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Tarvaris Jackson would trump Brett Favre for now, Rich Gannon says
The Vikings would be better off with Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback than Brett Favre, at least for the first six weeks of the season.
That's the opinion of Rich Gannon, the former Vikings QB who was the NFL's most valuable player with the Oakland Raiders. He is now the Green Bay Packers' exhibition season TV analyst and a regular-season NFL analyst for CBS.
Gannon has briefly consulted with Jackson the past two springs.
"With all the facts that are out there, certainly they (Vikings) would be better off with Tarvaris the first six, eight weeks of the season," Gannon said Tuesday.
"I'm telling you, it's going to be tough on (Favre). People can scale back for him, simplify things, take things out of their offense, put things in they know he knows ... it would take a lot of tweaking, maneuvering for one guy. Is that something they want to do?"
Favre turns 39 in October.
"And keep this in mind," Gannon added. "Do you go all the way and sign a guy like Brett Favre, or trade for him or do whatever, and he plays one year for you? Or he comes in and gets a groin (injury) or hamstring because he hasn't been part of the program. And then he gets off to a slow start and all of a sudden he plays one year, and then it's 'that wasn't fun for me anymore.' And that's what's going to happen, I think."
Gannon, 42, played 17 seasons in the NFL, the same as Favre. Jackson, 25, has played two seasons.
"I observed and talked to (Jackson) a little bit and
talked to Brad (Vikings coach Brad Childress)," Gannon said. "I'm not some quarterback guru that's worked with him and spent a lot of time with him.
"He's a gifted kid who has worked hard, and I think Brad's done a good job with him. The big thing I tried to impress upon him and told him is that he has to concentrate on just a couple things: one, he needs to play 16 games this year for the Vikings. He can't play 10 games, 12 games. He's got to play 16. All the great ones play every week — Favre, (Peyton) Manning, (Tom) Brady. Every week, and they practice every day.
"So that's your No. 1 goal, to play a full season. The second thing I told him is that his goal every week should be to complete 70 percent of his passes. And even if you don't complete 70 percent, if you're at 66 or 67 or 68 percent, that's still going to put you up there with some of the top quarterbacks in the league."
Gannon also told Jackson he has to take care of the football.
"And realize what you have around you," he said. "He's in a great situation. As a quarterback, I was never in that situation. He's got a good offensive line, maybe the best running game in football, they're going to be better defensively, they're sound in the kicking game.
"So, from a quarterback's perspective, you've got to say to yourself, 'If I'm smart, if I manage the game, and if I don't turn the ball over, I've got a chance to win 10, 11, 12 games. It's that simple, really. I mean, they're not going to ask him to throw 35 or 40 times a game like they do Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. He doesn't have to do it. All he's got to do is manage the game, make good decisions, take care of the ball, use his legs a little bit, his athleticism to run for a couple of first downs, just do the smart things.
"Honestly, there's no reason why the guy can't help this football team get over the hump and get in double digits (victories). You get yourself in double digits, you should be in the playoffs every year."
Gannon, who lives in Excelsior, and Packers coach Mike McCarthy are former teammates and pals. McCarthy was Gannon's QB coach with the Kansas CityChiefs.
Regarding Favre, Gannon said, "I've talked to some insiders on the deal, and it's pretty straightforward. When (Favre) said he wanted to retire, they really tried to talk him out of it. He had just come off of a Pro Bowl year. But he insisted on doing it. They said, 'Why don't you think about it?' And he was pretty adamant about retiring. So I think the organization's moved forward.
"I know from having worked and played with Mike McCarthy that he's a big, big believer in the offseason program. And he's been around too many guys that have not been a part of it that have had subpar seasons or have gotten hurt.
"I'm sure the other thing is that Brett's salary number ($12 million this season) is a big number. That's certainly not the main reason, but you start factoring them all in and you say you could see how they could go in that direction."
DON'T PRINT THAT
Gannon doesn't blame Favre for wanting to play again.
"I've been through it myself," he said. "I broke my neck after 17 years, and I still thought about coming back. I mean, you get a phone call from (coach) Jon Gruden and he says,'C'mon down and we'll take care of you and make sure you stay healthy,' and you get through training camp and all of a sudden your mind and gears start to say 'I can do this.' "
Gannon, who doesn't think Favre will end up with the Vikings, guesses the future hall of famer will end up with Tampa Bay.
"I could see the Packers trading for (backup Bucs QB) Chris Simms," he said. "But that's just my guess."
OVERHEARD
Gannon on Favre: "I'm sure Brett was physically drained at the end of last season. He probably went back home, started feeling better, probably got bored a little bit, and his wife probably started loading him up with some chores and he thought, 'You know what, I think I'll just go back and play.' And in his heart of hearts he knows he's still probably one of the top five quarterbacks in the league. So why wouldn't you come back?"
