Filed under: Vikings, NFC North
After watching the Vikings offense settle for field goal after field goal -- and ultimately lose -- on Sunday against Indianapolis, Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress finally started to back away from his young quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson. Today, he backed away even further, placing his third-year starter on the Minnesota bench and replacing him with 37-year old Gus Frerotte.
Jackson has been brutal through two games this year, completing just 50% of his passes while posting a 64.8 passer rating, numbers that weren't all that different from what he put up in 2007.
Trouble is, it remains to be seen how much of an improvement Frerotte will be at this point in his career. The 15-year veteran played eight games for the Rams last year and put up a passing line that was actually worse than Jackson's.
There's no doubt the Vikings had to do something, seeing as how the rest of their team is probably a legitimate contender in the NFC, but Is Gus Frerotte the guy to lead them to the promised land?
As J.J. Cooper pointed out this morning, Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia would be a fine target in a trade, considering he's now on the bench in Tampa Bay, supposedly on the outs with his coach, and has quarterbacked a team to the playoffs as recently as last season. For now, however, it's Frerotte's team. Until he runs into a wall.
