National Football League

Vikings have few options at quarterback

Published Aug. 3, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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If Brett Favre holds true to his decision to retire, the Minnesota Vikings will turn to fifth-year pro Tarvaris Jackson to start at quarterback. But as FOXSports.com’s Jay Glazer reported earlier Tuesday, the team won’t give up on the chance that Favre will change his mind. For now, at least, it’s Jackson’s job to lose.

League sources said the coaching staff believes that while it’s taken him some time to get acclimated for the intricate West Coast system, Jackson started to “get it” over the past year, and they believe he will be ready to take over when needed.

But what if Jackson struggles?

Veteran QB Sage Rosenfels would take over. Rosenfels, who has decent athleticism for the position, is probably a decent stopgap for three to four games. But he’s not the long-term answer for the majority of the season.

So are there any other options?

None that are very viable for Minnesota’s West Coast scheme, but here’s a list of the best remaining free-agent quarterbacks and how they would fit in:

Josh McCown: The 31-year-old gunslinger is known in scouting circles for his athleticism and above-average arm. However, he hasn’t played in the West Offense in his eight years in the NFL, and a personnel source said he makes too many mental mistakes to be a starter over the course of an entire season. It should be noted that he signed with the UFL’s Hartford Colonials, so unless they would release him, he can’t play in the NFL until the UFL season is over.

Jeff Garcia: The 40-year-old signal caller has played almost his entire 11-year NFL career in the West Coast scheme. However, he’s best used in a backup or emergency situation at this point.

JaMarcus Russell: He had brief exposure to the West Coast scheme with the Oakland Raiders under former head coach Lane Kiffin, but Russell is far from being ready to play football again after his recent off-the-field issues.

Daunte Culpepper: Like with McCown, Culpepper signed with an UFL team, so he’s not really an option at this point.

Todd Collins: Collins, who turns 39 in November, hasn’t started a game since 2007, so he’s really nothing but a backup. He also hasn’t had much experience in the West Coast scheme.

Brian St. Pierre: Despite never starting a game in his seven seasons in the NFL, St. Pierre has drawn a lot of respect in scouting circles for his play in the preseason over the years. The problem is he’s never started a game and has no experience in the West Coast scheme.

Trade Options

Troy Smith (Baltimore Ravens): He wants a larger role, but he won’t be anything more than the No. 3 with Baltimore. He has no experience in the West Coast scheme and has only started two regular season games in his three years of play.

Brian Brohm (Buffalo Bills): Brohm was thought to be a great fit for the West Coast scheme based on his accuracy coming out of college, but he struggled mightily with the Green Bay Packers during his season-plus with the team.

Tyler Thigpen (Miami Dolphins): Minnesota selected him in the seventh round in 2007, so they are aware of what he brings to the table. He played pretty well two years ago for the Kansas City Chiefs, but that was mostly out of shotgun formation.

Chris Simms (Tennessee Titans): He does have plenty of experience playing in the West Coast scheme from back when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Simms has only started one game since the 2006 season. He’s only set to make $755,000 in base salary for 2010.

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