The Vikings would be better off with Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback than Brett Favre, at least for the first six weeks of the season.
That's the opinion of Rich Gannon, the former Vikings QB who was the NFL's most valuable player with the Oakland Raiders. He is now the Green Bay Packers' exhibition season TV analyst and a regular-season NFL analyst for CBS.
Gannon has briefly consulted with Jackson the past two springs.
"With all the facts that are out there, certainly they (Vikings) would be better off with Tarvaris the first six, eight weeks of the season," Gannon said Tuesday.
"I'm telling you, it's going to be tough on (Favre). People can scale back for him, simplify things, take things out of their offense, put things in they know he knows ... it would take a lot of tweaking, maneuvering for one guy. Is that something they want to do?"
Favre turns 39 in October.
"And keep this in mind," Gannon added. "Do you go all the way and sign a guy like Brett Favre, or trade for him or do whatever, and he plays one year for you? Or he comes in and gets a groin (injury) or hamstring because he hasn't been part of the program. And then he gets off to a slow start and all of a sudden he plays one year, and then it's 'that wasn't fun for me anymore.' And that's what's going to happen, I think."
Gannon, 42, played 17 seasons in the NFL, the same as Favre. Jackson, 25, has played two seasons.
"I observed and talked to (Jackson) a little bit and
talked to Brad (Vikings coach Brad Childress)," Gannon said. "I'm not some quarterback guru that's worked with him and spent a lot of time with him.
"He's a gifted kid who has worked hard, and I think Brad's done a good job with him. The big thing I tried to impress upon him and told him is that he has to concentrate on just a couple things: one, he needs to play 16 games this year for the Vikings. He can't play 10 games, 12 games. He's got to play 16. All the great ones play every week — Favre, (Peyton) Manning, (Tom) Brady. Every week, and they practice every day.
"So that's your No. 1 goal, to play a full season. The second thing I told him is that his goal every week should be to complete 70 percent of his passes. And even if you don't complete 70 percent, if you're at 66 or 67 or 68 percent, that's still going to put you up there with some of the top quarterbacks in the league."
Gannon also told Jackson he has to take care of the football.
"And realize what you have around you," he said. "He's in a great situation. As a quarterback, I was never in that situation. He's got a good offensive line, maybe the best running game in football, they're going to be better defensively, they're sound in the kicking game.
"So, from a quarterback's perspective, you've got to say to yourself, 'If I'm smart, if I manage the game, and if I don't turn the ball over, I've got a chance to win 10, 11, 12 games. It's that simple, really. I mean, they're not going to ask him to throw 35 or 40 times a game like they do Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. He doesn't have to do it. All he's got to do is manage the game, make good decisions, take care of the ball, use his legs a little bit, his athleticism to run for a couple of first downs, just do the smart things.
"Honestly, there's no reason why the guy can't help this football team get over the hump and get in double digits (victories). You get yourself in double digits, you should be in the playoffs every year."
Gannon, who lives in Excelsior, and Packers coach Mike McCarthy are former teammates and pals. McCarthy was Gannon's QB coach with the Kansas CityChiefs.
Regarding Favre, Gannon said, "I've talked to some insiders on the deal, and it's pretty straightforward. When (Favre) said he wanted to retire, they really tried to talk him out of it. He had just come off of a Pro Bowl year. But he insisted on doing it. They said, 'Why don't you think about it?' And he was pretty adamant about retiring. So I think the organization's moved forward.
"I know from having worked and played with Mike McCarthy that he's a big, big believer in the offseason program. And he's been around too many guys that have not been a part of it that have had subpar seasons or have gotten hurt.
"I'm sure the other thing is that Brett's salary number ($12 million this season) is a big number. That's certainly not the main reason, but you start factoring them all in and you say you could see how they could go in that direction."
DON'T PRINT THAT
Gannon doesn't blame Favre for wanting to play again.
"I've been through it myself," he said. "I broke my neck after 17 years, and I still thought about coming back. I mean, you get a phone call from (coach) Jon Gruden and he says,'C'mon down and we'll take care of you and make sure you stay healthy,' and you get through training camp and all of a sudden your mind and gears start to say 'I can do this.' "
Gannon, who doesn't think Favre will end up with the Vikings, guesses the future hall of famer will end up with Tampa Bay.
"I could see the Packers trading for (backup Bucs QB) Chris Simms," he said. "But that's just my guess."
OVERHEARD
Gannon on Favre: "I'm sure Brett was physically drained at the end of last season. He probably went back home, started feeling better, probably got bored a little bit, and his wife probably started loading him up with some chores and he thought, 'You know what, I think I'll just go back and play.' And in his heart of hearts he knows he's still probably one of the top five quarterbacks in the league. So why wouldn't you come back?"
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