Sore knee keeps Jackson off the field

MANKATO - Vikings coach Brad Childress said Sunday there is "a chance" that Tarvaris Jackson could return to the practice field today, but judging from the looks of things it wouldn't be a surprise if the injured quarterback remains on the sideline.

Jackson, who will compete with Sage Rosenfels for the starting job, suffered a Grade 1 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the morning practice Saturday.

After receiving treatment inside the Vikings' training room during the team's lone practice Sunday, Jackson emerged from the locker area following the session wearing a brace on his knee.

He declined to comment after getting into a golf cart that took him back to the dormitory in which the Vikings stay.

"The first 24 hours are a big time to treat those things," Childress said. "He spent some time with all the modalities they do in the swimming pool. There are several things they can do for him. He is better staying inside than he is out here. He gets a chance to look at the tapes tonight."

A decision on whether Jackson practices today will be made this morning.

"We will see how he feels when he wakes up and see what he has got going," Childress said.

Jackson sprained the MCL in his right knee in a preseason game at Baltimore last year and missed the final two exhibitions before returning for the regular-season opener.

Jackson's injury has given Rosenfels an opportunity to get the majority of reps with the first team and it also has meant a substantially increased workload for John David Booty, who estimated he was getting about 10 reps when Jackson was healthy but couldn't even speculate on how many snaps he received Sunday.

"It's huge," Booty said of being able to get so much work. "For any player just to be able to get out there and you're no longer just seeing it on paper. You're getting to go against it and see it firsthand."

Booty, a fifth-round pick by the Vikings out of Southern California in 2008, expressed no concerns about what the increased workload might mean in terms of arm soreness.

He said coaches are varying the routine so "you're not constantly just wearing it out, wearing it out, wearing it out. They give us breaks in between to get some rest."

Childress said Saturday he had no plans to bring in a third quarterback to take some of the snaps in part because he wasn't concerned about Jackson being out for any length of time. On Sunday, Childress made it clear he hadn't changed his mind.

"I see [Rosenfels and Booty] improving as we go," he said. "These guys fight for reps, and they are getting several now.

"Neither one of them is going to turn to me and say, 'Hey can you bring in someone else to take these?'"