Hold the Booty calls; it’s Jackson’s job to lose

By Mike Schoemer  |   Thursday, May 08, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Minnesota Vikings
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Everyone knows that the most popular player on an NFL franchise that’s struggling on offense is the backup quarterback. The pitch usually hits fever level when said backup is a rookie.

Such is the case with John David Booty, who sounds like he could target a president (the three-name thing) as quickly as he could target a streaking Sidney Rice down the sidelines.

What Vikings fans (and some columnists) need to remember is this: Last year's receiving corps was among the worst Minnesota has had in years. However, thanks to the free-agent addition of Bernard Berrian and the selection of Sidney Rice in last year's draft, Minnesota has made marked improvement at the wide receiver position. The Vikings have a pair of legitimate threats beyond 30 yards (Rice and Berrian), a possession receiver who can now move into the slot (Bobby Wade) and a tight end who is in the second year of a new offensive system (Visanthe Shiancoe).

Therefore, while the name “Booty” gives everyone all of these cute ideas, he'll probably be a third-stringer to start the season.

Veteran Gus Frerotte was brought in to counsel Tarvaris Jackson much the way he did Daunte Culpepper a few years ago. Culpepper enjoyed his best season as a pro with Frerotte backing him up, and the Vikes are hoping to reestablish that dynamic with Jackson.

What Minnesota fans like about JDB versus T-Jack is the “accuracy factor.” Neither quarterback has a huge arm, though Jackson can get the ball downfield with ease. But Booty, a fifth-round pick from USC, has shown -- at the college level, mind you -- that he can put the ball on the numbers with regularity.

Nevertheless, the starting job remains Jackson’s to lose. He has an all-world running game bolstered by Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor behind him. He has a solid offensive line (with or without Bryant McKinnie). Finally, he now has a respectable receiving corps.

And Jackson has shown he can win. He was 8-4 as a starter last year, while his backups were a combined 0-4. Jackson had two miserable outings, but he was above average in key games against the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants and in Chicago -- both wins.

Quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers, who has been around the game for more than three decades, thinks this will be Jackson’s coming-out year. And he’s told the Minneapolis-St. Paul media that this is the best stable of QBs he’s had in years because of the additions of Booty, Frerotte and free-agent rookie Kyle Wright, the ex-starting signal-caller at the University of Miami.

Should he struggle again in 2008, this will, and should, be the final year of the Tarvaris Jackson experiment. If it fails, then the Booty calls are more than justified for next season.
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About Mike Schoemer

• Currently serving as managing editor of the award-winning Monticello Times after promotion in September of 2007. • Took the helm of the Edina, Minn., community newspaper, The Edina Sun Current in September 2006 in the heart of an election year. • Promoted to the Managing Editor of the...
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