Third QB competition is anything but heated

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MANKATO - No one would be surprised if they learned the relationship between John David Booty and Brooks Bollinger was a bit icy, or heck, downright contentious. The two are battling to be the Vikings' No. 3 quarterback, and one of them almost certainly isn't going to make the final 53-man roster.

So let's get to the bottom of how Booty feels about the way Bollinger has been treating him in training camp. Has the veteran been hiding his playbook? Perhaps giving a bit of misinformation?

''To me Brooks has kind of been my favorite guy since I've been here,'' Booty said squashing any thought of a rift. ''He's taken me in and kind of shown me the way. Really I just enjoy being around him. I hate the fact you even think of it as really competition but it is what it is. We're both trying to play good football.''

Booty would seem to have an edge in this competition for a couple of reasons.

One, the Vikings traded up in the fifth round to select him in last April's draft. Two, coach Brad Childress likes having a young quarterback to develop. The Vikings got burned last year when they attempted to get seventh-round pick Tyler Thigpen through waivers in order to place him on the practice squad. Instead, he was claimed by Kansas City.

"I found out last year being relatively new in the league that if a quarterback has some potential he's not going to last very long on the practice squad," said Kevin Rogers, entering his third season as the team's quarterbacks coach. "It's going to be very difficult, and we're going to sit down as a collective group and we'll make a decision. But regardless of what decision is made, it's going to be tough."

Bollinger, who played in five games last season and started in the Vikings' 34-0 loss last November in Green Bay, is entering his sixth NFL season and the final year of his contract. The 28-year-old said that early in his career with the New York Jets, quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Vinny Testaverde helped him and now he's returning the favor.

"When you're around this game for such a long time, you go through it a lot of times," Bollinger said of competing for a job. "I actually went through it in high school, went through it in college a couple of different times, have been through it a lot in the NFL. It will all take care of itself on the field. I don't believe in playing mind games with people or trying to keep them in the dark."

Booty and Bollinger are both the sons of football coaches, and Bollinger appears impressed that Booty seems eager to absorb information. Booty said he spent time during the offseason program and early in training camp picking the brains of Bollinger, as well as starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and veteran backup Gus Frerotte.

Staying sharp mentally is essential for Booty and Bollinger because neither is going to get as many snaps as they would like during camp. Jackson and Frerotte have gotten the majority of the snaps through the first seven practices; Booty and Bollinger have split what's left.

What makes it even more tricky for Booty is that he estimates the Vikings will spend the first 10 days of camp installing about 40 new plays a day. Booty has the advantage of having worked in a pro-style offense at Southern Cal -- he was 20-3 as a starter and played in two Rose Bowls -- but admits the Vikings' West Coast system is far more intricate and certainly being on the field more would help.

"It's very difficult, particularly because Gus is a guy that's coming in [new to the Vikings] and really kind of learning a new offense," Rogers said. "Although he has been in the league 15 years, this offense is new to him so he has to take his reps. So it limits how many snaps you can get the third guy.

"When the third guy is divided by two, it makes it that much tougher to develop."

And so a battle that lacks any controversy or animosity continues between Booty and Bollinger.

"I don't ever think about it as, 'OK, I'm going against John David. I want to do well and I want him to do bad,'" Bollinger said. "I don't think about that one bit. I just come in and approach it as I'm out there competing trying to be the best guy out there every day."