Author: David Shama

To his credit, coach Brad Childress said Gus Frerotte will be the Vikings’ quarterback this season when he announced a change after the second game.  Even a 37-year-old veteran like Frerotte benefits from a team environment where there’s a commitment to the starting quarterback.

Childress did no less for 25-year-old Tarvaris Jackson last season.  He was the starter at the beginning of the 2007 season and even though he missed games because of injuries he was No. 1 when he returned.

Childress kept his commitment to Jackson during the 2008 pre-season.  The third year quarterback looked improved, more confident and decisive.  Then came a knee injury in game two of the pre-season and Jackson didn’t play in the team’s last two tune-up games.  Jackson came back to start the first two games of the regular season but his play didn’t look sharp.

Vikings’ placekicker Ryan Longwell is a 12 year NFL veteran.  He’s also a team captain and played with Brett Favre in Green Bay for nine seasons.  He was asked last week about the Childress commitment to Frerotte as the starter for the rest of the season.

“I just think you want a chance over the long haul to just know that you’re the guy,” Longwell said.  “I think it gives you a lot of confidence. It gives some stability to the team and to the offense (that) it’s not going to be in and out.  It’s just steady Eddy and I think that’s important for an organization, too.”

The statistics for Jackson and Frerotte are similar so far.  Each has started two games.  Jackson has completed 31 of 60 passes, with one touchdown and one interception.  Frerottte is 41 of 71, with one touchdown and two interceptions.  Jackson’s quarterback rating is 65.7, Frerotte’s is 70.7.

Neither quarterback has had a lot of help from his receivers.  Dropped balls and inconsistency characterize the performances.  Slot receiver Bobby Wade has been about the only guy to brag on a little.  He leads the team with 13 catches.

Starting tonight in New Orleans against the Saints (2-2), the 1-3 Vikings need a better passing game.  The Vikings rank 21st in the 32 team NFL in passing, while the Saints defense is 29th against the pass.  Offensively the Saints are No. 1 in passing at 327.2 yards per game.  The Vikings rank 16th in passing defense (207.5 per game).

The Vikings’ can put a temporary stop to a lot of local negativity about their start to the season.  Otherwise, at 1-4 coaches and players could be welcomed home next Sunday with a serenade of boos for the Detroit game.

In the meantime, Jackson will sit and watch.  Longwell sees the positive side of that role.    “I think if he approaches it the right way, like it looks like has, he can do wonders for himself in the future,” Longwell said.  “Whether that’s later this year, or tomorrow, or two years from now.  Who knows?  But you gotta prepare yourself, and you can learn a lot from just being around and watching the game unfold.”

When Longwell was with Green Bay he participated in the first and only New Orleans Superdome game played on grass.  He recalled how hard the surface was with the turf on top of concrete.

Longwell on his role along with Steve Hutchinson and E.J. Henderson as team captains:  “You just want to be a steady influence around the team at all times. And I think that’s what E.J. and Hutch and I have tried to do is be steady and be consistent.”

Part of the captains’ responsibility is the pre-game coin toss and Longwell always calls heads.  He considers tails a “negative call.”  He said the three captains “kind of fight over” who has to make the coin toss call, instead of “who gets to.”

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen on indoor stadiums versus outdoor: “I like playing outside. I prefer playing outside. That’s where football is supposed to be played. …”

Tonight’s game features the NFL’s third ranked offense with the Saints averaging 414.2 yards per game against a seventh ranked Vikings defense allowing 279.2 yards.

Saints quarterback Kerry Collins talking about the Vikings’ defensive line:  “They love to get penetration. They have the guys to do it; they’ve got big guys. They like to get pressure on the quarterback. They like to disrupt the running game with penetration. They are big. They are talented. They are fast.”

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission has retained HKS Architects of Dallas and Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis at a cost of $2.5 million for Phase I work on a proposed multi-purpose facility on the Metrodome site that would be home to the Vikings.  A Phase I report that will include schematic design is expected by March 1, commission executive director Bill Lester reported via e-mail.  HKS was the architect for Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis and the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, according to Lester.

Assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg expects Timberwolves 20-year-old rookie Kevin Love “to emerge as one of the leaders of the team at a very young age.”

It was 40 years ago last month that O.J. Simpson and his USC team drew a crowd of 60,820 to the old Memorial Stadium where the Gophers lost to the Trojans, 29-20, in one of the classic college football games ever played here.  Simpson, who won the 1968 Heisman, was sentenced to prison last week on robbery charges, 13 years to the day that he was acquitted in the murder trial of wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman.

The Gophers defeated Indiana 16-7 last Saturday, although before the game the over and under was 59.5 points, according to the Star Tribune.

Gopher football coach Tim Brewster said that Duane Bennett, who was injured in the second game of the season, will receive a redshirt season.  That means he will be a sophomore next year.

The Gopher offense consists primarily of freshmen and sophomores but the depth chart on defense last week showed eight juniors, two seniors and a sophomore on the first team.

Marian Gaborik becomes a free agent after next season and there’s speculation his next contract can put him toward the top among the NHL’s best paid players but at least one authority doesn’t even include the Minnesota Wild star among the league’s best 15 players.  In a recent issue of the Sporting News Jay Feaster, former general manager of Tampa Bay, ranked Gaborik No. 17 in a listing of top 50 players.  Washington’s Alex Overchkin was No. 1, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby No. 2 and Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom No. 3.

Twins management must be serious about trying Michael Cuddyer at third base in spring training next year.  The team’s official Web site lists him as an infielder on the 25-man roster.  A source told Sports Headliners that when Cuddyer was interviewed awhile ago on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle he didn’t sound enthused about third base, a position he has played in both the major and minor leagues before becoming a regular right fielder.

Look for the Twins to re-sign free agent Nick Punto, one of baseball’s most versatile utility infielders.  Punto responded well to hitting toward the bottom of the batting order, finishing with a .284 average after hitting .210 in 2007.