Minnesota Vikings: Rosenfels Or Jackson—Who Gets To Hold The Clipboard?

Cut-down time is fast approaching for the NFL. 

Rosters must be at or below 75 players by Tuesday, August 31, 2010 and to the roster limit of 53 by Saturday September 4, 2010. The Vikings currently have 79 players listed on their roster.

There will be some tough decisions needed to be made by the team in the next week. 

It's going to be a short week for the Vikings as their final preseason game will be on Thursday. For many players this will be their last shot to impress the coaching staff and make the team.

In an attempt to find a replacement for the injured Sidney Rice, there are currently 12 wide receivers on the roster. Look for that number to be cut in half. 

With their sixth round pick the Vikings drafted Joe Webb, a quarterback from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The original plan was to move Webb to wide receiver, but after an audition at quarterback during mini camp, the Vikings changed their mind, and liked what they saw.

That leaves four quarterbacks on the roster.

The starter is not in question, and the consensus is that the Vikings are so high on Webb that he has a lock on the number three spot. 

That leaves the backup role. Tarvaris Jackson went into camp as the projected starter with Sage Rosenfels as the backup.

Through three preseason games Rosenfels has out played Jackson.

Rosenfels has completed 28 of 40 passes for 381 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions for a quarterback rating of 133.4.

Jackson, on the other hand, has only thrown 18 passes, completing 10 for 58 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. His rating is a pedestrian 61.8.

Is there anyway Rosenfels makes this team?

The veteran backup, starting his ninth season, Rosenfels has played in 32 games completing 351 passes for 4,156 yards with 30 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. His career rating is 81.2.

For Jackson, four years Rosenfels' junior, in four season he has played in 33 games. He has completed 545 passes for 3,618 yards with 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. His rating is 77.9. 

For the Vikings the question is, who is the quarterback of the future? A future, that is one injury of Brett Favre away.

Jackson has had plenty of opportunities to impress. He has a 10-9 record in 19 starts for the Vikings. Not good enough for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

The decision may come down to who has the best trade value.

Either way, with only one preseason game remaining, and no opportunity to develop either as a starter on another roster, the most likely trade would be to a team looking for a competent backup.

The Vikings could attempt to cut Webb and then assign him to the practice squad. This is an unlikely scenario. The Vikings, with a high opinion of Webb, would not risk having him claimed off the waiver wire by another team.

That means it's Jackson or Rosenfels.

Unfortunately, there's no way Rosenfels makes this team.

Brad Childress has favored Jackson since he drafted him in the second round of his first season as head coach.

To release him or trade him would, in some way, admit he made a mistake.

Look for Rosenfels to get plenty of snaps in the final preseason game as an audition for any teams in need of a backup.