If Tarvaris Jackson wants to win the starting quarterback job for the Vikings, he’s going to have to work harder – or so says teammate Pat Williams.
Jackson is locked in a fight for the starting quarterback job with Sage Rosenfels, and he has been put on notice by Williams, an outspoken team leader.
“I talk to Tarvaris all the time (and) tell him you have to put in the time,” Williams said recently on Sirius NFL Radio. “This ain’t college no more. This is the NFL. You have to put in more time than you are used to putting in. If you are putting in four hours, you have to put in eight. You have to put in more time than what he’s doing. I think if he puts the right time in, he will be a great quarterback in the league.”
Williams is one of the most respected veterans in the Vikings’ locker room, so the Pro Bowler’s comments carry significant weight. Jackson played poorly in Minnesota’s first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia last season, throwing a critical interception that was returned for a touchdown.
“I told him if he comes we will open our arms to you, and if you don’t we understand,” Williams said.
“He’s a hall of famer, and no one can take that from him. He’s still one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play.”
Jackson should take Williams’ advice to heart, although I don’t know how much clout Williams has these days since he’s about to be suspended four games for violating the league’s substance absue policy.
It seems as though there’s a lot of quarterbacks who make it to the NFL and try to rely on their natural ability to carry them instead of putting in the work. Michael Vick is just one example. He didn’t start putting the extra work in until the summer he got hauled away to jail on federal dog fighting charges. Had Vick put in the extra time at the start, maybe he would have spent his offseasons in the film room instead of in dog fighting rings. (Or maybe not considering he seemed to really, really like dog fighting.)
The classic example of a quarterback who has always put in the preparation time is Peyton Manning, and the Colts have not missed the playoffs since his rookie year in ’98. Jackson might not have Manning’s ability, but there’s no excuse for him not to put in just as much work – especially considering he’s toeing the line of being a starting NFL quarterback and a developmental No. 2.
