Vikings: Eagles might see Holcomb instead of Jackson

"If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands."

Smart-aleck author Douglas Adams

Yes, it has appeared more complicated than was needed. But indications were strong Wednesday that the Vikings are planning a quarterback change for Sunday's game against Philadelphia.

Starter Tarvaris Jackson's fractured right index finger limited him to all but a handful of practice plays, leaving backup Kelly Holcomb as the likely starter. No one would confirm the switch but the protagonists all spoke as if it were nearly a foregone conclusion.

"Basically," Jackson said, "[the issue] is just throwing the football. Six inches makes a big difference. You want a tight spiral, but it's hard to spiral the football without the index finger. ... If I can't control the football, I don't want to be out there."

Coach Brad Childress agreed and also pointed out the difficulty of taking a snap when that particular finger is injured.

"That ball comes up with a pretty good thump," Childress said. "And his right hand is up, and that is what is accepting the football. So that's something that you don't want to be an adventure."

Jackson sustained the injury during the second half of the Vikings' 24-14 loss at Dallas. He continued playing but aggravated it on a fourth-quarter sack. By Monday, the finger was too swollen to bend.

Speaking Wednesday, Jackson acknowledged the possibility that he could miss more than one game and also said his strained groin, which he injured Sept. 16, "is not where I want it to be."

Sunday would be the third start Jackson has missed this season. Never before, Jackson said, had injuries forced him from so much as one game in his football career.

"Now, all in one year," Jackson said, "I've sat out two games already and possibly I might sit out this game or more. I don't know. ... There is a lot of frustration."

Health issues aside, the underlying assumption has been that Holcomb might be better equipped to handle the Eagles' blitz-oriented defense. An 11-year veteran, Holcomb has made two stops with Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Both were with the Indianapolis Colts in 1996 and '97, and Holcomb spent most of the offseason and training camp this year with the Eagles before the Vikings acquired him Aug. 27.

Johnson is known for an unconventional blitzing style that changes week to week. Childress, an Eagles assistant from 1999-2005, observed Johnson for years.

"The first thing he is going to do [in weekly game planning] is sit down with the staff and look at the quarterback," Childress said. "How does a guy handle a blitz? How does a guy throw the football? He is going to sit down and make that assessment."

Jackson has been inconsistent at best in reacting to blitzes this season. Based on his experience, Holcomb said the Vikings should expect both the bathroom and kitchen sinks.

"Anything on every down," Holcomb said. "[Johnson] does a lot of stuff. I wouldn't say he doesn't have a conscience, but sometimes you'd think that he doesn't have a conscience. He does some odd stuff and has no qualms about it. ... We have to be honed up on our protections this week and be able to get the ball out of our hands."

The Vikings lost both of Holcomb's starts this season, losing by a total of 10 points to Kansas City and Green Bay. Overall, his performance reflected that of a player acquired a month earlier.

However, Holcomb said that by the end of the Packers game he felt far more comfortable with the Vikings' offense and their personnel.

"I was starting to get settled in a little more, understand a little more and understand my teammates," he said. "The first time I had any real action with the guys was in the Kansas City game. You learn people, you learn how people run different routes. It's just a familiarity thing.

"If it happens this week, I'll be ready."

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com