Vikings Throw Support Behind Jackson

Amid a flurry of speculation that Brett Favre could become available, the Vikings are sticking with the sentiment that Tarvaris Jackson is their starting quarterback.

Sometimes the hurricane doesn’t hit landfall in your location, but you still feel the effects.

Brett Favre is nearly an entire country away and Green Bay is a full state away, but media outlets from Tampa Bay to Buffalo have been weighing in on the possibility of Favre joining their teams. The Vikings have taken just the opposite approach. Forced to discuss the matter because the Vikings were thrown into the mix in a second interview segment on the Fox News show “On the Record with Greta Van Susteran, Brad Childress had to make his point again that Tarvaris Jackson is still the starting quarterback for the Vikings.

When asked if Jackson is expected to be the starter when the Vikings open training camp next Friday, Childress was pretty direct in his response.

“I think I’ve always said that,” Childress told the Star Tribune. “I just think he’s right where he needs to be in terms of a third-year quarterback. Would I have liked to see him play 16 games last year? Absolutely I would have. But I think he’s in a natural evolution. He understands what it means to play an NFL season as a starter with all eyes on him dissecting everything.”

On the interview segment that aired Tuesday night, Van Susteran pointed to the possibility of Favre wearing a purple jersey for the regular-season opener at Green Bay and Favre said he hadn’t even considered that a possibility of playing with rivals like Minnesota or Chicago.

What initially looked to be a problem between Favre and the Packers has mushroomed to include several teams. In the Tampa area, in the span of less than a week, media reports had QB Jeff Garcia working on a contract extension to talk that, if the Bucs traded for Favre, Garcia would be cut.

Because Favre is still technically the NFL property of the Packers, teams and owners can’t discuss the possibilities, but it hasn’t stopped the rumor mill. Reports had Tampa Bay owner Bruce Allen having dinner with Favre Monday night, a report he denies. Even teams like the Vikings have been forced to address the issue.

No doubt, many fans and teams are hoping this situation gets resolved one way or the other soon. It’s no longer just a Packers vs. Brett situation. It’s started to bleed out into other teams that have no stake in their argument. But, for the Vikings at least, the situation remains the same for now, whether Favre becomes available or not.

WEDNESDAY NOTES

For apparently being such a Brett Favre mark, Van Susteran apparently doesn’t have much working knowledge of the rest of the NFL. Clearly being fed a question by her people, she asked Favre about the potential of playing the “Minneapolis” Vikings.

The Bears took a step toward addressing their glaring need at running back by signing former Detroit RB Kevin Jones, who is still rehabbing a knee injury suffered last year. Despite the signing, Chicago expects rookie Matt Forte to get the majority of carries in training camp and the preseason.

With one running back coming to help an NFC North team, another isn’t planning on reporting unless he gets new deal. Ryan Grant of Green Bay is refusing to report unless the Packers increase the $370,000 second-year tender offer he’s slated to make in 2008.

Childress is scheduled to take a ride with the Blue Angels fighter squadron today after making an appearance in Duluth.