Vikings QB Jackson does not complain about Favre’s absence

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was extremely disappointed when his starting job was taken away to Brett Favre when the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer arrived in middle of last preseason, but Jackson now knows well he is still young and has chance to win the starting job back while Favre’s time already in countdown.

With that knowledge, Jackson’s attitude towards anything Favre is now doing or permitted to do is calm enough to get himself work hard in preparation for the upcoming season. He did not complain at all when Favre did not show for any of this offseason’s workouts and has made it clear that he will also be fine if Favre continues to miss the training camp.

“If he doesn’t show up to Mankato, sign the same time he did last year, that’s fine, that’s more reps for me, Sage (Rosenfels) and Joe (Webb),” Jackson told Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “We just basically try to take advantage of it. When he comes backs, be ready mentally and just know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s going to be a long season.”

Talking about the possibility of Favre’s return, Jackson is confident that the quarterback will return to start with the Vikings for another season. What if he does not return? Jackson laughed and joked that he would wear Terry Bradshaw jersey for the whole training camp.

Vikings Coach does not take Twitter trash talk seriously

It’s been quite a few days since the New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper started the twitter trash talks with his former Minnesota Vikings teammates, however, the trash talk could be only for fun, as the Vikings head coach Brad Childress recently said that he was not concerned with the verbal war.

Childress said that the word exchanges in cyberspace was mostly for fun and he know well that Sharper had a good relationship with Visanthe Shiancoe, Sharper’s major rival in the verbal war. Besides, Sharper also used to be Brett Favre’s teammate in the Green Bay Packers, and he could not be serious when saying that Favre’s surgically repaired ankle had been an X Mark to him. “He should be happy for seeing the quarterback wearing back his No.4 Brett Favre jersey,” Childress said. “He was joking about the ankle because he knew that would attract attention.”

Childress did not seem worried at all that the twitter fight could affect Shiancoe’s playing status, even though the tight end missed Wednesday’s optional team practice. Inevitably, Childress was asked about Favre’s playing status, and the coach said that they were still waiting for the quarterback’s final decision.

Brett Favre wants a salary raise for return

With so many people waiting for his decision, Brett Favre seems to enjoy the attentions paid to him and the discussions about him. We are not sure how longer he will go on with this game, but the real thing he wants is very likely to be more money.

While the Minnesota Vikings said that they had enough patience to wait for Favre’s decision, their patience was actually used for the negotiation on contract modifying. Leading the Vikings to the playoffs last season, Favre proved what he could still do at age 40 and wanted the team to reconsider the original contract terms they signed during the 2009 offseason. However, as we know, heavy investment on an over-aged quarterback is extremely risky and both the quarterback and the team needs long enough time to reach something that is for both sides’ most possible benefits.

What’s odd here is that the Vikings still have two other quarterbacks available for a starting role even if the No. 4 Brett Favre jersey is not to be with the team for the 2010 season, but they still focus on Favre only. If the team really thinks Favre the best starting quarterback they could have, why are they hesitating to make more generous offer? Well, that’s the team’s logic to give less than they could afford unless they lose their advantages.

Guard Chester Pitts attracted interests from Vikings

Still rehabbing from the knee injury suffered last September, the Houston Texans guard Chester Pitts is now on his way back to NFL, but it’s very unlikely for him to return with the Texans. According to recent reports, other teams have been in contact with the veteran, and one of them is the Minnesota Vikings.

Pitts recently told reporters that he received phone call from the Vikings last week and was asked about the rehab process. The Seattle Seahawks also contacted him, but it seems that the Vikings attracted more attention from the public because of their roster moves during the offseason.

After losing Artis Hicks to the Washington Redskins during free agency, the Vikings have been in lack of a qualified replacing offensive lineman. Although the drafted former Wake Forest lineman Chris DeGeare from the fifth-round of 2010 NFL draft, there is still a void in the starting line. Replacement for Hicks must be like the former starter, veteran and versatile, and that are the very traits making Pitts the best choice. Besides, having Pitts put on Vikings jersey would be cheap as he is just coming off a microfracture surgery. What’s more, Vikings head coach Brad Childress would like Pitts to be in his offensive line the 32-year-old veteran has been famous for being a finesse blocker instead of an overpowering one.

Vikings could have new stadium along Lake Elmo

According to reports, the Minnesota Vikings have several choices of the new stadium’s site, and three of them are along the interstate dividing Lake Elmo and Woodbury. However, it is still early to make a choice as the bill on funding the building is still pending.

Lake Elmo officials confirmed on Monday that they contacted with the Vikings officials earlier this year on the possibility of locating the team’s new stadium in north of Interstate 94. According to city administrator Bruce Messelt, there are four areas in the city available to build up a new professional football stadium, beside the three sites along the interstate, there is a fourth site north of the Eagle Point Business Park. Each of the four sites is big enough to hold the new stadium.

However, Messelt also made it clear that the contract between representatives of Lake Elmo and the Vikings officials on the potential locations had been very limited, and it had been long since their last talks. So Vikings fans still have time to express their opinions on the new site, where they are going to watch Vikings games in Vikings jerseys after the 2011 season.

Rookie RB Gerhart is already familiar with some Vikings

Being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings as a second-round pick from the 2010 NFL draft, running back Toby Gerhart seemed doomed to get linked with the team. Although he would put on Vikings jersey for the first time by the time of rookie camp, Gerhart has already known some of the Vikings long before.

The starting running back Gerhart is going to back up, Adrian Peterson has been the rookie’s idol for long. Winning the Heisman Trophy as one of the best college running backs, Gerhart’s career goal is just to become a running back like Peterson, who was a college star already when Gerhart was a freshman in college. Then he met the famous running back at a Super Bowl game and was excited enough to have a handshake with Peterson. Now he really puts on Vikings jersey and will play with his idol, and Gerhart just has more motivation than other rookies to do his best.

Except for Peterson, there is another Vikings a non-stranger to Gerhart. Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy used to be recruiting Gerhart to UCLA, but eventually Gerhart went to Stanford and Bieniemy joined the Vikings. So it’s interesting enough that finally the two still came to the same place to work for the same team.