Jackson's fate hangs on line

The only thing that's certain after Sunday's loss is that the quarterback's erratic performance will be dissected all offseason.

By CHIP SCOGGINS, Star Tribune

Last update: January 5, 2009 - 12:24 AM

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Tarvaris Jackson said his emotions were too raw and too fresh to offer any big-picture perspective Sunday. But the Vikings quarterback's roller-coaster season ended with a dismal performance that is certain to be dissected and discussed through the offseason.

Making his first postseason start, Jackson reverted to early-season form in a 26-14 loss to the Eagles in a wild-card playoff game at the Metrodome.

He completed 15 of 35 passes for 164 yards with an interception returned for a touchdown and a 45.4 passer rating. As Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb looked calm and cool in the pocket, Jackson appeared skittish against the Eagles' blitzes.

Jackson threw seven consecutive incompletions during a stretch in the fourth quarter. That brought a chorus of boos from fans and raised questions about whether he is the right quarterback to lead the Vikings in the future.

Jackson was asked whether he thinks he will be the starting quarterback next season.

"I'm not going to get into that," he said. "I'm going to reflect on this season and relax with my family. I'll look over things, the way things happened this season and go from there."

Vikings coach Brad Childress was noncommittal.

"There are decisions all across the board, and some are tougher than others," he said. "Suffice it to say that we will evaluate the whole roster. Don't make any of those decisions right this second."

A number of Jackson's teammates expressed support in him.

"I think he had [a] resilient season," tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. "I feel like that's our man."

Said wide receiver Bernard Berrian: "You start where you left off. You can't just throw a guy out. He finished very strong. He took the benching well, showed a lot of character, came back and had some really great games. That just shows the coaching staff and the rest of the players that we have faith in Tarvaris."

Jackson's performance Sunday tested that faith.

With the Vikings trailing 9-7 in the second quarter, Jackson badly underthrew wide receiver Sidney Rice along the sideline in front of the Vikings bench. Asante Samuel was in the right spot and returned the interception 44 yards for a touchdown.

"I tried to get the ball out a little early," Jackson said. "I saw he was looking at me the whole time. I thought if I threw it on time or early he wouldn't be able to make a play. I threw it too far inside, and he made a good play."

Said Childress: "You hate to serve up seven points. You have to take that out of your repertoire."

Jackson led the Vikings on a scoring drive the next series, highlighted by a 27-yard completion to Berrian -- with Berrian running for 22 yards after the catch -- on third down.

But Jackson became even more erratic in the fourth quarter after the Eagles took a 23-14 lead. With his team needing to score quickly, Jackson threw five consecutive incompletions as the Eagles brought all kinds of pressure.

The Vikings had only 106 yards in the second half.

"I guess we just weren't on the same page," Jackson said. "They didn't do anything different.

"They actually slowed down a little bit as far as blitzing. We just didn't execute. Never got on the same page."

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