FREROTTE WILL RETURN TO VIKES IF HE’S THE STARTER

Gus Frerotte said that he felt he would have given the Vikings the “best chance to win” if he’d been the starting quarterback for Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. On Tuesday, he told the Pioneer Press that the thought of returning as a backup or to compete for the starting job in 2009 might not be enough of a lure for him to leave his family. “I don’t know if that’s enough after playing this year,” Frerotte said. “I think being away from my family was tough on me. To compete at training camp? I don’t know. That’s all up in the air. It’ll be a family decision again. . . . If they want me back, they’ve got to tell me something, whether it’s to compete or whether it’s to start.” " Frerotte spoke with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and quarterback coach Kevin Rogers before heading home on Monday, but he didn’t speak to head coach Brad Childress. Childress’s decision to continue playing Tarvaris Jackson after Frerotte’s back injury healed because the coach had a “gut feeling” bothered Frerotte, but he said he could “get past all that.” Frerotte is under contract for next season, but it’s unclear if he’ll be welcomed back after his sharing his feelings with Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports over the weekend and the Pioneer Press on Tuesday.