It's Time To Start Tarvaris Jackson

and it’s only going to be worse if he plays with TWO fractures in his ankle.

No, he’s got to sit, at least for 2-3 weeks.

Favre will have to swallow his pride and let this happen. Give him a few weeks to get healthy.

And if T-Jack plays really well.. We’ll go from there.

If his wife cant trust him anymore, I sure as heck cant. I’ve lost all faith in Favre. Instead of expecting miracles like we got last year, I am prepared for the interceptions. Right now, Favre is no longer contributing to the team.
I’ve been waiting to see Jackson out there for a while now. I think he’s ready. He’s confident. And he’s far more dangerous in the pocket than Favre is right now.

Let the reign of Tavaris Jackson begin!

I’ve played on a ankled fracture before, and while it hurt like hell, I was still able to move. Now, I would imagine that professional athletes have better access to anesthetic than an amateur.

However, if it severely impairs his mobility, T-jax has to start.

but I also can’t get rid of the cringe on my face as I do so

he is mobile and he couldnt do much worse.

we might get to see if we need to draft a starting qb this year, rather than wait til next

lets throw a curve ball @ NE, and start webb? tehyll never guess it!

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/18542/rare-relevance-for-a-favre-backup

I don’t think Favre has looked “indifferent”. He looks out of it at times, but he’s showed a lot of emotion. He’s literally cried after games. He definitely cares about his performance, but he has looked distracted.

I just posted basically the same poll before I saw yours! I was just trying to learn how navigate the thing, and actually it wasn’t that bad. It’s a really tough decision on who to start, but if our defensive line doesn’t play better, it will be a moot point! I love Favre but he does seem to be lacking the fire this year!

… we should have benched Favre in the first half of the Jets game. Yeah, he had a pretty effective second half. But still.

The main knock on Jackson is consistency. But Favre has been shockingly inconsistent.

Moreover, it’s like the coaches don’t trust him to get it done. The Vikings are paying a guy $16 million to hand off to Peterson the majority of the time. Jackson can do that, and maybe without fumbling too. When you have a 60-40 or even 70-30 run/pass ratio, and then the guy passing is hovering around 50% completion with 10 picks, it’s time to bench him and move on.

I was ready for it two weeks ago. It was all getting ridiculous two weeks ago. If Favre trots out on a fractured ankle vs. New England, I think I won’t even watch the game. It’s going to be a train wreck. There is also the potential you note that Favre might get a really serious, life-changing injury, and none of us wants that to happen. He can’t move and then he can’t protect himself.

Not something I want to witness.

It might be a train wreck with Tavaris Jackson, too. I understand that. I’m not sure Jackson is the long-term answer. I also don’t think Favre is the only problem.

But at least with Tavaris Jackson, I don’t KNOW it’s going to be a train wreck.

There’s just a little suspense there that will keep me watching.

the only thing that is keeping that from being obvious is his unbelievable talent and ability which surfaces only occasionally now, creating the illusion that he still has what it takes. I have enjoyed the all too short run with him.

Let’s hope he’s ready.

To lay blame solely at the feet of Brett Favre is ridiculous, because that would be patently false.

Agreed.

But for me, Favre seems like a different guy than last year. He has looked indifferent more often than not, and I think that feeling can permeate, especially when it comes from a guy as iconic as he is.

If he could bring the team, and us, the amazing sense of joy and fun that he brought last year, then his unhappiness (or indifference, if you prefer) will also communicate itself. This is not a team that looks motivated…

If Favre’s mobility is as limited on Sunday as it was at the post game press conference, it would seem that playing Favre would border on the criminally negligent. Okay, a bit over the top there.

No, it’s not over the top. To take a man who’s already injured, and place him in harms way, especially when you know his injuries make him even more vulnerable, is criminally negligent. To do it just to get a win for a football team is beyond criminal.

TJack starts, let PH run some wildcat on them a few times. Favre needs to rest for the second half of the season. If this was the Bills, it’s a different story, but Big Bill will have no mercy. Let’s really see how great chilly self professed SYSTEM is. Let see how smart they are by creating some packages for TJack and Harvin. At least it will give us a chance.

I can think of one word———-SPEED. Conjures up images of Mick from Rocky II, pure speed, greased lightning, on and on.

