Team

GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2006 (4/2), 2007 (12/12), 2008 (9/5, 1/1), 2009 (8/0). Total-33/19, 1/1.

• Earned 1st career NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for 4-TD performance at Arizona (12/14/08) against the eventual NFC champions.

• Starting QB in upset road wins over Super Bowl XLII champion NY Giants in 2007 and NFC champions Arizona in 2008.

• Has taken part in the NFL’s Take a Player to School Day in the past 3 seasons with local elementary school students.

OFF THE FIELD Majored in psychology at Alabama State…Participated in 2008 and 2009 NFL’s Take a Player to School day when he accompanied a  Twin Cities area elementary school student on a day at school...Has career aspirations to coach or work with children to honor the coaches who helped mentor him throughout his youth...An avid cook, hosts barbecues during offseason workouts to promote team building…Name is pronounced TAH-vah-ris...Attended same high school, Sidney Lanier High in Montgomery, AL, as Packers legend Bart Starr...Has a son, Tarvaris, and a daughter, TaKyla.

HONORS NFC Offensive Player of the Week, FedEx Air Player of the Week at Arizona (12/14/08).

PRO Returns to Vikings in 2010 with 19 career starts under his belt and spent all of 2009 backing up Brett Favre as the #2 QB...Helped Vikings play well late in the 2008 season and seal the NFC North Division title, the 1st Division title since 2000...Went 2-1 as a starter in the final 3 regular-season games of 2008…Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air Player of the Week for performance at Arizona (12/14/08), throwing 4 TDs against the eventual NFC Champions…A dual threat with his legs and arm, accounting for 24 career TDs, 20 through the air and 4 on the ground...Posted wins against Super Bowl XLII champion NY Giants and AFC Championship participant San Diego during the 2007 season...Ranked 2nd in completion percentage among his rookie classmates at 58.0%, trailing only Jay Cutler’s 59.1%....Joined Vince Young and Matt Leinart as the only 3 rookie QBs to throw and rush for TDs on the season…Ran for a TD and threw for a pair of TDs in 2006...Started 1st career game at Green Bay (12/21) on an NFL Network Thursday Night Football game…Was the 5th QB selected in the 2006 NFL Draft...Only the 2nd player ever drafted from Alabama State by the Vikings.

2009 Saw action in 8 games while backing up future Hall of Famer Brett Favre...Tossed a 34-yard TD pass to Sidney Rice vs. Seattle (11/22) and had season-high 77 passing yards against Seahawks on 6-of-8 passing...Threw for 68 yards on 3-of-3 day at St. Louis (10/11) with a 33-yarder...Was the Vikings #2 QB in all 16 regular season games and both playoff contests.

2008 Helped Vikings late-season surge that sealed the NFC North title for the club…Posted 2-1 record as a starter in the final 3 games of the regular season and started NFC Wild Card Playoff game vs. Philadelphia (1/4/09), his 1st career playoff game…Named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air Player of the Week  for the 1st time in his career for performance at Arizona (12/14) when he threw 4 TDs and posted a career-best 135.5 passer rating…Connected with WR Bobby Wade for a 59-yard TD pass, his longest of the season, at Arizona (12/14)…Threw 2 TD passes to TE Visanthe Shiancoe and tied for the team-high with 76 rushing yards vs. Atlanta (12/21), notching the 3rd-most rushing yards in a game by a Vikings QB in team history…Led a Vikings 4th-quarter comeback to win game at Detroit (12/7), entering the game late in the 2nd quarter after starter Gus Frerotte was injured...Entered the 4th quarter trailing 10-13 and hit Shiancoe for the go-ahead TD with 11:22 remaining in the game…Started opening 2 games of the season at Green Bay (9/8) and vs. Indianapolis (9/14).

