Vikings season done?

After yesterday's comedy of errors (see Miami 24, Minnesota 20 for more details), you'd have to be sporting a middle name like "Pollyanna" to think that the Vikings are still going to be able to make the playoffs. For crying out loud, they went 0-3 during the cream-puff portion of their schedule!

Exactly on time, the cries are now being heard to start Tarvaris Jackson as quarterback:

Now that it's going to take a 5-1 record the rest of the way to make the playoffs, you might as well pack it in. Bench Brad Johnson.

He gave us a great season last year, but he's been awful this year. Brad isn't getting rid of the ball as quickly as he needs to, he's throwing interceptions, he's making poor decisions . . . there's no reason to keep playing him.

If the Vikings had any shot at the playoffs, then Brad would have to keep starting. As bad as he's been, he gives the Vikings a better chance to win than Brooks Bollinger does. And you don't want to start Tarvaris in must-win games.

But it's over at this point, so there's absolutely no reason not to start Tarvaris. If he's 100% healthy, and has a good handle on the offense, Childress would be making a major mistake by not starting him.

I share Anthony's doubts about Brooks Bollinger, but I don't think that benching Brad is the best way to get Tarvaris some game experience. Unless he's showing a lot more mastery of the position than most first-year quarterbacks do, he's not ready to start yet. I think you'd do better treating it like the pre-season: let him handle a few series every game from this point onwards.