Tarvaris Jackson was going to be the Vikings‘ starting quarterback in 2009…until a little fellow I like to call Brett Favre swooped in and stole his job away.
Favre would go on to put up MVP-level numbers in leading the Vikings to within inches of the Super Bowl. T-Jack, meanwhile, would wait out the season on the bench, in anticipation of becoming an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Only problem for T-Jack: because of the CBA situation, his unrestricted free agency became a restricted free agency. The Vikings ended up slapping a same-round tender on him, which chased away any teams that might have been inclined to bring him aboard, and give him a shot at starting.
T-Jack, faced with a choice between returning to Minnesota and doing nothing, chose to return to Minnesota. Now, like the rest of Viking Nation, he sits in limbo and waits for Favre to make up his mind about coming back for 2010.
Unlike last off-season, T-Jack is not keeping his mouth shut about Favre. In an interview with FanHouse, Jackson got pretty candid, admitting that Favre’s arrival last summer did not sit well with him, at least initially.
“I was bitter. I was mad,” Jackson says. “But then once he got here, and I got a chance to be around him and see what kind of person he was, I felt a lot better. He helped me a lot. I learned so much just by watching him. I wouldn’t go back and change things. Having a chance to play behind a guy of his caliber was just great. I’ve had other guys, veteran guys I’ve learned from, but nobody who’s done what he’s done.”
Jackson may have come to accept Favre’s presence last year – he didn’t have much choice, given Favre’s brilliant performance – but this summer, he is back to wondering, and back to being slightly irked about the waiting game.
“Obviously, you wouldn’t want to go through it,” Jackson says of his present dilemma. “I’m not sure any guy would want to be in this position year in and year out, but it’s my situation and I’ve got to deal with it the best I can.”
But, says Jackson, despite his career being on-hold, he still has big aspirations, and wants those dreams to come true in purple.
“I still want to be a great quarterback in this league and I want to make that happen. I only have one year left, so if does come back, we’ll see then. This is the team that drafted me. I want to be successful here. But whatever happens, I’m ready for it. Just take it as it comes.”
Nothing personal against Tarvaris, but I imagine most Vikings fans hope not to see him on the field in 2010.