2007 Guided the Vikings offense to the #13 ranking in the NFL, a jump from #23 in 2006…Took over starting job and notched an 8-4 record in his 12 starts, with 2 of the losses coming in overtime games…Had a 7-3 record in his final 10 starts of the season…Key element to the Vikings 5-game win streak in November and December that raised the record to 8-6, converting 70.5% of his passes in that 5-game stretch…Battled through injuries that forced him to miss 4 games during the season…Led NFC QBs with 3 rushing TDs on the season…Threw 3 TD passes of 60+ yards during the season to 3 different players and won all 3 games…Connected with RB Adrian Peterson for a 60-yard TD on Peterson’s 1st career catch in the season opening win vs. Atlanta (9/9)…Hit WR Troy Williamson for a 60-yard TD at Chicago (10/14) and connected with WR Sidney Rice for a 60-yard TD at NY Giants (11/25), the big score coming on the 2nd play of the game…Set a Vikings record and matched an NFL record by converting a pair of 2-point conversions in the season finale at Denver (12/30), running in a pair of 2-pointers to cap a furious 4th-quarter comeback that forced the game to overtime…Connected on a season-long 71-yard pass to Robert Ferguson vs. Chicago (12/17) on Monday Night Football…Engineered a comeback win over Chicago (12/17) in his 1st Monday Night Football start, fighting back from a 10-point 1st-half deficit…Posted 1st career game with no sacks or INTs in win at San Francisco (12/9)…Had season-best 139.2 passer rating at NY Giants (11/25) in an upset win over the eventual Super Bowl XLII Champions.

2006 Started final 2 games of the regular season, becoming only the 3rd Vikings rookie QB to start a game in franchise history, joining Fran Tarkenton and Tommy Kramer...Became the 1st rookie QB to start for the Vikings in 30 years when he opened Thursday Night Football game on NFL Network at Green Bay (12/21)…Threw 2 TDs, hitting Mewelde Moore on a 35-yard screen pass vs. NY Jets (12/17) and connecting with Travis Taylor vs. St. Louis (12/31) in the season finale...Ran for his 1st career TD vs. St. Louis (12/31)…Tied for the longest pass completion of the Vikings season with a 50-yard pass to Moore vs. St. Louis (12/31)…Hit Ciatrick Fason for his 1st career completion at Chicago (12/3) on a 4-yard pass.

COLLEGE Left school ranked 7th in Southwestern Athletic Conference history with 68 TD passes, despite playing only 3 seasons in the league and ranked 9th in SWAC history with 7,839 yards...Ended ASU career ranked 2nd in TD passes and passing yards...Accounted for 79 career TDs (68 pass, 11 rush)...Threw a TD pass in final 16 straight games and in 19 of his final 20 games..Posted 6 career 300-yard passing games...Competed with Matt Jones for time at QB when both played for Arkansas before transferring to ASU…Earned 2nd-Team All-SWAC honors as a senior…Was tabbed as the SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year...ASU’s captain and offensive MVP during senior year...Threw for 2,941 yards, the 3rd-most in ASU history...Gained 3,226 yards of offense (2,941 passing/285 rushing), the 3rd-most in school history...Threw 3+ TD passes in 7 of 11 games on the season and threw a TD in all 11 games…During junior season he guided the Hornets to SWAC title and a 10-2 mark, becoming only the 2nd QB in school history to lead a team to 10 wins...Named MVP of SWAC Championship VI and the Detroit Football Classic as a junior in 2004...In his ASU debut in 2003, led team to an 8-5 record, the SWAC Eastern Division title and a berth in SWAC Championship V...In 2002 he saw time in 8 games for the Razorbacks in his final season with the team...Started 1st career collegiate game at Auburn...Threw 1st career TD pass vs. South Florida…As a freshman in 2001, he played in 3 games for the Razorbacks before shoulder injury sidelined him...Granted medical redshirt for season...Made college football debut against UNLV in 2001 season opener.

PREP Played QB and DB at Sidney Lanier High in Montgomery, AL...Honorable-Mention All-State choice as a junior and senior...Helped team to 9-2 mark as a senior and served as team captain.