QB Controversy? Nah!

On many teams, the type of performance Gus Frerotte put in Sunday would create the fabled and even cliche "quarterback controversy." But not with the Vikings.

You could hear the rumblings from the press box to the V.I.P.'s getting loaded on complimentary beverages. The chatter? How smooth and effortless and how "1998" the Vikings offense looked with Gus Frerotte at the wheel. There was none of the hurry-to-the-line confusion Daunte Culpepper seems to go through two or three plays a game, no scary passes that were or could have been picked off or long droughts of ineffectiveness.

In short, fans and media saw what every other QB controversy has created -- a backup steps into the starting lineup and tears things up for a win.

But, there is no QB controversy in Minnesota. VU talked with both Frerotte and Culpepper after the game and each was adament that, when healthy, Daunte will be the starter.

"I expect to be back next week," Culpepper started his remarks to VU with. "I'm glad Gus did so well, but, when I'm feeling better, I'll be back in."

Frerotte spoke in similar terms, saying, "This is (Culpepper's) team. He is one of the best quarterbacks I've ever seen. When he's healthy, he's back in the lineup. He's the leader of this team."

Quarterback controversy? Maybe set up by some in the media, but not by the Vikings players themselves.

MONDAY NOTES
* In a pissy 10-minute gabfest after the game, 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens proclaimed Randy Moss "the (NFL's) best wide receiver right now."
* In the third quarter, a VU staff overlord began thumbing through the Vikings media guide to see when the last time was the team had thrown a shutout in the regular season (it was 1993). Perhaps he should have been looking in the other media guide. In an incredible streak, the 49ers have gone 406 games without being shut out -- the last coming Oct. 9, 1977 in a 7-0 loss to Atlanta. As big as Sunday's win was for the Vikings, a shutout would have really made some history.
* The Vikings' 28-0 halftime lead was their biggest lead in a game at the break since 1990.
* Frerotte had the highest QB ranking for a starter in a game in franchise history. His 157.2 rating was almost perfect. The highest possible rating is 158.3.
* Byron Chamberlain returns to Winter Park at the end of his league-mandated suspension.
* Dating back to last year, the Vikings have seven straight wins.
* Every team that was unbeaten heading into Sunday remained unbeaten after Sunday.