The opening kickoff of the Minnesota Vikings' first regular season game is still weeks away, but it's becoming increasingly clear where the team's most crucial matchup will take place this season: not Green Bay, not Chicago, nor anywhere else in the NFC North.

Instead, it'll be off the field at the State Capitol in St. Paul, where the team plans to blitz legislators and Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a new drive to replace the aging Metrodome.

Last week the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which operates the Metrodome, unveiled yet another design, calling for an $853 million retractable-roof stadium to be built on the current Metrodome site. Although the numbers are rough calculations, it's possible that incorporating some of the Dome's existing foundation could shave a significant sum -- up to $100 million, according to some optimistic estimates -- off the price tag of previous proposals.

That's a positive step, but $853 million is still a lot of money, especially for a team that has had no local funding partner after it parted ways with Anoka County two years ago. The north suburban county had promised to contribute $280 million of sales tax revenue toward a new stadium to be built in Blaine.

Now, there's just Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and his contribution to the stadium and surrounding development. (That development could include property now offered for sale by the Star Tribune. The team, which at one point had an option on some of the newspaper's land, is still considered the potential buyer with the most obvious reason to want the property.) Minus the $250 million from Wilf and any NFL contributions, that still leaves a whopping $600 million to find, and it's likely the Vikings will seek public funds. According to long-time stadium foe state Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, that would mean a taxpayer subsidy of $30.95 for each ticket for 30 years after the stadium is built, assuming three decades of sellouts.

When asked about local funding partners, Vikings Vice President of Public Affairs Lester Bagley argued that such a large project requires state leadership. He's correct to this extent: The Vikings are a valuable asset, and the team envisions a project with potential uses and benefits beyond its own needs. Leadership to jump-start the debate is needed from the governor on down -- and soon. The team's Metrodome lease is up in 2011, and the franchise's value ($782 million) is ranked dead last in the NFL by Forbes magazine, in large part because the Dome generates little revenue compared with newer NFL stadiums. That's concerns league officials and Wilf's investors.

There's never a good time to ask for millions for a privately owned sports team, but the 2009 legislative session looks especially tough. The state could face a significant budget deficit. The economy is reeling. But a thorough and open discussion about the Vikings stadium deserves a spot high on the agenda.

Given the proposed facility's huge cost, all options should get an airing. Could the less expensive idea of adding seat capacity to the new Gophers stadium provide the kind of permanent facility the Vikings need? If a separate stadium is built, shouldn't it have a roof to attract events such as the Super Bowl and the Final Four? And, finally, the key question: Can this market afford the luxury of an increasingly expensive NFL franchise? If the answer is no, let's get it out in the open and move on. Bagley said the team would welcome the candor.

For their part, the Vikings and the Sports Commission need a better game plan than what's been seen so far. The video clips with idyllic stadium panoramas are eye-grabbers. But what really matters is how the stadium would be financed and whether the investment would make sense for Minnesota and its taxpayers. Without a more detailed proposal, it would be presumptuous for this newspaper -- and, for that matter, the governor and Legislature -- to support or reject any plan.

The Vikings began pursuing a new stadium before the Wilfs took over. When they go to the Legislature, they'll have 30 games left to play under the Dome lease. The stadium debate has been tabled, sidelined, then tabled again. This year, it's time to make more progress toward resolution than what the late Ohio State coach Woody Hayes used to call "three yards and a cloud of dust."