Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Freeman has revealed that the desire to be "great" is what drives him forward.

Freeman has been named as the Vikings' starting quarterback for Monday night's match against the New York Giants despite only joining the team last week following his release by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 25-year-old admitted that he was keen to prove himself following his Buccaneers experience, but believes that his desire to succeed goes even further back than that.

"Do I have a chip on my shoulder? Sure I do. But I think it's more deeply rooted than just the past six months, 12 months. It's just wanting to go out and wanting to be great," Freeman told reporters.

Freeman also revealed that he had been studying hard in an effort to secure the starting spot for the Vikings.

"I took out my old books, and started going through, looking at some of the different principle concepts in the offense, the run game," he added.

"There's a lot of carry over to different concepts. We've just been grinding. Some stuff sticks faster than others, but it's been good."

The Vikings have only won one of their five matches so far this season, a record that leaves them bottom of the NFC North.