Frerotte's in; Jackson's out

Brad Childress and Tarvaris Jackson have been considered linked as a coach-quarterback combination.

Childress stood firm behind Jackson for much of last season despite many peaks and valleys. This offseason, Childress touted Jackson's development on more than one occasion. Even after Sunday's loss to the Colts, Childress made it clear Jackson remained his starter.

On Wednesday, though, Childress cut the cord -- quite possibly in the name of self-preservation.

With his team 0-2 and having failed to live up to offseason expectations, Childress announced 15-year veteran Gus Frerotte will start Sunday's game against Carolina. Frerotte, 37, will remain in that role for the rest of the season, assuming he stays healthy.

"I'm just not seeing right now the aggressiveness from Tarvaris that I saw throughout the offseason, training camp, the two preseason games that he played in," Childress said. "Part of it may be experience. I know Gus will give us that. And I know his approach will also lend itself to that."

Childress told Jackson of his decision Tuesday -- one day after indicating he might make a switch -- and Frerotte and the team were informed Wednesday morning.

The fact Jackson was benched after only two games is somewhat of a surprise and indicates Childress is feeling pressure to win after going 14-18 in his first two seasons as the Vikings coach. (Frerotte is 37-44-1 as a starter.)

Childress is in the third season of a five-year contract and is overseeing a team that invested more than $60 million in guarantees this offseason to add players.

"This league is a business," said a disappointed Jackson, who suffered a sprained right knee in the Vikings' second preseason game and did not play in the final two exhibitions. "That's one thing I've learned over the past two years. You never know what might happen. My job is to go out here and try and win games. Obviously we're 0-2 so he felt like he did what's best for the team. That's it."

While some of Jackson's teammates were caught off guard by the switch, Frerotte wasn't among them.

"I can't say that it was a shock because I've been playing for a long time and I've been through a lot of shocking moments in my time," said Frerotte, who served as Daunte Culpepper's backup with the Vikings in 2003 and 2004.

In losses to the Packers and Colts, Jackson completed 30 of 59 passes for 308 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His 50.8 completion percentage and 64.8 passer rating rank near the bottom of the league. Jackson, 25, was 8-4 as a starter last year but threw three more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (nine).

"[This] does not need to be a death knell for Tarvaris Jackson," Childress said. "There are many quarterbacks in this league that have experienced bumps in the road. It's part of the experience factor. While I know that he doesn't like it, I know he'll make the most of it."

Running back Adrian Peterson said "it was shocking" when he heard Jackson was out as the starter. Peterson pointed out there was plenty of blame to go around, a point Childress does not deny.

"I know there's many other plays, there's a lot of other people that have to step up," Childress said. "But then when you go back through and look at the tape, and most importantly be able to sit across from the young man and want to be able to verify what you're feeling -- it's kind of like looking in your kids' eyes and saying one [thing] and feeling another."

The question now is what the Vikings' West Coast offense will look like with Frerotte. While Jackson had the ability to roll out and run -- he is second on the team with 66 yards rushing on 10 carries -- the strong-armed but immobile Frerotte will remain in the pocket.

Receiver Bobby Wade indicated the offense might have a few added wrinkles.

"I don't think it was limited based off of [Jackson's] experience," Wade said. "But I think the coaches kept it limited for a reason. Obviously not to put too much on a younger player and try to get a guy more comfortable and confident. You might see some things change this week obviously with Gus being back there."

Frerotte's experience in the West Coast offense is not extensive. The last time he was in the system was in 2000 and 2001, when he started eight games for Denver. Frerotte spent the past two seasons with St. Louis.

He started three games and played in eight for the Rams last year but was cut in the offseason and signed a two-year, $3.75 million contract with the Vikings in April. The good news for the Vikings is that Frerotte is 3-0 in his career against Carolina.

"I'm sure I'll be flying pretty high, be pretty excited [on Sunday]," said Frerotte, who has played with seven teams. "It's going to be fun. I think I'm going to really enjoy going out there."

For more player reactions, read Chip Scoggins blog at startribune.com/vikings.