Why do I say that?  Because he has the nerve to say positive things about the starting quarterback of the Beloved Purple in today's Monday Morning Quarterback.

At least the kid knows what he's up against. Now he's got to go out and prove he's a real, live, winning NFL quarterback. It's too early to predict anything, but I like the moxie of a kid who walks into Giants Stadium and throws a bomb on the second play of the game for a touchdown. Can he make the decisions of a winning quarterback, and can he be the week-in, week-out player to run Brad Childress' offense? Minnesota's playoff hopes are riding on him. We'll see.

Well, taking into consideration that he's 8-6 as an NFL starting quarterback (8-4 in 2007), it appears that he's already making the decisions of a winning quarterback.  As King points out, over the last seven games of the 2007 season, T-Jack was completing a shade over 65% of his passes. . .and that was working with a significantly less talented group than he'll have this year.

But, hey. . .the rest of the football world has already come to the conclusion that Tarvaris Jackson is a terrible NFL quarterback, and he'll never develop into anything more than that.  Ever.  It doesn't matter that he's started all of 14 NFL games since he was playing 1-AA football at Alabama State.  He's got no real talent, no real upside, and no real chance of ever being successful in this league.  So it has been written.

There's a term I like to use for the people that actually believe that.  That term is "idiot."  Who the hell writes a quarterback off after one year as a starter?  I don't care where he went to college. . .whether it was 1-A or 1-AA or NAIA or anywhere in-between.  NFL quarterbacks tend to make their biggest jumps in their second season as a starting quarterback.  And hey, look at what season Jackson is going into as the Vikings' starter.  By golly, it's his second year.  He's also got a great offensive line and the best running back tandem in the league to fall back on.

Tarvaris Jackson will never be Peyton Manning or Tom Brady.  But if you take a real good look around the NFC North, you can quite easily come to the conclusion that he doesn't have to be.  Looking at what his teammates and coaches say about him (from the same article). . .

In last week's organized team activities, Jackson's offensive teammates thought they saw a change for the better in Jackson. "Night and day in his knowledge of the offense and his comfort level,'' receiver Robert Ferguson said.

"He made a tremendous jump toward the end of the last year,'' guard Steve Hutchison told me, "and it's continued this spring. Quarterbacks need to get a swagger. Not be cocky, but just be confident that where they're going with the ball and how they're leading is right. Now, just the way he is around us and on the field, it's not like he's a rookie quarterback. He's more like one of the guys. He knows he doesn't have to put up Peyton Manning numbers. He's got a great arm, but he's also got a great support system on offense.''

If they believe in the guy, why shouldn't I?  Why shouldn't we?  Why shouldn't anybody?