Jim Souhan: Vikings hope Jackson has what it takes to be top QB

The second-year player has the arm, he has the work ethic. Now his team is gambling he can handle the responsibility.

By Jim Souhan, Star Tribune

Last update: May 24, 2007 - 10:22 PM

The date: Dec. 3, 2006. The scene: Chicago's Soldier Field. The setting: The Vikings had just lost to the Bears 23-13 in a game that looked more like rugby than modern football.

Vikings coach Brad Childress benched quarterback Brad Johnson in the third quarter, and backup Brooks Bollinger donned a sling in the locker room.

Reporters surrounded rookie quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to ask the obvious question: Are you ready?

In a sports world filled with predictable sound bites and athletic arrogance, Jackson's response befuddled millions. "Not really," he said then. "I want to be, but if it comes down to that, I'd go out there and just give it my best shot, really."

As it turned out, Johnson started the next two games, and Jackson made his first NFL start on Dec. 21 at Green Bay, while proving his point: He wasn't quite ready to make the jump from Division I-AA Alabama State to the NFL.

He'd better be ready soon. Of all the moves the Vikings have made in the Wilf era -- the poison pill signing of Steve Hutchinson, the drafting of Adrian Peterson, the signing of Chester Taylor, the installation of the Wet Toast Offense -- the one that is most sure to determine their immediate future is the drafting of Jackson in the second round of the 2006 draft.

The Vikings need Jackson to become a star, to jump-start a woeful passing game and present the public with a reason for hope. If he fails, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf could soon be looking for a new coach who would, in turn, look for a new quarterback.

Thursday, after the Vikings practiced, I took Jackson back to that Soldier Field locker room, and his reticent response.

"People probably misunderstood what I was saying," he said. "As a rookie, you're never ready as you want to be, because you feel like you have so much to learn before you go play.

"But I was happy to get the chance, just being the competitor I am. I also knew there was a process. But I didn't want people to misunderstand me, like I was scared to play or I didn't want to play."

Now this is Jackson's team, even if Childress has yet to issue a depth chart, but the question remains the same: Is Jackson ready to take charge?

"Yeah," he said. "I'm feeling more and more comfortable every day, coming out here with my teammates. I didn't know what to expect last year. This year, I do."

Last summer I visited Jackson in his hometown of Montgomery, Ala., and watched him conduct torturous workouts in stifling heat and humidity, running sprints, doing agility drills, and throwing countless passes. Later he'd repair to the Alabama State weight room, and some evenings he'd throw even more passes.

"Last summer, I was probably doing too much," Jackson said with a smile on Thursday. "I was throwing five days a week, running five days a week, lifting four or five days a week. But it paid off, I think."

So he won't do the same workouts this summer?

"Oh, I'm pretty much going to do it," he said. "Because if I didn't, I'd probably feel bad. I'll probably start out throwing two days a week instead of four or five, that's all."

Jackson has the work ethic, arm strength and athletic ability to succeed in the NFL. What we don't know is how he'll handle the responsibility of running a team and the intricacies of reading NFL defenses.

"I watch a lot of games on TV, and I watch how other guys conduct themselves," Jackson said. "I learned a lot by watching Brad [Johnson] last year, and how he was a professional about everything.

"Even when things weren't going good, he was still professional, and he was still helping me out, and helping everybody out. You never saw a negative attitude come out. I learned a lot from that. That's the way it should be."

Jackson's a nice guy, low-key and humble. The Vikings better hope he earns the right to a little athletic arrogance this year.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. jsouhan@startribune.com

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