Before we had Randy Moss I might… MIGHT… have argued a bit. OK, probably not. But at least with Moss, it seems a lot more palatable. Why? Because Moss has a history of making mediocre QBs look great. Culpepper/ Cassel being good examples. And he’ll probably get more passes too, as TJack will be less likely to ‘panic’ as Favre has done on a number of times.

If we’re going to bench Favre, we have to bench Favre. No ‘take the first snap’ crap. That will put an asterisk on his streak, and no one likes ‘buts’. In all honesty it’s a super human feat that he’s gotten to this point, and NO ONE is going to break it- particularly with the new concussion rules. (Favre wouldn’t have gotten this far with those rules in place all along.) There’s just no shame in it at this point- he’s 41, has tendenitis in his throwing elbow, 2 fractures in an ankle that was surgically repaired in the offseason; and hell, who even knows what they AREN’T reporting- really, at this point, it’s almost a glorious way to end the streak. They’ll always say, “Just look how much it took to finally bring the iron man down.” That’s a LOT better than, “Well, he had X amount of starts, BUT several of them in the last year of his career were simply first-snaps and out…”.

The last 16 with Favre the Vikings are 6-10.

Yeah it’s time to turn to the backup.

You know all these things are running through Brett’s mind as well and I know Chilly must be considering all the pros/cons also, and I have faith in our coaching staff to make the right decision that will benefit the team this weekend and through the playoffs. I want Brett at the helm for the playoffs and if that means we rest him now and trust TJ to get er done then let it be.

We probably deserve a little razzing after sweeping the Pack last year. If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out has usually been my motto. We got beat, and we have a chance to redeem ourselves at home. The nanner-nanner crowd doesn’t really bother me.

Regarding the Tjack vs Favre question…I’ve pretty much been talking myself into it all week. Rationalizing the reasons that TJack gives us a better option right now while Favre is struggling with injury and dick-related issues. I’ve never been a TJack “hater” but have never been sold on him either.

I think the mobility is the key factor. But unless TJack has really learned to see what defenses are about to throw at him, he’ll still wind up panicking and throwing off his back foot. He even stated “I’m not Brett, he sees things that I miss, but I bring my own style and my own game”. Not exactly words of encouragement, when what I’ve seen of his “style” is usually a deer-in-the-headlights look followed up by a jumping-backward pass at the foot of a receiver.

The Pats are going to be bringing the house regardless of who is under center. With Favre they will be looking to tear his foot off, with TJack they will just be pressuring him into mistakes and mis-reads. The 3-4 does very well in disguising where the pressure will be coming from.

I voted for TJack in the poll. But to be perfectly candid, I really don’t know who gives us the best chance to win. And that’s not a good reaction, heading into week 8.

Nobody’s breaking that thing. If the streak factors into the decision at all, I’ll be extremely upset.

After reading Peter King’s mailbag column today, it sounds like the injuries aren’t as bad as we all perceive “fractures” to be. That said, if Favre is hobbled physically or mentally by the injury, it’s T-Jax Time all the way.

I’ve never been a big fan of Jackson, but if he can just steer the ship and reduce all the mistakes, I think we might be OK with him.

As much as I don’t trust the guys ability to win a game, Favre needs to sit for a while, streak be damned.

Let Favre rest, get comfortable with the receivers while letting Jackson take the snaps for a few games and then turn him loose. I think we will see a much different QB if we can do that. Hopefully our defense will be good enough to win us a few games in the meantime. If not, our season is done.

because I’m a fan!!! plus yea, Brett needs a little vacation with the bench.

True, Joe Webb is made of proto-matter, so his behavior in a game situation is unpredictable. But he is also a super-athlete, far more talented than T-Jack.

Think of it this way: If so many people think T-Jack’s not good enough to win games, then why not start the super-talented rookie? Why not give the new kid a chance to shock the world?

We’ve already seen what T-Jack can do (stare down receivers, throw hard but slightly off line, run medium fast in a straight line), and what he can’t do (look off defensive backs, pump fake, then complete a pass). Next Sunday is our chance to find out if Joe Webb is just as bad as T-Jack, or maybe that he’s actually better. From his performances in pre-season, I think he’ll be better. In fact, I think Joe Webb has a chance to be a Randall Cunningham-type quarterback. Wouldn’t you love to find out?

