Viking News: Bevell calls plays, Jackson starts, Holcomb joins the team

Playcalling
The most important news to emerge about the team is that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be calling the plays this year (Star Tribune).

Right now, however, we have little idea how this will affect the team. How will the playcalling be different? Will there be a fundamentally different approach? We don't know what impact Bevell's playcalling will have on the team, but it will be an important factor in this team's success. Given that this is going to be a team winning low-scoring, defensive games, the offense has a pretty thin margin of error; playcalling could be a key factor.

It is possible too that Bevell, as offensive coordinator not charged with running the entire team, will be able to devote greater attention to a young, developing QB than Childress can.

It should be noted that while Childress' playcalling is dismissed as conservative and predictable, Childress' approach to the game is not. The Vikes were tied for 2nd in the league in fourth down attempts last year (and third in conversion percentage), and that's not because they were down a lot; a lot of those attempts came earlier in the game or in close games. Childress called a key fake field goal in the Carolina win, and a halfback pass in the Seattle win. He's willing to make aggressive, gutsy moves to try win a game.

The move to allow Bevell to call the plays signals Childress' willingness to adapt, and willingness to defer on offense. Hopefully Bevell can call plays aggressively.

Our hero, Tarvaris Jackson
Tavaris Jackson has officially been named the starting quarterback (Pioneer Press).

This may have seemed like an inevitability, but it's not. A lot of people speculated that the Chiefs wanted Brodie Croyle to win the starting job, but Damon Huard outplayed him and will start (ESPN). Jackson has performed well enough to earn the starting job--now whether it's a major accomplishment to beat out Brooks Bollinger for a starting job, I'm not entirely sure.

Kelly Holcomb
The Vikings have acquired QB Kelly Holcomb (Vikings.com).

The Vikes acquired Holcomb pretty much the same way they acquired Brooks Bollinger last season: dissatisfied with their backup QB rather late in the off-season, they traded for a reserve QB that another team didn't really want or need.

Here is my un-researched, memory impression of Holcomb, based mainly on his time in Cleveland. He'll come in for a game or two and put up some pretty strong numbers (but usually in losses). His performances will then lead fans, coaches, and players to believe that Holcomb is the answer at the position, when he's clearly not.

But Vikings.com shows that Holcomb is a 64.7% passer, and he started 8 games in 2003 and 2005. If in a month or two Holcomb is forced to play, he could do a solid job as a short-term starter.