Aug 17th 2008 9:36PM by JJ Cooper (author feed)
Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, NFL Injuries
It’s a sign of how Tarvaris Jackson has developed, that his sprained MCL is actually a scary loss for the Vikings.
Sure Jackson is still a great unknown, but in this case it’s the unknown with promise that sounds a lot better than depending on Gus Frerotte over a several week span.
Jackson did dodge a bullet. An MCL sprain is an injury he can bounce back from in a couple of weeks, if he had torn his ACL, we’d be looking at a lost season, but now he should be back for the opener. Before the injury, he had played very well for a second straight preseason game, and does seem to be showing signs that he’s a much better quarterback than the one who was a disaster for much of last season.
There is some concern that Jackson’s playing style is leading to a lot of injuries–he had a concussion, knee and groin injuries last year, partly because he’s got enough speed to be a threat when he tucks and runs. But it’s hard to ask Jackson to tone down the running–it’s a big part of what makes him effective at his best. Maybe he can slide a little more, but the Vikings need to have him run when he can convert a third and six.
Worrying about Jackson being healthy enough to play? Who would have thunk it a year ago.