This is it. This is Jackson’s last shot as a Viking.

Ted can tell you, I’ve been a Jackson supporter since day 1. Through all the difficulty and struggles (which really weren’t all that bad when you look at the numbers), I have stood by my belief that Jackson can be an effective starter in this league. Maybe he will never be a Pro Bowler but you don’t need one to win a Super Bowl.

I won’t get into all of the legitimate reasons Jackson has struggled early in his career here, I’ll just say this: Jackson deserves to start.

For all of his problems, we have plenty of knowns about him that are very encouraging when compared to a “healthy” Brett Favre that we’ve had the last several weeks. We know he won’t get smoked like Favre does sitting motionless in the pocket. We know he can scramble and (unlike Brett) he can throw the ball away when he needs to. We know his mobility makes blitzing him more risky than blitzing Brett since it opens up space behind the line if he scrambles. We know he protects the ball better than Brett has this year (who doesn’t though at this point…ok besides Jay Cutler). That was comparing a healthy Brett to Jackson…and now Brett has a broken ankle…

Favre’s ankle fractures not such a big deal after all

There’s a misconception out there right now that Brett Favre is so significantly hurt that it’d be a huge longshot for him to play Sunday in the Vikings’ vital game at New England.

In the wake of the news that Favre has two significant injuries to his left foot and ankle, I spoke with a top NFL team orthopedist, who said not only is it realistic to think Favre will play Sunday, but also that if this were a playoff game, most quarterbacks in the league would very likely play with what Favre has.
It’s always dangerous to ask a doctor about a patient he has not seen, so take what this ortho says with a grain of salt. (I talked with him with the agreement that I wouldn’t identify him.) "I think it’s extremely misleading to say he has two ankle fractures and leave that impression,‘’ the orthopedist said. "Technically, with what I have read, he does. But you are not playing an NFL game with two fractures in the sense that we think of fractures.’’

I still think he should sit (though King thinks not). If it were a playoff game, I woluld probably agree he should play, but it isnot, so I don’t. Sorry Brett.

If the last touchdown pass actually counted and we won the game, would we still be having this convo?

Until I see Favre walk without a boot.

If he does not practice, I don’t want him on the field Sunday.

Did anybody watch ? what did you guys think? I watched one game and he looked absolutely horrible …. I know we should not judge based on preseason games but if he can’t make completions in preseason games, how effective will he be in the regular season?

seems to me to lack confidence… and I think that is his biggest problem.
Chilly lacks confidence in TJack and proven to go bland with play calling with him at the helm..

BUT…

I think we need his mobility in the pocket OR out of it.
I worry that he will still throw the ball at the feet of his receivers…
but I would love to see him chuck the rainbow to Moss ala Cunningham or Culpepper (h/t to George and Johnson)

I think it is time for TJack and hopefully Favre can show some support and help the kid out.

It’s time… All of the Favre doubters were proven wrong last year… as a Jackson doubter… it’s time for me to be proven wrong. T… if they put you in there… go kick some ass.

Say Webb is his backup.
Say Favre is inactive this week.

Who is our emergency #3*? We do not have a QB on the practice squad. If we make a move on this front, you know they are worried about Brett. In relation to this thread, my opinion is that Favre should sit until his ankle is much healthier.

*I want to make suggestions here, but I can not think of a good match. I would think it would have to be a veteran familiar with Chilly’s system and verbiage.

This whole thing is Chilly trying to be “Clever” and outsmart the hoodie.

But you don’t need a win in New England. It would be nice to get one, sure, but you don’t need to. Here’s the deal as I see it:

New England: Loss 2-5
Arizona: Win, 3-5
Chicago: Win 4-5
Green Bay: Win 5-5 (Might be close, but you’re at home, so…)
Washington: Win 6-5
Buffalo: Win 7-5
Giants: Loss 7-6
Chicago: Win 8-6
Philly: Loss 8-7
Detroit Win 9-7

That’s honestly how I think it plays out from here. After this week, the Giants, Philly, the Packers and the Skins are your toughest games left, and I see a split at worst in those games. The rest I see as wins. 9-7 might be enough to win the NFC north this year, and if it’s not, it probably leaves you in the wild card hunt in the mediocre NFC. Find a way to beat New England (though I doubt you will) or take 3 of 4 of the games noted above, and you’ve got 10 wins and certainly a playoff berth. you should be buried in the division and the conference, but you’re not, and you’re team is still playing well enough that I doubt it will happen.

