Minnesota Vikings Offense
Gus Frerotte replaces struggling Tavaris Jackson
Last Sunday's game made one thing evident - with a quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings would be an elite NFC team. But with Tavaris Jackson under center, the team was unable to put away what looked to be a serverely overmatched Indanapolis Colts team. The result? A come-from-behind win, courtesy of Peyton Manning and company, dropping the Vikes to 0-2.
In all other aspects, the Vikings are strong.
Vikings have great defense
Their defense can be unreal, especially when it comes to stopping the run, as they are currently third in the NFC against the run, allowing 82 yards per game. Unfortunately, they are forced to do so much for this team, they end up gassed, as was evident in Week 2 when they got burned for all 18 of Indy's points in the final 21:24 of the game. That kind of thing happens when you're averaging just five yard per pass play and 2-for-13 on third down conversions.
Adrian Peterson is still the workhorse
Regardless of who is at the quarterback position, Adrian Peterson remains the focus of the Vikings' offense, as well he should. Despite getting virtually no help from the passing game, Peterson is tops in the league in rushing with 263 yards. He's also second in the league in carries, displaying the team's reliance on him.
Passing game still neccessary
Still, even with Peterson picking up 131.5 yards per game, his team is still only averaging 327 yards per game. Peterson has pick up on his own almost as much as Jackson and his receivers have picked up. When was the last time a team won the Super Bowl with an offense whose running game yielded more yards than the passing game? 1975, when the Pittsburgh Steelers did it. The modern game requires at least an effective passing game. Tavaris Jackson couldn't provide this.
Jackson struggled mightily
The one thing especially evident is that Jackson lacks the ability to stand in the pocket and deliver. It seems he always has to be moving, rolling out of the pocket. He hasn't shown an ability to throw the deep ball, nor be accurate enough to make teams pay for allowing undeneath routes and short slants. As a result, he is at the bottom of the list in almost all statistical categories. The team paid good money for a big-impact receiver in Bernard Berrian, but without a quarterback to get him the ball, he has been decidedly ineffective.
Change had to be made
This does not mean Gus Frerotte will be the savior of this team by any means. But he is the team's best option at quarterback. While true, it displays how desperate things are in Minnesota. He's a quarterback that over his career has been known to make boneheaded mistakes. However, he has never been one to look completely lost in an offense the way Jackson has and probably won't be asked to pass enough to make many really costly errors. Bottom line is the team had lost faith in its quarterback and a change needed to be made. Frerotte is no superstar, but when a team can't trust its quarterback, something's got to give.
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