Frerotte gets good reviews

Vikings coach Brad Childress seemed generally pleased with Gus Frerotte’s performance after looking at the film Monday morning.

Gus Frerotte received generally positive reviews from coach Brad Childress a day after the veteran quarterback made his first start of the season.

Frerotte, who replaced second-year starter Tarvaris Jackson after the Vikings fell to 0-2, completed 16 of 28 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Vikings’ 20-10 victory over Carolina at the Metrodome. He also was sacked three times.

“I think he gave some life to the passing game,” Childress said. “I thought he did a nice job of sliding up in the pocket and getting (Bernard) Berrian on that 48-yarder on third down. He gave us some plays in the passing game and made a lot of the routine plays.”

That 48-yarder to Berrian came early in the third quarter and helped to set up a drive that ended with Frerotte’s 34-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.

Although it appeared the Vikings took more downfield shots with Frerotte at quarterback, Childress was not willing to acknowledge the game plan changed all that much from when Jackson started in losses to Green Bay and Indianapolis.

“It is simply (the same plan) for the fact that you have to attack the defense that you’re seeing with the plays that you believe will attack that defense,” Childress said.”

Frerotte had said on Sunday he didn’t feel that there were that many more down-field shots taken.

“I don’t think anymore than we have in the past,” he said. “But we called some in the game and for whatever reason they are playing the right coverage at the time. ... Overall I think our play calling was really good.”

NOTES

DE Jared Allen was excited the Vikings got their first victory, but he also kept things in perspective. “We did not win the Super Bowl here. We won one game,” he said. “Right now we are 1-2 and we got to know this feeling. This is a lot better feeling than losing. We just got to go back and keep working hard and keep emphasizing the details and keep finishing plays off and games off and we will be all right.”

RB Adrian Peterson admitted that when his hamstring tightened up in the Vikings’ Week 2 loss to Indianapolis he was concerned about whether he would play against Carolina. But despite being limited in practice last week that uncertainty began to go away as the week progressed. “When you have a hurt hamstring and you are a running back, you do not always know how big it is,” he said. “Throughout the week, we just took it day-to-day, and kept preparing to play.” Peterson did play and rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries.

QB Gus Frerotte, starting in place of the benched Tarvaris Jackson, said he got plenty of help from the guy he replaced during Sunday’s victory over the Panthers. “Tarvaris was great today. He was right in the game,” Frerotte said. “I would come over to the sidelines, we would talk about everything. We would talk about plays and what’s coming up. He did a good job today. Obviously when things happen I look at film, ‘Here’s what happened. Here’s what they should have done.’ Like on the (third-quarter) touchdown to Visanthe Shiancoe, the corners usually cheat and play between the tight end and the receiver, and he got caught outside and that’s why Shank was so wide open. So I was telling T-Jack we snapped it quick and he was prepared for that and that is why we were able to get one down the middle. So we talk all the time and hopefully he listens and we are all going through the season together.”