Pacifist Viking - Viking Offseason: Um, Quarterback?

Joe Fischer is a split personality: a mild-mannered English teacher that turns into a raving, obsessive lunatic when the subject turns to the Minnesota Vikings. He blogs at Pacifist Viking, and will share his thoughts on the Beloved Purple here at 10,000 Takes.

Viking Offseason: Um, Quarterback?

The Vikings have done a lot to improve on their weaknesses from 2007. They didn’t have any WRs that could both consistently catch the ball AND stretch the field for big plays. Boom--sign Bernard Berrian. They had serious problems generating a pass rush from the defensive line and generally covering the pass in the secondary. Pow--trade for defensive end Jared Allen and acquire three new safeties: Madieu Williams, Michael Boulware, and Tyrell Johnson. If they simply maintain their strengths (running the ball and stopping the run), then they seem like a complete football team with potential to go deep into the playoffs.

But there’s one big problem the Vikes didn’t solve. As it happens, it is the most important position in football.

Despite a pretty ragged, inconsistent, often completely ineffective passing game, the Vikings have made little effort to improve the quarterback position.

Oh, they’ve added depth. Let’s just go ahead and consider Gus Frerotte an upgrade over Kelly Holcomb or Brooks Bollinger (0-4 in starts last season). And perhaps they’ve planned for the future: draft pick John David Booty might become a good quarterback.

But for 2007? With a defensive line that features Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and Pat Williams? With a dynamic linebacker unit? With the top rushing duo in team history?

Tarvaris Jackson.

Look, Viking fans are certainly split on Jackson. But whether you think he’ll stink forever or think he’s got the tools to be great, everybody must agree that he is a question mark (well, not literally--he's a human being!). His inexperience and (at best) mediocre and inconsistent performance in 2007 mean the most we can say is “we can hope that he can be good.” That’s it. So for a team that is strong in all areas, that showed big (and unexpected) potential in 2007, that has a lot of veterans at key positions all over the team, we’re going with “we hope that he can be good” at the most important position in the game.

OK, so the other starting quarterbacks in the division are Aaron Rodgers, Jon Kitna, and Rex Grossman. Jackson is not exactly being asked to outduel Peyton Manning here. But it is just a little bit vexing that the Vikes haven’t tried to do more to stabilize the quarterback position. If Jackson struggles (at least a 50/50 proposition, right?), the Vikes have little else to give the team immediate hope.

So that should be fun. If you’re a Viking fan like me, your personal life, your worldview, your day to day mood, is irrationally dictated by the Purple from September through January. And so your personal happiness is riding on a third year division 1-AA quarterback with 14 up and down starts in his career.