Favre's mission: Making good great

Brett Favre's debut in a Vikings uniform tonight is sure to cause great excitement among the masses in the Metrodome, but the reality is this will be nothing more than a dress rehearsal.

Three days after signing with the Vikings, Favre is expected to start and likely will play one series in the Vikings' preseason home opener against Kansas City. There will be little time to get a read on what Favre's presence will mean to this offense.

But with the Vikings' regular-season opener at Cleveland less than a month away, it's fair to wonder exactly what the veteran quarterback will bring to a unit that already contains several key parts. Adrian Peterson is one of the NFL's best running backs, receiver Bernard Berrian has big-play ability, first-round draft pick Percy Harvin should be a threat in a multiple of ways and Visanthe Shiancoe is an emerging tight end.

Favre shouldn't have to win games for the Vikings, but he will be counted on to make the plays that Brad Johnson, Tarvaris Jackson, Brooks Bollinger, Kelly Holcomb and Gus Frerotte couldn't.

"The one thing that people will see is a crispness to this offense," said kicker Ryan Longwell, a teammate of Favre's with the Green Bay Packers for nine seasons. "It will run quickly, it will run efficiently and there will be a zip to the plays, to the throws, to even your check-down patterns and stuff. There will be a crispness to it, and he'll bring that into the huddle. You'll be able to see that pretty quick."

Perhaps the most interesting thing will be seeing how Favre functions within this system. Favre played in the West Coast offense for 16 seasons in Green Bay -- during an interview on HBO this summer Favre said he could "teach this offense" -- but the reality is that coach Brad Childress has some of his own ideas about how things should run. Childress is a stickler for details and precision and hasn't allowed his quarterbacks much leeway at the line of scrimmage.

Favre? The NFL's all-time leader in interceptions (310) didn't get his gunslinger reputation by accident. Favre might be many things, but it always has seemed laughable to refer to him as a game manager.

"It's really going to be all up to the coaches, how much they want to put on him early," wide receiver Bobby Wade said. "This offense has a lot of stuff in it that he's really familiar with, a lot of stuff that he can check to, a lot of stuff that he can alert to. So as far as him being comfortable and being able to play the same way that he's been able to play, I think he'll still have that opportunity. As far as the plays being changed and things like that, that's going to be strictly up to Coach Childress and [offensive coordinator Darrell] Bevell."

Ultimately, Favre and Childress must work out a compromise where neither allows their ego to get in the way. Favre, who will turn 40 on Oct. 10 and is entering his 19th NFL season, should have the ability to change things in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage based on what defenses are doing. His experience should make him a coach on the field who at a moment's notice can make the best use of Peterson, Harvin, Berrian or Shiancoe's abilities.

But Childress also will need to maintain enough control so that what has made the Vikings successful -- remember, this team won the NFC North last season -- remains in place. This is a very good running team that simply needs to be more effective through the air, not turn to the pass. Favre might think he can throw it all day because opponents put eight men in the box, but for a guy about to turn 40 -- who has a torn rotator cuff in his throwing arm and underwent surgery in May to repair his biceps tendon -- that wouldn't be recommended.

"There has to be balance on both sides," said Trent Dilfer, a former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst who played in the West Coast system with Seattle and San Francisco. "Brad has to be flexible enough to let Brett run and operate the offense the way he's most comfortable operating it. Brett has to realize that his best football has always been when he's had very solid boundaries surrounding him."

Favre seemed to understand this as he spoke during his introductory news conference Tuesday. Last season, he threw a league-high 22 interceptions with the New York Jets, including nine during the team's 1-4 finish.

"I think as a QB, you kind of go as the team goes, and what you are asked to do," Favre said. "You never know. I have heard that this whole offseason, 'You don't have to do much, we have a great running game.' We all know that, but there will always come a time when you need to make plays and you have to do certain things that you may not have to do on a consistent basis. I would be the first to admit, I don't think I am capable to make some of the plays I used to make. My mind might tell me I can, but I don't know physically if I can do that. Understanding my limitations, how it pertains to what we are trying to do is all a part of this process."