Vikings are better with Favre than without him

NEW ORLEANS - An open letter to Brett Favre:

Today would be the best day to say that I was right about you, that the killing interception you threw against the Saints justifies the Packers' decision to ditch you, justifies those, like me, who said this summer we had tired of your internal dramas and wished you would just stay home and mow.

I'm still not sure why a quarterback of your experience would throw across his body, late in a play, late in a tied game, to a covered receiver. Those of us who predicted the return of Bad Brett late this season could seize on that moment to justify any criticism we want to level at you.

Today, though, is the right day to say that I was wrong about you, that despite the demons that cause you to waffle in July and whiff in January, you owe it to yourself and your new team to sign up for one more round.

Without you, the Vikings' season would have ended weeks earlier, either at the end of the regular season or in a first-round loss to a team like Arizona. With you, the Vikings proved to be the most impressive team in the NFC after whipping Dallas and outplaying New Orleans on the road.

This is no time to quit. You just completed the most efficient regular season of your career. You proved tough and durable, even at an age when you should be wearing a headset instead of a helmet. You played flawlessly against Dallas in the best performance by a Vikings team in years, and you gave the Vikings a chance to win against a talented team in a stunningly loud Superdome on Sunday.

You even quieted the whispers from New York that you were a bad, or aloof, teammate by winning over the entire Vikings locker room in record time.

With you behind center, Sidney Rice blossomed into an elite receiver, Percy Harvin became the steal of the draft, and Visanthe Shiancoe became one of the best tight ends in football. With you behind center, Brad Childress' Kick-Ass Offense looked like just that. With you behind center, your team won 13 games and should have won a couple more.

The confluence of your demons and the Vikings' cursed history produced one of the most wrenching losses in franchise history on Sunday night in New Orleans. Has a football team ever before fumbled six times, thrown two interceptions and still taken a championship game into overtime?

But while your interception will become the enduring symbol of that game and this season, I'll caution people to remember that you threw it only because of mistakes made by others.

If the Vikings hadn't fumbled twice inside the Saints 10 and had avoided the 12-men-in-the-huddle penalty, you either wouldn't have been asked to throw on that last play, or would have felt less urgency to make a big play.

Teams need some combination of luck and health to make it to a Super Bowl. Sunday, the Vikings were playing without E.J. Henderson and with a gimpy Antoine Winfield. In 2010, they need better health, a playmaking safety, a more reliable season from Peterson ... and the return of the Grey Ghost.

Remember, you learned how to play in this system, with these teammates, on the fly. You might feel tenderized now but you proved remarkably durable, even in games in which you took a beating, and put plenty of zip on the ball even in your 18th game. Facing the Saints' blitz, throwing off your back foot, putting maximum stress on your arm, you still threw fastballs all night.

I would advise Childress to give you as much time and space as you need. If you want to skip Mankato, fine. This is a results business, and you give the Vikings their best chance to win it all.

My advice to you, Brett: Do everyone a favor and announce quickly that you'll return. Save the drama for next season.

After watching the most entertaining Vikings season since 1998, I'm asking for one more run from the Mississippi lawnmower jockey.

I was wrong last summer. You were the right guy to lead this team.

Jim Souhan can be heard at 10-noon Sunday and 6:40 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on AM-1500. • jsouhan@startribune.com