Tarvaris Jackson: Starter to scout

October 30, 2008   ·   Paul Raymond   ·   Jump to comments

It’s been one hell of a season for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. He began the season as the Vikings starter, only to be demoted after two games. That came as no surprise as he and the Vikings were struggling to get anything going on offense. Well now? He’s still technically the Vikings backup QB but is now relegated to scout duty in practice. How much of a drop is this?

It’s a tremendous drop. Typically the scout team is made up of players from the practice squad, and those guys try to simulate what the upcoming opponent would do. Jackson told the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “It’s kind of like a puppet, throwing the football where they want you to throw it, trying to do what the other team does instead of what you normally do.”

There are two ways a Vikings fan can look at this situation. The bright side would be to look at it as the team wants to give Jackson as much practice as possible. He’s still only 25 years old and trying to learn the game in the NFL. By having him run the scout team he can get extra reps in practice, simulating game type scenarios. The downside to this thinking is that he’s learning other teams plays, and not practicing what the Vikings themselves do. Jackson is taking the work in stride but sounds like it really isn’t doing much for his development. “This is the only way I can get my practicing in and try to get better, but it’s kind of hard trying to get better when you run somebody else’s plays,” he said.

The other thinking has to be this, have the Vikings are losing faith in the youngster. Typically your scout team QB isn’t your backup come game day. Your backup would usually get a few snaps with the first unit, and a good amount with the second that way he is well versed in the team’s game plan. This Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans would be a tell tale sign on whether or not the team truly is giving up on Jackson. Your scout team QB usually winds up the third stringer and inactive on game day, so if you see John David Booty active this week he’s your new Vikings backup.

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