Frerotte Impacts Vikings’ Locker Room
Because of an injured back, quarterback
Gus Frerotte didn’t start the last three regular season games of the
year for the Vikings but he was the most important player in the locker
room this season. That’s the opinion of former Vikings’ assistant coach
Dean Dalton who assisted Sports Headliners with
identifying the team’s most valuable players, most improved, pleasant
surprise, and best rookie and coach during the Purple’s 2008 season.
Frerotte, 37, began pre-season and the
regular season as a mentor to 25-year-old Tarvaris Jackson. Then
he took over as the team’s starting quarterback after two games. He
helped the Vikings to eight wins in 11 games including at Detroit when
he was injured and replaced by Jackson. But Frerotte continued to be
supportive of Jackson and a team leader. Dalton, who now analyzes the
Vikings and NFL in the media, said Frerotte’s attitude avoided a
potentially “divisive” and dysfunctional locker room situation.
No surprise that Dalton likes
Adrian Peterson as offensive MVP. Peterson led
the NFL in rushing with 1,760 yards. “This team is not in a position
to play for the playoffs without him,” Dalton said before Sunday’s win
over the New York Giants.
Dalton is an admirer of team sack leader Jared Allen (14.5) but
his choice for defensive MVP is tackle Kevin Williams. He
describes Williams as such a “force inside” that he makes Allen’s job
easier and more effective at defensive end.
The special team’s MVP is kicker Ryan
Longwell who won last Sunday’s game with a last minute 50 yard field
goal against the Giants that made sure the Vikings qualified for the
playoffs. Longwell accounted for 127 points of the team season total of
379. “Ryan Longwell is steady,” Dalton said. “He’s money. He gets a lot
of points for this team.”
Jackson and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe are co-title holders for
most improved. Jackson threw seven touchdown passes and only one
interception in the last three games of the season, all starts. The
Vikings won two of the three playoff drive games.
Dalton would like to see Jackson stop
taking open field hits when he runs but he praised the “maturity and
poise” shown by the 2006 second round draft choice. “He’s the
quarterback everybody wanted him to be right now,” Dalton said prior to
Sunday's game.
Shiancoe came to the Vikings as a free
agent in 2007 and was a flop last season and for awhile this year. He
was dropping balls earlier in the season and not showing “courage” going
over the middle of the field, according to Dalton. But after awhile
Shiancoe was used more on vertical patterns, started catching passes and
did display courage in the middle of the field. He caught 42 passes
including seven touchdowns compared with totals of 27 and one last
season. “I would say his blocking is adequate now where before it was
poor,” Dalton said regarding another improved aspect of Shiancoe’s play.
Bernard Berrian, the pricey wide receiver who came here as a free agent from Chicago,
is Dalton’s most pleasant surprise pick. Initially Dalton thought
spending that money (reportedly $42 million) was a “big reach” but
Berrian began to produce when Frerotte took over at quarterback. His
vertical speed (seven touchdowns) made the running game of Peterson and
Chester Taylor better.
Tyrell Johnson is an easy choice as top rookie. He was a capable replacement for
Madieu Williams at free safety early in the season when Williams was
injured. Johnson, a second round draft choice, led a minimal rookie
group comprised of six players.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier
did the best coaching job on the staff, Dalton said. He also said the
Vikings had a “bend but not break” defense that was efficient in
limiting red zone scoring. “They’ve been great at creating turnovers
and if you give them the lead they’re monstrous,” Dalton said. “Plus, they continue to be the best running defense in the National Football
League.”