You hate T-jack for reasons unknown but prefer an injured turnover prone Favre to lead this team as of RIGHT NOW, with a healthy mobile qb behind him who POSSIBLY has something to prove? Do you remember the last time T-JACK came off the bench when the qb ahead of him got injured? Umm, well 4 tds to 0 ints should tell the story. And Yes he Stunk it up in his FIRST EVER playoff game, but so what? It was his FIRST EVER playoff game for somebody from such a small college. Besides he did take this team to the playoffs, now go check those stats “EXPERT”

Firstly, that’s a really well written and thorough breakdwon of the current sitch… much better than reading mis-spelled diatribes scribed by morons. Everything you said is accurate. My father in law said something funny to me on Monday that for me kind of captured this entire thing for me, he said “Is Childress allowed to bench Favre or can Favre do what he wants?” I asked him if he was kidding. He wasn’t. I replied that of course Chilly could sit Favre, he’s the coach. Then I began thinking about this season and it struck me that perhaps there was some validity to that. One would think by watching the FAVRE show that Favre can do what he wants. I’m a giant Brett Favre fan and I’m afraid to say that I’m becomming dis-illusioned. Last year he went into manager mode and started really following the script… granted he had Rice but still, he threw fewer picks and became a disciplined role player. We saw that one outburst when Chilly was going to sit him and Favre went back out and we all thought “Wow, Favre is the BOSS” Then cut to this year where they send men to beg him. What kind of message did that send? So then we cut to the Green Bay game and Favre is the boss. People say that no matter what, Favre gives you a chance… yes, and so do other quarterbacks. Percy Harvin is a speed monster and you’ve got the most explosive back in the game. If Favre is not willing to manage then he should sit. I hate to say that but it’s not the Minnesota FAVRES, it’s the Minnesota Vikings. Jackson can play tight and throw some safe balls and make it happen in New England. I don’t mention the sexting situation because it’s not football and it’s irrelevant to me. Dan Marino played with a ski-boot on his foot for the last year of his career and maybe Favre will have to. He needs to sit… be happy with his consecutive games record (which everyone respects and nobody will beat) and heal. See a therapist, do some yoga and some introspection. Then he can come in for the last 7 or 8 games and light it up. If the train is broken, stop it and fix it and then carry on. BE THE COACH, CHILLY!!!!!

If T-Jack had started the season because Favre didn’t come back – would he have thrown the ball as poorly as Favre has so far? Is there anything that Favre has done in those two wins that T-Jack can’t possible do?

The only reason there is even a debate about this is because of how poorly the Vikings have been coached this year.

http://www.rivercitysportsblog.com/
this guy is on to something, the league is fishy….lots of money in sports gambling and there is no reason to not believe scott green was not in with some money on the pack…like tim donahey in the NBA, why not point shave in the NFL too. think about it, makes a whole lot of sense to me.

I keep calling for Webb. If I were coordinator I would keep the name buzzing in Chilly’s ear til he hears it
We can’t play Brett if we expect anything from him in the future. So toss some things in there to make it fun and catch Pats off guard
WEBB

Please bring the preasure, New England!

Simply dink and dunk, until u see your opportunity to go deeper.

FYI I have created a fanpost with the latest updates on Favre’s status & Childress’s plans what to do about it.

but Joe Webb will not start a single game this year, or next (assuming there will be football next year)
he has great potential, but he’s no where near starting material, especially on a contending team. He’s a prospect.
If this were baseball, he’d probably be at the AA level of the minors

I agree Webb should have been in the starting QB poll.

Brad drafted TJack ahead of the Chargers starting Tackle. He started as a rookie the year LD was All-World. Since Brad let Sage go his job now depends on TJack. It serves him right.

I thought Farve played so well last year because it wasn’t his team. It was AP’s team so the pressure wasn’t on him. That’s not the case now. Everyone now knows we go to the Super Bowl only with Farve.

You need a HOF qb to have an effective team.

It is hard forget the 12 men on the field penalty in the Saints game that took us out of field goal range. It turned out to be the wrong time to get cute by sending extra men on the field to try and confuse the other team.