VIKINGS MISSED THE BOAT
Are the men who compose the Minnesota Vikings braintrust disingenuous, or are they just dumb? Well, perhaps before attempting to answer this question, we should give credit where credit is due. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has been quite willing to shell out money in free agency, and the front office has done a respectable job of accumulating talent. Except for the most important position on the field. Before the 2006 season, the Vikings spent forty-nine million dollars to grab the best offensive lineman available, road-grader Steve Hutchinson. The team also used the draft to add two important pieces to their Cover-2 defense, athletic weakside linebacker Chad Greenway and imposing cornerback Cedric Griffin. But perhaps their most interesting addition was quarterback Tarvaris Jackson from Alabama State. Undersized but athletic, Jackson was raw as a wound. Most scouts looked at him as a long-term project who would take years to develop, and it was generally felt that the team showed awfully long arms reaching for Jackson in the second round.
Minnesota got a gift when talented but injury-prone running back Adrian Peterson fell to them in this year’s draft. Peterson is probably the most impressive runner to come from the college ranks in the past decade or so, a workhorse back that an offense can be built around. They also added wide receiver Sidney Rice, a perfect fit for head coach Brad Childress’ west coast offense. Cornerback Marcus McCauley and defensive end Brian Robinson fit the Cover-2 defense just as well. Although defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin was lured to Pittsburgh to fill the Steelers’ head coaching vacancy, former Indianapolis Colts coordinator Leslie Frazier was considered an adequate replacement. The Vikings also cemented a major building block when they signed monstrous defensive tackle Pat Williams, the foundation of their intimidating run defense, to a three year contract extension.
And no one was surprised when they cut the cord with last year’s top quarterback, Brad Johnson. For most of the season, Johnson looked like he belonged in the AARP more than the NFL, and the Vikings offense was slower and less effective than a Congressional inquiry. The only problem? The team had no one to replace him but Jackson, who was greener than the artificial turf of the Metrodome. The backup plan in case Jackson couldn’t handle the starting job just yet was Brooks Bollinger. In other words, there was no backup plan. At the eleventh hour, the Vikings did at least add a quarterback with some experience, sending a draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for journeyman Kelly Holcombe.
Still, this is where they dropped the ball. Jackson was clearly not ready to be a fulltime starter at this level. After playing for a small college, he had a grand total of four NFL appearances with two starts. As a rookie he completed fifty-eight percent of his passes, and threw only two touchdowns compared to four interceptions and four fumbles. This year, Jackson’s numbers have actually regressed. In two games he has completed less than fifty-four percent of his passes, and has tossed four interceptions and only one lonely touchdown. Though they are running the ball well, the Vikings offense is averaging a meager one-hundred and sixty passing yards per game, twenty-eighth in the league. Worse, their twenty-five third-down conversions through the air are tied for thirtieth in the league. A weak receiving corps doesn’t help, but Jackson is obviously not ready to lead a productive NFL offense.
Of course, it makes sense to get the young man some experience, if he’s intended to be the quarterback of the future. The question is, does it make sense to get him experience at the cost of a season? Not when there was a veteran quarterback available who could have mentored Jackson for a year or two and made the Vikings a competitive team in the process. Jeff Garcia has a lot of similarities to Jackson, and the young signal caller could have learned a lot from watching the wily vet. Garcia has years of experience with the west coast offense, and proved last year in Philadelphia that he can still lead a team to victory. But the Vikings showed no interest. Instead, they let Garcia go to Tampa Bay, where he is completing over sixty-six percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception. With lots of help from a stout defense and a solid running game, Garcia has led the Bucs to back-to-back impressive victories after losing the season opener, and the team looks to be gaining momentum under his savvy leadership. The Vikings, losers of two of the past three and apparently dead in the water, would probably love to be in that situation. Right?
This is where it gets a bit sticky. Wilf has been pushing for the Twin Cities taxpayers to provide the bulk of the funding for an insanely expensive new stadium. But Wilf recently backed out of a deal to purchase additional pieces of land around the proposed stadium site, and in the wake of the tragic collapse of Interstate 35W, the entire proposal has been put on hold. Wilf’s representatives have been saying all the right things, but is this tact and compassion on his part, or is he reconsidering the long-term economic viability of the area?
Let’s give Wilf the benefit of the doubt for now, and assume that he isn’t engaged in a conspiracy to move the team, ala the movie Major League. The decision to not pursue a capable veteran quarterback was likely not treachery, just bad football. In the NFL, the clichés about having a small window of opportunity are nothing but the truth. The prime of Pat Williams won’t last forever, and the health of Adrian Peterson shouldn’t be taken for granted. With a strong defense and potent running game, this team could easily be a contender in a wide-open NFC. Instead, they’re taking their lumps to get Jackson ready for next year. It better be worth it.