Whoooooooooooooooooa, Magic Gus! Vikings Come to Terms with QB Frerotte

by Gonzo on Apr 2, 2008 8:54 AM CDT in News Comment 2 comments

According to the folks at ESPN.com, the Beloved Purple have signed veteran QB Gus Frerotte to a contract quarterback to back up Tarvaris Jackson and (most likely) mentor whatever QB they select in the middle rounds of the 2008 NFL Draft as well.

Some interesting stuff in the article from the four-letter:

"The thing is if you watch tape of Gus in St. Louis, you can still see that he can still fling the football and make all the spot throws," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "I talked to Scott Linehan about why he was cut by the Rams, and he told me that [offensive coordinator] Al Saunders wanted Trent Green as a backup because he knew his system, but Scott thought Gus can still play. You can see that he can by watching the film."

The deal will be for more than one year, but it won't be completed until after the NFL owners meeting, which is concluding Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Fla. Both sides reached agreement on the numbers over the past couple of days but it will take a few days to go over the language of the contract.

Childress thinks Frerotte can still play, and so does his former coach. I didn't see a lot of the Rams last year, but I do know that they went through a tough season injury-wise on offense with the loss of Orlando Pace, Steven Jackson being hurt, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce being injured, and so forth. Gus' 2007 numbers with the Rams weren't terribly electrifying or anything. . .he completed 56% of his passes while throwing for 7 TDs and 12 INTs. Interestingly, he had two separate three-touchdown games, and saw action in 8 of the Rams' 16 games in 2007.

So, now Tarvaris Jackson has a mentor. . .a real, honest-to-goodness veteran mentor, I mean.

Personally, if I'm Brooks Bollinger. . .I'm looking to rent, not buy, in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. I don't think he's long for this roster with the acquisition of Frerotte.

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Good Deal!

I am excited at Frerotte coming back to the Twin Cities.

He's an experienced QB, and he can win games, something those other two guys, whose names I won't mention, couldn't do.

Culpepper had some of his best years with Frerotte behind him, and I hope that Jackson can improve under his tutelage.

by BaldViking on Apr 3, 2008 6:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice Addition

Gus is an excellent backup. Jackson should have enough experience under his belt this season to make things happen. -- I know many may doubt that, but they probably didn't grow up in Atlanta and watch Favre's first season with the Falcons. (Hint: A favorite fan query of 1991 was: Has anyone told Brett what color our jerseys are?) It takes time to get that timer running in the back of your head and have your proper reactions to the stuff coming at you during NFL-level action run for you like clockwork. -- Having Berrian to bust up those 9-in-the-box run defenses will be priceless.

by Purple Reign on Apr 3, 2008 8:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs