No Section

The Key Question

Depending on who you ask, the Vikings may or may not be signing Brett Favre to be their next QB. Vikings fans are sounding off on the very idea of Favre wearing purple. In my mind, there is just one question they should be asking themselves.

May 7, 2009 at 1:50AM

On my Facebook account this afternoon, I updated my status to read:

I would love to not be writing or talking or thinking about Brett Favre or the Vikings. As I wrote a few weeks ago, this is Twins season, not Vikings season. Unfortunately, we are talking about arguably the best quarterbook in football history, and we are talking about our home NFL team, so that makes it the biggest topic in town; well, in the biggest topic in the whole country really.

Briefly, I wanted to share a few comments on the topic. I am a Vikings fan. I pay attention to the draft, to the preseason and to the regular season and playoffs. I watch games and predict play calls, and play Monday Morning Quarterback a little bit. I am a Vikings fan, and if I'm going to watch all of their games, I obviously want to see them win games, win the division and advance in the playoffs toward the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl championship.

That brings us back to the Vikings/Brett Favre discussion. The key question that every single Vikings fan should be asking themselves is this, "Can Brett Favre make the Vikings a Super Bowl contender?"

That should be the only question that really matters, right? Everything else should be secondary.

I never understood Vikings fans' absolute hate for Brett Favre. I understand not liking players from a team's biggest competitor, but there are a lot of fans that truly "HATE" Brett Favre. There are others that discount how terrific his NFL career has been because he played for the Packers. But if the reason that you don't want Favre to be the Vikings QB is because he spent so many years as the face of the Packers, playing against the Vikings, go back to the key question.

If you think Brett Favre is a prima donna, well, you're probably right. He loves the attention. He loves the spotlight. He is an NFL star? Why wouldn't he? But what does that have to do with the key question? There have been a bunch of prima donnas that have won Super Bowls. John Elway was 'too good' to sign with the Buccaneers when he was drafted. He went on to win a couple of Super Bowls. Go back to that first Super Bowl. Wasn't Joe Namath a bit of a arrogant individual?

My concerns with the Vikings signing (or potentially signing) of Brett Favre have to do with his physical status. What is the status of his bicep? Can he stay healthy throughout a full season? Will his legs hold up? If you (or more important, the Vikings medical staff) are comfortable with those things, then you go to again jump to the key question.

And the big question to determine that has to be, "Does Brett Favre give the Vikings a better chance to win the Super Bowl than Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels?" I'm definitely not saying that the answer to that question is as easy as many want to think at this stage of Favre's career.

Fans and prognosticators have said the last couple of years that this Vikings team has a ton of talent. Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor in the backfield. A strong defense that can dominate a game. The Vikings have Bernard Berrian and now Percy Harvin. The offensive line should be younger and better. Most believe that all the team needs is a dependable quarterback. With several veteran impact players on the roster, the window could be closing quickly. Do you have confidence in Jackson or Rosenfels? Do you have confidence in Brett Favre making the team better?

Those of you still not wanting Favre on the Vikings roster for non-on-the-field reasons, consider this: Are you a Vikings fan, or a Brett Favre hater? What if the Vikings sign Favre and he leads them to a Super Bowl championship? Would you consider it a tainted championship?

Again, I ask that true Vikings fans ask themselves one question. "Can Brett Favre make the Vikings a Super Bowl contender?" If the answer to that question is yes, then signing him is a no brainer.