3rd down, we might win if Peterson has a good game. If we stay at 3-13, forget it.
ReplyDeleteWow, I checked at p-f-r, and Frerotte's career sack percentage is better than Jackson's (6.0 to 6.7). And the years when Frerotte played a lot, his sack percentage was very solid (in his years starting more than half the game, he's between 4.5 and 5.5).
ReplyDeleteLast year that was an advantage Jackson had: Holcomb and Bollinger took too many sacks, and this team sucks in 2nd and 17. But now I'm not quite so frightened about Frerotte taking sacks.
According to the AP article in the Strib, Childress is saying that Frerotte should start the rest of the season.
ReplyDeleteThis means the Vikings brought Frerotte in for this possibility--to become the starter for the season if Jackson struggles. I would be more encouraged by this if the previous QBs Childress had brought in weren't Jackson, McMahon, Bollinger, and Holcomb.
But the fact that they're going to Frerotte in week three, and Childress is already suggesting this is a season-long change, means the Vikings thought this was a possibility when they signed Frerotte.
Are we ready for this? For a season of Gus Frerotte? My emotions are a total mess right now.
I agree with Ross Tucker's take at SI:
ReplyDeletehttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ross_tucker/09/17/ross.takes/index.html
I like Tucker's columns: he's a recently retired non-star player, so he seems willing to just say what he thinks in the terms he's thinking them. I actually like his metaphors, too. Yay Ross Tucker! God, I'm a mess right now.
RK - true, under TJack the Vikes have lost close games to good teams, but the one, singular, lone, and only reason the Colts were able to come back was the poor pass game. If even 2 of those FGs had gone for TDs, the Colts would not have the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest worry is if things will be any better under Frerotte.
Hopefully Childress will open up the playbook this Sunday with Gus. The Panthers get Steve Smith back and they have momentum, so scoring for the Vikings will be crucial for us to stay in the game. Childress also needs to get Taylor in there to rest Peterson from injury. We all know that Jackson is pissed now and things might be different if he hadn't thrown the pick in GB and if Shiancoe hadn't dropped the beautiful touchdown pass vs. the Colts. Childress didn't help Jackson out with the playbook - Jackson's receivers never made plays and barely caught the ball when Jackson actually threw them an accurate pass. Jackson was never thrown a bone in those categories and he knew he had little room for error - or at least he does now. I think this will definitely motivate Jackson if he doesn't wallow in self-pity. Maybe after Childress leaves and if Jackson uses this incident to put a chip on his shoulder to get accurate and develop into a consistent quarterback. He could probably compete for the top spot next year or the year to come, who knows? If Gus gets injured I see Jackson as the best backup we have so this will be interesting. Feel bad for the kid - hope this makes him stronger!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a positive thing. Is Frerotte the best QB in the NFL? No. Does he give us a better chance to win? Yes. All the former players/ESPN analysts agreed this was the right move for the Vikings right now. Especially Schlereth (however you spell his name), that guy knows his football. Tarvaris was 2 for 16 when trying to convert 3rd downs via pass. 2 FOR FUCKING 16!! Gus has been in the league, he's a smart veteran, and he still has a gun for an arm. Two positive scenarios can result in games from this, I believe them both to be positive:
ReplyDelete1. Defenses continue to stack the line in fear of AD, and Gus takes complete advantage. He eats up man coverages and hits wide open receivers down field on play action. Tjack couldn't hit wide open guys downfield. That and Childress will have more confidence in Gus's ability to throw and allowing him to open the playbook.
2. Teams realize there's a capable QB on the field and sit back more in coverage, in fear of Gus's arm. Doing this removes the 9th, 8th, 7th men in the box, allowing AD to break out for more long TD rushes.
I like our odds here guys. We barely lost to two really tough teams. On paper we're 0-2, and we lost because we were missing small piece(s) of the offense. I think this will turnaround the season. It's still early.
Is there just something wrong with the Vikings pass game? I have always felt that the O-line was very good, but maybe they are just good at run blocking and the pass protection is average. Especially with McKinnie out.
ReplyDeleteI do have a weird feeling that without the suspension of McKinnie and the injuries to Madieu Williams (has an effect on the long passes the Vikes have given up) and Heath Farwell (may have had an impact on the punt return for TD), we'd be talking about a 2-0 team and discussing whether Jackson is developing fast enough, not saying he's got to go.
ReplyDeleteThe Vikes have lost two close games, but they get back a key starter on both offense and defense soon.