Okay, it was cute when Bobby Wade said that Bears' LB Brian Urlacher had some not-so-complimentary things to say about his team's new signal caller. After all, based on past precedent, it sounds like something Urlacher would say. . .just ask the mother of his child, if you don't believe me. . .and, quite frankly, after the hissy fit he threw this off-season, it seems to be a pretty accurate assessment of Jay Cutler's character, too, whether the words came from Urlacher's mouth or not. You'd think that a guy that hasn't been able to lead a football team to a winning record since his senior year. . .of high school, not college. . .would show a little humility, but you'd be wrong. But I digress. . .
Now, Wade has given us a quote that may (or may not) indicate that the Vikings' "open competition" at quarterback might not be as "open" as we've been led to believe.
"Obviously, [Jackson] missed a couple of days so that always plays a toll…. You know the timing’s really important for every single one of our receivers, the timing with Tarvaris, and Sage for that matter but especially Tarvaris knowing he’ll be pretty much the named starter going into the season so timing is everything in this offense."
We've been hearing ever since the end of the summer-long QB circus that the race for the starting QB job was going to be wide open. That Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson were both going to go out, take snaps with the first team, get an equal opportunity to impress the coaches, and may the best man win.
So how on Earth does Tarvaris Jackson "know he'll pretty much be named starter going into the season?" That can't possibly be the case.
Can it?
As much of a Jackson supporter as I've been during the time he's been the Vikings' quarterback, I certainly hope that the race isn't already over. Because while I like Tarvaris Jackson and think he's a whole lot better than most people want to give him credit for. . .yes, I know that's not a terribly high bar to clear. . .if Sage Rosenfels gives the Minnesota Vikings a better opportunity to win football games, he should by all means be given the starting job. We shouldn't have coaches just simply saying that we have a "wide open" quarterback competition simply to give lip service to the Vikings' fan base.
Hopefully Wade will clarify this comment somewhere in the near future. After all, we've had our share of quarterback controversy this off-season with a guy that was never even actually here. . .we certainly don't need one involving guys that will actually have an impact on the 2009 Minnesota Vikings season.