Sweet Home Minnesota

Brett Favre is a Minnesota Viking. It sounds funny and it may look funny. But when I stop to think about it, this is where the future Hall of Famer should have been last year.

Instead of wasting time in New York, figuring out a new offense, getting to know new players, as well a new division within a new conference, Number Four could have been throwing against three NFC North defenses that finished 18th, 21st, and 27th in passing touchdowns.

Fortunately, Favre's mediocre, one-year stint with the New York Jets is a thing of the past -- because it certainly felt awkward. The location was a far cry from what we (and Brett) were used to. The offense didn't complement his style of play. Even the jersey looked funny on him.

For some reason, though, a Viking uniform looks like a natural fit -- as do the playbook and the environs. Brett's familiarity with both the West Coast offense and the Black and Blue Division may be a huge advantage in 2009.

But while all signs point to a bounce-back year for the living legend, there are still some questions to be answered:

• Can Brett establish rapport with Minnesota's pass-catchers only a few weeks before the start of the regular season?
• Is his throwing shoulder fully recovered from offseason arthroscopic surgery?
• And the most pressing question: Will Brett fade in the final month of the season like he did last year?

There's only one reason for a team like the Vikings to sign a guy like Favre. They want to win now. But is he worth the two-year, $25 million contract he signed today?

You may be surprised by the following, but here are the facts...

Tavaris Jackson was a much better quarterback than Brett Favre over the final month of last season. Tavaris went 3-1, Brett went 1-3. Tavaris had eight touchdowns and four turnovers, Brett had three touchdowns and eight turnovers.

Regardless, Tavaris Jackson now finds himself behind Favre -- and maybe Sage Rosenfels, too -- on the Vikings depth chart. The fourth-year player doesn't sound happy about it, either.

"It's not a good feeling," said Jackson. And when asked about his future with the Vikings he replied, "I really don't know. I'm just taking it day-by-day right now. Just trying to get better. That's all I can do right now."

Jackson handled those questions nicely. But I know I wouldn't have. Both he and Sage Rosenfels were led to believe that they were in an open competition for the starting quarterback job. Instead, the Brett Favre circus is in town. And it isn't going anywhere.

Not only do Jackson and Rosenfels have to watch from the sidelines this season, but they now have to answer unyielding questions from reporters about their personal feeling on the whole Brett Favre ordeal. Oye vey!

This may not seem like a big deal, but NFL players are proud. This has to rub both quarterbacks -- as well as some of their teammates -- the wrong way. And although it remains to be seen whether or not this will cause a split in the locker room, this type of Favre-first behavior from the Vikings is similar to what we saw last year with the Jets.

Brett isolated himself from his teammates last season. He didn't reach out to them on or off the field, often played the I'm-a-Hall-of-Famer-to-be-blame-glame, and he even had his own locker room.

If Brett wants to have a successful season in '09, he'll need to communicate more with his teammates. As a 39-year old veteran of his stature, he should know that camaraderie isn't gained through practice reps alone.

But assuming Favre can build a relationship with skill players and remain healthy, I believe that things look good for the Favre-led Vikings this season.

Brett's familiarity with his surroundings and his admiration for head coach Brad Childress aren't the only reasons to get excited: The left side of the Vikings offensive line (Brett's blind side) may the best in the NFL, and the backfield happens to feature some guy named Peterson. Apparently he's some kind of freakish athlete.

Plus the Vikings have a good defense, as they finished 6th in total yards and 1st against the run last season. This means that the offense won't need to force turnover-laden play calls coming from behind very often.

And on top of all of that, the Vikes play in an average division and against one of the easiest schedules in the league. If they won ten games last season with Gus Frerotte and Tavaris Jackson, how many will they win this season with Favre?

So, Brett Favre is a Minnesota Viking after all. I know this may hurt some Packer fans out there, but I think it's a good fit. And yes, he's missed valuable time with his teammates this past month, prompting some people to claim he should have signed on the dotted line sooner.

Yep... last year.