Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings / Image: Zuma Press

In last week’s preseason win over Kansas City—a game Brett never should’ve played in after having had only a couple days of practice—Tarvaris has a great game (12-of-15 passing, 202 yards, 2 TDs) and all of a sudden, someone feels there SHOULD be a controversy more than their actually is a controversy. Tarvaris did have a great game. I’ll give him that. But he’s a very streaky QB who will eventually disappoint when it matters most. He’s proven that in the past. The jury is still out on Sage but the fact remains: Brett still gives this team their best chance of winning football games. Naturally, he’ll need some time to develop a chemistry with his new teammates (in and out of the locker room), but in the long run, the Vikings will be a better team with Brett as their starting quarterback.

By the way, Brett doesn’t believe a locker room divide exists:

“You guys have to keep stirring the pot I guess. Somebody has to make up a story like this.”

Sources: ESPN.com, TwinCities.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

No Quarterback Controversy in Minnesota

Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings / Photo: Newscom

Here are five good reasons — in no particular order — why Brett will be the Vikings’ starting quarterback this season (somewhere in Seattle, T.J. Houshmandzadeh is having second thoughts):

1. In Minnesota, Brett will be running a similar offense to the one he ran in Green Bay. Comfy.
2. With Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor in the offensive backfield, the Vikings have one of the NFL’s strongest running games. Minnesota is a run-first offense so Brett won’t be asked to throw the ball 30-40 times a game for 16 weeks. But when it comes time to win a few, Brett Favre can still do that.
3. The Vikings have one of the NFL’s strongest defenses (sixth overall last season giving up just 292 yards/game) — and a great defense is every quarterback’s best friend.
4. Minnesota plays in the NFC North so Brett will be able to get his much-desired revenge on the Packers twice this season. Maybe more if the two meet in the playoffs.
5. The Vikings are a legitimate Super Bowl contender with Brett at quarterback. The team is arguably a starting QB away from being a serious threat in the NFC. Sage Rosenfels, Tarvaris Jackson or John David Booty won’t cut it. The Vikings will be lucky to win eight games with one of those three at starting QB.
6. OK, I thought of a sixth reason — the Vikings had a hard time selling out their playoff game against the Eagles last season and the team’s future in Minnesota is on shaky ground. How many seats do you think Brett Favre can fill? He’ll re-energize the organization and city.

Source: ESPN.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Brad Childress to Meet With Brett Favre

Today was the last official day for the media to be working at the NFL Scouting Combine. Only one head coach made an appearance today — Detroit Lions leader Rod Marinelli. And Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian also stopped by. The final group of players to speak with the media were defensive backs. And LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey took his turn at the presser podium, making up for a missed opportunity yesterday because he was involved in a battery of tests at the hospital. I think he also wanted to clear the air regarding the rumors surrounding his attendance and ailing leg:

“I’m never surprised. I always try to set myself up to hear wild things. Some stuff I just wonder where people get it from. Even the reports saying I was not coming. I don’t know where that came from. It is what it is. I’m just trying to enjoy myself and make sure I’m taking care of my responsibility. Everybody is going to have their opinion on what they think about me and my game, but as long as I’m taking care of my business, that is all that matters to me ….. I have not missed a game since I got to LSU. Everybody gets bruised up. That’s the way I look at it. Who does not go through a season without getting bumps and bruises? I don’t think it’s an issue at all. I’ve played every game since I’ve been at LSU, my whole four years, so I do not think it’s a problem at all.”

Other than Glenn Dorsey, the talk of the day has been Arkansas RB Darren McFadden’s blazing 40-time as RBs, QBs and WRs worked out. Already considered one of the top prospects (and maybe the best overall athlete) in this Draft class, Darren ran a 4.33-40. I really didn’t expect him to get that good of a time. A 4.43 maybe. But, this was something to see. Darren was a blur. Somehow, that number was not the day’s best among running backs, though. East Carolina’s Chris Johnson ran a 4.24-40. This was nothing new for Chris. He is one of the fastest athletes at this Combine and a player teams are very seriously going to consider given his impressive collegiate stats and speed. One example — he had 408 total yards against Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl. And he’s comparing himself to Brian Westbrook. Sounds about right.

The quarterbacks impressed. My feeling that a bunch of these guys are going to make solid NFL QBs was supported by their workouts today. Joe Flacco showed off his big arm and speed for such a big guy. I thought Chad Henne (especially out-routes and deep throws) and Colt Brennan (20 of 21) also threw well. John David Booty looked sharp, especially on his long passes. He might be the most NFL-ready QB in this class. Brian Brohm showcased his accuracy, even on 45-yarders off seven- and five-step drops. Joshua Johnson is also a quarterback to watch. He was really off my radar screen until I saw his workout. Plus he ran the fastest 40-time (4.55) among the QBs. Matt Ryan (Boston College) and Andre Woodson (Kentucky) watched the action. Matt chose not to workout and Andre was nursing a hamstring.

The wideouts were a speedy bunch as five players came in under 4.4 in the 40. DeSean Jackson not only had the fastest 40-time (4.35) but he ran good routes and caught everything near him. He impressed me. One knock on him is his size (he’s a buck 70), but I think NFL’s team can utilize him much like the Bills use Roscoe Parrish or the Bears use Devin Hester. He’ll have a role for some NFL team in the fall. Indiana’s James Hardy is one of my “sleeper” picks if you can even call him that. In an NFL Network interview he admitted to needing to work on his blocking and route running, but this guy is going to be a good one. With his big frame, I think he has the potential to be unstoppable in one-on-one matchups.

Here are the winning numbers for quarterbacks, running backs and wideouts in their drills:

Quarterbacks – Bench Press (Bernard Morris, Marshall, 18); Broad Jump (Brian Brohm, Louisville, 9′7″); Vert Jump (Joshua Johnson, San Diego, 33.5″); 3-Cone Drill (Joe Flacco, Delaware, 6.82); 20-yard Shuttle (Alex Brink, Washington State, 4.19); 40-yard Dash (Joshua Johnson, San Diego, 4.55).

Running Backs – Bench Press (Jerome Felton, Furman, 30 and Carl Stewart, Auburn, 30); Broad Jump (Carl Stewart, Auburn, 11′2″ and Anthony Alridge, Houston, 11′2″); Vert Jump (Carl Stewart, Auburn, 39″); 3-Cone Drill (Ray Rice, Rutgers, 6.65); 20-yard Shuttle (Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois, 4.18); 60-yard Shuttle (Matt Forte, Tulane, 11.49); 40-yard Dash (Chris Johnson, East Carolina, 4.24).

Wideouts – Bench Press (Eddie Royal, Virginia Tech, 24); Broad Jump (Jerome Simpson, Coastal Carolina, 11′4″); Vert Jump (Keenan Burton, Kentucky, 38.5″); 3-Cone Drill (Harry Douglas, Louisville, 6.57); 20-yard Shuttle (Arman Shields, Richmond, 3.96); 60-yard Shuttle (Arman Shields, Richmond, 10.87); 40-yard Dash (DeSean Jackson, Cal, 4.35).

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL Scouting Combine 2008: Day Four