June 18: Wilf: The ball's in Favre's court

Owner Zygi Wilf made it clear Wednesday night at an event for Vikings season-ticket holders that whether Brett Favre plays in Minnesota this season will be up to the retired quarterback.

But Favre essentially divulged there is a timetable for both sides earlier in the day after testing his surgically repaired arm while working out with a high school football team. "There is time, but there isn't time, if that makes sense," Favre told WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, Miss., after throwing to players from Oak Grove High School. "I don't need to wait for camp to say it's 100 percent. I need to know before then, and so do the Vikings."

While, the Vikings don't report to training camp until July 29, Favre did not seem very encouraged Wednesday.

He had arthroscopic surgery on a partially torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder in late May, performed by Dr. James Andrews, and said he felt some pain.

"Dr. Andrews said more or less four weeks you should know if [surgery] was completely successful," said Favre, who retired in February after one season with the New York Jets. "I threw a couple of balls today where I really felt it ... different places in my shoulder where it's sore. I threw the ball OK, but OK isn't good enough in the National Football League. At least not for me, so it's got to get better."

This came two days after Favre broke a monthslong silence by appearing on Joe Buck's HBO show and giving every indication he will end his second retirement and play for the Vikings if his arm allows.

Coach Brad Childress, who has been coy when talking about the Vikings' interest in Favre since the Jets released him in late April, was asked early in the first-ever "State of the Vikings" event about the Favre situation.

"I think some of you folks got a chance to see [Favre] with Joe Buck the other night," Childress told a crowd of approximately 1,200 at the State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. "He kind of said what he needs to say. He's tried to make a push to get back, and I just know this: He won't play unless he feels like he's capable of playing at the level he's played over the course of years. But I know he's working hard at it."

Added Wilf: "Like I've said many times before, be it Brett Favre or anybody else, we will do the most we can to get the players we need to be a better team. ... Right now, it's all up to Brett Favre to determine where his future is at, and we'll just leave it at that."

Throughout the course of the 1 1/2-hour program at the State Theatre, fans occasionally shouted out Favre's name as if to encourage Childress, Wilf and Vikings Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman, who were joined by linebacker Chad Greenway on stage.

Obviously, these fans did not feel like some who have tired of Favre's wavering for a second consecutive offseason on whether to remain retired. "I know people are, like I said on TV the other night, are about fed up with it," Favre said Wednesday. "That's fine. It's my life, and I'm trying to figure out what to do."

• Cornerback Antoine Winfield did not attend any offseason practices after contract talks with the team broke down last month. "It's an ongoing process, it's an ongoing negotiation and it's all part of the business," Spielman said. "We're going to do everything we can because Antoine is such an important part of our defense, important part of our team."