Vikings' Jackson takes the Favre talk in stride

The gravest charge against Jackson was more general: a sluggish passing attack that didn't do enough to complement amazing rookie running back Adrian Peterson and the stout defense on the other side.

Progress was clearly made down the stretch, through, and coaches and teammates have raved about his focus, attitude and improvement - at least in practice - since those first few forgettable starts.

"Expectations always get higher for every year you're in the league," coach Brad Childress said. "There's definitely a curve that you want to see him approach, and like I've said before, I think he's about right where a third-year quarterback should be. I've seen the work he's done in the offseason. I want to see it transfer now."

In a fledgling career featuring a mere 14 starts, including two meaningless games at the end of his rookie season, Jackson has not had much time to prove himself even though so many people outside the organization and in the fan base have written him off.

"To understand what it's going to feel like, that's priceless," said receiver Bobby Wade. "I think that he's 100 percent a better player this year. I expect him to be just as great as he wants to be. Obviously we put some good people around him, so hopefully we can help out and take some of the pressure off him."

Safety Darren Sharper took that support a step further.

"This is his team. We expect this to be his team," Sharper said, adding: "It's how I feel. I wouldn't make that statement if I didn't believe it."