Upset by benching, Jackson has big day

Tarvaris Jackson, benched as the Vikings starting quarterback after the first two games of the season, finally got his chance to fill in for Gus Frerotte on Sunday in Detroit, after the 37-year-old Frerotte got hurt at the end of the first half and couldn't return.

When Jackson was benched after the Vikings fell to 0-2, there was no certainty he would play again this season. He has been quarterbacking the scout team and has had a few brief appearances in games in which Frerotte has had to leave because of injury, but the veteran always came back into the game, until Sunday.

So it was certainly a surprise to see Jackson do what he did against the Lions, when the third-year quarterback completed eight of 10 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, compiling a sensational quarterback rating of 143.8 as he helped the Vikings come back for a 20-16 victory at Ford Field.

I've made it a point to talk to Jackson on a regular basis, and about two weeks ago we had a chat. He said he was a bit angry about the benching.

"If it was [my decision], I'd still be in there," he said. "... I was upset, but it wasn't my decision to say whether I should stay in or not. Of course I'd love to be in and not on the sidelines. It was coach's decision and I live with it.

"... Watching, [running the scout team], I think when I was a younger guy, I was learning doing that. But I'm to the point now where there isn't too much learning I can do from doing the scout team."

However, Jackson -- still only 25 years old -- said he has learned a lot by watching Frerotte. "The way he goes about things on the field, really, he shows me a lot, and just watching him, I feel like I can be better," Jackson said.

"It's tough," Jackson said. "You hope you don't have to go through it as a quarterback. It happens like that sometimes, but if I could, I wouldn't have ever went through it. I really don't wish it on nobody."

He was asked if he wanted to continue to play for the Vikings and if he will continue to play for the Vikings. "It's not for me to say right now, really," Jackson replied. "I'm here, I'm a Viking right now and I'm loving being here. I'd love to be playing right now, but I love being around my teammates, and I get along great with them."

Well, with the great performance Jackson put on Sunday, there is no doubt all the work he has put in over the past two months paid off.

If Frerotte can't go for a time, coach Brad Childress has a capable quarterback available. And if Jackson performs as he did Sunday, the Vikings will have the quarterback they hoped they would have when they drafted himackson with a second-round pick in 2006. And we members of the media also would have to admit that Vikings coaches were right when they said it takes a few years for a young QB to develop in the NFL.

Peterson has odd day It was a strange day for Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson. The NFL's leading rusher gained 102 yards on 23 carries, but he also had three fumbles and had a fourth fumble -- the only one he lost -- overturned.

Peterson had only seven carries for 28 yards in the first half. The second half was a different story as he rushed 16 times for 74 yards, giving him his eighth 100-yard rushing day of the season.

And Chester Taylor had a strong game, too. Those who complain that Taylor should play less and Peterson more don't know what they are talking about.

Taylor doesn't contribute the statistics Peterson does, but Taylor seems to have a knack for coming through in the clutch. Against the Lions, he rushed six times for 27 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown run that gave the Vikings a 10-6 lead on their first possession of the second half. Taylor also caught two passes for 26 yards, both receptions coming on fourth-quarter passes from Jackson. And Taylor was part of the reason the quarterbacks got some of their best protection all year.

I don't think any team has a better pair of running backs than Peterson and Taylor. They complement each other so well.

Allen amazing Ask Jared Allen to lift his right arm, and he will do it with a lot of pain.

The Vikings probably owe a bit of gratitude to their other starting defensive end, Ray Edwards, who kept Allen away from Lions rookie Gosder Cherilus after Cherilus lunged at Allen's left knee, injuring him. Allen doesn't need any more fines from the NFL. And sure enough, after that injury, Allen still ended up returning and making an impact.

Jottings One unfortunate thing about the Gophers' bowl selection is that kickoff for the Insight Bowl is set for 5 p.m. Dec. 31 -- which is the same time as the men's basketball team's Big Ten opener against Michigan State at Williams Arena. Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said Sunday he didn't believe he could move the game time of the basketball game because of television obligations; the Big Ten Network will televise that game. However, Maturi said he would look into seeing if anything could be done.

In a Vikings game in which Jackson got his first significant playing time since September, it was interesting to see that not only was former Vikings star Daunte Culpepper playing quarterback for Detroit, but his replacement for the final play of the game after he got hurt was none other than Drew Henson, the former Michigan standout who spent some time with the Vikings in 2006 and '07. Henson was appearing in only his ninth career game and second this season. And Frerotte was the last quarterback to lead Detroit to the playoffs, in the 1999 season.

With the Twins possibly seeking righthanded-hitting infielders, you wonder if they have any interest in Robb Quinlan, who made $1.05 million in 2008 with the Angels. The former Gophers and Hill-Murray athlete has played very little the past two seasons with the Angels. Quinlan, who turns 32 in March, is arbitration-eligible this season and has not yet been offered a contract by the Angels; the deadline to do so is Friday, otherwise he could become a free agent.