U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann notably, and briefly, campaigned last fall while sporting a Randy Moss jersey. It was a shrewd move by an astute politician seizing on the wild enthusiasm (later proven woefully delusional) among Vikings fans thrilled with the return of the mercurial Vikings receiver.

But behind the Republican congresswoman's ever-present smile and silky No. 84 purple garb lay a dark secret. She had made a deal with the devil, at least from a Vikings fan's perspective: She was living in the home of a former Packers player. And, apparently, enjoying it.

Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, bought their West Lakeland Township home in 2008 from Ross Verba, an offensive lineman who made a fine living protecting quarterback Brett Favre, who just a year ago was tantalizing those same delusional fans with talk about whether or not to retire.

Like Bachmann, Verba is from Iowa, and the much-heralded Hawkeye and first-round draft pick played in Super Bowl XXXII. He played four seasons with the Packers, then three with Cleveland before his finishing his career with Detroit in 2006 -- just about when the four-bedroom home was completed.

The property, incidentally, has not been immune from the housing bust, losing about a third of its assessed value -- from $1.27 million to $848,000 -- since the Bachmanns bought it.

So, what does the Bachmann-Verba connection have to do with, well, anything?

Reporters from across the nation have been descending on Washington County, sifting through what Jerry Seinfeld would call the excruciating minutiae of Bachmann's life. Her rise, after all, from obscure school board candidate to state lawmaker to political juggernaut is a compelling story.

Reporters, of course, are hoping for The Bombshell. If there is one, it has not revealed itself.

But consider: If Bachmann becomes president, the home will at the least become a historical site, maybe even accommodate a nearby Michele Bachmann Presidential Library, with the Moss jersey she wore in a display case.

What a footnote it would be that the place once belonged to a Packers player.