Pat Williams to Jackson: Work Harder; Also Admits to Texting Favre

During a interview with Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams on Tuesday, Alex Marvez of Sirius NFL Radio brought up quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and how he is dealing with his competition with Sage Rosenfels.

Williams message for Jackson? Put in the time and energy necessary.

“I talk to Tarvaris all the time, (and) tell him you have to put in the time,” Williams said. “This ain’t college no more. This is the NFL. You have to put in more time than you are used to putting in.

Last season, Jackson threw nine touchdowns and two interceptions in five starts for the Vikings.

He was benched after a two rough games to start the season, only to step in Week 14 when quarterback Gus Frerotte was injured.

Ultimately, Jackson played well down the stretch, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 15 after throwing for 163 yards and four touchdowns for a 135.5 quarterback rating against the Arizona Cardinals.

However, what stands out in many people's minds is the NFC wild-card game against Philadelphia in which Jackson struggled to stand in the pocket against the blitz. Jackson completed just 42.9 percent of his passes and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel.

Williams thought that with hard work and dedication, Jackson has a bright future as a quarterback in the NFL.

“If you are putting in four hours, you have to put in eight," Williams said. "You have to put in more time than what he’s doing. I think if he puts the right time in, he will be a great quarterback in the league.”

On an interesting note, Williams also told Marvez during his interview that he recently sent a text message to retired quarterback Brett Favre, who many think will come out of retirement for a second time to sign with the Vikings.

“I told him if he comes, we will open our arms to you, and if you don’t, we understand,” Williams said. “He’s a Hall of Famer, and no one can take that from him. He’s still one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play.”

The Vikings will hold a mandatory minicamp this Friday that runs through Sunday. Keep in mind that the team is expecting Favre to make a decision by this weekend, according to sources.

Stay tuned—it's quarterback news galore in Minnesota.